pomtastic

I just saw this in The Australian and was quite alarmed, Chinese medicine, Aboriginal Dreamtime stories and natural therapies are to be put ahead of learning science in the school curriculum.

Is this for real? Are you concerned or don't think it's an issue to worry about? Perhaps it gives our children a wider world knowledge other than just passing exams and competing in the global job market.


http://www.theaustralian.com.au/poli...-1225834964274

ABCDiamond

I wonder what other options are in these proposals, and what they will eventually decide on actually putting in place for the national Curriculum.

chrissystevo

I went to my daughters first parents evening last week. She is in grade 1. Her teacher spent a lot of time telling us how she was making friends and had found her way around the school. Very little about how she was getting on academically. As a result my wife asked how she was getting on with maths and numbers etc. I was very shocked to hear from the teacher that the Queensland curriculum doesn't really cover maths. They are happy as long as they can count to 10 and the curriculum says that they don't have to do sums! Added to this the fact that my sons grade 5 homework includes the 2 and 3 times table and you can see what a state the curriculum is in.

The school puts a lot of emphasis on swimming, even grading the children's strokes. Didn't go down well when I pointed out that it was all well and good the children being strong swimmers but it was a problem that they couldn't read the no swimming signs.

spartacus

I wouldn't worry . . . it's more to do with poor journalism and sensationalism than the National Cirriculum.

I'd be very surprised if children were 'exclusively' taught about indigenous theories and scientific methodologies.

And to be honest, the Periodic Table ain't all its cracked up to be.

Outside of scientists, science teachers and those with science degrees, who knows what the Periodic Table is, and how its content is organised?

Howard Jenings

Having lived here for 12 months now and having 3 children and both of us being teachers, the system here in WA has it's positive sand negatives. Primary education in the early years seems to be about creating a 'well rounded' child it is not just about how good they are academically, maybe if they did that in the UK and did not just focus on literacy and numeracy then maybe children entering secondary education would be more socially aware than they were when we taught them. We are both secondary school teachers and the work they do in Year 12 is not as difficult as they did in Year 12 in the UK but the curriculum is broader and Maths and English is compulsory. Our 9 year old still finds the work challenging and he has come on in leaps and bounds in the last 12 months in most curriculum areas not just Maths and English. The National Curriculum in the UK narrowed the curriculum down and ensured that everyone was taught the same, it became so restrictive that the needs of the child were not met which is why they brought in a new one which allows much more flexibility and a much greater focus in vocational courses that GCSE's and AS/A2 levels. It is slowly working it's way back to what Education was like in the 70's and 80's and it never did any of us any harm!! I hope that with the National Curriculum in Aus that they do focus on the child and recognise that not everyone is an academic and allows schools the flexibility to teach what suits them as regards staff expertise, resources, local environment and most importantly the students.

Vash the Stampede

Tabloid journalism and blatant misrepresentation. They are not putting "Chinese medicine, Aboriginal Dreamtime stories and natural therapies ahead of learning science in the school curriculum." They are simply introducing the period table of the elements at grade 10, by which time children will already have received a comprehensive scientific education in all the usual scientific disciplines. Even the article itself admits this, so it's a complete non-story.

On a related note, can anyone tell me when the periodic table is introduced under current state education curricula? I can't remember when we first learned about it at school.

ABCDiamond

This is the link for the Draft Australian Curriculum feedback process:
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home

ABCDiamond

They are on the back cover of one of my daughters books this year. Year 9.

Not sure if she has done anything on that yet. I should check

hoveactually

The site is not working for me. Have you been able to register?

hoveactually

I hope that the new curriculum will mean that schools no longer have the ability " to teach what suits them as regards staff expertise, resources, local environment"

Vash the Stampede

This is how the ABC reported the new curriculum:
Quite a difference from the newspaper's spin!

ABCDiamond

No problems with the site for me.

Dreamy

Perhaps its just me but I'd be happy that my Grade 1 child (what's that? 5 years old?) was settling in well at school and making friends. Especially as those first few weeks can be crucial to the rest of their educational life and how they even view going to school.

My teenagers came over from a respected church school to a school in Queensland two years ago - youngest went into Year 9, elder two went into Year 11 (eldest dropped a year so he could get the final two in for his Qld certificate and OP) - all of them found the maths to be on a par with that taught in England. So I wouldn't worry too much.