Draft Australian Curriculum:

Technologies F-10

Consultation

February 2013

Learning areas

The Melbourne Declaration identifies eight learning areas including:

Technologies

Australian Curriculum development phases

Phase 1

English

Mathematics

Science

History

Phase 2

Geography

Languages

The Arts

Phase 3Health and

Physical Education

Economics and Business

Civics and Citizenship

Australian Curriculum development

Technologies Consultation Timeline

20 February 2013Draft Australian Curriculum: Technologies F-10 available for consultation

February-AprilNSW Department of Education and Communities consultation on draft curriculum. - Focus groups - Video conferences- Online survey

10 May 2013ACARA consultation closes

December 2013Anticipated curriculum publication date for the Australian Curriculum: Technologies

Implementation

NSW syllabus development

Australian curriculum

Implementation

• NSW has made no commitment to implementation of the Australian Curriculum for Phase 2 and Phase 3 subjects.

• The Board of Studies will follow its regular cycle of curriculum evaluation and review which will identify priorities for curriculum renewal. When a current syllabus or learning area is identified for renewal the Board will take the opportunity to incorporate Australian curriculum content. NSW BOS Memorandum To Principals July 2012

• In all cases, all schools are required to implement current approved NSW Syllabuses until otherwise advised by the Board.

Organisation of the Australian Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum: Technologies:

• is being developed by ACARA for Foundation -Year 10 (K-Yr10)

• is described in band levels not Stages

• has achievement standards

• has content descriptions not outcomes

• has content elaborations not ‘learn to’ and ‘learn about’

General capabilities

Literacy

Numeracy

Information and communication

technology (ICT) capability

Intercultural

understandingPersonal and social

capability

Critical and creative thinking Ethical

understanding

Cross-curriculum priorities

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia

Sustainability

Rationale and aims: Technologies

Rationale

• describes the nature of the learning area

• provides an outline of learning

Aims

• identify the major learning that students will be able to demonstrate

Organisation: Technologies

The Draft Australian Curriculum: Technologies is organised into the following bands of learning:

• Foundation to Year 2

• Years 3 and 4

• Years 5 and 6

• Years 7 and 8

• Years 9 and 10

Organisation: Technologies

The Draft Australian Curriculum: Technologies comprises 2 subjects that all students will study Foundation-8:

• Design and Technologies• Digital Technologies

Organisation: Technologies

The Draft Australian Curriculum: Technologies will offer 2 optional (elective) subjects in Years 9 and 10:

• Design and Technologies• Digital Technologies

• States may offer additional technologies specialisations that do not duplicate these subjects.

Rationale and aims: Technologies

TechnologiesRationale and Aims

Design and Technologie

sRationale and

aims

Digital Technologie

sRationale and

Aims

• Separate Rationale and Aims for each subject• Complement and extend Technologies Rationale and Aims• More specific, describing knowledge, understanding and skills unique to

Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies

Content Structure: Technologies

Australian Curriculum: Technologies:• 2 distinct subjects• 2 related strands

Design and Technologies

Digital Technologies

Knowledge and understanding:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Technologies and society• Technologies contexts

• Representation of data• Digital systems• Interactions and impact

Processes and production skills:

Processes and production skills:

• Critiquing, exploring and investigating

• Generating, developing and evaluating ideas

• Planning, producing and evaluating solutions

• Using data• Using digital systems• Defining and solving

problems• Creating and communicating

Content Structure: Technologies

The common strand structure provides opportunities to:

• Highlight similarities across the two subjects

• Facilitate integrated teaching from F-8

Key ideas: Technologies

Key Ideas:

• Systems thinking and the overarching idea: Creating preferred futures

• Project management

Common to both subjects. Both strengthened from previous draft versions.

Band Level Descriptions

• Provided at the beginning of each band for each subject.

• Describe the expected learning students will experience within the band.

• Indicate progression of learning (knowledge, understanding and skills) from one band to the next.

• Reflect the distinctive practices of each subject along with aspects of learning that are common to both Technologies subjects.

Content Descriptions

The Draft Australian Curriculum: Technologies is structured around content descriptions for each band.

Content descriptions • specify what teachers are expected to teach

(mandatory)• are sequenced to develop concepts across bands

Elaborations • examples that illustrate content descriptions

(non-mandatory).

Achievement standards

• Achievement standards are provided at the end of each band of learning.

• Achievement standards describe the quality of learning (depth of conceptual understanding and sophistication of their skills) indicating students are ready to commence the next band.

• Achievement standards reflect the distinctive practices of each subject along with aspects of learning that are common to all Technologies subjects.

Design and Technologies

Organisation: Content structure

Two related strands:

• Design and Technologies knowledge and understanding — the use, development and impact of technologies and design ideas across a range of technologies contexts

• Design and Technologies processes and production skills — the skills required to design, produce and evaluate designed solutions

Organisation: Content structure

Technologies contexts

There are 4 Technologies prescribed contexts F-8:

• Materials and technologies specialisations. For example:• materials, including composites, metal, plastics, wood, smart

materials, textiles• an area of specialisation (for example, architecture, electronics,

graphics technologies, fashion)

• Food and fibre production (includes Food technologies F–4)

• Engineering principles and systems • Food technologies (combines with Food & fibre production F–4).

Implementing the curriculum

• All design projects include all three processes and production skills.

• At least four technologies projects completed in each band covering each of the Technologies contexts.

• At least one product, one service and one environment design project in each band.

• multiple technologies contexts can be addressed in a single unit.

Scope and sequence F-10

Content descriptions and elaborations

An example of a Content description (mandatory) and its Elaborations (non-mandatory) from Year 7 and 8.

Content description 8.7 Critique, explore and investigate needs or opportunities for designing and a range of materials, components, tools and techniques to collaboratively develop and produce creative and sustainable designed solutions in response to design briefsElaborations• using traditional and contemporary technologies when developing

designs, and discovering the advantages and disadvantages of each approach

• exploring emerging materials and technologies and their potential impact on design decisions, for example smart materials

Digital Technologies

Organisation: Content structure

Two related strands:

• Digital Technologies knowledge and understanding — information systems: data, processes, digital systems, people, and their interactions

• Digital Technologies processes and production skills — defining and solving problems through using digital systems, critical and creative thinking and applying computational thinking

Organisation: Content structure

Key concepts

• Abstraction underpins all content, particularly Representation of data; Using data and Defining & solving problems

• Data collection (properties, sources & collection of data), data representation (symbolism & separation) and data interpretation (patterns & contexts)

• Specification (descriptions & techniques), algorithms (following & describing) and implementation (translating & programming)

• Digital systems (hardware, software and networks)

• Interactions (people & digital systems, data & processes) and impact (impacts & empowerment).

Scope and sequence F-10

Content descriptions and elaborations

An example of a Content description (mandatory) and its Elaborations (non-mandatory) from Year 7 and 8.

Content description 8.9 Develop and modify programs with user interfaces involving branching, repetition or iteration and subprograms in a general-purpose programming language

Elaborations• developing and modifying digital solutions by implementing

instructions contained in algorithms through programs • developing a digital game that manipulates models of real-world

objects

Digital Technologies and ICT

• Clear relationship between the Digital Technologies curriculum and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability general capability.

• The capability assists students to become effective users of ICT.

• The Digital Technologies curriculum assists students to become confident developers of digital solutions.

Is the separation into 2 subjects appropriate F-8?

Is the language and content of Digital Technologies

accessible to primary and non-specialist teachers?

Does the Technologies curriculum adequately cater

for student diversity?

Are the prescribed contexts appropriate in Design and

Technologies?

Do the two related strands allow for integration of the 2

subjects?

Key questions for evaluating the draft F-10 Technologies curriculum

What to do next

Download a printable version of the Draft Australian Curriculum:Technologies

Complete the NSW Department of Education and Communities online consultation survey:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012technologies

Additional feedback can be provided to the Board of Studies and ACARA

Online consultation surveys

ACARA Australian Curriculum consultation http://consultation.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

NSW Board of Studieshttp://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/australian-curriculum/

/

Dept of Education and Communities Science and Technology K-6 http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/scitech/index.htm

Dept of Education and CommunitiesTAS/Technology http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/secondary/technology/index.htm

Department of Education and Communities consultation

Technology Years 7-12http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/secondary/technology/index.htm

Science and Technology K-6http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/scitech/index.htm

Your feedback is important.

Please send any further written feedback to:

• Sandra McKee sandra.mckee4@det.nsw.edu.au

Years 7-12 TAS Advisor

• Tanya Coli tanyacoli@det.nsw.edu.au

K-6 Science and Technology Advisor

Your feedback is important