NSW Primary Curriculum

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NSW Primary Curriculum

• Information for Teachers

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Background

• In 2004
• Consultation Paper, Defining Mandatory Outcomes
• 28 statewide consultation meetings
• over 1500 teachers attended
• 600 surveys completed
• 65 submissions received

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Background

• Submissions, surveys and feedback
• strong support for teachers not needing to
  formally assess, record report individual
  achievement
• support notional time allocation
• support programming through individual KLAs and
  integrated programming

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Background

• Concerns
• mandatory outcomes implies that additional
  outcomes no longer in taught curriculum
• fewer outcomes would not relieve assessing,
  recording and reporting workload
• some key concepts and content omitted in HSIE,
  PDHPE, Science and Technology, Dance and Drama

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What has the Board developed?

• Foundation Statements
• show what must be taught at each stage in K6,
  regardless of students school
• assist teachers to manage curriculum demands
  focus shifted from outcomes to broader statements
  of what students learn
• are based on Stage Statements
• now replace Stage Statements

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What has changed?

• Some strands combined in Mathematics, Science and
  Technology and PDHPE to help teachers focus on
  the big ideas
• Clear guidelines on time allocated to
  assessments, teaching and learning across all
  KLAs
• Teachers need not to formally assess and record
  student achievement, nor formally report on
  individual outcomes

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What has not changed?
The six key learning areas and the Boards
syllabuses remain at the core of programming. The
Primary KLAs are

• English
• Mathematics
• Science and Technology
• Human Society and Its Environment
• Creative and Practical Arts
• Personal Development, Health and Physical
  Education

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What has changed in Mathematics?

• Measurement and Data have been combined
• Working Mathematically
• Number
• Patterns and Algebra
• Measurement and Data
• Space and Geometry.

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What has changed in Science and Technology?

• The Natural Environment Earth and its
  Surroundings, Living Things and Physical
  Phenomena
• The Made Environment Built Environments,
  Information and Communication and Products and
  Services
• Aspects of Using Technology integrated into
  Investigating Scientifically and Designing and
  Making strands.

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What has changed in Science and Technology?

• Combined Strands are
• Investigating Scientifically
• Designing and Making
• The Natural Environment
• The Made Environment.

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What has changed in Personal Development, Health
and Physical Education?

• Fundamental Movement and Physical Activity are
  the syllabus strands focusing on movement
• proficiency in fundamental movement skills
• applying and refining them through physical
  activity
• Communicating, decision-making, interacting,
  moving and problem-solving skills embedded within
  the three broad strands.

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What has changed in Personal Development, Health
and Physical Education?

• Combined Strands are
• Fundamental Movement and Physical Activity
  (Games and Sport, Gymnastics, Dance, Moving and
  Active Lifestyle)
• Healthy Choices (Personal Health Choices, Safe
  Living, Decision-Making, Problem-solving, and
  Self and Relationships)
• Self and Relationships (Growth and Development,
  Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating and
  Interacting.

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What has changed in Personal Development, Health
and Physical Education?

• For example In Stage 1 PDHPE
• Fundamental movement and physical activity
  Students participate and perform in dance,
  gymnastics .
• Healthy choices Students describe ways to keep
  healthy and safe .
• Self and relationshipsStudents describe
  similarities and differences .

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Strand Healthy Choices
Students describe ways to keep healthy and safe
and explore choices relating to food, sun
protection and personal safety. They identify the
appropriate use, administration and storage of
medicines. Students describe strategies to stay
safe at home, on and near roads, when travelling
to and from school, near water. They recognise
safe and unsafe environments and situations and
suggest a range of protective strategies for
dealing with unsafe situations.
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Balance within the Curriculum

• Can deliver common curriculum requirement in
  approx 80 of available time.
• School systems and authorities may specify
  programs for other 20 of available time.
• Suggest 4555 of time be allocated to English
  Mathematics.
• Remaining 2535 should be evenly distributed
  across the other KLAs.
• Linkages http//k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/lin
  kages/linkages_index.html

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Balance within the Curriculum
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How can teachers use the Foundation Statements?

• Teachers can use Foundation Statements to
• plan activities
• select from syllabus outcomes appropriate to
  needs of students
• copy into teaching programs
• display posters at school

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What about Assessing and Reporting?
Foundation Statements assist teachers to assess
and report the achievements of students

• they summarise and prioritise what needs to be
  taught
• they help teachers focus on the bigger ideas of
  learning in the KLAs.

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What about Assessing and Reporting?
To find out more about assessing and reporting,
teachers can refer to

• the General Principles for Planning, Programming,
  Assessing, Reporting and Evaluating in each KLA
  syllabus http//k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au
• the Assessment Resource Centre (ARC) website
  http//arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au