Transcript The draft Australian curriculum

Finding the draft curriculum
http://www.australiancurriculum.
edu.au/Home
Registering for the forum
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.
nsw.gov.au/home/consultation.htm
Mathematics
 Number
 Patterns and algebra
 Data
 Measurement
 Space and geometry
Draft Australian Curriculum
 Number and algebra
 Measurement and
geometry
 Statistics and probability
Working Mathematically
 Questioning
 Applying Strategies
 Communicating
 Reasoning
 Reflecting
Proficiency strands
 Understanding
 Fluency
 Problem solving
 Reasoning
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Content descriptions
Understand numbers to 10, including matching number
names, numerals and quantities,… (Kindergarten)
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Content elaborations
…illustrate and/or clarify the detail of the content
descriptions.
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Achievement standards
By the end of Kindergarten, students are able to
confidently recall the sequence of numbers to 20,
matching names and numerals and find the total of small
collections by counting.
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Organised in years, not stages.
Descriptions of content and achievement
standards, no outcomes.
Content descriptions are brief
◦ This makes it difficult to determine if they are clear
without the elaboration – Can you find when the
multiplication facts for 7 are taught?
Do you know what to teach in Year 5 when you read:
“Solve realistic problems involving multiplication with
large numbers including division by one-digit numbers”?
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How does the draft curriculum provide support for
the full range of students in your class?
How do the standards compare to the current
NSW syllabus?
e.g. From the Best Start Kindergarten assessment about
2/5 could identify numerals to 10, and about 8% each
to 20 and to 100, on entry to Kindergarten . The draft
Australian curriculum in mathematics expects students
can identify numerals to 10 by the end of Kindergarten.
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How is content organised in school years meant to
assist the diverse range of learners?
Resourcing
◦ Although calculators are referred to in the NSW
Mathematics K-6 syllabus they are not described within
the mandatory outcomes. The draft Australian curriculum
refers to calculators in the mandatory content from as
early as Year 2. What are the implications of requiring all
students to use calculators from Year 2? When do
students learn order of operations or rounding decimals?
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Some content statements appear to be teaching
activities rather than statements of content e.g.
Year 2: Say, understand and reason with number
sequences increasing by twos, fives and tens from
any starting point including using calculators.
Much of the content appears at different years to
our syllabus e.g. Recognise and represent
numbers involving tenths and hundredths… In
which year would you currently teach this and in
which year in the draft curriculum?
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Does the draft Australian mathematics
curriculum support both excellence and equity?
Is the draft curriculum focused on the important
ideas?
Is the draft curriculum coherent? In particular,
does the sequence of development make
sense?
Is the draft curriculum internally consistent in the
way it uses concepts from other strands (e.g.
multiplication and area)?
Comments from the forum
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There does not seem to be a logical progression
of learning in the Australian Mathematics
curriculum. For example, Kindergarten are only
expected to represent numbers up to ten but then
are also expected to compare collections to 20.
Calculators are introduced in year two when
children are learning to count by twos, fives and
tens. Student understanding in mathematics
should progress from concrete to abstract.
Introducing abstract alongside concrete will inhibit
student learning. It is important that students
understand the concepts before applying them.
Comments from the forum
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In Kindergarten students build a number sense up
to ten, to 100 in year one and to 130 in year two. It
is unclear why these numbers have been
allocated to these year groups.
I also query why students in Year 2 go up to 130 in
number, yet are also expected to understand
place value to 1000.
Thirds are introduced in Year 2 with quarters.
7 times tables are the only times tables not taught
in year four, but they are not taught explicitly in the
next year either. It is not clear why this happens.
Comments from the forum
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Length and capacity are grouped together in the
Australian curriculum. This is not a logical
grouping.
Additionally the expectations of the Australian
Curriculum are quite low in some areas. For
example, area is not introduced until year two and
is equivalent to NSW's expectations for
Kindergarten.
The Statistics and Probability strand shows a dramatic
increase in the level of challenge from an early age.
The recently released core standards from the US
decided to reduce (or remove) content on statistics
and probability from the elementary years to allow
more time for the other areas of mathematics.
Introducing an expectation that students "use a mean
or median from a sample to estimate the mean or
median of a population and to recognise the
limitations of samples" is a marked increase in
expectations for Year 8.
Is the sequence in the Statistics and Probability strand
reasonable?
They use representation of single variable data to
describe distributions including the use of median,
mode and range. Which year?
When is the mean taught?
Is the sequence in the Measurement and geometry
strand reasonable?