Victorian Curriculum Reform:
Our curriculum is preparing students for a world in which work, society, community and personal relationships are subject to increasingly complex pressures and influences.

The curriculum must recognize that the structure and meaning of work has changed significantly since the 1970s :

• Students are no longer preparing for one career in life;
• There is less job security;
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is persuasive; and
• The economy is increasingly based on service or ‘knowledge’ industries.

Our school system needs to equip students with a range of knowledge, skills and attributes for them to prosper in this new social and economic environment and to foster the ability to manage constant change.

In recognizing and responding to diverse student needs, the Government is looking to the VCAA to ‘identify a broad framework of “essential leaning” for all students within Victorian schools. (As well as) providing schools the flexibility to develop school- based curriculum programs that support essential knowledge for students within a local context.”
Victorian Curriculum Reform 2004
Consultation paper

At Caulfield Junior College:

Over the last 5 years, our staff has been working through a process of ‘Curriculum Articulation’ to develop a set of Essential Learnings unique to the requirements and values of our school community. We have targeted resources in the exploration of various curriculum models such as the ‘New Basics’, ‘PYP’ and the ‘Essential Learnings’.

From this we created alignment across the school in regards to what are the key curriculum areas. From this we designed a curriculum framework that is based on our school community Values of: Respect, Harmony, Responsibility, Love of Learning and Integrity. The curriculum is divided into five Pedagogics of: Cooperative, Inquirers, Self Evaluating, Global Citizenship and Thinkers. This has enabled us to focus our teaching and resources into this framework.

Pedagogy Focus:

Global

A global curriculum encourages a focus on internationalism that identifies a connection with and respect for all cultures and societies. Content that encompasses internationalism incorporates the economical, social, geographical and environmental aspects of all societies, promoting the notion of citizens of the world. This pedagogy determines the deep thinking content of the curriculum.

Cooperative

Cooperation can be identified as the structure for inquiry. Cooperative working skills underpin the working world of the 21st century whereby individuals are involved in shared decision-making and negotiation. This pedagogy describes the environment in which the curriculum is developed in the classroom.

Inquiry

Inquiry is the model through which learning occurs. Through investigating a concept children become involved with problem posing and solving and set forth an action pathway of learning where questions are posed, solutions are investigated, reflections occur and the process can be continued. This pedagogy describes the process in which deep understanding is developed.

Thinking

Thinking is a tool used by all. To develop thinkers who are capable of decision-making and independent learning, it is essential that learners have an opportunity to move from the basic thinking of analysis into higher order thinking skills such as critical thinking, whereby they see themselves as active thinkers. Thinking is a tool that develops deep understanding.

Self-evaluating

Learning can be viewed as a spiral pathway whereby students choose an inquiry path, initiate action and reflect on the former, enabling the process to continue. This provides a self-evaluating tool providing opportunities for questioning of self, goal setting and personal improvement. Self-evaluation is a tool that develops deep understanding.