National Curriculum
HTAA Updates
HTAA Update – June 2010
HTAA Interim Response to the Draft Ancient History & Modern History Curriculum Documents
This is an interim response. It is the outcome of a meeting of the HTAA National Executive senior curriculum sub-committee. This discussion was informed by some substantial early feedback from members. However, with consultation extending until the end of July, we expect to refine this response and further develop the recommendations. For more click here
HTAA Update – May 2010
Interim Response to Draft K-10 History Curriuculum
This is an interim response based on submissions from state and territory HTAs and consultation with teachers around the country. For more click here
HTAA 1 March 2010 Statement on Draft K-10 Document Release
To read press release click here
On Monday 1 March 2010, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) will publish the draft K-10 Australian Curriculum in English, mathematics, science and history for a period of national consultation. The consultation period closes on 23 May 2010. To read more click here
HTAA Pre-service Statement
On the capacity of current pre-service training programs to prepare history teachers capable of successfully implementing new national courses.
To read statement please Click here
Writers are currently finalising a draft for K-10 national history courses. It is expected that this document will be released in February 2010. More…
In early September practitioner representatives from around the country were invited to offer feedback on a first draft of the national curriculum history document, K-10. This feedback will be used to fine tune the document prior to its release for public consultation at the start of 2010. According to ACARA’s timeline, the new courses are due for national implementation in 2011…. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that nothing has been said over the past three months to address concerns about implementation. More…
ACARA has recently posted its Senior Secondary Years Curriculum Position Paper and is inviting feedback till September 30th 2009 -
For more details see: http://www.acara.edu.au/position_papers.html
In early May the National Curriculum Board (NCB) published a number of important documents including the Framing Paper Consultation Report: History, which summarises the consultation feedback on the original Framing Paper, and The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: History. This second document, the Shaping Paper, is an updated version of the Framing Paper and it will now be used as a brief for the curriculum writing team. The writing team came together in mid-May and has now begun the task of producing a national history curriculum. More….
The period for consultation on the National Curriculum Board’s (NCB) History Framing Paper concluded at the end of February 2009. At the time of writing, the responses to the Framing Paper are being processed and it is expected that a brief for curriculum writing teams will be prepared for the beginning of April. More…
HTAA Response to the National Curriculum Board’s Framing Paper
1. INTRODUCTION -
This History Teachers’ Association of Australia (HTAA) is the peak body representing the History Teachers’ Associations More…
The National Curriculum Board recently released its History Curriculum Framing Paper and will soon begin the process of syllabus writing for new national curriculum courses in history.
The History Teachers’ Association of Australia (HTAA) has been an enthusiastic supporter of the initiative to develop a national curriculum in history. However, from the beginning we have expressed concern about the capacity of current pre-service training programs to prepare history teachers capable of successfully implementing new courses. More…
Last week The Australian contributed to the national curriculum discussion with a suggestion that Professor Stuart Macintyre’s appointment to oversee the writing of the history framework paper was ill-advised. A headline spoke of a reigniting of the history wars. An editorial concluded that ‘the appointments [of Macintyre (history) and Freebody (English)] reflect poorly on the National Curriculum Board and its chairman, Professor Barry McGaw.’ (10/9) In amongst some of the apocalyptic correspondence that came in on cue, Dr John Hirst provided a voice of reason: ‘The appointment of Stuart Macintyre to draw up the history section of the national curriculum should not re-ignite the history wars. I have seen his first draft and can assure you that the fears expressed in your pages about his appointment are misplaced.’ (12/9) More…
HTAA Updates – July 2008
The past few months have seen a good deal of activity on the national curriculum front and, with consultation scheduled for the remainder of 2008, this activity will only intensify. While national curriculum may still be somewhere over the horizon for the vast majority of teachers, by early 2009 the development of national courses in history will become an increasing focus of attention for all of those concerned with the future of our discipline. This update has been divided into two sections, a report and a discussion. The discussion has been presented to provoke more discussion. More…
The Rudd government’s appointment of Professor Barry McGaw as Chair of the new National Curriculum Board signals the beginning of a process that aims at the development of national courses, K-12, in four subject areas, English, mathematics, the sciences and history. More…
Announcements, Commentary & Media
‘The Movement for National Academic Standards: A Comparison of the Common Core State Standards Initiative in the USA and the National Curriculum in Australia’
Click here to download
October 2009 – Dr Catherine Harris-Hart (School of Education, Deakin University) Paper presented at the Australian Curriculum Studies Association Conference, Canberra, 2-4 October: ‘The National History Curriculum: Tragedy or Triumph?’
Click here to download
October 2009 – Professor Alan Reid, Garth Boomer Memorial Lecture presented at the Australian Curriculum Studies Association Conference, Canberra, 2-4 October: ”Is this a revolution? A critical analysis of the Rudd National Agenda’
September 2009 – ACARA welcomes inaugural Chief Executive Officer
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) today welcomed Dr Peter Hill as the authority’s first Chief Executive Officer.
The full press release is available under ‘Latest News’ on the ACARA website – www.acara.edu.au
March 2009 - National Curriculum Board seeking curriculum writers and advisory panel members
The National Curriculum Board is now seeking expressions of interest for curriculum writers and advisory panel members. The closing date is 13 March 2009. Refer to the NCB’s website:
http://www.ncb.org.au/get_involved/expressions_of_interest/info.html
November 2008 - National Curriculum Board posts consultation draft of History Framework Paper
The National Curriculum Board has released English, mathematics, science and history framing papers for public consultation.>
http://www.ncb.org.au/our_work/preparing_for_2009.html
Please visit the website to choose how you can participate in providing feedback to the Board.
Papers are open for consultation until 28 February 2009.
October 2008 - Tony Taylor in THE AGE:
“Politicians should leave history to the teachers”
TONY ABBOTT’S recent doorstop comment that there were not enough facts about English history in the current National Curriculum Board framing paper on school history has a familiar ring.
October 2008 – NCB releases History Framework Paper
Related media links:
History in the remaking in schools (The Age, October 13, 2008)
Curriculum to scale back Aussie history (The Australian, October 13, 2008)
When spending is a virtue (Sydney Morning Herald Editorial, October 14, 2008)
October 2008
HTAA STATEMENT – NATIONAL CURRICULUM
National Conference, Brisbane, October 2008
HTAA endorses the National Curriculum Board’s current approach to the development of national History courses. We are very encouraged by the people engaged to oversee the writing of a History framework paper, by the genuinely collaborative nature of the process and by the lengthy consultation period that is envisaged before syllabuses are actually written. Full story
September 2008 – Professor Stuart Macintyre interviewed on national curriculum:
WA today – Perth, WA, Australia
In his first interview since being engaged as a consultant to the National Curriculum Board, Professor Stuart Macintyre argued for a broader curriculum with … more
September 2008 – Tony Taylor (Monash University):
“Learning from the Past: history and the national curriculum”
September 2008 -Tony Taylor (Monash University):
‘National Curriculum, History and SOSE: an Evidence-Based Perspective’
(This article first appeared in Teaching History, June 2008)
28 August 2008 – Primary Principals Draft Paper
Paper to spell out student goals (The Australian – Sydney, Australia)
Primary school principals will have until September 12 to comment on the draft paper. It will then be submitted to the National Curriculum Board. Full story
27 June 2008 – National Curriculum Board website goes live
The National Curriculum Board is responsible for developing an Australian national curriculum for all students from Kindergarten to Year 12, starting with English, mathematics, the sciences and history. National curriculum will be developed collaboratively. It will be the product of Australians working together to develop a world-best curriculum.
Visit the National Curriculum Board website for more information.
June 2008 – A statement on national curriculum from the national peak professional associations in English, History, Mathematics and Science
Educating teachers…educating young Australians for the 21st century
A statement on national curriculum from the national peak professional associations in English (Australian Association for the Teaching of English; AATE), History (History Teachers Association of Australia; HTAA), Mathematics (Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers; AAMT) and Science (Australian Science Teachers Association; ASTA)
April 2008 – Full National Curriculum Board Announced
On 15 April 2008 Julia Gillard announced the full membership of the National Curriculum Board, which is due to hold its first meeting on 23 April 2008. Members of the Board are:
| Professor Barry McGaw | Chair |
| Mr Tony Mackay | Deputy Chair |
| Tom Alegounarias | New South Wales representative |
| Mr John Firth | Victorian representative |
| Mr Kim Bannikoff | Queensland representative |
| Professor Bill Louden | Western Australian representative |
| Ms Helen Wildash | South Australian representative |
| Mr David Hanlon | Tasmanian representative |
| Ms Rita Henry | Northern Territory representative |
| Ms Janet Davy | Australian Capital Territory representative |
| Mr Garry LeDuff | Non-government sector |
| Dr Brian Croke | Non-government sector |
| Professor Marie Emmitt | Non-government sector |
April 2008 – Anna Clark (Monash University): ‘A Comparative Study of History Teaching in Australia and Canada’
Download a pdf of this article
February 2008 – National Curriculum Board Deputy Appointed
On 8 February Julia Gillard announced the appointment of Mr Tony Mackay as Deputy Chair of the National Curriculum Board. Mr Mackay is the President-elect of the International Congress on School Effectiveness and Improvement. He is currently the Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic Education in Melbourne, and President of the Australian Curriculum Studies Association.
January 2008 – Rudd Government Announces Plan for National Curriculum & appoints National Curriculum Board Chair
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