Australian Curriculum: Languages

Lucie Sorensen

Senior Project Officer, Languages

MLTA NSW8 March 2013

Outline of Presentation

• ACARA update• Architecture of the Australian Curriculum: Languages• Overarching design features of the Australian

Curriculum: Languages• Overview of draft curriculum (design features realised in

curriculum documents)– orientation of the teaching and learning of all

languages (key concepts and organisational structure)

ACARA Update

Language specific

F-10 Languages curriculum development:

Chinese and ItalianActivity Date

Draft curriculum approved by Board Dec 2012

Consultation period Dec 2012 - 12 April 2013

Final curriculum approved by Board September 2013

F-10 Languages curriculum development:

Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander LanguagesActivity Date

Draft curriculum approved by Board 2 May 2013

Consultation period May - July 2013

Final curriculum approved by Board 5 December 2013

F-10 Languages curriculum development:Arabic, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek, Spanish and Vietnamese

Activity Date

Draft curriculum approved by Board 2 May 2013

Consultation period May – July 2013

Final curriculum approved by Board 5 December 2013

Architecture of the Australian Curriculum: Languages

Architecture of the Australian Curriculum: Languages

• Pathways– Second language learners – Background language learners– First language learners

• Time on task

Indicative hours to guide writing the curriculum

Curriculum

Indicative hours

(for the purpose of writing curriculum)

Foundation – Year 10 sequence

Foundation – Year 4 (Level 1) 175 hours

Years 5-6 (Level 2) A further 175 hours

Years 7-8 (Level 3) A further 160 hours

Years 9-10 (Level 4) A further 160 hours

Years 7-10 sequence (Year 7 entry)

Years 7-8 (Level 1) 160 hours

Years 9-10 (Level 2) A further 160 hours

General capabilities• Literacy• Numeracy• Information and Communication

Technology Capability• Critical and Creative Thinking• Ethical Behaviour• Personal and Social

Capability• Intercultural

Understanding

Learning areas• English• Mathematics• Science• Humanities and Social Sciences –

History, Geography, Economics and Business, Civics and Citizenship

• The Arts• Languages• Health and Physical Education• Technologies

Cross-curriculum priorities• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories

and cultures• Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia• Sustainability

Dimensions of the

Australian Curriculum

10

Intercultural understanding

• a central aim of learning languages• learning languages involves comparison

and reflection (linguistic, social, and cultural)

• language learners actively engage in intercultural interpretation

Australian Curriculum: Languages F – 10 Curriculum Design

Language, culture and learningThrough learning languages, students acquire:

• essential communication skills in the target language• an intercultural capability, and• an understanding of the role of language and culture in human

communication.

• Learning language involves:– Student Performance– Analysis– Reflection

Aims

The Australian Curriculum: Languages aims to develop the knowledge, understanding, and skills to ensure students:

• communicate in the target language • understand language, culture, and learning and their

relationship, and thereby develop an intercultural capability in communication

• understand themselves as communicators.

Strands

Communicating

Understanding

Sub – strands

Content

Descriptions Elaborations

Achievement standards

Context statement

Band descriptions

Language specific

Content structure – two strands

• Communicating: using language for communicative purposes in interpreting, creating, and exchanging meaning.

• Understanding: analysing language and culture as a resource for interpreting and creating meaning.

Overview of Communicating strand – sub strands• Socialising and taking action• Obtaining and using information• Responding to and expressing imaginative

experience• Moving between/translating• Expressing and performing identity• Reflecting on intercultural language use

Overview of Understanding strand – sub strands

• Systems of language• Variability in language use• Language awareness• Role of language and culture

Achievement standard

• Achievement standards describe what students are typically able to understand and able to do. They describe expected achievement and emphasise the depth of conceptual understanding and the sophistication of skills

Chinese Foundation to Year 4 (Level 1) Achievement Standard• By the end of Level 1, students ask and respond to questions to exchange personal information

and interests. They participate in creative performances in collaboration with others. They use gestures and movement to support their oral communication. They create short texts in characters by copying from word lists to convey personal information using models, or produce cards and posters for special occasions and events. They identify key words in texts glossed in Pinyin, or locate familiar words in texts presented in characters. They recognise familiar word order in Chinese sentences and use model sentence patterns to incorporate their own meanings in communication. Sentences are short, following the basic subject-verb-object structure with occasional use of adjective predicates. Numbers are used to describe age, family members and to quantify objects (with measure word).

• By the end of Level 1, students understand that Pinyin provides access to the sounds of the spoken language and use it to practise speaking with attention to pronunciation and tone. They recognise features of the Chinese writing system: the range of strokes and their sequences in character writing and how component knowledge can assist in learning characters. They recognise that Modern Standard Chinese is a language of global importance and identify examples of Chinese use particularly within their own community. They describe features of Chinese culture and display awareness of cultural values when participating in interactions with Chinese people.

Online delivery

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Consultation Portal

• The Australian Curriculum has been published online

• ACARA works with Education Services Australia to publish draft material on the consultation portal and when approved the online curriculum

• Australian Curriculum Connect project linking state/territory digital resources to support the teaching of the curriculum

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http://consultation.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Consultation processes• Online survey and written submissions

• Teacher intensive engagement (trial schools)

• National panel meetings (2 representatives from each state and territory and national professional teacher associations; DEEWR rep)

• Face-to-face consultation forums in each S&T for draft Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages

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Feedback

• Broad feedback is sought on the Languages curriculum overall in relation to: – Rationale and Aims for the Languages: Learning area– Structure of the curriculum

• More specific feedback in each Language is sought in relation to:– Context statement– Band descriptions– Curriculum content (clarity, coverage, pitch and sequence)– Achievement standards (clarity, coherence, pitch, sequence, usability)– Manageability for teachers

More information …

ACARA Websitewww.acara.edu.au

Australian Curriculum Websitehttp://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home

ChineseGerman, Modern Greek, Spanish, Vietnamese

Lucie SorensenSenior Project Officer, LanguagesAustralian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)Level 10 | 255 Pitt Street | SYDNEY | NSW | 2000Ph: 02 8098 3267| Fax: 1300 995 468Email: lucie.sorensen@acara.edu.au

ItalianAboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander LanguagesArabic, French, Indonesian, Japanese, KoreanSuzanne BradshawSenior Project Officer, LanguagesAustralian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)Level 10 | 255 Pitt Street | SYDNEY | NSW | 2000Ph: 02 8098 3149| Fax: 1300 995 468Ph: +618 8302 4794 (Adelaide)Email: suzanne.bradshaw@acara.edu.au