Sharon Foster Victorian Curriculum F–10, Manager Victorian Curriculum F–10 Online professional learning session Curriculum planning Sharon Foster Victorian Curriculum F–10, Manager

Agenda Setting the scene - guidelines Whole school planning Planning units/lessons Curriculum mapping Considerations and questions

Presentation based on these guidelines The guidelines provide advice on the effective use of the curriculum to develop whole-school teaching and learning plans and to report student learning achievement http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/foundation10/viccurriculum/curriculumplanning.aspx

Connected components - today connecting the issues of curriculum planning with reporting

Key points from the guidelines The defined curriculum content (knowledge, skills and understanding) is the basis for student learning Schools should develop and publish a whole-school curriculum plan that documents their teaching and learning program Schools have flexibility in the development of the teaching and learning program to reflect decisions, resources, expertise and priorities of the school

Why is curriculum planning so important? A guaranteed and viable curriculum is the school level factor that has the most impact on student achievement A guaranteed and viable curriculum is defined as a combination of opportunity to learn and time to learn (What works in schools: Translating research into action Marzano 2003) It is not enough for a curriculum to be implicit, it must be explicit and it must be coherent Effective planning and documentation is a significant part of providing a guaranteed and viable curriculum

Victorian Curriculum – Design and Structure Design and structure reaffirms: the importance of discipline-based learning approach, where the disciplines are regarded as both enduring and dynamic capabilities are a set of discrete knowledge and skills, not a statement of pedagogies and students benefit from explicit instruction that knowledge and skills are transferrable across the curriculum and therefore are not duplicated. http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/overview/curriculum-design/learning-areas-and-capabilities

Victorian Curriculum F–10 by 2017 Learning Areas Capabilities The Arts Dance Drama Media Arts Music Visual Communication Design (7-10) Visual Arts English Humanities Civics and Citizenship Economics and Business Geography History Languages Health and Physical Education Mathematics Science Technologies Design and Technologies Digital Technologies * Critical and creative thinking Intercultural* Ethical* Personal and social Used to answer the quiz questions Q 1, 2, 3, 8 (marked with *)

Whole-school Curriculum planning Is not the responsibility of the individual teacher – it is a team effort Recognises that we are educating the whole child across many years of schooling - curriculum is designed as a continuum of learning Without the “what” students should learn, pedagogy is a process without purpose Deep familiarity with the curriculum is essential http://curriculumplanning.vcaa.vic.edu.au/home

Four interrelated layers By School – a high-level summary of the coverage of all the curriculum areas, reflecting the school’s goals, vision and any particular areas of specialisation or innovation By Curriculum Area – the sequencing of key knowledge and skills across the years of schooling to support a progression of learning By Year Level – a coherent program from a student perspective that enables effective connections across curriculum areas By Unit / Lessons – specifying Victorian Curriculum F–10 content descriptions and achievement standards, activities and resources to ensure students of all achievement levels are able to progress Summarise the four interrelated layers of curriculum planning – why all are important but give a different perspective

Sample templates

What are the key elements in unit / lessons? Does the unit plan/sequence of lessons: specify the content descriptions addressed in each unit/sequence of lessons? specify the achievement standards addressed in each unit/sequence of lessons? include the resources and activities used to develop knowledge and skills? provide for a range of student abilities? specify the assessments used to monitor and progress student learning? provide guidance about the approximate time required for the unit/sequence of lessons?

Where do you start? Schools are not expected to be starting from a blank page Documentation at the curriculum area layer and the unit/lesson layer is often the most comprehensive, although there may be gaps Schools are advised to use this ‘stock-taking’ opportunity to bring already existing materials together in a coordinated manner, ensuring the essential elements are included, and that there is consistency within and between the layers.

Curriculum mapping Why? Mapping identifies the extent of curriculum coverage in units of work and clearly links teaching, learning and assessment while working with the curriculum continuum. How? Mapping templates support teachers to identify where content descriptions and achievement standards are being explicitly addressed within the school’s teaching and learning program.

Undertaking the mapping Take a unit of work/sequence of lessons, fill in the unit name and the semester/year when it is taught. Use the check box or place a  in the relevant content description cell. Indicate within each marked cell the connection to the relevant sentence/s in the achievement standard, using the numbering scheme provided. NB: You may find that a content description does not address the entire sentence from the achievement standard. This exercise is to highlight the contribution towards the achievement standard so that assessment can be discussed

Analysing the findings The following questions could be used as prompts: Are all content descriptions equal? Do you think they all take the same amount of time to teach? Is anything being over taught? Is anything being missed completely or given insufficient attention? Is there sufficient ‘time on task’? Are you allowing enough time to develop knowledge, understanding and skills that are included in the curriculum and thus enable students to progress along the continuum?

Analysing the findings (continued) Does the unit/sequence of lessons cater for a range of students abilities? Does the unit/sequence of lessons provide access and challenge for all students in the cohort? Is it easier to teach in depth or more broadly? Is there a logical sequence?

Curriculum planning considerations Curriculum planning can be based on two-year bands of schooling rather than each year level Set realistic timeframes to prepare and review the relevant documentation The curriculum is not the whole-school teaching and learning program

Curriculum planning questions Does curriculum planning mean that every teacher teaches exactly the same materials? How much time should be allocated to each curriculum area? How do we deliver the capabilities curriculums? Do you teach the cross curriculum priorities?

Curriculum planning questions How deeply familiar are teachers with the terrain through which learners are progressing (the curriculum continuum)? What assessment method provides valid, reliable, objective, inclusive information and are feasible? Is it explicit what is being looked for and valued as evidence of successful learning? Is feedback provided to students and parents in forms that make clear that progress is being made?

Placement of standards http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/overview/curriculum-design/standards-and-levels

AusVELS: Until December 2016 Locating information Curriculum Resources AusVELS: Until December 2016

Contact us Victorian Curriculum F–10 Unit (03) 9032 1680 or 9032 1788 vcaa.f10.curriculum@edumail.vic.gov.au Sharon Foster (Manager, F–10 Curriculum Unit) (03) 9032 1680 foster.sharon.a@edumail.vic.gov.au Tim Driver (03) 9032 1681 driver.tim.p@edumail.vic.gov.au Curriculum Managers’ contact details: http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/aboutus/orgstructure/curriculum.aspx#CM

Terminology AusVELS - VELS component Victorian Curriculum Domains Curriculum areas Dimensions Strands and sub-strands ------- Content descriptions Learning focus Standards Achievement standards Pathways - Languages only 1: F – 10 2: 7 – 10 Sequence: Languages only Pathways: 3 pathways for Chinese language

Understanding the intent Introductory materials will assist teachers to understand the specific purpose and features of the curriculum: Rationale and aims Structure Strands - Key organising elements within each curriculum area. Sub-strands - Supplementary organising elements within some curriculum areas. Scope and Sequence Glossary

Achievement Standards Components Content descriptions Achievement Standards Mandated curriculum

Continuum - Progression of learning

Levels / Bands Years / Years

Progression point examples The VCAA will not be publishing these in the same format as was available for AusVELS.

Scenario 1 The teaching and learning program shows that students in Year 3 will be involved in a health unit of work in Semester 1, 2017. The next time they will undertake any work in health will be in Semester 2, 2020. Scenario 2 The teaching and learning program shows that students in Year 7 will be involved in a health unit of work in Semester 1, 2017. The next time they will undertake any work in health will be in Semester 2, 2020

Scenario considerations What level would you expect the majority of students to achieve at the end of the Semester 1 2017? What are the implications if a school implements this model of curriculum provision; for whole school planning? for documenting units of works? for progressing student learning? Do you think teachers would be confident in giving an accurate assessment at the end of the semester?

Next steps

Reporting

Can one set of data be used for all 3 audiences? Reporting audiences Three levels or audiences: The system – DET, CECV The school – school leadership, your fellow teachers, school council ... The parents and students Can one set of data be used for all 3 audiences?

Reporting ... from the guidelines Schools must report student learning against the achievement standards in the curriculum Schools will be able to report student learning to students and parents in formats that best suit local school communities rather than through a single centrally prescribed format

What does this really mean? Report what you taught good quality curriculum planning makes the reporting process easier the learning intentions/expectations have been articulated and assessments are designed/explained – use this as the basis for reporting

Foundation–Year 10 (Yearly) Schools report student progress against age-related expected level of achievement in English, Mathematics and Science (from Year 3) for every student every year, except where this has been determined to be unnecessary for an individual student by schools in partnership with parents.

Foundation–Year 2 (Yearly) All sectors In Foundation to Year 2, schools report on four learning areas and one general capability: English Mathematics Health and Physical Education The Arts – Dance, Drama, Music, Media, and Visual Arts Personal and Social Capability This is a direct take from the guidelines and is correct but potentially creates confusion when we then have to explain that for govt schools Languages needs to be added to this list and Religion needs to be added for Catholic schools. I know we say that sector specific requirements must be taken into account and that obviously you need to be reporting in a consistent manner with your teaching and learning plan, I can appreciate that some people may get confused when looking at the slide in isolation.

Years 3–10 (in two-year bands) All sectors Report on student achievement in each of the following learning areas and capabilities during each two-year band of school, in accordance with their whole-school teaching and learning plan and sector specific requirements: The Arts – all disciplines (NB Years 9–10 can be Visual or Performing) Humanities: including History, Geography, Economics and Business (from Year 5), and Civics and Citizenship (from Year 3) Technologies: including Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies Health and Physical Education Languages Capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Intercultural, Ethical and Personal and Social Capability Again this slide is technically correct but needs to be read in conjunction with the specific sector requirements,

Possible questions Do I have to give a report for each curriculum area? How do we report the capabilities? How is progress represented? Is there a break in the data as we transition to the Victorian Curriculum? Do I have to use a commercial software package? If yes, which one? If no, what do I use?