National curriculums help to deliver consistent education across schools by setting standards for better alignment between content descriptions and achievement. For the new teaching curriculum of 2023, refining, realigning, and decluttering content is the headline – with a focus on reducing content in primary years to improve overall outcomes. With this in mind, we will explore these new developments from an edtech perspective…
Key changes
The Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 can be understood as a more stripped-back syllabus that hones in on essential content. The Foundation to Year 10 programme has been reduced and refined so it can be taught with more depth to improve links between cross-curriculum priorities.
Some of the key changes to the curriculum include:
- A stronger focus on phonics in English with flexibility for teachers to personalise student learning and respond to student needs and interests.
- A revision of the sequencing of content in Mathematics and expectations about proficiency; in particular, telling time, introduction of fractions, recall of multiplication facts and solving equations.
- Addition of privacy and security in the Digital Technologies curriculum.
- Strengthening the focus on students being physically active and increased content with a focus on activity in natural and outdoor settings.
How can edtech facilitate?
Implementing changes to the curriculum can be challenging for teachers but edtech can be used in many ways to aid the adjustment. From organising course content to providing on-demand interactive tools and customisable teaching resources, devices like the ActivPanel offer the foundations to put curriculum changes into action.
Combining pre-loaded essential apps with the many options downloadable from the Promethean store, the ActivPanel has all the tools to enable seamless learning experiences. One example of this is the Split Screen feature. Teachers can simultaneously share both PowerPoint and the Instant Whiteboard during lessons to customise student learning and respond to pupils’ feedback. This aligns with the new curricular focus on phonics in English as teaching can be personalised to support learners’ individual capabilities.
Alongside the Split Screen function, Screenshare is another tool which means feedback can be a focal point for student learning. The utility enables pupils and teachers to react, adapt and encourage collaboration as students’ work can be shared instantly to the ActivPanel from separate devices – perfect for open discussion.
The new curriculum also outlines the need to improve expectations of recall and proficiency within Mathematic studies, which can be supported through the ActivPanel’s apps. With the Timer in use alongside the Whiteboard app, teachers can draw up multiplication, division, or even simple adding equations in real time and set a countdown for student recall. Ultimately, edtech can help to deliver the new curriculum in a flexible manner.
But it’s not all about digital teaching and learning. The new curriculum puts emphasis on the need for students to engage in activity in outdoor settings too. One way to execute this is by shifting focus in the classroom through practising flipped learning. This is achieved by students participating in instructional learning methods at home rather than in the classroom, which in turn enables school hours to be used for outdoor activity or more practical approaches to learning. To find out more, why not head to our previous flipped learning series.
Changes to the teaching curriculum mean that adaptation is necessary, but edtech can streamline the process. And in light of the specific changes made this year, edtech has a lot to offer against a more refined curriculum.
For more ways to uplift teaching and learning using edtech, be sure to check out our previous mini-series which explores different flipped learning models and how they can be implemented into the classroom.