Victorian Curriculum Research Articles

From apology to truth? Settler colonial injustice and curricular reform in Australia since 2008

ABSTRACT This article explores how recent curricular reform in Australia has been responsive to a culture of redress. It argues that taken together, the 2008 National Apology to the Stolen Generations and the 2010 national curriculum reform marked a turning point, whereby settler colonial injustices have since been systematically included in the curriculum. This is explored through a case study analysis of the two iterations of the Victorian Curriculum: History post-Apology— 2012 and 2016—the latter of which remains in current use. Using discourse analysis methods, this article argues that the inclusion of colonial injustice in the post-Apology era signals a consensus that has emerged around the significance of representing injustice in history curriculum, and by extension, for shaping future citizens. Through close textual analysis of the curriculum documents, this article finds that representations of historical injustice have been organized by four frames: memorialization, equivalence, personalization, and human rights. It argues that these frames curtail opportunities for the development of an understanding of the structural character and effects of settler colonialism, and limit consideration of the longer history of Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. These failures raise questions about how impending reforms might respond to the contemporary political context where treaty negotiations and formal truth-telling with First Nations’ polities are unfolding.

Decolonisation of the nursing education curriculum in Gauteng province, South Africa: A concept analysis.

Decolonisation of the nursing education curriculum has become more important than ever. The nursing profession has been colonised since its founding era by Florence Nightingale. Victorian curriculum has been taught over decades in nursing. There is a knowledge gap of what decolonisation means in the profession. The purpose of this article is to describe the concept analysis process that was followed to clarify the concept of 'decolonisation' of the curriculum, provide conceptual meaning in nursing education, and formulate a theoretical definition. Nursing education practice in Gauteng. Definitions, nature, characteristics, and uses of decolonisation were sought and the researchers explored 52 publications, which included dictionaries, encyclopaedias, thesauri, conference articles, research reports, journal articles and subject-related literature across multiple disciplines, to critically analyse the concept 'decolonisation'. A 10-year period from 2012 to 2022 was used to search several databases. Defining attributes that included antecedents, process and consequences of decolonisation emerged. The antecedents were awareness, identification of colonial knowledge and thought, colonial attitudes, colonialism, racism, exclusion, denial of colonial systems and curriculum and colonial legacies in nursing education. Events after decolonisation are called consequences. The formulated theoretical definition of 'decolonisation' will be operationalised as further research takes place to come up with a conceptual framework for a decolonised socially just nursing curriculum. This study aimed to contribute towards the understanding of what decolonisation means within nursing education and lead to development of models, theories, and strategies on how decolonisation of the nursing curriculum can be undertaken.

Transformative Learning: The Impact of Deeper Learning Approaches in Enhancing the Transversal Competencies

Curriculum policy statements advocate the essential nature of well-developed 21st century or transversal skills for our students’ success in today’s world. Future employment, enjoyment, empowerment, and effective participation in society require these skills. The essential skills of digital literacy, communication, collaboration, critical and creative thinking are aspects of the deeper learning approaches such as guided inquiry learning that are explored in this study and are recognized as significant literacies in the information/knowledge economy and align with both the Australian and Victorian Curriculum (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2022; Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, 2018). It is hoped that my study, informed by the narrative of student voice on the experience of guided inquiry learning, will further inform teaching practice for educators on how to design meaningful and powerful learning experiences that both engage students and improve student achievement by enhancing their critical and creative thinking.

What counts as nature in designing environmental links to health education curriculum in initial teacher education?

ABSTRACT In this paper we report on a teacher education co-design project that explored Australian pre-service primary generalist teachers’ ideations of the pedagogical links between health education and nature. As part of their coursework in a Master of Teaching degree at an Australian University, students were invited to design a Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (VC:HPE) activity that connected primary curriculum (F-6) with nature. We conducted a 3-hour suite of online learning activities and prompts using Zoom, Padlet and Moodle. The data consists of the students’ curriculum design artefacts as well as recordings of the group discussions and non-assessment-based presentations of their work. Drawing on theories of child-nature interaction, we present an analysis of the ways in which n = 72 pre-service teachers across 18 groups of 4–5 educators conceptualised links between ‘nature’ and HPE across their activity designs. Prior to the workshop, the majority of pre-service teachers had not previously considered links between the HPE learning area and nature. Through the activities of the co-design workshop, students were surprised with the variety of pedagogical possibilities that were able to be made. There was much student discussion about the possibilities and limitations of balancing safety and risk in their nature-based activity designs. We present a thematic analysis of the quality of student-nature interactions in the groups’ learning designs through: (i) exploration; (ii) embodiment; (iii) cultivation; (iv) appropriation; and (v) representation. The analysis and discussion has implications for the way quality health education is linked to nature-based learning environments, teacher education and contemporary curriculum enactment that incorporates nature and the environment as part of the learning design.

Science and EAL teachers’ perspectives and practices in building word knowledge in implementing the new Victorian EAL curriculum

The recent implementation of The Victorian Curriculum F-10: EAL requires content teachers who teach EAL students to be familiar with the revised EAL curriculum for the purposes of planning and developing approaches to assist learners’ development in English. In the literature and in curriculum frameworks, word knowledge is considered an important aspect of EAL students’ learning. However, little is known about what pedagogical practices teachers across the curriculum perceive as being important, and use, in developing EAL students’ vocabulary. In this study, we investigated linguistically responsive vocabulary teaching in a Year 7 science class. Our aim was to elucidate teachers’ perceptions and practices in teaching vocabulary in science. The qualitative case study drew on principles of linguistically responsive instruction (LRI), which refers to practices for meeting the needs of students in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. Analysis of interview and classroom data from an EAL teacher and a science teacher revealed a range of LRI practices for developing word knowledge based on understanding the distinction between conversational and academic language, language learning principles, responsive teacher talk, plurilingual awareness, and the importance of social interaction for learners. We offer recommendations for a whole school approach to LRI, adaptation to online LRI, and curriculum development.

Evolution over Two Decades of CAS-Active Senior Secondary Mathematics Curriculum and Assessment

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) introduced the use of Computer Algebra System (CAS) technology (calculator and software) into the senior secondary mathematics curriculum and examination assessment in three phases, starting with a research-based pilot from 2000, followed by parallel implementation of CAS and non-CAS subjects from 2006 and culminating in transition to CAS-assumed subjects in 2010. This paper reports reflections on these developments over two decades from the perspectives of a researcher and the state mathematics manager (the authors) in consultation with four implementing teachers (the consultants). The authors critically examined the strategic design decisions that were made for the initiative over time. Then, with contributions from the four consultants, technical design issues relating to assessment and to teaching and the changes over a decade were investigated. A range of modifications have been made over the two decades, driven by changes in device capability and progressively increasing teaching expertise. The place of CAS in senior mathematics is now widely accepted, partly because an examination component not allowing any technology has been implemented. Examination questions have become more general, which may have added difficulty, but more questions involve setting up a real situation mathematically.

Physical literacy: a sixth proposition in the Australian/Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education?

ABSTRACT Within the context of physical education internationally (e.g. Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand) and the curriculum area of Health and Physical Education in Australia (and Victoria) there has been renewed interest philosophically, conceptually and practically in physical literacy. Recently, Sport Australia released the Australian Physical Literacy Framework to activate a ‘common language and consistent understanding about what physical literacy is and how it can be developed' [Sport Australia. (2020). Physical literacy. https://www.sportaus.gov.au/physical_literacy]. One context identified by Sport Australia to promote physical literacy is via schools and educators. Given that there is no explicit reference to physical literacy in the Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education, our purpose is to critically examine the likelihood that physical literacy may impact curriculum, pedagogy and assessment within this jurisdiction. An intended outcome of this paper is to outline how such a concept could be enacted in the curriculum. We propose that there may be an opportunity of introducing this concept as a sixth proposition (joining educative outcomes, strengths-based approach, health literacy, critical inquiry and valuing movement).

Food and nutrition education opportunities within Australian primary schools.

Schools are regarded as a key setting for obesity prevention, providing an opportunity to reach a large number of children, frequently and over a prolonged period, through formal and informal opportunities to learn about health behaviours. However, the low value placed on health versus academic achievement is a barrier to effective implementation of food and nutrition (F&N) education. This study used a qualitative exploratory approach to explore the views of teachers and key health and education sector stakeholders regarding opportunities for F&N education within the Australian primary school setting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore this topic from the perspectives of state-level coordination and development through to local-level implementation and support within the Australian primary school context. Only 2.6% of the Victorian Curriculum related to F&N education, taught through two (of seven) learning outcomes: Health and Physical Education, and Technologies. While stakeholders considered child health a priority, and schools an ideal setting for F&N education, barriers included a lack of strategic policy alignment, limited leadership and coordination, a 'crowded curriculum' and poor availability of shelf-ready resources with explicit curriculum links. A cross-curriculum approach was considered essential for F&N education to become embedded as a core component of the curriculum.

Climate Change Education: Mapping the Nature of Climate Change, the Content Knowledge and Examination of Enactment in Upper Secondary Victorian Curriculum

Climate change (CC) is widely accepted as the major threat of our time, posing unprecedented challenges to humanity. Yet very little is known regarding the ways in which upper-secondary curricula address the need to educate about this crisis. This study contributes to the field of CC education theoretically and empirically. From the theoretical perspective, the study contributes two CC conceptualisation frameworks: a characterisation of the nature of CC, and a mapping of the scope of CC content knowledge. The empirical contribution consists of examining CC education implementation within upper-secondary curriculum in the state of Victoria, Australia. Specifically we examined the CC conceptualisation and the scope of content present in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) study designs. A total of 10 out of 94 study designs qualified for examination through referencing CC. The findings suggest that none of the study designs present a complete conceptualisation of the nature of CC. Common conceptualisations within the study designs perceive CC as a cause or an outcome, a problem of management, or of technological efficiency. CC content within the study designs is limited, and presents misconceptions, including the assumption that CC is a natural change caused by astronomical and solar systems. A cross-curriculum integration approach within the study designs is found to be ineffective. We conclude that CC presents a paradigm shift which brings about the new discipline of CC. There is a need for curricula reforms to address and incorporate CC as a coherent body of knowledge.

Perceived physical education ability and worth – an Australian case study

ABSTRACTPredisposing factors of perceived Physical Education (PE) Ability and perceived PE Worth within the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model are positively associated with young people’s daily physical activity. Given the importance of the HPE curriculum (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2017). In promoting physical activity and its associated knowledge, skills and understandings, we sought to qualitatively examine origins of student’s perceived PE Ability (perceived competence and self-esteem) and perceived PE Worth (attitude and enjoyment). Three focus-group interviews with 12 students in Years 7 and 10 as part of the first author’s Honours project, were recorded, transcribed, and analysed inductively and deductively and represented as pen profiles. Analysis revealed higher order themes relating to PE Ability as perceptions of (in)competence and comparison against peers. Themes for PE Worth were traditional team sports, skills, physical activity (PA), competition and fun/love/enjoyment. A strength of this research study is that it further confirms the conceptual and theoretical work conducted by Welk (1999) and Hilland et al. (2009). The qualitative findings further demonstrate the complexity of factors related to the motivational predispositions of perceived PE Ability and perceived PE Worth of students during physical education in this case study school.

Mathematically able female adolescents' perceptions of acceleration in mathematics

The purpose of this study was to examine mathematically able female adolescents' perceptions of their accelerated mathematics programs. To this end, eight female adolescents were asked to reflect retrospectively in response to a self-administered questionnaire on their perceptions and experiences of a secondary accelerated mathematics program and their engagement in the Victorian Certificate of Education subject, Mathematical Methods Units 3 and 4, as accelerated Year 11 students. The qualitative findings revealed that the participants valued their accelerated mathematics learning opportunities, achieved satisfaction with their accelerated learning in their study of Mathematical Methods Units 3 and 4 and academic results, and appreciated the additional study choices in Year 12 that resulted from their accelerated learning. Statistical evidence obtained from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) that compared the results of Year 11 and 12 students studying Mathematical Methods Units 3 and 4 over two academic years found that the cohort of accelerated Year 11 students generated a higher mean score than their Year 12 counterparts. The findings of the study provide support for the educational practice of accelerating mathematical learning for highly mathematically able adolescents.

"We Will Show the Country": Bringing History to Life

"We Will Show the Country": Bringing History to Life

Review: Joseph Lo Bianco and Renata Aliani, 2013, Language Planning and Student Experiences: Intention, Rhetoric, and Implementation

Joseph Lo Bianco and Renata Aliani, 2013, Language Planning and Student Experiences: Intention, Rhetoric, and Implementation (Multilingual Matters, Bristol)Language Planning and Student Experiences: Intention, Rhetoric, and Implemen- is an example of current research into complexities of language policy in education, and in particular into implementation and public and private negotiation of language policy. As Lo Bianco and Aliani argue in their introduction, the disparity between intention and implementation exposes critical mediating role of interpretation, debate, argument and discourse that surround public texts and that influence school implemen- tation (6). The authors draw on five years of ethnographic study in Victoria, Australia to illustrate complexity of language planning implementation, and they discuss how this data potentially informs strategic language policy development. They argue that gap between intention of policies on language curriculum and actual student language achievement in schools suggests that students and teachers have much more authority over language planning than is acknowledged by policy makers.The first half of book (chapters one and two) is devoted to a compre- hensive look at language policy in Australia over past 40 years. The authors provide a detailed history through a thorough analysis of three official policy texts (National Statement and Plan for Languages, National Indigenous Language Policy and National Languages and Studies in Schools Program) in order to examine intention of language planning in Australia, specifically Victoria. To complement policy analysis, authors place policies in social context of nation and show how rhetoric - political speeches, public news, debate and social media - influence language planning and formation of policies. They find that separation of content of three national policy texts from one another is indicative of political intention used to construct policies.The book concentrates on place of two languages in Australian politics and schooling: Japanese and Italian. The integration of Japanese and Italian language in Australia is described as both a social and economic plan - placing Japanese and Italian in a discussion of language as a commodity, as both were categorised as key languages (54) in National Policy on Languages of 1987. In and context of schooling, both languages have been identified as trade and community languages. The authors note that Japanese and Italian language education entered school system for different reasons, drawing on themes of multiculturalism and Asian Literacy that are popular in Australian society. Understanding rich and complex history of languages in Australia through a discussion of Italian and Japanese diasporas highlights significance of authors' decision to examine these two languages.The second half of book (chapters three and four) presents an in-depth, student-centred research study of implementation of policies, in terms of teaching and learning in Victorian schools. The authors state that Victoria has a reputation for having most extensive and well-supported language policies in Australia. The 2005 Victorian Essential Learning Standards, adopted by Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), sets stage for study. The authors use Q-Methodology to study student language learning experiences in and attitudes about Japanese and Italian language classes in Victorian schools. Q-Methodology is used to collect, analyse and interpret data to show an individual's beliefs about a particular topic. In this study, they conducted focus groups with student participants, and used 25 statements to create their Q-Sample - statements which students were asked to rank, covering six areas (teaching; relevance to curriculum; value of learning language; classroom control; organisational aspects of language provision; and learning language). …

Applied Learning and Community Partnerships Improve Student Engagement in Australia

Applied learning in a community context helps make school more engaging for young adolescents.The middle years of education is a time of significant physical, social, emotional, and cognitive change for students. It is also a period associated with student disengagement from schooling as evidenced by increases in absenteeism, behavioral problems, and dropout rates as well as a plateau or decline in achievement (Barratt, 1998; Smyth, McInerney, & Hattam, 2003; Tadich, Deed, Campbell, & Prain, 2007). Young adolescents have unique needs and benefit from a cohesive, structured education experience (see e.g., Chadbourne, 2001; National Middle School Association [NMSA], 2010). One way schools can protect students from risk of disengaging and dropping out is to help them value learning by situating it within contexts and communities where knowledge is applied (Eyers, Cormack, & Barratt, 1992). Bentley (2000), for example, asserted that schools need to be re-oriented as community assets that act as hubs for a wide range of activities and are networked with overlapping and complementary strands of community and economic life.In this article, we argue that an approach emphasizing applied learning and community partnership offers potential to engage students during middle years of schooling. After outlining a conceptual framework incorporating applied learning and community partnerships, we present a case study from Australia to illustrate framework in action and to highlight implications for practice.A framework for improving engagement in middle yearsApplied learning is a holistic approach to education that encourages learner to make connections to what is characterized as the real world, as opposed to traditional school-based classroom. While contemporary educational scholars (e.g., Bentley, 2000; Harrison, 2007) argue that connection between thinking and doing can provide benefits for learner, this idea has a long history. A notable proponent of this approach was John Dewey (1916), who claimed interaction, reflection, and experience-combined with an interest in community and democracy-created a powerful educative framework. Applied learning requires self-regulation and engagement as students learn through a process of inquiry, analysis, and decision making.In short, we understand applied learning to be immediate and purposeful connection between school-based and real-world learning experiences. The focus is on real-life application of student learning to solve a practical problem or project. Underpinning this approach is a humanistic concern with nurturing and working with each student in a holistic manner, taking into account his or her personal strengths, interests, goals, and previous experiences (Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority [VCAA], 2006).Because of emphasis on real-world experiences, applied learning often connects students with community partners-organizations and individuals outside their schools-so they can demonstrate relevance of what they have learned. Within an applied learning framework, community partnerships emphasize social nature of learning, extending process beyond formal school settings and classrooms to wider community (Bentley, 2000; Billett, 2001, 2003; Eraut, 2004; Stevenson, 1993).Networking is a critical dimension to this practical approach to education. Networking may involve connections and partnerships within local community, and it may involve use of technology to make connections to communities beyond classroom, thereby extending students' learning beyond immediate time and space (Bentley, 2000; Butin, 2003; Gardner, 1999; Gee, 2004). These real-world connections represent one powerful way to provide innovative and engaging learning experiences and to foster a genuine understanding of what is required for learners to be successful in a complex world shared by educators and members of general community. …

Evolution and Contingency: Poetry, Curriculum and Culture in Victoria, Australia

This article explores the changing place of poetry studies in the broader English curriculum of Victoria, Australia. Its focus is on how students learning to become English teachers engage with poetry studies. Setting this problem within the context of pedagogical theory and evidence about the evolving Victorian curriculum, we have interviewed six first‐year students to explore their perspectives on the study of poetry. A clear finding is that exposure to the study of poetry is very limited in Australia’s secondary school system. A more surprising finding is that students do not clearly recognize their exposure to poetry studies as such.

Strike While the Iron's Hot: Using the Internet and Current Events for Political Engagement

This paper outlines my classroom experiences with a group of second ary school students of French, and it focus es on the development of approaches for encouraging critical political engagement which can be applied to other educational settings. The context here is a government school in inner-city Melbourne, Australia, catering to a socially and ethnically diverse student population of roughly 1200 girls over the school years 7 to 12. I will be discussing a topic on youth employ ment conditions which I taught as part Unit 1 of the senior Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) French course (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, 2003). VCE French prescribes three broad themes, further broken into topics, which are common to many other language courses. These are: 1. The individual:

Occupational therapy and circus: Potential partners in enhancing the health and well‐being of today's youth

This paper describes and discusses the benefits of a project involving a community circus program developed for Victorian schools to assist in addressing students’ needs for life skills acquisition. A program logic model framework (CAOT, 1999), together with an occupational perspective, was used to develop an evaluation tool for Westside Circus’ ‘Circus in Schools’ program. The project was unique in that it introduced an occupational perspective to the evaluation of this innovative educational program. Although the project’s focus was primarily on program evaluation, it also demonstrated a connection between the core beliefs of community circus, education, occupational therapy, and health promotion. The occupational therapy profession can play a key role in education reform, which includes working in partnership with community organisations to develop innovative programs that meet the needs of young people. Educational and allied health professionals agree that effective teaching strategies which seek to promote overall health and well-being need to be implemented in schools to provide students with skills that will enable them to be healthy and positive contributors to society (Struthers, 2005). With an understanding of the dynamic interdependence of the person, occupation, and environment (CAOT, 1999), occupational therapists are equipped with skills that enable them to advise on educational program development, implementation and evaluation. Research conducted by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) led to the establishment of a framework, the ‘Victorian Essential Learning Standards’ (VELS) that aims to promote holistic education for young people (VCAA, 2005). The success of this educational reform requires a collaboration of disciplines to meet the complex needs of young people. Occupational therapists’ knowledge of program development, service delivery and evaluation can enable them to work in collaboration with community organisations, providing varied and innovative input into educational programs.