Current Development of National Curriculum in Australia - Essay Example

Running head: Critiquing current development of national curriculum in Australia Student’s name Institution Course Professor Date The future of Australia relies heavily on every citizen to have vital knowledge, skills, understanding and values for a productive and rewarding life in an educated and just society. Thus, various education systems are undergoing restructuring and consolidation of governance through implementation of national curriculum, standardization and centralization. This essay will try to address the development of national curriculum and its related effects in order to achieve to high quality schooling. Australian students must be able to have a capacity to exercise wise judgment and responsibility in matters that relates to social justice and ethics. The introduction of a new national curriculum responds to the needs, interests and concerns of the Australian students with recommended use of explicit teaching and upcoming technologies. The ongoing development and delivery of socially just schooling needs an active engagement with the rights, entitlement and requirements of indigenous Australians. Both indigenous and other Australian students ought to have same educational opportunities while they remain strong in their culture and language in cross-cultural situations. A successful approach to be used in teaching and learning of Australian students must be integral to an implementation of a dynamic and responsive curriculum. Development of national curriculum mandates the development of fundamental skills, knowledge and attitudes in every student and capacity building. They will be able to focus the world critically and to act independently and responsibly (DEST, 2008). The lives of the nation’s future citizens are shaped by the education. Intellectual, personal, social and educational needs of young people are addressed when ideas about the goals of education are changing or evolving. Globalization and advancement of technology have placed greater demands on educations and skills development in Australia (Bagnall, 2010). Young people need a wide and adaptive set of skills, knowledge and understanding in order to meet the expectation of the society. They are three models of curriculum reform, namely; top-down approach of the teacher proof curricula, the bottom-up approach of school-based curriculum development and the action research movement and also collaborative partnerships of schools, professional associations and relevant stakeholders (DEST, 2008). Hall (1999) points out that Bourdieu challenged the idea of schools as the site of social reproduction, but suggested schools as sites of negotiation between capitalism and other forces in youths’ lives. Education has a vital role in creating young people who can take responsibility in the future for Australia. Therefore it should address the intellectual, personal, social and economic development of young people. Due to increased global integration, mobility and interdependence, it has called for greater religious tolerance; sense of global citizenship, appreciation of cultural diversity among the people of Australia (Carrington, 2001, p.186). Development of national curriculum accommodates the mobility of students and teachers across state and territorial boundaries within Australia. The National Declaration draft 2008 made a commitment to support every young Australian to become a successful learners with confidence, active and informed citizens and general promotion of equity in education. Crucial content and achievement standards that are expected from every student at every year of schooling are set in the national curriculum (DEST, 2008). Complexities of globalization, challenges of diversity and the speed of knowledge production have put emphasis on collaboration of national curriculum which is crucial to the future of Australia. Economic, political, cultural and environmental globalization and tremendous growth of information communication technologies prompted the piloting of different curriculum approaches to Australian education (Bagnall, 2010). The government of Australia argued that quality education to its citizens is fundamental in maintaining the county’s productivity and quality of life. The national curriculum is destined to play vital role in quality education delivery and a commitment to the development of K-12 national curriculum. The areas to be focused are; English, mathematics, science and history. Curriculum systems and structures are the product of local feedback over many periods of time to diverse influences and resources. “The current Australian curriculum entails the following general capabilities; literacy, numeracy, ICT, personal and social competence, creative thinking, ethical behaviour and intercultural understanding”, (Brianta & Doherty, 2012, p.52). Development of teacher resources that can demonstrate how teachers can engage in learning is an important aspect of support during the implementation of the Australian curriculum in the education system. Reid, (1999),”Curriculum is not compatible across nations despite the efforts some theorists to construct it as universal scientific enterprise.” “Expectations for literacy achievement and accountability testing are on the rise in the preparation of a strong workforce in the global information economy”, (Mills, 2008, p.211). In Australia, commonwealth and state curriculum standards debate is becoming predominant in the educational system. To improve accountability, large scale testing measures and improves student learning. High stake test promote teaching pupils tangible skills that are easily tested as oppose to critical thinking skills that can benefit the child in the long run. National assessment program literacy and numeracy initiative seeks to raise the stakes for schools, teachers and students, where external imposed testing in literacy and numeracy will affect bureaucratic decision making (Rennie, 2006, p.123). Large scale assessments are administered at the centre of users external to the classroom as opposed to carried by teachers in their own classrooms. Furthermore, it can be used to determine school funding allocations, student promotion to a next grade and teacher pay and promotion (Mills, 2008, p.212). Under large scale standardized testing the values to be taken into considerations are; objectivity, efficiency, precision and economy. There is a need to transform the inequitable distribution of literacies with the help of assessment programs that will not reproduce or legitimize inequalities in the Australian educational system. The outcome from national literacy and numerical tests will issue a vital measure on how Australian schools and students are fairing on in areas of writing, reading, spelling and numeracy. Evidence has emerged that high stakes testing can structure the educational experiences of students such that it limits development of range of skills and literacies needed in the modern world (Booher-Jennings, 2008). Low level thinking is encouraged and outcomes measures promoted rather than the intrinsic process of learning and acquiring knowledge. Teacher pedagogies are impacted negatively through degradation of students’ experience of learning. Due to testing, schools’ curriculum is hampered as most teachers focus on areas where students will be tested while reducing the proportion of class time devoted to other curriculum areas. Furthermore, the curriculum of the school has been narrowed as a result of high stakes testing (Booher-Jennings, 2008, p.151). “The way in which knowledge is delivered in the classroom is a fundamental aspect of knowledge production”, (Meadmore &McWilliam, 2001, p.32). In education terms, globalization, the quality of national educational systems is increasingly being compared internationally. Much emphasis is placed on science and math curriculum, standards and testing determine the way education is delivered. Testing and standards mechanisms are utilized to increase accountability through measuring knowledge production. “Texts, routines, behavioural expectations, pedagogies and curriculum design are normally based on assumptions of the nuclear family as a baseline social formation of a morally just society” (Carrington, 2001, p.194).Strong foundation literacy and numeracy skills effectively taught to all children will help Australia towards countering other forms of educational and social disadvantage. Choice is an important value in a democratic society and necessary foundation for any school improvement. Thus it facilitates innovation and provides for greater involvement and commitment of both students and parents. The increased global integration and international mobility has offered new and exciting opportunities for many people in Australia. This has heightens the requirement to nurture an appreciation and respect for social, cultural and religious diversity and general global citizenship. Australia education ought to be in a position to anticipate any condition at which young Australians will need for functions as individuals and citizens when they complete their studies. The commitment to develop a national curriculum indicates a willingness to work hand in hand across varied geographical and school sector boundaries to impart a world class education to all Australian students (Vickers, 2010). Development of national curriculum is bestowed to offer great potential of economies of scale and a reduction in the utilization of time, effort and resources. The Australian curriculum promotes the goal of pursuing excellence within education setting where respect and promotion of cultural identity is maintained especially for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders (Brianta & Doherty, 2012, p.52). “Individuals sharing a culture are likely to interpret and define many social institutions in similar ways because of their socialization experiences and expectations” Ballastine & Roberts (2007).The Australian government has observed education as a remedy for many social evils for example poverty, violence, general inequality and erosion of basic moral values and norms. The new curriculum is to major in various social expectations such as education for democracy, peace, and health, moral and environmental (Keddie & Mills, 2007, p.205). Lack of responsibility by the teachers and management, absence of evaluation mechanism and adequate academic standards have impacted negatively the education systems in Australia. Hatton, (1994, p.14),”Teachers are active agents in curriculum change and development which entails on social justice”. The curriculum provides an intellectual challenge that would introduce students to the social, political and ethical complexity of classroom teaching. A culturally diverse classroom present a teacher with persistent opportunity to open up new and diverse paths of learning and varied strategies for teaching, learning and to acquire new knowledge. Cultural, social, organizational and physiological barriers pose a great resistance to change (Ellsworth, 2000). Value education is a fundamental part of effective schooling. School managers ought to develop student responsibility in local, national and global contexts and also building student social skills and resilience. Australian government provided funding as a support for curriculum and assessment resources and materials for every school so that it will promote values education. (DEST, 2008). In order to develop an effective learning community, there is need to foster a community of effective learners. The objective of democracy and social action is achieved through curriculum and which allows every educator to recognize and respect the unique attributed of all learners. “Education policy has moved beyond the medical and dependency models to a new paradigm that requires teachers possess positive attitudes towards inclusion” (Carrington, 2000, p.104).All actors and stakeholders involved in the educational reforms need to design curricula that will allow all students to relate to and find a place in current’s knowledge-based theory. A core curriculum and pedagogy should be intellectually challenging and encompasses a wide range of skills, knowledge and experiences. To conclude, the development of national curriculum in the Australia should be able to set same high expectations for all students and also provide differentiated levels of support to ensure that they have a fair chance to achieve them. It should be free from all negative forms of discrimination that are based on sex, culture, language, religion and ethnicity and other differences that can arise from Australian students socio-economic background. Furthermore, it should allow jurisdictions and relevant schools to implement the directives in a way that will value the professional knowledge of every teacher and also reflect the local contexts. Consequently, this development will result into; meeting the demands of new economies, students provided with capabilities in changing polities and cultures, appreciate diversity and facilitate lifelong learning. Indeed, it should be congruent with the predominant curriculum and standards framework of the educational systems and with all stakeholders’ expectations. In addition, the national curriculum should play a fundamental role in setting up the alignment between education, economy and society that schools will be expected to address. References Bagnall, N. (2010).Globalization. In, Connell,R.,Campell,C.,Vickers,M., Welch, A., Foley, D., Bagnall,N., and Hayes,D.(Eds) Education, Change and Society.Melbourne:Oxford. Booher-Jennings, J. (2008).Learning to label: Socialization, gender, and the hidden-curriculum of high stakes testing. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29(2), 149-160 Brianta, E., & Doherty. (2012).Educators mediating curricular reform: anticipating the Australian curriculum, Teaching Education, 23(1), 51-69 Carrington, V. (2001).Globalization, family, and nation state: reframing ‘family’ in new times. Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education, 22(2), 185-196 DEST. (2008). National Values Framework for Values Education in Australian schools, retrieved July 2012 from DEST website http://www.curriculum.edu/values/val_about_national_values_education,8771.html Hardy, I., & Boyle, C. (2011).My school? Critiquing the abstraction and quantification of education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 39(3), 211-222 Hatton, E. (Ed.). (1998).Curriculum and the social context of schooling (2nd). Sydney: Harcourt Brace Johnson, B., &Reid, A. (1999). Contesting the curriculum. Wentworth Falls: Social Science press Keddie, A., & Mills, M. (2007).Teaching for gender justice, Australian Journal of Education, 51(2), 205-219 Meadmore, D., & McWilliam, E. (2001).The corporate curriculum: Schools as sites of new knowledge production. Australian Educational Researcher, 28(1), 31-45 Mills, K. (2008).Will large scale assessment raise literacy standards in Australian schools? Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 31(3), 211-225 Rennie, J. (2006).Meeting kids at the gate: The Literacy and numeracy practices of a remote indigenous community. Australian Educational Researcher, 33(3).123-142 Vickers, M. (2010).Curriculum. In, Connell, R., Campell, C., Vickers, M., Welch, A., Foley, D., Bagnall, N., and Hayes, D. (Eds) Education, Change and Society.Melbourne: Oxford Read More