The Australian Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum appears to have the same major flaw as State Curricula.

Some years ago I was teaching in a New South Wales Government School which had a significant aboriginal population. I was given the "bottom" year eight class and directed to teach them mathematics. Accordingly the Head Teacher gave me a copy of the common year eight syllabus and program.

My first lesson was centred around diagnostic testing. There were seven students in the class with three support persons present. For the next ten weeks I, the seven students, and three support persons made great progress which resulted in all students increasing their mathematical abilities and more importantly broadening their social skills.

With the end of term one now upon us the Head Teacher asked me for my program register. I stated that I had not quite finished writing my program and that I would have it written and signed off by the beginning of term two. He reminded me that he had given me a copy of the year eight common program at the beginning of the term. I told him that the material he had given me was unsuitable and was not teachable to those students. I also pointed out that it is impossible to teach the unteachable.

He was not happy! For the remainder of the year my class continued to make very good progress. The Head Teacher did not speak with me again regarding that class. In fact, he hardly spoke to me for the rest of the year.

The following year another teacher took the "bottom" year eight class. I later found out that he also threw out the common curriculum and taught a more suitable course of study. Apparently he and his class had a very fruitful year.

Having entire year groupings in mathematics and science follow the same curriculum in each of those subjects is fundamentally floored.