Curriculum design

How many scientists are mentioned in high school science curricula in Australia and how many are women? After discovering that Marie Curie was absent from the radioactivity section of a state Physics syllabus, astrophysicist Dr Kathryn Ross set out to explore if the contributions of other women were being overlooked. She joins us on this episode to share the shocking findings.

The design and implementation of a new whole-school or subject specific curriculum is a big undertaking, and relies on collaboration, consultation, monitoring and evaluation. In today’s article, we catch up with the winning team of the Teacher Awards 2023 in the Excellence in Curriculum Design and Implementation category.

‘Addressing the gender imbalance in digital technologies education and careers is an important goal. The research highlighted several areas where educators can contribute.’ Research from ACER for CSIRO has identified several factors that could support greater engagement of young women in digital technologies education. Find out more in this article.

Our latest Teacher’s Bookshelf features Building a World-Class Learning System: Insights from some top-performing school systems, by Professor Geoff Masters. It explores what British Columbia, Estonia, Finland, Hong Kong and South Korea have in common, the strategies they employ, and the decisions they are making to support students now and in the future.

In our latest reader submission, teacher Hannah Wiemers and researcher Dr Michelle Avila Vanderburg share details of a pilot program to create a 10-week curriculum unit allowing students to explore the use of drones in agriculture and gain more insight into careers in the industry.

‘…we strive to ensure that all modules open up learning opportunities for all students, regardless of their academic abilities, by building in learning differentiation rather than simply bolting on at a later stage.’ Dr Susan O’Donnell and Adrian Rayner discuss the AR modules designed and developed by the Learning & Design Hub for use by F-6 students.

‘Schools everywhere face ongoing challenges in better preparing young people for their future and ensuring that every student learns successfully and meets high expectations.’ Professor Geoff Masters AO argues addressing these challenges will require fundamental reform of the framework within which schools operate.

Having access to outdoor spaces at school is great for break times, but it also opens up a whole host of curriculum-linked learning possibilities that extend beyond PE lessons. However, a new study from University of South Australia researchers has found schools may not be making the most of the outdoor areas they have when it comes to curriculum delivery.

In this Q&A, Teacher speaks to Dr Gabi Mocatta about the Curious Climate Schools project. The initiative connects experts with schools so that students can have their questions about climate change answered.

Music education has a range of benefits, not only for students’ music learning, but for improving their capacity as a learner more broadly. In this article, we outline 5 further readings which explore Music education – from funding to frameworks, the benefits for teachers and students, and how the pandemic has affected Music education over the past 3 years.