Curriculum
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) provides a separate Foundation to Year 10 learning framework for Science, and for Technologies (including Design and Technology, and Digital Technologies). Kindergarten to Year 6 Science and Technology forms part of this broader continuum of learning. The latest revision to the Australian Curriculum Science and Australian Curriculum Technologies syllabus by ACARA took place in 2017.
In New South Wales (NSW), the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) is responsible for the development of syllabuses for schools, which include content descriptions and achievement standards from the Australian Curriculum. In NSW, the syllabus documents are designed using an ‘adopt and adapt’ approach – the Australian Curriculum is adopted, with adaptions to suit the NSW contexts. Subsequent to the review of the Australian Curriculum, the NSW Syllabus was reviewed and updated to reflect the newly developed Australian Curriculum Band Descriptions for Digital Technology. Design and Production replaced Working Technologically as one of the two key skills areas, while Working Scientifically was retained.
The organisation of content in the NSW syllabus highlights an integration of knowledge and understanding, skills, and the learning continuum across the curriculum. Teachers are expected to program units of work that reflect real world and engagement with both nature and the built environment. The NSW syllabus provides guidance about the scope of learning to aid in the interpretation of the syllabus outcomes.