From the President: Curriculum changes approved
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 127 No number 4, 3 June 2022, page no. 7
In late April, the nation’s Education Ministers approved version 9 of the Australian Curriculum.
Many members were involved in providing feedback and proposing changes to the draft curriculum, which was released for consultation in the second half of 2021. The Queensland Teachers’ Union was also strongly represented in the many different QCAA Learning Area Reference Groups.
Additional feedback came after some states and ministers rejected certain aspects of the history and mathematics curriculums.
As far as the terms of reference went, much has been achieved.
ACARA has a new user-friendly website which makes the curriculum readily accessible. This features a document that highlights changes made within the new version. Resources will also be developed to support the implementation of version 9.
The decluttering goal of the terms of reference has reportedly been met, with up to 25 per cent of the curriculum affected.
Detail will be the critical element here. Every change will have to be considered in each school in the context of curriculum delivery. This will have an impact on workload and familiarity with alignment, planning and delivery.
That is why it is critical at this point in time that any familiarisation and engagement with version 9 be by personal choice and is not a requirement of your practice.
The QCAA Board and K-10 Curriculum and Assessment Committee will soon be considering what implementation may look like and what resources may be required to support teachers through this phase.
Stakeholders will meet in the coming months to agree on how version 9 should be implemented in schools.
The Queensland Teachers’ Union will be actively involved in negotiating resourcing to support our teachers and school leaders through the familiarisation and implementation stages. Ongoing negotiation will occur with the government, department and the QCAA.
Timelines, resources, approaches, and cross curricular and general capabilities support are all to be considered as we go forward. We also need to recognise that we all need time to become familiar with the changes, where they occur and how they will affect the flow of teaching and learning.
A lot remains to be seen with regard to the implementation of the new curriculum materials and other tools being considered by AITSL and ACARA, both of which continue to have no practicing teacher or teacher union representation on them.
The Australian Education Union’s Federal Executive will meet with the Chief Executive Officer of ACARA David de Carvalho in June to hear about version 9 and the plans to support implementation. Questions will be asked about what support will be provided to teachers in small school contexts and to those teaching multi-age and in early childhood contexts.
As we have done up until now, the QTU will continue to seek your feedback as we proceed through 2022. Your views will be canvassed through branch meetings, Area Councils, State Council and the Professional Issues Committee. This will ensure the continued input of those doing the work and ensue that the process is clear, both for you as a teacher and for the learning of the students in your classes.