1. Victorian Curriculum: Introduction and overview
Focus on Design and Technologies

2. Why curriculum matters
The curriculum is a statement of the purpose of schooling.
It is a public commitment to the learning valued by the community
It defines what it is that all students have the opportunity to learn as a result of their schooling, set out as a series of learning progressions (according to Marzano, the provision of a ‘guaranteed and viable curriculum’ is one of the factors that has most impact on student learning).
Enabling and monitoring every students’ progress along these learning continua is the fundamental role of teachers and schools and the endpoint and purpose of all reform efforts.

3. Victorian Curriculum F-10
The current F-10 curriculum for Victorian schools, AusVELS, is based on the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS). The content of the English, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography curricula were adjusted in 2013 to incorporate the development of the Australian Curriculum in these areas.
Work has since been undertaken in all other learning areas to incorporate the full Australian Curriculum. The English, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography curricula have also been revised following the review of the Australian Curriculum in 2014.

4. Victorian Curriculum F-10
This final version is titled the Victorian Curriculum F-10
The Victorian Curriculum now provides a stable foundation for whole schooling curriculum and assessment planning
The Victorian Curriculum incorporates the Australian Curriculum and reflects Victorian standards and priorities.

5. 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
Technology
Design and Technologies
Digital Technologies
Critical and creative thinking
Intercultural
Ethical
Personal and social

6. Timelines
Implementation of the new Victorian Curriculum can commence in individual schools as soon as they choose, with all schools required to implement the new curriculum from the start of In other words, schools will have the remainder of 2015 and all of 2016 to prepare for full implementation in 2017.
From 2015
AusVELS curriculum available
AusVELS website archived December 2016
Victorian Curriculum available
Full implementation from 2017

7. Locating information
Curriculum
Resources and Support

8. Terminology AusVELS - VELS component Victorian Curriculum Domains
Curriculum areas
Dimensions
Strands and sub-strands
Content descriptions
Learning focus
Standards
Achievement standards

9. Components Introduction Curriculum Rationale and aims
Level / band description
Structure
- strands / sub-strands
- placement of standards
Content descriptions
(+ elaborations )
Learning in ..
Achievement standards
Scope and sequence
Glossary

10. Structure of VC:D&T Content Descriptions Achievement Standards
Specifies the knowledge, understandings and skills students are expected to learn.
Content Elaborations
Illustrations or examples of Content Descriptions.
Achievement Standards
Describe what students are typically able to understand and able to do. They describe expected achievement and emphasise the depth of conceptual understanding and the sophistication of skills.
Examples

11. What is Design and Technologies?
Technologies and Society
Technologies Contexts
Creating Designed Solutions
Digital Technologies
One learning area
Two domains (curriculum areas)
Three strands in Design and Technologies

12. Creating Designed Solutions
Based on design thinking,
design processes and
production processes’
typically addressed through a design brief
Technologies and Society
Focuses on how people
use and develop technologies
Design and Technologies involves students creating quality designed solutions across a range of technologies contexts
Technologies Contexts
Focuses on the characteristics
and properties of
four technologies contexts

13. What does Design and Technologies involve?
Creating quality designed solutions
across a range of
technologies contexts
Considering the economic,
environmental and social impacts
of technological change
and
how the choice and
use of technologies may contribute
to a sustainable future
What does Design and Technologies involve?
Taking into account the
ethical, legal, aesthetic and
functional factors that
inform the design processes

14. Organisation of the VC:D&T

15. Creating Designed Solutions
Generating
Investigating
Producing
Evaluating
Planning and managing
 developing and communicating ideas for a range of audiences
applying a variety of skills and techniques to make designed solutions to meet specific purposes and user needs
learning to plan and manage time, along with other resources, to effectively create design solutions
evaluating and making judgements through a design process about the quality and effectiveness of their designed solutions and others
involves critiquing, explore and investigating needs and opportunities

17. Computational thinking
Systems thinking
Generation of ideas and
decisions made throughout
the design processes;
recognition of the connectedness
and interactions
Design thinking
Use of strategies for understanding
design needs and opportunities
Focus on
different types of thinking
Computational thinking
Problem-solving used
e.g. calculating costs, testing materials

18. Design and Technologies Contexts
Engineering principles and systems
Food and fibre production
Food specialisations
Materials and technologies
focuses on food and fibre as human-produced or harvested resources,
and how food and fibre are produced in managed environments such as farms or plantations, or harvested from wild stocks. 
explores the application of nutrition principles and the characteristics and properties of food, food selection and preparation, and contemporary food issues
explores a broad range of traditional, contemporary and emerging materials that involve an extensive use of technologies.
explores how forces can be used to create light, sound, heat, movement, control or support in systems

19. Engineering principles and systems
explores how forces can be used to create light, sound, heat, movement, control or support in systems
students develop an understanding of how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour and performance of designed engineering solutions

20. Food and fibre production
focuses on food and fibre as human-produced or harvested resources, and how food and fibre are produced in managed environments such as farms or plantations, or harvested from wild stocks.
develop an understanding of the challenges involved in managing these resources within sustainable agricultural systems.
develop their knowledge and understanding about the managed systems that produce food and fibre through creating designed solutions.

21. Food specialisations
explores the application of nutrition principles and the characteristics and properties of food, food selection and preparation, and contemporary food issues.
come to understand the importance of a variety of foods, sound nutrition principles, food preparation skills and food safety

22. Materials and technologies
explores a broad range of traditional, contemporary and emerging materials, and specialist areas that involve an extensive use of technologies.
students learn to make ethical and sustainable decisions about designed solutions and processes by learning about and working with materials and production processes.

23. Structure of VC: D&T Band Descriptions
Provides an overview to the content descriptions and achievement standard within the band
Content Descriptions
Specifies the knowledge, understandings and skills students are expected to learn.
Content Elaborations
Illustrations or examples of Content Descriptions (not mandated).
Achievement Standards
Describe what students are typically able to understand and able to do. They describe expected achievement and emphasise the depth of conceptual understanding and the sophistication of skills.
Victorian Curriculum : Design and Technologies curriculum

24. Focus on sustainability

25. Sustainability easily explained

26. Design awareness in schools

27. Activity which context/s are being addressed
Select one or more D&T contexts and list ideas for designed solutions that could be created for a specified band.
For each designed solution, identify
which context/s are being addressed
what skills are being developed and which band are they appropriate for
what sustainability issues being addressed
what modifications, if any, could be made to the design brief.

28. Contact Details Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA)
Leanne Compton
Curriculum Manager, Design and Technologies
phone: (03)