Deck 5: The Australian Curriculum

Question 1

The Australian Curriculum was an integral element of the Education Revolution announced by the Rudd Labor government in:

A) 2006.
B) 2007.
C) 2008.
D) 2009.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A common theme in the Melbourne Declaration and the work of other cited authors was the importance in developing a national curriculum of:

A) a traditional, cognitive, discipline-oriented approach.
B) an interdisciplinary, process-oriented, problem-solving approach.
C) a competency-based approach.
D) an internationally competitive approach.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

According to ACARA, the key reason that General Capabilities have been listed as a key dimension of the Australian Curriculum is that they 'encompass skills, behaviours and dispositions that students develop and apply to content knowledge and that support them in becoming successful learners, confident and creative individuals and …':

A) problem solvers and risk takers.
B) autonomous and collaborative contributors.
C) skilled communicators and activists.
D) active and informed citizens.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What were three of the reasons given in 2008 for needing a national curriculum?

Question 5

Reid (2007) argued that the groundswell in the mid-2000s to have more cooperation on education matters between the states and territories was due to:

A) concern about the costs of resources for state-based curricula.
B) state concerns about the quality of state-based curricula.
C) government concerns about the quality of state-based curricula.
D) an increasingly interventionist agenda by the Liberal federal government.

Question 6

Summarise the events, influences and reasons which led to the decision to develop a national curriculum in Australia.

Question 7

The statement in the National Curriculum Board's fourth principle that limiting the initial scope of national curriculum to only four subjects 'is relatively unproblematic for secondary school' has been criticised as 'naïve' because:

A) curriculum in four new subjects is too many new subjects for teachers to implement at the same time.
B) many secondary teachers disagree with the choice of English, Mathematics, Science and History as the first subjects to be developed.
C) one of the four subjects is History which has not been taught in lower secondary classes in most states.
D) secondary schools do not have the funding to professionally develop teachers to implement the new curriculum.

Question 8

Shortly after being elected, the Rudd Labor government announced:

A) a policy entitled 'Establishing a national curriculum to improve our children's educational outcomes'.
B) the creation of a National Curriculum Board.
C) a policy entitled 'No Child Left Behind'.
D) the creation of a National Standards Board.

Question 9

The final number of General Capabilities included in the Australian Curriculum is:

A) 10.
B) 9.
C) 8.
D) 7.

Question 10

What were five of the ten principles and specifications for curriculum development specified in October 2008 in the paper 'The Shape of the National Curriculum: A Proposal for Discussion'.

Question 11

Which of the following is not a cross-curriculum priority in the Australian Curriculum?

A) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.
B) Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia.
C) Social justice.
D) Sustainability.

Question 12

In Peter Hill's (2010) four-part framework of a 'world-class' curriculum, 'core curriculum' refers to:

A) the general capabilities that people need.
B) the activities, events and traditions that schools arrange to promote personal development.
C) curriculum based on rules, understandings and methods.
D) choices that individual students and teachers make.

Question 13

The main tool used to ensure 'ongoing consultation with a variety of stakeholders' in accordance with the National Curriculum Board's seventh principle is:

A) a comprehensive website to acquaint teachers with up-to-date information.
B) a series of on-line surveys asking stakeholders for feedback about the new curriculum.
C) regular newsletters sent to schools.
D) a series of public forums in each state.

Question 14

According to some curriculum specialists, teachers will not prioritise learning activities to develop General Capabilities because they do not:

A) have adequate support materials to do so.
B) consider them to be as important as the content listings.
C) understand them.
D) have time to focus on them.

Question 15

The fifth principle identified by the National Curriculum Board states: 'To ensure its success, its development will be based on …':

A) cross-curricular competencies and perspectives.
B) a strong research base of learning and pedagogy.
C) on-going consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders.
D) essential content and achievement standards for all students.

Question 16

What are two criticisms that some theorists have made about the theoretical basis of the Australian Curriculum?

Question 17

In the mid-2000s, which of the following was not one of the three options for a national approach to curriculum?

A) A state-based approach incorporating local and national priorities.
B) A single, formal, official national curriculum.
C) A national sharing of materials, resources and professional development opportunities.
D) A national collaboration of stakeholders working together to develop greater conceptual consistency.

Question 18

Is this statement True or False? 'High profile subject specialists were chosen to lead each of the four curriculum development teams in English, Mathematics, Science and History.'

Question 19

The Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians (MCEEYA, 2008) did not focus on the importance of:

A) successful learners.
B) active and informed citizens.
C) skilful workers.
D) confident individuals.

Question 20

How many key principles did the National Curriculum Board initially focus on:

A) 4.
B) 5.
C) 6.
D) 7.

Question 21

Is the following statement True or False? 'Teachers of Mathematics should find it easier to make connections to the Cross-Curriculum Priorities than teachers of History.'

Question 22

Write a letter to parents explaining the role of General Capabilities and Cross-Curriculum Priorities in the Australian Curriculum. Choose one Cross-Curriculum Priority and explain how you might incorporate it into your teaching of one curriculum area.