Peculiarities of Australian Curriculum - Term Paper Example

Australian Curriculum In Australia, the education curriculum is quite different from that practiced in other nations. In some cases it may even differ from one province to another. In most provinces in Australia, children below the age of 16 are required to be in school whereas in other provinces, obligatory school going age is 18 years and 12 years. School policies are made at the provincial level while funding and supervision takes place at the central level, territorial level, and national level. Education is normally administered in English in order to give all children equal chances of learning. From the provincial level, schools are estranged into districts and then into school boards (ACARA, 2011). It is in the school boards that local policies are made that must be in line with the curriculum from the provincial level. In Australia, all students are assured of equal chances to education unlike before. For instance, pregnant students were not allowed to go to school but this has changed and they can now attend learning institutions of their choice. The government has gone further to provide special schools for the physically disabled students for example, the deaf, blind, and crippled. They are no longer denied their rights to education like before and they can even sue the government if they are not attended to. The administration has put strong disciplinary measures which legally punish any student who goes against the school rules. Punishable behaviors include resistance to authority, use of abusive language, or any kind of behavior that the administration may consider a violation of the schools norms The ministry of education is responsible for organizing as well as supervising education at the primary, secondary, and vocational levels because there is no central department in the education system. Unlike other nations where learning is monitored at the federal government, in Australia, all the responsibility of supervising learning as well as assessing students’ and teachers’ performance takes place in the national level. The provincial education system can be compared to the territorial system although they differ in their assessment, curriculum, and education policies (ACARA, 2011). Education starts at the kindergarten which takes in children as young as five years. From the kindergarten, children proceeds to the elementary school at the age of 6 to 12 years then move to the junior high school. Normally, elementary school includes six grades although it can be extended to eight grades. Junior high school acts as a transition stage where children move from the elementary school to the high school. After successful completion of the high school, students proceeds to the university or vocational schools Although the central government has a legitimate role in promoting learning, it is the responsibility of the provinces and territorial government to ensure that learning goes on smoothly in their respective provinces. Foreign students who want to study in Australia can do so through the central department that deals with immigration issues as well as citizenships. Foreign students are allowed to study at any level and in any subject although they have to comply with the entire requirements for them to be admitted. Information about eligibility is available on the web site organized by the Association of universities of Australia. Australia follows the k-12 education system that is common in many parts of the United States. This system comprises of 13 grades that is kindergarten all through to the 12th grade. The k-12 education is observed in both public and private schools. The government requires all children above six years to start their kindergarten and also go through the six years of primary school which are compulsory. The word kindergarten simply means ‘children’s garden” and it is used to refer to a place where children meet with other children to start learning. It is in the kindergarten that children learn to appreciate other children and to associate with other people who are not family members. From kindergarten, children start their early primary school at the age of seven to nine years for another six years (Rogers, 1999). The Thai government oversees the pre-school and primary school through the ministry of education. All children are expected to at least go through nine years of education and the ministry has to ensure that, this is followed. Basic education is comprised of 12 years. These years are divided into two: six years for primary education and six years of secondary education. Secondary education is divided further into two: three years of lower secondary education and three years of senior education, this is simply written as 6-3-3. The state also supports non-formal education. The senior secondary school admits students between the ages of 15 to 17 years who may choose to enroll themselves in the vocational streams or academic streams although some schools allow students to enroll in both streams. Students who enter into the academic stream are the ones who intend to enter into a university after their secondary schooling while students who enroll in vocational streams intend to look for employment after their schooling or can choose to further their studies. Before a student is admitted in a senior secondary school, he/she has to pass an entrance exam and after the completion, students have to do and pass a national before moving to the next level (Sizer, 1999). The three years of senior secondary school are voluntary and only students who pass the national exam are admitted. The Australian curriculum aims at making all young Australians successful learners, innovative individuals, and positive citizens. It promotes equity and fineness in education to all people. Young people are equipped with essentials skills and capabilities to enable them compete favorably in the global world and in the 21st century that is rich in information. It is accessible to all young people residing in Australia irrespective of where they come from, that is their economic and social background or the school they are admitted to (Rogers, 1999). Australian Curriculum is approved by the ministry of education which is also responsible for its development. The Shape of the Australian Curriculum version one was published in 2009 to direct the development of the curriculum for mathematics, sciences, and English. The second version was published in 2010 to direct the development of curriculum for other subjects such as languages, geography, and arts. The Australian curriculum encompasses many things that are not found in other curriculum. It defines the core and the formal curriculum for all students studying in Australia (ACARA, 2011). However, critical decisions are left for teachers, schools, students, and parents to decide since they are the ones who are affected directly. It has not only help student to learn new things, but ensures that the learning they get is relevant and is compatible with the changes and innovations taking place in the 21st century. It ensures that all students get access to new information technologies that improve their competence. Australian curriculum is developed for all people regardless of their economic status and it is based on the notion that anyone can be successful in life if he/she is given adequate time and support. It aims at promoting human potential for solving problems, being innovative, thinking deeply and caring for others. In Australia students are allowed to contribute in making the schools policies. The education system has realize that, schools form the basis where students get their first awareness to the things happening in the world and thus they should be involved in the schools operations The Australian curriculum is developed through the Australian government that creates a world-class national curriculum. The government is also responsible for setting governance structures and allocating scarce resource to ensure that the curriculum is developed properly. All education ministers are directly involved in it development and they have all agreed to sign the ‘Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians’ (McDonald, 1999). This declaration gives clear directions concerning the things that need to be given first priorities in the development of the curriculum. The government together with the education ministers is in the process of developing a new curriculum that will promote the best talent for all students in regard to content and achievement standards. The curriculum is being benchmarked with that from some of the leading nations in overseas. The process started with consultation, including an online consultation, in order to ensure that all stakeholders, that is the teachers, schools and parents can contribute to the development. Australian curriculum highlights the content to be taught, the depth of the syllabus, and the skills and knowledge expected form the students. It sets challenging standards, although this does not mean overloading the curriculum. It ensures that students and teachers have ample time to be in class and time to rest or get involved in other activities. The curriculum retains the scope and sequence of the traditional structure while at the same time giving explicit attention to the general capabilities, for instance, numeracy, creativity, intercultural understanding, and teamwork (McDonald, 1999). For many years, curriculum was been published only in hard copy form and distributed to all learning areas but this has changed and it can be accessed via the internet. It is now available online for anyone who wants to have a look at it. Users now have the capacity to cross-examine its structure and maneuver it to suit their special needs. For instance, a secondary school could re-examine the achievement standards by sorting them according to years of schooling. A year 6 primary teacher of mathematics may wish to limit concentration to all pertinent outcomes for year 6 in order to cater for more achievement levels. All this can be done online without necessarily moving to the learning areas. This has made education easy and faster and it can now be accessed by virtually every irrespective of his/her geographical background. Reference List Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (2011). Australian Curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/curriculum.html McDonald, J.P. (1999). Redesigning curriculum: New conceptions and tools, Peabody Journal of Education, 74 (1), 12–28. Rogers, B. (1999). Conflicting Approaches To Curriculum: Recognizing How Fundamental Beliefs Can Sustain Or Sustain School Reform, Peabody Journal of Education, 74 (1), 29–67. Sizer, T. R. (1999). That Elusive “Curriculum”, Peabody Journal of Education, 74 (1), 161–5. Read More