Science Teachers Association NSW Position Paper on ACARA Curriculum version 9.0
In May 2022, Education Ministers endorsed Version 9.0 of the F-10 Australian Curriculum, updated as a result of the review undertaken by ACARA in 2020-2022. The review sought to improve the curriculum from Foundation to Year 10 by refining, realigning and decluttering the content of the Australian Curriculum. The Science Teachers Association NSW believes this is commendable, and we acknowledge the various considerations in undertaking this review.
This paper was developed by a STANSW Think Tank comprising classroom teachers and academics, established to review the curriculum, identify strengths and areas of concern, and provide recommendations to NESA for the new NSW syllabus.
Priority areas of concern identified by the Think Tank include:
-There is a trend of content being introduced prior to appropriate scaffolding of concepts. Well-established empirical evidence demonstrates that building conceptual understanding at developmentally appropriate stages is foundational to sound understanding.
-There is a trend of content being introduced at earlier ages, prior to the stage at which students are developmentally capable of understanding the concepts. READ MORE ...
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