About HBLNCurriculum Framework
Curriculum Council Act 1997
In 1997, the WA government passed legislation to form the Curriculum Council, which sets the minimum framework for education in all schools in WA. The Curriculum Framework was developed by the Curriculum Council. Further information may be found at http://www.curriculum.wa.edu.au/. Home educators are required to ensure that their educational program complies with the most recent framework approved by the Curriculum Council.
What is the Curriculum Framework
As the framework is outcomes based, it does not seek to restrict the 'hows' and 'whats' of education, but is focused instead towards 13 common learning outcomes. The framework is best viewed as a guide or source of reference, ideas and inspiration. An important aspect of the Framework is an acknowledgement of the holistic nature of learning. It encourages the provision of opportunities for students to integrate knowledge, values and skills gained across all learning areas. All those registered with the Department of Education and Training as the education provider for their children should be provided with a copy of the Curriculum Framework document. Don't be intimidated by the size of this document! The only applicable areas that you need look at are the Progress Maps, which can be found here: http://www.curriculum.wa.edu.au/ProgressMaps/
The Framework is broken into eight different learning areas. These are:
- The Arts;
- English;
- Health and Physical Education;
- Technology and Enterprise;
- Mathematics;
- Science;
- Society and the Environment (SOSE);and
- Languages Other than English (LOTE).
Each of these learning areas has their own specific outcomes which should be focused on at some stage within the compulsory education period for each student. This does not mean that you have to cover all eight learning areas in every year of study. It is your choice as to when and how these areas are addressed based on what is appropriate to your child's individual learning needs. Each of these outcome statements are provided as a 'progress map' that describes how key concepts and skills are developed. Students are expected to show progress in developing from the foundational level through subsequent levels. These levels are not age or time specific. They build in breadth and complexity from one level to the next.
Implementing the Curriculum Framework
The following provides some ideas regarding the types of educational activities that would fit into each of the specified learning areas.
| The Arts | Playing a musical instrument, watching an opera on television, reading a book about ballet stories, drawing cartoons, reading a book then watching the movie made from it, create a puppet play for younger siblings... |
| English | Read books to young children, visit and borrow from a library, work through a phonics program, write notes to Grandma, write lyrics for songs, read magazine articles and discuss them, invent and write down recipes... |
| Health and Physical Education | Participate in sporting activities, discuss healthy eating habits, visit the dentist together, read labels on food packaging, borrow library books about the human body, practice good hygiene at home, prepare healthy meals together... |
| Languages Other than English | Learn a foreign language using a computer program, watch special ABC Schools TV programs, read about the cultures of other people, attend cultural exhibitions, learn about the origins of the English language... |
| Mathematics | Work through a maths text, allow children to handle their own pocket money, involve children in DIY projects that involve measuring, play card and board games that involve counting, estimate travel times and distances... |
| Science | read library books on science topics, record the birds seen around your home, visit zoos and museums, nurture a garden, care for pets, subscribe to science magazines, watch nature programs on television... |
| Society and Environment | Visit places such as art galleries and museums, try eating new and different foods, read and discuss newspaper articles, borrow books about historical topics from the library, take a ride on a bus or train, watch and record a house being built |
| Technology and Enterprise | Use household tools to make and produce things, discuss the purchase of new whitegoods, visit a recycling plant, make your own paper, sell unused toys at a swap meet, create inventions using Lego, use a computer... |
Remember that most activities will have value in more than one learning area. For example, when making a batch of your favourite chocolate muffins a child is likely to:
- Read and follow a recipe (English)
- Select appropriate equipment to use (Technology and Enterprise)
- Measure ingredients (Mathematics)
- Tell you how well they are rising in the oven (Science)
- Explain that they taste good but are maybe not the healthiest food to eat (Health and Physical Education)
The cooked muffins could even be wrapped and presented nicely (The Arts) and given to a lonely or elderly neighbour (SOSE) who says thank you to you in another language (LOTE)!