PRINCIPLES OF THE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK

Principles of the Curriculum Framework

 

The Curriculum Framework for Western Australian schools is underpinned by seven key principles. These principles guide schools in whole-school planning and curriculum development.

1.      An encompassing view of curriculum

Curriculum is much more than a syllabus. A syllabus normally outlines the content to be taught. Curriculum on the other hand is dynamic and includes all the learning experiences provided for the student. It encompasses the learning environment, teaching methods, the resources provided for learning, the systems of assessment, the school ethos and the ways in which students and staff behave towards one another. All of these provide experiences from which students learn. Together, they add meaning, purpose and enjoyment to students’ lives. Particular attention is required to ensure that there is congruence between the various dimensions of curriculum.

2.      An explicit acknowledgment of core values

People’s values influence their behaviour and give meaning and purpose to their lives. While there is a range of value positions in our pluralistic society, there is also a core of shared values. The Curriculum Framework is underpinned by these shared values, which can be summarised as follows:

Ø  a commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and achievement of potential, resulting in a disposition towards striving to understand the world and how best one can make a contribution to it, and the pursuit of excellence in all fields of experience and endeavour;

Ø  self acceptance and respect of self, resulting in attitudes and actions which develop each person’s unique potential - physical, emotional, aesthetic, spiritual, intellectual, moral and social;

Ø  respect and concern for others and their rights, resulting in sensitivity to and concern for the well-being of others, respect for others and a search for constructive ways of managing conflict;

Ø  social and civic responsibility, resulting in a commitment to exploring and promoting the common good; meeting individual needs in ways which do not infringe the rights of others; participating in democratic processes; social justice and cultural diversity; and

Ø  environmental responsibility, resulting in a respect and concern for the natural and cultural environments and a commitment to regenerative and sustainable resource use. These values which are listed in full on the inside back cover of the document, are woven through all aspects of the Framework.

3.      Inclusivity

The Curriculum Framework is intended for all students in Western Australian schools. Inclusivity means providing all groups of students, irrespective of educational setting, with access to a wide and empowering range of knowledge, skills and values. It means recognising and accommodating the different starting points, learning rates and previous experiences of individual students or groups of students. It means valuing and including the understandings and knowledge of all groups. It means providing opportunities for students to evaluate how concepts and constructions such as culture, disability, race, class and gender are shaped.

4.      Flexibility

The curriculum must be adaptable to the particular needs of different schools and communities. It must also be responsive to social and technological change and meet students’ needs arising from that change process. In particular, it must encourage effective use of new technologies as tools for learning. The Framework provides a balance between what is common to the education of all students and the kind of flexibility and openness required for education in the twenty-first century.

5.      Integration, breadth and balance

Effective education enables students to make connections between ideas, people and things, and to relate local, national and global events and phenomena. It encourages students to see various forms of knowledge as related and forming part of a larger whole. While opportunities to specialise must be provided to allow for specific talents and interests, all students need a broad grasp of the various fields of knowledge and endeavour. They also need experience in building patterns of interconnectedness which help them to make sense of their own lives and of the world.

6.      A developmental approach

Students develop and learn at different rates and in different ways, constructing new knowledge and understandings in ways which link their learning to their previous experiences. The developmental approach of the Curriculum Framework accommodates these needs. At the same time, it provides students and their parents with a clear sense of the direction of students’ learning, and through appropriate assessment and reporting procedures, of how students are progressing.

7.      Collaboration and partnerships

Education is the shared responsibility of students, teachers, parents, tertiary educators and the community. Successful implementation of the Framework requires a collaborative approach to planning by all concerned and collective responsibility for students’ achievement of the intended outcomes.