Art Education Association of Western Australia

ACARA National Consultation Forum: The Arts Initial Advice Paper DRAFT

May 3^rd 2010 Sydney

Report prepared by Gen Baker

Setting the scene: Peter Hill

Peter Hill described how the Australian curriculum is being developed in a context of globalization, the context for young Australians starting school now.

We will continue to have 8 learning areas and disciplines as the frameworks for learning but today’s curriculum cannot just be viewed in this way. The Australian curriculum also has 10 general competencies across learning areas. It is not yet clear how this will work but we have to be precise and targeted. The 10 general competencies will have their own scope and sequence. “If you can’t scope and sequence it, it isn’t real”

There are three facets of the curriculum: local, regional, global. There are also three cross curricular dimensions:

1. Indigenous culture and history
2. Asia and our place in it
3. Global sustainability

The Arts curriculum must be vital and complex. We are not looking to develop the best Arts curriculum in the world. In many ways we already have that but only for some. We want the best Arts curriculum for all young Australians. We do not have unlimited resources so the Arts curriculum must also be possible to deliver and deliver now. This must be an opportunity for all to engage in Arts learning with specialization for some. At the very least, young people who do not continue with an arts education must be aware of what they are missing.

The Arts in the Australian curriculum: Rob Randall

Rob Randall spoke of the importance of reading The Melbourne Declaration in order to understand how the Australian curriculum is being developed.   http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

It is also a good idea for Arts people to look at the way that English, History and Geography have been developed to see how the process will work in the development of the Arts Curriculum which will be worked on over 2010-2011 and then implemented 2012-2014.

We have to make clear what we want young Australians to be taught and the quality of that learning.

• The Australian Curriculum is pedagogy free.
• Arts for all, specialization for some and what about the bottom quartile? If students drop out of the arts we want them to know what they are losing.
• Time allocations must be possible and reasonable.

Rob Randall spoke of the importance of the following and the relationship between them:

• language to describe the curriculum for the generalist teacher and the specialist.
• the distinct contribution of the Arts to the learning of young people
• the role of technology
• Indigenous and Asian dimensions
• Arts learning in school and beyond school: industry.

John O’Toole: lead writer for the arts

Professor John O’Toole lead a group of writers, four subject specialists and a small advisory group to draft the initial advice paper that provides a rationale for the importance of arts in the curriculum and a broad scope and sequence over the years Kindergarten to year 12.   The intention is to state what all young Australians are to be taught and the quality of learning expected.

The Arts comprise a key learning area in all states and territories. The NAAE campaigned long and hard for the inclusion of the arts in the Australian Curriculum.

John O’Toole spoke of the importance of introducing this imperative of teaching the 5 art forms with their distinct elements and demands for K-8 as a core. This is a shift from the original suggestion of visual and performing arts. He believes that all generalist teachers should be able to teach the ‘core and that teachers will rise to the challenge of the imperative. All 5 arts subjects should be equally available.

In Australia we share the following principles and a constructivist view of teaching the arts:

• Arts through practice
• Arts are inclusive
• Arts learning can develop beyond school but not be dependent on that.
• Arts are dynamic not fixed
• All young people have ability and are entitled to have the opportunity to develop it.
• Arts are manifest in process and product
• Arts are highly collaborative
• Play and imagination are key

The Arts curriculum comprises of:

3 Strands as common organizers to regulate comparability:

• Generating
• Realizing
• Responding (apprehending and comprehending)

These strands are not the words used in any state and nor do they immediately relate to any one of the 5 art forms. This is deliberate. John O’Toole spoke of the huge challenge of coming up with the right words for the names of the strands and put out the challenge for those of us in arts education: If we don’t like these terms then come up with a better suggestion and send it to them. There is a core content that must not be out of the range of the generalist teacher.

The audience for the initial draft of the shaping paper is not the teacher but the attendees at the consultation forum who are all arts education specialists of some sort; an arts literate audience.

While pedagogy and assessment are not in the brief they have been taken on board.  National assessment and reporting will be every two years.

End of the day discussions:

Rob Randall Plenary Session:

These points were made in response to feedback from the group and questions asked. Each table in the afternoon were invited to ask two questions to be answered at the end of the day.

• Where to now? The shape paper will take approximately 10 weeks to be completed. Within this timeframe the shape paper will be discussed and submitted to the board for approval. When finalized (approved) the curriculum will be developed.
• A  2 year banding may/will be developed acknowledging that primary schools would not be teaching all of the arts all of the time.
• 160 hours will be the minimum time delivery required within schools.
• Achievement statements will be provided.
• Yes there is a hierarchy of subjects = literacy and numeracy have priority as already stated.
• A pathway for university entrance will be developed within the scope and sequence documentation.
• The document will be delivered in digital form to ensure the possibility for cross curricular education.
• “Primary teaching is teaching students not subjects” this comment was made in response to a concern about primary teachers struggling to teach 5 separate art forms.
• Options Years 9 and 10??
• Standard referencing NOT normative
• Only C standards will be provided for all subjects
• Intellectual history and culture…. Will be further discussed with the board with the focus of implementation within the existing strands or whether a further area is required
• National Reporting and Assessment every two years.