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BOS-ICT

Mapping of Information and Communications Technologies in Revised Mandatory Stages 4 and 5 Syllabuses

ICT Skills Search the databaseThis mapping lists the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) integrated within the outcomes and content of the new mandatory Years 7-10 syllabuses. The purpose of this mapping is to assist schools in planning their programming and units of work by providing an overview of where there are specific ICT references in each of the mandatory Stage 4 and 5 syllabuses.

The ICT statements listed for each subject are organised by Stage, then Outcome, and finally Content or other syllabus requirement.

As ICT has developed in recent years, many teachers have incorporated a range of technology experiences into the classroom and this has informed the development of revised syllabuses. All new syllabuses make some explicit statements about the ICT that is to be incorporated into teaching and learning. The mapping shows the opportunities that exist for students to develop skills in the use of ICT through the study of the mandatory curriculum in Years 7–10.

Examples of these include:

* Stage 4 Science, 'students learn to use a range of sources, including databases, CD-ROMs and the internet to access information.'
* Stage 5 PDHPE, includes statements such as 'Students learn to enter performance data into a prepared spreadsheet template, format and analyse with consideration of ethical issues, eg use, interpretation and publication of data'.
* Stage 4 Mathematics, 'students learn to interpret data displayed in a spreadsheet'.

Some of the ICT statements are quite precise in linking 'learn about' and/or 'learn to' content to teaching units and others may be implemented in a variety of contexts and in a range of teaching units.

The basic aims for ICT across the curriculum are to ensure that all students have the opportunity to become competent, discriminating and creative users of ICT, and that they are better able to achieve syllabus outcomes through effective use of ICT for enhanced learning. The revision of the Years 7-10 syllabuses has increased the opportunities for students to further develop ICT knowledge, skills and understanding related to their studies.

How to use this database

Select one or more subjects by clicking the tick-boxes, then choose whether you wish to see both Stages 4 and 5 outcomes, or either Stage 4 or Stage 5. Then click the Search button. From this page you may also download an Excel file of all the mapping of ICT skills in the mandatory Stages 4 and 5 syllabuses.

Click here to search the database.

Posted by sallyd at 4:19 AM 0 comments

MCEETYA

About MCEETYA

History
In June 1993, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) amalgamated a number of ministerial councils in order to optimise coordination of policy making across interrelated portfolios. One of the combinations involved merging three previously existing councils – the Australian Education Council (AEC), the Council of Ministers of Vocational Education, Employment and Training (MOVEET) and the Youth Ministers Council (YMC) – to form the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA).
Membership

Functions and Responsibilities
The areas of responsibility covered by the Council are pre-primary education, primary and secondary education, vocational education and training, higher education, employment and linkages between employment/labour market programs and education and training, adult and community education, youth policy programs and cross-sectoral matters. This work is taking place in close interaction with the Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education (MCVTE), which has specific responsibility for many aspects of vocational education and training.

Posted by sallyd at 4:12 AM 0 comments

THE ADELAIDE DECLARATION

The Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century

Goals
1. Schooling should develop fully the talents and capacities of all students. In particular, when students leave school, they should:
1.1 have the capacity for, and skills in, analysis and problem solving and the ability to communicate ideas and information, to plan and organise activities, and to collaborate with others.
1.2 have qualities of self-confidence, optimism, high self-esteem, and a commitment to personal excellence as a basis for their potential life roles as family, community and workforce members.
1.3 have the capacity to exercise judgement and responsibility in matters of morality, ethics and social justice, and the capacity to make sense of their world, to think about how things got to be the way they are, to make rational and informed decisions about their own lives, and to accept responsibility for their own actions.
1.4 be active and informed citizens with an understanding and appreciation of Australia’s system of government and civic life.
1.5 have employment related skills and an understanding of the work environment, career options and pathways as a foundation for, and positive attitudes towards, vocational education and training, further education, employment and life-long learning.
1.6 be confident, creative and productive users of new technologies, particularly information and communication technologies, and understand the impact of those technologies on society.
1.7 have an understanding of, and concern for, stewardship of the natural environment, and the knowledge and skills to contribute to ecologically sustainable development.
1.8 have the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and for the creative and satisfying use of leisure time.

2. In terms of curriculum, students should have:
2.1 attained high standards of knowledge, skills and understanding through a comprehensive and balanced curriculum in the compulsory years of schooling encompassing the agreed eight key learning areas:

* the arts;
* English;
* health and physical education;
* languages other than English;
* mathematics;
* science;
* studies of society and environment; and
* technology.

and the interrelationships between them.
2.2 attained the skills of numeracy and English literacy; such that, every student should be numerate, able to read, write, spell and communicate at an appropriate level.
2.3 participated in programs of vocational learning during the compulsory years and have had access to vocational education and training programs as part of their senior secondary studies.
2.4 participated in programs and activities which foster and develop enterprise skills, including those skills which will allow them maximum flexibility and adaptability in the future.

3. Schooling should be socially just, so that:
3.1 students’ outcomes from schooling are free from the effects of negative forms of discrimination based on sex, language, culture and ethnicity, religion or disability; and of differences arising from students’ socio-economic background or geographic location.
3.2 the learning outcomes of educationally disadvantaged students improve and, over time, match those of other students.
3.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have equitable access to, and opportunities in, schooling so that their learning outcomes improve and, over time, match those of other students.
3.4 all students understand and acknowledge the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures to Australian society and possess the knowledge, skills and understanding to contribute to, and benefit from, reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
3.5 all students understand and acknowledge the value of cultural and linguistic diversity, and possess the knowledge, skills and understanding to contribute to, and benefit from, such diversity in the Australian community and internationally.
3.6 all students have access to the high quality education necessary to enable the completion of school education to Year 12 or its vocational equivalent and that provides clear and recognised pathways to employment and further education and training.

Reference-
http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/policy_initiatives_reviews/national_goals_for_schooling_in_the_twenty_first_century.htm
Date retrieved-10th February 2007

posted by sallyd @ 2:56 PM

Posted by sallyd at 4:10 AM 0 comments

CURRENT TRENDS IN SCHOOLING IN AUSTRALIA

The Adelaide Declaration established national goals for Australian schooling in the 21st Century. The model established by MCEETYA in 1999, is the current document upon which State generated its own framework for learning in schools.
Until recently Queensland was leading the way with their productive pedagogy model based on:-
Problem Based Learning-(Constructivist model)
Higher Order Thinking-(Bloom’s Taxonomy)
Deep Learning- (Critical Reflection)

In N.S.W document development for K-12 is managed by the Board of Studies which became a separate entity from the department of Education.
In NSW this new direction was set down in the document titled “Quality Teaching.”
(i) Pedagogy that promotes high levels of intellectual quality
(ii) Pedagogy that establishes a higher quality learning environment
(iii) Pedagogy that generates significance by connecting students with the intellectual demand of their work.
This approach is based on socio-cultural perspectives that recognize that children are active participants-
(Constructivist Learning)

Posted by sallyd at 4:09 AM 0 comments

JIGSAW

JIGSAW METHOD




History of the Jigsaw
An Account from Professor Aronson

The jigsaw classroom was first used in 1971 in Austin, Texas. My graduate students and I had invented the jigsaw strategy that year, as a matter of absolute necessity to help defuse an explosive situation. The city's schools had recently been desegregated, and because Austin had always been racially segregated, white youngsters, African-American youngsters, and Hispanic youngsters found themselves in the same classrooms for the first time.

Within a few weeks, long-standing suspicion, fear, and distrust between groups produced an atmosphere of turmoil and hostility. Fist-fights erupted in corridors and schoolyards across the city. The school superintendent called me in to see if we could do anything to help students get along with one another. After observing what was going on in classrooms for a few days, my students and I concluded that inter-group hostility was being fueled by the competitive environment of the classroom.




Jigsaw in 10 Easy Steps

The jigsaw classrom is very simple to use. If you're a teacher, just follow these steps:

1. Divide students into 5- or 6-person jigsaw groups. The groups should be diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, race, and ability.

2. Appoint one student from each group as the leader. Initially, this person should be the most mature student in the group.

3. Divide the day's lesson into 5-6 segments. For example, if you want history students to learn about Eleanor Roosevelt, you might divide a short biography of her into stand-alone segments on: (1) Her childhood, (2) Her family life with Franklin and their children, (3) Her life after Franklin contracted polio, (4) Her work in the White House as First Lady, and (5) Her life and work after Franklin's death.

4. Assign each student to learn one segment, making sure students have direct access only to their own segment.

5. Give students time to read over their segment at least twice and become familiar with it. There is no need for them to memorize it.

6. Form temporary "expert groups" by having one student from each jigsaw group join other students assigned to the same segment. Give students in these expert groups time to discuss the main points of their segment and to rehearse the presentations they will make to their jigsaw group.

7. Bring the students back into their jigsaw groups.

8. Ask each student to present her or his segment to the group. Encourage others in the group to ask questions for clarification.

9. Float from group to group, observing the process. If any group is having trouble (e.g., a member is dominating or disruptive), make an appropriate intervention. Eventually, it's best for the group leader to handle this task. Leaders can be trained by whispering an instruction on how to intervene, until the leader gets the hang of it.

10. At the end of the session, give a quiz on the material so that students quickly come to realize that these sessions are not just fun and games but really count.



Content Copyright 2000-2007, Elliot Aronson
Web Site Copyright 2000-2007, Social Psychology Network