We urge all Victorian LOTE teachers to become involved in the development of Australia's National Curriculum. Visit the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) website www.acara.edu.au to subscribe to the email alert list and remain fully informed, also to contribute your views.
Important Updates - Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
Prof Barry McGaw at the 2008 MLTAV AGM
MLTAV 2009 Online Survey RESULTS
Assoc Prof Angela Scarino at the 2010 National Curriculum Symposium
Assoc Prof Angela Scarino and John Firth at the 2010 MLTAV Annual Conference
Background Reading
Media Reports
National Professional Teaching Associations
At our 2008 AGM the MLTAV was most fortunate to have as special guest Professor Barry McGaw AO, Director, Melbourne Education Research Institute (MERI), University of Melbourne and Chairman, National Curriculum Board (now ACARA) who spoke on
The National Curriculum Initiative and the Re-evaluation of Languages Education in Australia.To download Prof McGaw's PowerPoint  CLICK HERE.
Prof McGaw also spoke at the recent 2008 Curriculum Corporation conference. His and other vodcasts are now available for viewing at: www.curriculum.edu.au/conference/2008/default.asp?id=26098.
Important Updates from ACARA
ACARA Update 30 March 2010
The development of the initial advice paper for Languages has commenced. This paper provides advice on curriculum design and will be the subject of consultation at a national forum to be held in August. The initial advice will inform the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages that, following a broad-based consultation, will be used to guide curriculum writers in the languages learning area.
Associate Professor Angela Scarino was appointed as lead writer to complete this work. Dr Jakelin Troy has been recently appointed to assist her by writing the sections relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages. Dr Troy holds the position of Assistant Professor, Curriculum Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Canberra. Associate Professor Angela Scarino and Dr Jakelin Troy will draft the initial advice with the support of an advisory group.
ACARA Update 14 December 2009
Lead writers for Australian Curriculum: Languages (Associate Professor Angela Scarino) has been appointed by ACARA to draft the initial advice paper for each of these learning areas. The lead writers [for various learning areas] have been selected on the basis of their discipline expertise and contribution to the respective education field, and will play a critical role in developing the Australian curriculum.
ACARA Update 27 November 2009 CLICK HERE.
The National Curriculum Board (NCB) held its final meeting on 28 April 2009 and remained active until responsibility was passed to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) www.acara.edu.au in early June 2009. With its final meeting, the NCB reached a major milestone by completing the key foundational documents that will shape the national curriculum.
The Shape of the Australian Curriculum outlines an agreed set of guiding principles, structural elements and broad content directions consistent with the Board’s remit and the Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians. Four accompanying documents - The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: English, Mathematics, Science and History – outline the curriculum structure for each of these learning areas from Kindergarten through to Year 12. In addition, there are consultation reports on the original four framing papers.
These documents are now available for viewing on the ACARA website www.acara.edu.au (under the 'Curriculum' link) along with a brief précis that summarises all of the publications, consultation processes and curriculum development work of the Board.
TIMELINE FOR PHASE 2 LEARNING AREAS
At the 2009 AFMLTA Assembly in July, ACARA representatives presented details of the process for development of the new national Languages curriculum, including this timeline:
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Stage
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Activity
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Timelines
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Curriculum Framing
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Confirmation of directions for writing geography and Languages curricula (the Arts timeline tbc)
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June 2009 - May 2010
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Curriculum Development
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2 step process for development of curriculum documents
•Step 1 - broad outline; scope and sequence
•Step 2 – completion of ‘detail’ of curriculum
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May 2010-
Dec 2010
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Consultation
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National consultation and trialing
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Feb 2011-
May 2011
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Publication
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Print and digital publication
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July 2011-August 2011
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To view the full ACARA PowerPoint presentation CLICK HERE
National Curriculum Online Survey Results
On behalf of our members, the MLTAV is looking forward to being involved in consultations about the development of the Australian Curriculum: Languages.
To ensure MLTAV views are informed by teachers of Languages, the MLTAV conducted an online survey, gauging the level of support for various possible features of the new curriculum. This survey was conducted nation-wide, with results being broken down by State/Territory. The survey is in the form of a series of statements describing various possible features.
The survey closed on 24th November 2009 and the results have been recorded and formatted for the purpose of providing detailed survey statistics throughout the consultation process, with an aim to represent the views of Languages professionals. Click here for the full results of the survey.
Assoc Prof Angela Scarino at the 2010 National Curriculum SymposiumAngela, who is Lead Representative for Languages at ACARA, spoke at the University of Melbourne National Curriculum Symposium on 26 Feb 2010. To listen to her address and download the PPT she presented, visit: www.education.unimelb.edu.au/news/National_Curriculum_Symposium/2010_National_Curriculum_Symposium.html
Assoc Prof Angela Scarino and John Firth at the 2010 MLTAV Annual ConferenceAngela (Lead Writer for the National Curriculum: Languages) and John (Chief Executive Officer, VCAA and ACARA Board member) spoke at the 2010 Annual Conference, also answering questions from conference delegates.
To download an edited transcript of this session,  CLICK HERE
Background ReadingThe MLTAV recommends the following documents:
- Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians - Dec 2008
- Excerpts from the Melbourne Declaration, compiled by MLTAV - to download,
 CLICK HERE.
- MCEECDYA National Statement on Languages Education in Australian Schools - NB the Statement is current; a new associated Plan is under development by the Languages Education Working Group
- Indigenous Languages Programmes in Australian Schools: A Way Forward - ACER for DEEWR 2008
Media Reports
- Australian Government - Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts 17 April 2009 Arts in Australia's national school curriculum
- ABC News 19 May 2009 Teachers fear PE left off national curriculum
- The Australian Online 20 May 2009: Vague school syllabuses in the firing line
- The Age Online 25 May 2009: Tested by a test too many
- ACER ENews May 2009: A national curriculum needs national teaching standards
- The Age Online 1 June 2009: Move to widen national curriculum
- DEEWR Ministers' Media Centre 3 June 2009: ACARA board members announced
- University of Melbourne: The Melbourne Newsroom 9 June Efficiencies to be won in Australian education says chair of National Curriculum Board
- The Australian Higher Education 4 Sept 2009 Speak, and ye shall find knowledge
- The Age Online 26 September 2009 A new class of leader (about Dr Peter Hill, the new chief executive of ACARA)
National Professional Teaching AssociationsAustralian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations Inc. (AFMLTA)
The Australian Council of TESOL Associations (ACTA)
Arts Education Australia (AEA)
National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE)
Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE)
Website set up to provide information about resources for Chemistry in the Australian National Curriculum
‘Towards a National Geography Curriculum for Australia’ Australian Geography Teachers’ Association (AGTA)
The History Teachers’ Association of Australia (HTAA)
The Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers Inc. (AAMT)
Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA)
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