National+Science+Curriculum

"The Age" Newspaper in Melbourne ran an article describing the draft proposals for Science in the National Curriculum on Tuesday 16 October 2008. The main points were:
 * More emphasis on contemporary themes
 * Primary Science – develop ideas about science and relate to their lives outside the curriculum
 * Years 7 – 10 – less emphasis on the rote learning of concepts for tests, science talks, demonstrations or learning from text books, more emphasis on learning by inquiry and discussion with peers
 * Year 11 and 12 – students to specialise in Biol, Chem and Phys and possibly a 4th broader based science course

The devil, as always, will be in the detail – but the intentions are good. Professor Denis Goodrum has certainly remained true to his ideological beliefs about the nature of teaching and learning Science (famously published in August 2000 'The [|Status and Quality of Teaching and Learning of Science in Australian Schools']) Having now read the Initial Advice published by the NCB I find myself in agreement with the directions in which they are developing the curriculum model. I was worried, as many Victorian Science educators were, that the content-driven NSW curriculum may be used as a template for the whole country. However, the NCB seem to have been influenced by documents such as the VELS produced in Victoria and similar statements produced in other states to develop their outline for Science (I quote the Initial Advice): that impact on society and the environment and on other social and ethical issues.
 * Science as a way of knowing through inquiry - posing questions, planning and conducting investigations, collecting and analysing evidence and communicating findings
 * Science as human endeavour - highlights the need for informed, evidence-informed, decision making about current and future applications of science

This fits so closely to what I've been working on through my studies and teaching and learning practice that I am a greatly relieved teacher! On the 24th of November I was able to attend an excellent forum organised by the Australian College of Educators with members of the National Curriculum Board (Tony Mackay and Marie Emmett), the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority CEO John Firth and Dr. Geoff Masters from the Australian Council for Educational Research. The focus of the day was the recently released Framing documents for English, Maths, History and Science and the manner in which one could take part in the consultative process. I've attached my response to the Science Framing paper. These framing papers describe the first step on a long process that will determine what we are all teaching in 2011 - for goodness sake get active. Read the information, talk to colleagues and get your views into the process by doing the online survey.