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Languages

Curriculum Writing Phase

The staging of the language-specific curricula development and the pathways for development was the subject of considerable feedback during the consultation process. At this stage the ACARA Board has approved initial work on the Chinese and Italian curricula.

Writing teams for Chinese and Italian have been appointed together with an overarching Languages Advisory Panel.

Development of the Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages will begin in early 2012. Writing teams and advisory panel members will be appointed shortly.

It is expected that a schedule for the development of language-specific curricula will be finalised by ACARA early in 2012. Following this, ACARA will appoint language-specific writers, and language-specific critical friends. All of the people who applied in 2011 will be notified of the outcome of their application at this time.

Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages

The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages  is now available. The shape paper provides broad directions for the development of languages curriculum. Writing of languages curriculum will now commence, starting with F-10 Chinese and Italian and a Framework for Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages.

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, and Turkish.

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.

ICON - PDF  Click here to view the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages

ICON - PDF  Click here to view the Consultation Report

 

Draft timeline for the development of the Foundation to Year 12 Australian Curriculum: Languages

Stage

Activity

Timeline

Curriculum Shaping

Literature review

Position paper

Initial Advice Paper

August 2009-September 2010

Consultation

 National Forum

25 October 2010

Draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages finalised

December 2010

National consultation

31 January – 7 April 2011

Publication of the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages

November 2011

Curriculum writing

Broad outline; scope and sequence

Content descriptions (and elaborations) and achievement standards

From November 2011

Consultation

National consultation

During 2012

Online publication

Digital publication

TBA


 

Curriculum development process for the Australian Curriculum: Languages

Languages position paper

ACARA identified key issues to be resolved prior to drafting the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages. Some of the key issues identified that required resolution included, defining an appropriate rationale for learning languages, and shaping the design and structure of the languages curriculum.
 
In developing a position paper for the languages curriculum to address these key issues, ACARA has been assisted by a reference group, which included academics, school leaders, teachers, members of professional associations and curriculum experts.
 
ICON - PDF  View the composition of the reference group.
 

Languages Initial Advice Paper

The ACARA Board appointed Associate Professor Angela Scarino as the lead writer for the development of the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages. Assistant Professor Jakelin Troy was appointed to write the Australian Languages (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages) sections of the paper.
 
The development of the Initial AdvicePaper was supported by a Languages Advisory Panel and an Expert Group for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages.
 
ICON - PDF  View biography of Associate Professor Angela Scarino.
 
ICON - PDF  View biography of Dr Jakelin Troy.
 
ICON - PDF  View the composition of the Languages Advisory Group.
 
ICON - PDF  View the composition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Expert Group.
 
The Initial Advice Paper was made available for targeted consultation at a National Languages Forum, on 25 October 2010. Approximately 150 people with expertise and/or interest in languages education from across Australia participated in this national forum. Consultation feedback from the forum, was analysed and used to revise the Initial Advice paper which has now been published as the draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages paper, for public consultation during the first part of 2011.
 
Feedback collected during the consultation period will further inform the revision of the draft shape paper before it is published as the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages. This paper will then be used to guide the writing of the Australian Curriculum for languages.