The  Australian  Curriculum   It is important to note that the new Australian Curriculum is being progressively implemented from 2012.  Over the next few years Banksia Park Primary School will utilize a mixture of the Australian Curriculum and the Western Australian Curriculum Framework.  Click here for information regarding the Curriculum Framework.    INTRODUCTION The Australian Curriculum sets out the core knowledge, understanding, skills and general capabilities important for all Australian students. The Australian Curriculum describes the learning entitlement of students as a foundation for their future learning, growth and active participation in the Australian community. It makes clear what all young Australians should learn as they progress through schooling. It is the foundation for high quality teaching to meet the needs of all Australian students. The Australian Curriculum encompasses all years of schooling from Foundation to Year 10.  In the context of Western Australia the Foundation Year described is our Pre-Primary Year.   OVERVIEW The development of the Australian Curriculum was guided by the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians which was adopted by the Council of State and Territory Education Ministers in December 2008. The Melbourne Declaration emphasises the importance of knowledge, understanding and skills of learning areas, general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities as the basis for a curriculum designed to support 21st century learning. The Australian Curriculum describes a learning entitlement for each Australian student that provides a foundation for successful, lifelong learning and participation in the Australian community. It acknowledges that the needs and interests of students will vary, and that schools and teachers will plan from the curriculum in ways that respond to those needs and interests. The Australian Curriculum acknowledges the changing ways in which young people will learn and the challenges that will continue to shape their learning in the future.   The Australian Curriculum is developed for all learning areas set out in the Melbourne Declaration.  These include: English, Mathematics, Science, History; Geography, Languages, The Arts, Economics, Business, Civics and Citizenship, Health and Physical Education, Information and Communication Technology, Design and Technology.   The information for each learning area includes: a statement of rationale and a set of aims an overview of how the learning area is organised year level descriptions content descriptions (knowledge, understanding and skills) content elaborations to provide additional clarity by way of illustrative examples only achievement standards that describe the quality of learning (the depth of understanding, extent of knowledge and sophistication of skill) expected of students at each year level annotated student work samples that illustrate the achievement standard at each year level a glossary to support a consistent understanding of terms used in the learning area   Click here to see full details of the Australian Curriculum.   Increasingly, in a world where knowledge itself is constantly growing and evolving, students need to develop a set of skills, behaviours and dispositions, or general capabilities that apply across discipline content and equip them to be lifelong learners able to operate with confidence in a complex, information-rich, globalised world. The Australian Curriculum includes a focus on seven general capabilities (literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology competence, critical and creative thinking, ethical behaviour, personal and social competence and intercultural understanding) and three cross-curriculum priorities (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia and Sustainability).   General capabilities in the Australian Curriculum General capabilities are a key dimension of the Australian Curriculum and are addressed explicitly in the content of the learning areas. They play a significant role in realising the goals set out in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians that all young people in Australia should be supported to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens. The Melbourne Declaration identifies essential skills for twenty-first century learners – in literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology (ICT), thinking, creativity, teamwork and communication. It describes individuals who can manage their own wellbeing, relate well to others, make informed decisions about their lives, become citizens who behave with ethical integrity, relate to and communicate across cultures, work for the common good and act with responsibility at local, regional and global levels. The general capabilities encompass the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that, together with curriculum content in each learning area and the cross-curriculum priorities, will assist students to live and work successfully in the twenty-first century. They complement the key learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework  – that children have a strong sense of identity and wellbeing, are connected with and contribute to their world, are confident and involved learners and effective communicators. The Australian Curriculum includes seven general capabilities: Literacy Numeracy Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability Critical and Creative Thinking Personal and Social Capability Ethical Behaviour Intercultural Understanding.   Cross-Curriculum Priorities The Australian Curriculum has been written to equip young Australians with the skills, knowledge and understanding that will enable them to engage effectively with and prosper in a globalised world. Students will gain personal and social benefits, be better equipped to make sense of the world in which they live and make an important contribution to building the social, intellectual and creative capital of our nation. Accordingly, the Australian Curriculum is both relevant to the lives of students and addresses the contemporary issues they face. With these considerations the curriculum gives special attention to these three priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia Sustainability. These Cross-curriculum priorities are embedded in all learning areas. They will have a strong but varying presence depending on their relevance to the learning areas.   ***** ACKNOWLEDGEMENT      The information on this page is derived from the Australian Curriculum.                                                              Further details about any aspect can be found on their website.