Australian Curriculum

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The development of a national curriculum for Australia is not a new endeavour (Marsh, 2010). The ideal is that national curriculum across Australia would mean that students are provided with a quality education that helps to shape the lives of the nations citizens and continue developing the productivity and quality of life within Australia. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] have the task of developing and implementing a nationwide curriculum. ACARA (n.d.-c) claims have addressed needs of young Australians while considering that changing ways in learning and challenges will continue to shape students education in the future. A look at what the Australian Curriculum is, its purpose, structure and scope, learning theories and teaching processes and whether the curriculum has the capacity to meet the needs of 21st century learners will show that the initial construction of a national curriculum appears to be successful. However, the effectiveness of the Australian Curriculum will only be able to be evaluated in the future after implementation across the country. Curriculum Defined Definitions for curriculum are many and varied. Broad sweeping statements claim that curriculum is what is taught in various subjects and the amount of time given to each. While a more specific view is that curriculum are performance objectives for students that focus on specific skills or knowledge (Marsh, 2010). Marsh (2010, p. 93) defines curriculum as “an interrelated set of plans and experiences” that are completed at school. The curriculum used in education can have various interpretations, it may refer to the curriculum as a plan that encompasses all the learning that is planned and directed by the school. Cu... ... middle of paper ... ...for Effective Standards-Based Instruction (Fifth ed.). Boston MA: Pearson Education Inc Prideaux, D. (2003). Curriculum design. BMJ : British Medical Journal, 326(7383), 268-270. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1125124/ Queensland Studies, A. (2009). Essential Learnings by year juncture. from http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/7301.html Reid, A. (2005). Rethinking national curriculum collaboration: towards an Australian curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/662870A8-BA7B-4F23-BD08-DE99A7BFF41A/2650/report1.pdf. Shepard, L. A. (2000). The role of assessment in learning culture. Educational Researcher, 29(7), 4-14. Retrieved from http://www.ied.edu.hk/obl/files/The%20role%20of%20assessment%20in%20a%20learning%20culture.pdf Tyler, R. W. (1969). Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction: University Of Chicago Press.

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