Reform of Yr 7 to 10 Curriculum

1
Reform of Yr 7 to 10 Curriculum
Barbara Guazzarotto Jenny Fulford Wendy
Murray Susan Parker Mary Pendergast Jane Tregear
2
The Process

•     The Start Middle Years Research
  Development (MYRAD) recommendations
  (MiddleYears of Schooling Conference, 2000)
• Review the curriculum, reduce the content and
  create more time and opportunity for foundational
  learning and sustained, in-depth learning.
• Improve the transition from primary to secondary
  school.
• Arrange for the curriculum to be taught by small
  teams of teachers for more than one year.
• Emphasise active student-centred learning and the
  development of autonomous learners.
• Emphasise higher-order thinking and in-depth
  learning.
• Establish high expectations for all.
• Make thoughtful and purposeful use of the new
  information technologies.
• Put in place safety nets and provide support and
  special assistance for low achieving and at
  risk students.

3
STUDENT DATA

• 30 of students from LBOTE
• 21.5 students EMA recipients
• 221 Postcodes
• Attendance Data over several years indicates
  increase in Year 8 absenteeism
• Absenteeism increases across Yrs 7 9
  (consistent with state-wide data), drops in Yr 11

4
SATISFACTION SURVEYS

• STUDENT PERCEPTIONS
• Connectedness to teachers 3.46
• Connectedness to school 3.07
• Self esteem 3.8
• Motivation 3.9
• Year 7 perceptions higher in every category
  except self esteem and connectedness to school.
• STAFF PERCEPTIONS
• High level of positive feeling about self, school
  and students
•  
• PARENT PERCEPTIONS
•  
• Response positive but not overwhelming
  moderately agree mildly

5
AIM DATA (Achievement Improvement Monitor)

• Data over three years consistent
• English - 78 of students operating at Level 5
  or above
• 70 of students operating at or above state wide
  median level
•  
• Maths - 75 of students operating at Level 5
  or above
• 70 of students operating at or above state wide
  median level

6
IMPLICATIONS OF AIM DATA

• Significant numbers of Years 8, 9 10 students
  in 2004 operating beyond expected level
• 19 of students operating below expected levels
  in English
• 25 of students operating below expected levels
  in Maths
• WHAT PROGRAMMES SHOULD BE PUT IN PLACE TO MEET
  THESE STUDENT NEEDS?

7
The Investigations

• Conferences PD
• Middle Years of Schooling Conferences, 2000,
  2001, 2002
• Glen Waverley College - Thinking Curriculum
  2-day Practicum
• Northern Region MYR cluster meetings
• Queensland New Basics PD
• Southern Region Middle Years Inspiration
  Conference

• School Visits
• Mt Eliza College
• Glen Waverley Sec College
• Eummemerring College
• Kambrya College
• Fawkner College
• Glenunga College, SA
• Urrbrae Agricultural College, SA
• Australian Mathematics Science School, SA
• Norwood-Morialta College, SA
• Fitzroy Secondary College initial community
  meetings

8
Consequences

• Push for teachers in Yr 7 to teach more than one
  subject
• Form teacher to be a significant teacher (across
  all year levels, where possible)
• Middle Years Reform Action Plan
• Middle Years Reform funding allowed
  introduction of Numeracy / Literacy / Gifted
  programs
• Formal assessing of basic Maths/ English skills
  of new Yr 7s (PAT test Torch test)
• In-house Thinking Curriculum PD
• Curriculum Days 3 Storey Intellect approach
• - School visits curriculum day

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MINISTERIAL BLUEPRINT FOR EDUCATION NOVEMBER 2003

• Curriculum in government schools supports the
  acquisition of essential learnings that
• define the continuum of skills and attributes
  needed to be effective learners
• support them to meet the changing demands of work
  and citizens
• define the deep understandings and ways of
  knowing within and across subject disciplines

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DESIGNING 21st CENTURY CURRICULUM

• 20th Century focus on literacy reading, writing,
  calculating
• 21st Century focus on competitive workplace
  pressures
• national and global concerns
• Magnitude of human knowledge in 2005 and beyond
  renders coverage by education impossible
• Focus of education must therefore be intellectual
  tools and learning strategies.

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KEY SKILLS FOR 21ST CENTURY

• Thinking and Learning the ability to find,
  select, structure, evaluate and present
  information
• Problem solving, informed risk taking, decision
  making
• Knowing how to learn
• Team work, communication and negotiation
• Social competence and resilience
• Development of a conscious personal and social
  values base

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Aims Year 7
13
Aims Year 8
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Aims Year 9

• Inward focus personal growth focus
• Outward focus excursions / camps
• social educational interaction with other
  schools boys!
• community service
• Outward Bound / Duke of Ed (?)
• significant teachers connectedness
• personal project
• a technology design project
• Arts / Technology days (?) as part of timetable
• Multi-disciplinary, collaborative learning

15
Aims VCE

• Yr 10 blocked with VCE
• offers competent students greater opportunity to
  experience VCE subjects
• increases flexibility of VCE options
• Needs to be clear pathway for less competent
  students
• Year 10 Compulsory - careers / management ed
• -  sport
• English 1 other group A units
• 2 group B units
• (Unit 1 2 of a sequence offered as separate
  units)
• Years 11 12 - requirements unchanged, except
  that students who arent coping academically can
  opt for Yr 10 subjects.

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The Framework

• 2 Sub-schools
• Half hour Tute time each day
• Yr 10 blocked with VCE, to allow greater
  flexibility
• Real differences between years 7, 8 9 to
  maintain student enthusiasm
• Multi-disciplinary approach to highlight the
  inter-relatedness of learning
• Large blocks of time for in-depth learning
• Embed ICT and thinking skills in the Curriculum
• Semesterization of Yr 8 subjects (except LOTE
  PE/Sport)
• Develop students personal and social
  competencies, within an understanding of the
  global context of todays society
• Develop students abilities to enable them to
  become life-long learners.

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The Proposal