Thursday, 31 Oct 2019
The much-anticipated interim report of the NSW Curriculum Review was delivered last week and covered widely in NSW media. What are its implications for PAT schools?
The report is the result of a lengthy public consultation with the teaching profession, parents, students and the community that included 14 public and 50 stakeholder meetings and more than 2100 submissions. This is the first review of the whole NSW curriculum in 30 years, and is designed to ensure the curriculum addresses the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
The case for change
Some research estimates that up to 40 per cent of current jobs will be replaced by technology in the next ten years. Facts are easier than ever to access, making the skills involved in applying knowledge – problem-solving, reasoning, critical thinking, and so on – at least as important as the acquisition of that knowledge. These are significant changes; if we are serious about preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s world, we have to ensure they develop the skills crucial to be able to participate fully in the workforce, future learning and the community.
Reforming the curriculum
So what will a future curriculum look like?
Some exciting ideas emerged from the consultation. Teachers frustrated by a rigid and prescriptive curriculum argued for greater flexibility to help them better meet individual student learning needs. Many submissions made the case that theory and application should be intertwined, and that skills like inquiry, communication and creative thinking should be taught as an integral part of school subjects. A desire to see an extensive ‘decluttering’ of the syllabus, particularly in primary years, was coupled with the need to provide time for deep learning in core subjects.
A heartening but unsurprising central theme emerged: an aspiration to see every student’s learning needs identified, addressed and met, underpinned by a belief that all students can progress in their learning in the right circumstances with the appropriate support. Key to this is the ability to first understand where a student is in their learning – recognising that there can be great variation between attainment levels in the same year cohort – then target teaching accordingly. Here’s the good news: as a PAT school using the Progressive Achievement approach, you are already helping every student demonstrate learning progress.
Have your say
ACER Chief Executive Professor Geoff Masters led the NSW Curriculum Review, and his interim report is now open to public consultation until 13 December 2019.
As an educator, you’re uniquely placed to comment on what should happen next. Why not download the interim report then have your say? This consultation workbook has been designed to help you with your submission and facilitate discussion with colleagues.