Prep–Year 6 Technologies familiarisation and planning 1: Understand this learning area

Welcome to the Familiarisation and planning series designed to introduce curriculum leaders and teachers to the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0: Technologies —Prep–Year 6. In this first of three sessions, we will be focusing on the Understand this learning area section of the curriculum, before moving on to discuss the Curriculum elements in Session 2. The final session in the series will address planning considerations for the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. We look forward to working with you throughout the series.

Acknowledgment of Country

The QCAA acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we meet today. We pay our respects to their Elders and their descendants who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country, and we extend that respect to Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people here today. We thank them for sharing their cultures and spiritualities and recognise the important contribution of this knowledge to our understanding of this place we call home.

Learning goal and success criteria

Today’s learning goal is to understand implications of changes to the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0: Technologies to plan for the transition in your own context. At the end of today’s session, you will know you are successful if you have more knowledge about the intent and structure of the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0: Technologies and can identify actions for planning in your school.

Session 1 outline

This recording is accompanied by a worksheet for you to record your responses to the activities and reflection points throughout the presentation. ​If you have not already done so, please take some time now to download or print the Session 1 outline resource.

Outline for Session 1

Outlined on screen, you can see there are three parts in this session. We will begin with an overview of the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. We will then unpack the Understand this learning area section of the curriculum, highlighting the changes in Version 9.0. Finally, we will consider what these changes mean for you in your context and start formulating some next steps to take following the session.

We’ll start by orienting ourselves to the process of moving to a new curriculum and the purpose and structure of the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0.

Knowing what drives our curriculum helps us to contextualise Technologies and transition our plans to the new version.

Identifying actions for planning in your context

Firstly, let’s consider what the process of moving to Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 might look like in your context. You may have identified a process, like that outlined on screen now.

This might mean that you want to:

• reflect on current programs to identify strengths, limitations and opportunities.
• review and audit your current programs against the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 to discern what is the same and what will be different from your current practice.

Ultimately, once you have completed your reflection and auditing, you can start to make some decisions about how much you need to refine, realign, reimagine or remove aspects of your current plans to align with the Australian Curriculum v9.0.

This session will help you frame up the work that needs to be done to make sure you, and your colleagues, are ready for the change. We are going to be looking at the specific elements of the curriculum that will need to be considered for your teaching, learning and assessment. Keep your current programs in mind as we work through these elements. Think about the challenges and opportunities of Version 9.0 for your school context.

Pause and reflect

Let’s start that process now by reflecting on your current programs and evaluating what you want to keep and what you might like to change.

Identifying actions for planning in your context

Therefore, your first action today is to considerthose elements that you know are working well. Reflect: can you still see the place for them in the Version 9.0 curriculum for Technologies?​ And those parts of your plan that you are looking for an opportunity to review. Reflect: how can the revised curriculum support you to make these adjustments to your programs? ​

As we now navigate the changes in the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 for Technologies, try to keep these reflections front of mind.

Technologies in the three-dimensional Australian Curriculum

Let’s turn our attention to the curriculum itself.

While there are changes in the revised Technologies curriculum, the three-dimensional interrelated structure of the Australian Curriculum has not changed as part of the review.

The diagram on screen visually represents these three dimensions.

The Australian Curriculum consists of eight learning areas, with Technologies indicated in dark blue.

Then there are the seven general capabilities — Literacy, Numeracy, Digital literacy, Critical and creative thinking, Personal and social capability, Intercultural understanding and Ethical understanding. ​

You’ll notice a name change of the ICT General Capability to Digital Literacy to reflect current understandings in the field. ​

The general capabilities have been refined, with changes to elements, sub-elements and continua.

And finally, there are the three cross-curriculum priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia and Sustainability. ​

When reflecting on how you are going to transition your current plan for teaching and learning, consider what opportunities exist to make connections across the dimensions.

Organisation of Technologies and changes

Now that we know where Technologies is in the three-dimensional representation of the curriculum, let’s look at its structure which helps us to organise our teaching and assessment for Technologies.

Each learning area in Version 9.0 now follows a similar structure, allowing for more consistency when planning. The ‘Understand this learning area’ document provides details of the intent and a snapshot of the structure. The ‘Curriculum elements’ show the content.

On screen, you can see an overlap of Version 8.4 compared to Version 9.0, with the main changes noted.

Let’s break down these main changes now.

In the Organisation of the Australian Curriculum in Version 8.4 represented on the left, you will see that it is in two parts​.

The first part is ‘Understand how the learning area works’ which includes the rationale, aims, key ideas, structure and resources.

The second part includes specific elements about the Technologies curriculum such as the year level description, the achievement standard, strands and sub-strands, content descriptions, and content elaborations.

Version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum follows a similar structure for each learning area.

The ‘Understand this learning area’, now includes an introduction, key considerations and key connections.

The section titled ‘learning area curriculum’ in Version 8.4 is now titled ‘Curriculum elements’ but includes the same key components.

Version 9.0 begins with the ‘Understand this learning area’ section, which provides detail of the intent and a snapshot of the structure.

Following ‘Understand this learning area’ is the ‘Curriculum elements’ section, which shows the content associated with Technologies.

From Version 8.4, the Key ideas have been removed, and the Year level description has been changed to a Level description.

Pause and reflect

Take a moment to review the changes in structure that we have just outlined.​

Understanding the structure of Version 9.0, and the relationship between the parts, is a key factor in strengthening our understanding of Technologies and the changes within it.​

You may wish to pause here to consider what will be important for you as you begin planning for Version 9.0

Outline for Session 1: Understand this learning area

We will now move onto our core focus for this session.​

It is the ‘Understand this learning area’ section of the curriculum.

Organisation of Technologies

On screen in the shaded box, you will see the sections that form ‘Understand this learning area’. We will work through each of these sections throughout the presentation.

We will focus on the ‘Curriculum elements’ in the next session of the Familiarisation and planning series.

Our final session in the series will focus on planning, using all of these aspects of the curriculum.

Identifying actions for planning in your context

As we work through the ‘Understand this learning area’ section and the changes we can see in Version 9.0, let’s keep our process in mind.

Here is where we can begin to audit our current plans and consider what is the same in Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 and what is different.

Pause and reflect: Similarities and differences

You may wish to construct your own note-taking template like the one indicated on screen to help you identify the similarities and differences you notice in Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 for Technologies as we move through the presentation.​

A table has been provided for you on the Session 1 outline resource referred to at the start of this recording.

Organisation of Technologies

We will begin by focusing on the intent of the learning area.​ We’ll explore the introduction, rationale and aims.​

Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, 2019

In doing this, it’s important to consider the relationship of the rationale and aims to the goals of education in Australia, as expressed in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, 2019.​

The vision is ‘for a world class education system that encourages and supports every student to be the very best they can be, no matter where they live or what kind of learning challenges they may face’.​

With this in mind, the declaration sets out two distinct, but interrelated goals.

The first of these goals is that ‘The Australian education system promotes excellence and equity’.​

Therefore, as we are planning for Australian Curriculum Version 9.0, we want to consider how our plans can enhance equity for all and promote the highest quality teaching, learning and assessment experiences for our students.

The second goal from the Mparntwe Education Declaration states that, ‘All young Australians become confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners and active and informed members of the community’.​

The three dimensions of the curriculum, and the learning area content, presents wonderful opportunities to engage with this goal.

Pause and reflect: Rationale and aims

So, what role does Technologies play in enacting these goals?​ Let’s start by considering the rationale and aims.​

Go to the link indicated in the companion session document where you found this recording. Alternatively, use your mobile device and the QR code on screen to access the rationale and aims.​

Review the rationale and the aims, identifying the big ideas and/or main points.​

Reflect on your school’s plans to evaluate how the goals of the Education Declaration and the curriculum are evident in that plan.

Please pause the session recording to allow some time for you to review the rationale and aims for Technologies.

Organisation of Technologies

You may have reflected on details from the rationale and aims such as ‘all young Australians should develop capacity for action and a critical appreciation of how technologies are developed’ and ‘students create innovative solutions’.

Now that we have looked at the intent of the learning area, let’s turn our attention to exploring the structure of Technologies. This structure provides a way for you to:

• consider the distinctive contribution Technologies makes to Australia’s goals for education and
• conceptualise the nature of Technologies.

Technologies learning area: Structure

The Australian Curriculum: Technologies — Prep to Year 6 comprises two subjects:

• Design and Technologies, in which students use design thinking and technologies to generate and produce designed solutions for authentic needs and opportunities, and
• Digital Technologies, in which students use computational thinking and information systems to define, design and implement digital solutions for authentic problems.

Technologies is written on the basis that all students will study the two subjects from Prep to the end of Year 8.

Technologies can be taught and assessed as:

• a learning area using the learning area achievement standard, or
• the separate subjects of Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies, using the separate subject achievement standards.

There is flexibility for schools to develop teaching programs that integrate both Technologies subjects and other learning areas. This may be particularly important for primary school programs.

Technologies learning area: Core concepts

The Technologies core concepts are the big ideas, understandings, skills or processes that are central to learning in Technologies.

They give clarity and direction about what content matters most in the learning area.

Technologies core concepts are common to both subjects.

Learning in Technologies is about:

• creating solutions for preferred futures using systems and data while taking interactions and impact into account
• using design thinking, systems thinking and computational thinking and
• applying technologies processes and production skills, project management skills, and enterprise skills and innovation.

Design and Technologies: Structure

We will turn our attention to the subject of Design and Technologies.

Design and Technologies is organised under two related strands:

• Knowledge and understanding, which focuses on the use, development and impact of technologies and design ideas across a range of technologies contexts and
• Processes and production skills, which incorporates the skills needed to create designed solutions.

The knowledge and understanding strand is comprised of five sub-strands:

• Technologies and society and
• the four Technologies contexts: Engineering principles and systems, Food and fibre production, Food specialisation, and Materials and technologies specialisation.

The Processes and production skills strand is also comprised of five sub-strands.

Together, the two strands provide students with knowledge, understanding and skills through which students can safely and ethically design, plan, manage, produce and evaluate products, services and environments.

Technologies contexts

Within the Knowledge and understanding strand there are four Technologies contexts: engineering principles and systems, food and fibre production, food specialisation, and materials and technologies specialisation.

From Years 1 to 4 the Technologies contexts of Engineering principles and systems, and Materials and technologies specialisation are combined, as well as Food and fibre production, and Food specialisation. In the Years 5–6 Engineering principles and systems, and Materials and technologies are standalone contexts, however Food and fibre production, and Food specialisation remain combined.

Types of designed solutions

The different types of designed solutions (products, services and environments) have been specified to give students opportunities to engage with a broad range of design thinking and production skills.

Across all bands, apart from Prep, students should have the opportunity to produce a designed solution in the form of a product, service and environment.

Structure of Digital Technologies

We will now look at the structure of the subject, Digital Technologies.

Digital Technologies is also organised under two related strands:

• Knowledge and understanding — the information system components of data and digital systems (hardware, software and networks) and
• Processes and production skills — the skills needed to create digital solutions.

The knowledge and understanding strand is comprised of two sub-strands:

• Digital systems, and
• Data representation.

The Processes and production skills strand is comprised of seven sub-strands.

The two strands should be addressed as an iterative process including computational thinking.

Digital Technologies: Core concepts

There are nine core concepts in the Digital Technologies subject.

Each of these core concepts is applied in one or more content descriptions.

They appear in order with the first two reflecting the Knowledge and understanding strand. (e.g. Digital systems and Data representation)

The remaining seven core concepts reflect the processes and production skills that students use to create digital solutions.

It is important to note that Data acquisition and Data interpretation are not addressed directly through Technologies in the primary years anymore.  This is a change from v8.4. For the primary years, these concepts are a part of the Statistics strand of Mathematics.

Also important to note is that the new core concept of Privacy and security, which has its own sub-strand of the same name, covers the protection of data when it is stored or transmitted through digital systems in two distinct ways — the human behaviour relating to digital footprints and the digital system protocols of security.

This is a Process and production skill where students learn how to apply privacy and security practices as they produce and implement digital solutions.

Privacy also appears in the Digital literacy capability.

Organisation of Technologies

The final sections of ‘Understand this learning area’ provide further support and advice for teachers when planning for Version 9.0 in Technologies.

Key considerations

The key considerations is a ‘how to’ section that helps teachers with teaching and learning specific to the subject.

Key considerations include safety, ensuring the safe use of materials, tools, and digital platforms while adhering to health and safety regulations.

Privacy and security involves managing data collection and addressing privacy risks, guided by frameworks like the Australian Privacy Principles.

Copyright and intellectual property addresses ethical and legal responsibilities relating to ownership.

Home Economics helps students develop the capacity to make decisions and solve problems.

The two new considerations for all learning areas are protocols for engaging First Nations Australians and meeting the needs of diverse learners.

Key connections

The key connections in the curriculum support teachers to integrate Technologies with other learning areas, embed relevant general capabilities and provide possible contexts for learning through the cross-curriculum priorities.

This integration can enrich and deepen student engagement with learning area content.

However, it should be considered only when it provides opportunities to strengthen learning area content where most appropriate and authentic.

General capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities advice and resources

These QCAA resources identify the connections between the Australian Curriculum learning areas and the general capabilities. ​

Level overviews provide an overview of where the General Capabilities can be developed or applied in the content descriptions. ​

There are also continua for five of the General Capabilities which provide more detailed information about the capabilities in the form of elements and sub-elements. This resource provides a sequence of learning for the capability from Level 1 to Level 6. This can be helpful for teachers when catering for students with diverse needs.​

The QCAA has also developed advice documents to support teachers to use the literacy and numeracy progressions. These progressions provide observable indicators of increasing complexity in literacy and numeracy which can help teachers to develop targeted teaching and learning plans for students who are working at, above and below year-level expectations. ​

These resources can support teaching teams to interrogate connections between the general capabilities and the learning area content in more detail.

Organisation of Technologies

The final section of ‘Understand this learning area’ provides further support and advice for teachers when planning for Version 9.0 in Technologies.

Pause and reflect: Key messages

Which of these key messages resonated with you?

Take a moment now to note down your key messages from this session.

Outline for Session 1: Formulating next steps

Let’s pause and recap what we have done in this first session in our Familiarisation and planning series and what can be done with the new knowledge to help us transition to Version 9.0.

What we have covered

Here is the summary of the sections of the curriculum we have covered in the first session.

We have considered the intent of the curriculum by reviewing the introduction, rationale and aims.

Next, we examined the structural changes for Technologies by reviewing the core concepts, strands and sub-strands.

And finally, we reflected on some new elements in the curriculum by reviewing the key considerations and key connections associated with Technologies.

Identifying actions for planning in your context

To finish this session, let’s revisit the task we set ourselves as we began exploring the ‘Understand this learning area’ section.

What have you learnt in this first session about what is the same and what is different in Technologies Version 9.0?

Pause and reflect: Similarities and differences

Consider how the changes will inform your planning by reviewing the similarities and differences you have noted throughout the session.

What actions will you take to help prepare your plans for Version 9.0?

For example, you may identify the following actions to support the transition to Version 9.0 in your context:

• download and read through the new section on key considerations
• or organise time in your next year or school meeting to review the changes to strands and sub-strands in teams.

Pause the session recording at this point to reflect on the notes you have taken throughout the session. Identify two or three actions you will now take to plan for Technologies Version 9.0 in your context.

Learning goal and success criteria

As the session comes to a close, let us reflect on our learning goal and success criteria. ​

We have built our knowledge about Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 Technologies and identified some actions for planning in our particular school context.

Extending curriculum knowledge

Before you begin the next session in the series, you may wish to access QCAA resources at the location noted on screen to extend your curriculum knowledge. ​

There are many Version 9.0 resources located here that will support you in planning for the transition in your context. ​

These can be accessed by going to the landing page for P–10 Technologies and then clicking on the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 tab.

In Session 2

That concludes the first session and our discussion on the ‘Understand this learning area’ section of Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 for Technologies.​

In the next session of our series on Familiarisation and planning, we will be discussing the ‘Curriculum elements’ section displayed on screen.

Contact

If you have any queries regarding the information from this session, please reach out to the K–10 Curriculum and Assessment Branch​ with the contact details noted on screen.

We thank you for your time in completing this session and look forward to working with you in Session 2 of the Familiarisation and planning series.

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