Welcome to the ACARA update

ACARA has released the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages. The shape paper provides broad directions for the development of a national languages curriculum. Writing of languages curriculum will now commence, starting with F-10 Chinese and Italian as well as a Framework for Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages. Click here to read the paper.

 

While Italian and Chinese will be the first languages developed for years F-10, further discussions will occur with state and territory curriculum authorities on the languages for which other F-10 curriculum will be developed. These discussions will focus on the following languages: Arabic, Auslan, Chinese, Classical languages, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. 

 

The paper recognises that language learning is an entitlement for all students in Australian schools, and that these students bring their own individual linguistic and cultural profiles to their learning, whether this is English or the target language or various combinations of languages.

 

The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages was endorsed by the ACARA Board after revisions were made following consultation. Stakeholder consultation on the draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages was conducted from 31 January 2011 to 11 April 2011.  ACARA received 2,150 survey responses from a wide range of stakeholders representing many languages including teachers, principals, parents, students, academics, professional associations, state and territory education authorities and the general public. The consultation report provides analysis of the feedback received in the surveys along with more than 140 formal submissions.