Overview of Languages in the Victorian Curriculum

Primary teachers

Agenda Overview of the Victorian Curriculum Languages in the Victorian Curriculum

• Learning area, moving from AusVELs to the Victorian Curriculum, language specific approach

• Timeline for Languages, structure, strands, content descriptions, elaborations

Curriculum planning for Languages• Definition of curriculum, extracts from online tool, • Achievement standards, using rubrics for assessment• Extracts from primary Languages curricula, intercultural capability• Online support materials • Web tour

Victorian Curriculum F-10• released in September 2015 as a central

component of Education State, Victorian Curriculum F-10

• provides a stable foundation for whole school curriculum planning

• incorporates the Australian Curriculum • builds on VELS and AusVELS• reflects Victorian standards and priorities

Structure of the Victorian CurriculumLearning Areas Capabilities• The Arts

o Danceo Dramao Media Artso Musico Visual Communication Design (7-10)o Visual Arts

• English• Humanities

o Civics and Citizenshipo Economics and Businesso Geographyo History

• Languages• Health and Physical Education• Mathematics• Science• Technologies

o Design and Technologieso Digital Technologies *

• Critical and creative thinking• Intercultural capability• Ethical capability• Personal and social capability

Structure and Design Victorian Curriculum

is based on:• 8 learning areas • 4 capabilities

The Victorian Curriculum: Languages

The Languages curriculum focuses on both language and culture, and students • learn to communicate across linguistic and cultural

systems• develop language awareness and intercultural skills and

understandings• develop openness to different experiences and

perspectives• develop skills in negotiating experiences and meanings

across languages and cultures • reflect on language use and language learning

Moving from AusVELS to the Victorian Curriculum

• The AusVELS curriculum provided templates for different categories of languages

• The Victorian Curriculum provides language-specific curriculum documents – 20 in total when all completed

Language specific curricula

 

Language category Language specific curricula

Roman Alphabet Languages8

French GermanIndonesian ItalianSpanish TurkishVietnamese Roman Alphabet Languages (Generic)

Non-Roman Alphabet Languages 5

Arabic Modern GreekHindi KoreanNon-Roman Alphabet Languages (Generic)

Character Languages2

Chinese Japanese

Classical Languages3

Classical Greek, Latin and Classical Framework*

Sign Language1

Australian Sign Language (Auslan)*

1 Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages

Victorian Aboriginal Languages*

* Still to be completed

Timeline for Victorian Curriculum Languages

2013-16 From 2016

• AusVELS curriculum available

• AusVELS website archived December 2016

• Victorian Curriculum available – language specific curricula being progressively released

• Implementation required from 2017

Languages structural elements Sequences• an F-10 sequence for students who begin the study

of the language in primary school • a 7-10 sequence for students who begin the study

of the language at Year 7

Note: Chinese also includes three pathways:• First language learner• Background language learner• Second language learner

Strands and sub-strands2 strands and 8 sub-strandsStrand Communicating Understanding

Sub- strands

Socialising Systems of language

Informing Language variation and change

Creating The role of language and culture

Translating

Reflecting

Content descriptions and elaborations Content descriptions are:• specific and discrete information identifying what teachers are expected to teach and students are expected to learn• found within each sub-strand• not a checklistElaborations are:• non-mandated, advisory examples that provide

guidance on how the curriculum may be transformed into a classroom activity or learning opportunity

Using the content descriptions

The aim is for the teaching and learning program to integrate the content descriptions into ‘topics’/units of work.

A thematic approach across a range of learning areas will provide valuable contexts for student learning.

Curriculum• defines what it is that all students have

the opportunity to learn • is represented as a continuum defining

increasingly complex knowledge, skills and concepts

• each school develops the teaching and learning program - how the curriculum is delivered

Importance of curriculum planning

http://curriculumplanning.vcaa.vic.edu.au/sat/self-assessment-tool

Importance of curriculum planning

http://curriculumplanning.vcaa.vic.edu.au/sat/self-assessment-tool

Achievement standardsThe learning sequence undertaken by students will determine their progression through the achievement standards, as follows:

• F–10 Sequence: the first achievement standard for Languages is provided at Foundation–Level 2 and then at Levels 4, 6, 8 and 10.

• 7–10 Sequence: the first achievement standard is provided at Level 8 and then at Level 10.

Levels of achievement F-10

Sequence: F-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10

• The curriculum is represented on a continuum across the levels of achievement

• For Languages, an achievement standard is provided for each band in both sequences

7- 10 Sequence: 7-8 9-10

Demonstrating achievement of standards • The achievement standards outline what

the student is able to do

• Students demonstrate what they are able to do through the products they present for assessment

Assessment and reporting

• Achievement standards as a continuum of language learning, not an age-determined set of expectations

• Reporting in Victoria to be against the achievement standards

• At times using assessment to adjust teaching

Assessment

“…performances on assessment tasks should be recorded using one or more task ‘rubrics’.”(Masters)

Rubrics: • provide descriptions of observable characteristics

of performance in an assessment task• make explicit what is being looked for and valued

as evidence of successful learning

Demonstrating achievement of the standards

• Rubrics or assessment criteria can be developed from the achievement standards

• Units of work will probably address a number of aspects of the standard at any given level

Assessing progress in the language

• Make assessment part of program design

• Have clear criteria (rubrics)• Students discuss assessment

criteria• Collect evidence over term

Creating a teaching and learning program

Challenge:Turning the curriculum (what students should know) into teaching and learning programs that will engage and extend students learning in languagesPossible action:Could begin by mapping the current school languages program against the new Victorian Curriculum

Curriculum mapping• Mapping identifies the extent of curriculum

coverage in units of work and clearly links teaching, learning and assessment while working with the curriculum continuum.

• Mapping templates support teachers to identify where content descriptions and achievement standards are being explicitly addressed within the school’s teaching and learning program.

Instructions:http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/foundation10/viccurriculum/curriculumplanning.aspx

Templates• For each Language• F-10• 7-10

Reporting

• Schools will not be constrained by a one-size-fits-all approach

• Schools have the flexibility to determine, in partnership with students, parents and the local community, the timing and format of their reports.

Provides guidelines on teaching and learning within stages of schooling:• Foundation (F-2)• Breadth (Years 3 – 8)• Pathways (Years 9 – 10)Provides guidelines on reporting of student achievement against a whole-school teaching and learning plan.

F-10 curriculum planning and reporting guidelines

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/viccurric/RevisedF-10CurriculumPlanningReportingGuidelines.pdf

Use of English• Students are encouraged to use the language being

studied as much as possible for classroom routines, social interactions, structured learning tasks, and language experimentation and practice.

• Students will have opportunities to engage with members of the community who speak the language being studied, which in some cases will be facilitated via digital technologies.

• English is used, where appropriate, for discussion and reflection, enabling students to share complex ideas about language and culture.

Communicating

Content description Elaborations

SocialisingInteract with teachers and peers in social and class activities, exchanging ideas and opinions, using correct tones (VCZHC017)

Socialising• giving personal information, facts and opinions in response

to questions about people and aspects of daily life such as pets ( 我的狗很可爱 ), interests, routines and activities

• expressing opinions and commenting on personal experience using familiar expressions (for example, 很棒。 太好了。我不喜欢… ), and turn-taking ( 该你了 ) in class games

• contributing to class activities by asking for ( 我可以…吗？ ) and giving permission ( 可以 ), apologising and excusing ( 对不起 ), raising hand and using phrases such as 老师，我不懂 to request assistance in learning activities

• initiating conversations in familiar social contexts by greeting participants and introducing themselves (for example, 你好，我叫 James ，我八岁，我住在悉尼 ), displaying appropriate social manners to enhance communication

Victorian Curriculum - Chinese Levels 3-4

Extract from Levels 3/4 ChineseAchievement Standard: F- 10 sequence

Communicating strand By the end of Level 4, students ……… use spoken and written Chinese in simple personal interactions with familiar participants about self, family, people, places, routine, school life, and their own interests and preferences, for example, 你叫什么名字？ 你上几年级？ 你有狗吗？ 你喜欢什么运动？ They use appropriate pronunciation, tone, gesture and movement and some formulaic expressions. They use modelled questions to develop responses, for example, 你的哥哥几岁？， 他是谁？， 你住在哪里？， 这是什么？………………

Understanding

Content description Elaborations

Language variation and changeUnderstand that the French language is constantly changing due to contact with other languages and to the impact of new technologies and knowledge

Language variation and change• investigating influences on the French language of major

community languages in France such as Arabic (for example, le toubib, le bled, kif-kif), Italian (for example, le fiasco, bravo, espresso) or Chinese, (for example, le ginseng, le tai-chi, le litchi)

• understanding that French, like all languages, is constantly expanding to include new words and expressions in response to changing technologies, digital media and intercultural experiences, for example, skyper, googliser, le courriel, photophoner

Victorian Curriculum - French Levels 5 - 6

Extract from Levels 5/6 FrenchAchievement Standard

Understanding strand By the end of Level 6, students …….. recognise relationships between parts of words (suffixes, prefixes) and stems of words (préparer, préparation; le marché, le supermarché, l’hypermarché). Students make comparisons between French and their own language and culture, drawing from texts which relate to familiar routines and daily life (la vie scolaire, la famille, les courses, les loisirs, la cuisine). They explain to others French terms and expressions that reflect cultural practices (bon appétit, bonne fête). They reflect on

their own cultural identity in light of their experience of learning French, noticing how their ideas and ways of communicating are influenced by their membership of cultural groups.

Intercultural CapabilityIntercultural capability aims to develop knowledge,

understandings and skills to enable students to:• demonstrate an awareness of and respect for cultural

diversity within the community• reflect on how intercultural experiences influence

attitudes, values and beliefs• recognise the importance of acceptance and appreciation

of cultural diversity for a cohesive community.

There are opportunities for teachers of Languages to support other teachers to work in this area of the curriculum.

Locating information

VCAA Curriculum Planning website

• The Curriculum Planning website offers a range of resources to support planning and documenting the curriculum.

• It includes a self-assessment tool and a suite of curriculum planning examples for both primary and secondary schools.

Curriculum planning website

Take the web tour

Watch the videos:• Overview • Introduction• Using the view

and filter options

VCAA websitesVictorian Curriculum F-10 Resources and Supporthttp://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/foundation10/viccurriculum/viccurr-resources.aspx

Victorian Curriculum F-10http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au

Curriculum Planning Resources: http://curriculumplanning.vcaa.vic.edu.au/home

Contact Details:

Maree DelloraLanguages Manager dellora.maree.r@edumail.vic.gov.auTel: 9032 1692