Stuff this week - How does STEM fit into the Australian Curriculum?
In the past two weeks I have written about why STEM skills are important for the nation and how STEM has come to mean more than simply the academic subjects. It is also a holistic cross disciplinary approach to teaching and seeks to instil in students a range of underpinning skills that are needed in the future work force. STEM is now a complete approach to education that is helping pioneer a new way to configure learning and teaching and steer us away from the Industrial Age education models. It is now said that we are in the Knowledge or Innovation Age and we need an education system that fits.
This week I want to explain a bit more about the underpinning skills mentioned above and put it all together in a graphic that will hopefully explain how it should all fit together.
There is an organisation in the USA known as P21.org whose mission is to serve as a catalyst for 21st century learning so that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a world where change is constant and learning never stops. They have created a framework for 21st century learning which supports the USA’s education system yet is applicable to Australia in many ways. They advise the need for a focus on:
The curriculum’s subject areas - Australia has the equivalent
A number of interdisciplinary themes - Australia has some equivalence in its seven general capabilities and three cross-curriculum priorities.
Learning and Innovation skills - These are the 4 Cs. Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Critical Thinking. Australia’s curriculum already has two of these
Information, media and technology and Life and career skills - Australia has some equivalence in its seven general capabilities and three cross-curriculum priorities
My version of the P21.org framework incorporates the requirements of the Australian Curriculum (seven subjects plus the seven general capabilities (which I have broken out into eight)), the 4Cs of 21st century learning and the skill of computational thinking. The idea being that the seven subject areas are taught with a general focus on STEM (ie. weaving STEM concepts into every lesson) and in such a way that the general capabilities and 21st century skills are developed by each student. It is these latter capabilities and skills which are actually the crucial elements that kids need to develop through their schooling. The view is that with these skills they will be well placed to thrive in the modern age which is fast evolving and which will be substantially different by the time they leave school in a way which we can't even begin to imagine.
You can read about the support systems (the ripples at the bottom) on the p21.org website. Essentially these are the systems that support the teachers in their development of lessons to achieve the stated outcome of a liberal education with a STEM focus which develops a number of fundamental life skills.
Schools need to to decide that they will meet the government's policies and Chief Scientist's call. Smart use of technology and engaging lesson plans are what is needed to increase the STEM focus in primary school and deliver those needed 21st century skills. Parents need to make it known that they want these opportunities for their children and start discussing how change can be made to happen, it wont happen by itself.
Next week I will talk about what needs to be done to make these pie in the sky ideas a reality.
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment