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The EBE Journal JOURNAL OF THE ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS EUCATORS NEW SOUTH WALES

2009, No 1

BY SUBSCRIPTION REGISTRATION NBY AUSTRALIAN POST PUBLICATION NUMBER NBP 1944

the ebe journal

JOURNAL OF THE ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS EDUCATORS

NEW SOUTH WALES

2009, Journal 1 Contents

President’s message

2

President’s Report to the 2008 Annual General Meeting Premier’s ABN AMRO Business Studies, Economics Scholarship Jennifer Harding A non legal mechanism for women Women’s Legal Services Joe Alvaro

4

8

17

Internet Website Activity Joe Alvaro

22

Lesson Plan – Year 11 Business Studies P Manocchio

27

The Importance of Financial Literacy Anne Layman

29

Year 9 Commerce Assessment

Gavin Russell

31

36

please note

Contributors are reminded that papers submitted to the Editor should be supplied as hard copy as well as on disk or by email. Hard copies must be laser quality print‐outs, double spaced and preferably on A4 paper. Please ensure that all graphics (tables, diagrams, illustrations, etc.) included in the paper are of suitable quality for reproduction. The disk copy should be provided, preferably in Word format, or saved as a text file. If the file includes graphics (tables, diagrams, illustrations, etc.) created in another application, please also supply disk copies of the original graphics files.

Business Education in Australia’s curriculum

Business Educators Australasia Inc.

PRESIDENT: Ms Lyn Kirkby

VICE PRESIDENTS: Mr Michael Horsley Ms Anne Layman

TREASURER:

Mr Andrew Skehan

COMPANY SECRETARY: Ms Bronwyn Hession

DIRECTORS: Mr Joe Alvaro Ms Kate Kelly

Mr Phil Manocchio Mr Gavin Russell

Ms Pauline Sheppard Lisa Spaccavento

Ms Rhonda Thompson Ms Christine Kassar Williams

PUBLISHED BY:

Economics & Business Educators NSW ABN 29 002 677 750

ISSN 1488-3696

PO Box 67 Leichhardt NSW 2040

Phone: (02) 9564 5007 Fax: (02) 9564 5309 Mobile: 0411 118284

Email: [email protected] Website: www.ebe.nsw.edu.au

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Access to APAIS is now available via database subscription from: RMIT Publishing / INFORMIT – PO Box 12058 A ‘Beckett Street, Melbourne 8006; Tel. (03) 99258100; http://www,rmitpublishing.com.au; email: [email protected].

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The ISSN assigned to EBE Journal is 1834-1780.

The views expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of the editor or the association. All articles published are done so in good faith and without prejudice.

All contributions are received in good faith by the editor as original contributions of authors, and to the knowledge of the editor there has been no breach of copyright by the publication of any articles, diagrams or figures in the magazine. If due to the failure of an author to correctly inform that his/her work is not an original work and there is a breach of copyright, the editors, having no prior knowledge, cannot accept responsibility.

Any books recommended by any authors of articles and Internet sites in this Journal are not the recommendations of the Economics & Business Educators NSW.

President’s Message

President’s message

elcome to the new academic year. EBENSW begins the year with some changes to our Board. I have taken on

the challenge of the President’s role this year after Bronwyn Hession led with such energy and dedication over the past two years. It goes without saying that EBE is indebted to Bronwyn for her work in the President’s role, but she has not significantly reduced her workload taking on the role of Company Secretary this year and again coordinating our Annual Conference coming up on the 13th of March. Joining the Executive this year is Anne Layman from MLC School as Vice President and Andrew Skehan from Granville South High School as Treasurer. Dr Mike Horsley, Associate Professor at UWS, returns to the Board also taking on a Vice Presidential role.

We also welcome three new Directors. Kate Kelly, Lecturer in HSIE and the University of Sydney, Phil Manocchio, Coordinator of Social Sciences at Moriah College and Lisa Spaccavento, Head of Social Sciences at Sceggs Darlinghurst have joined the Board and we warmly welcome them and thank them in advance for all they will do to support professional learning in Economics, Business Studies, Legal Studies and Commerce in NSW. We also welcome the return of Joe Alvaro, Chris Kassar, Gavin Russell, Pauline Shepperd and Rhonda Thompson to the Board for 2009. Annette Davies and Alan Hearle continue to offer tireless support in the office, and we thank them also for their efforts.

You may see two names missing from the Board in 2009. EBE is grateful to John Nairn for his years of service to EBE. In the role of Treasurer, John

oversaw the growth in EBE funds, worked on conferences and publications and managed our requirements under ASIC with a watchful eye. We are appreciative of his efforts, still continuing despite his retirement from the Board. We also celebrate the achievements of Betsy Harvey who has worked for many years with EBE. Her organisation of publishers for conferences and contributions to our publications are of special note and we wish her well.

Despite their retirement from the Board, John and Betsy have been working on the updated Red Book for Economics, to be available around the middle of the year. The book contains newly written multiple choice, short answer and extended response questions with suggested answers. Sample pages will be available at the Annual Conference. The Yellow Book of Business Terms is still available and is widely used throughout NSW by teachers and students who need to clarify their knowledge of terminology in the NSW Syllabus context. 2009 Trial Exam papers will be available during Term 2. Order forms will be available through the office, the website or at our events this year.

Our events this year are set against a backdrop of changes. We are, of course, all coming to terms with the Global Financial Crisis and how this impacts on up personally and in our teaching. The developments around the national curriculum continue to provide food for thought and challenges for us in staying up to date with proposals and understanding how they might impact on teaching and learning in our subjects. EBE has been involved in the development of a position paper by Business Educators of

W

Australasia (BEA) around the importance of education in Economics and Business Studies and its inclusion in the national curriculum. A copy of this paper is published in this journal for your interest. Changes to examinations and assessments are occurring through the Board of Studies in NSW and again provide us with challenges. It will be critical for us to keep up with these changes through the Board’s website and attendance at conferences and workshops.

So what is our program of conferences for 2009?

The Year began with the Beginning Teachers Professional Development Workshop, where EBE Directors provide support to early career teachers in accreditation and content for our subjects. The Annual Conference is heading south this year to be held at Tradies in Gymea on March 13th. The conference will run an AGQTP funded financial literacy stream. For the first time, this stream has a K‐10 scope, providing support across both Primary and Secondary schools. We are again working with the Geography Teachers’ Association of NSW (GTA) to bring together a Leadership Conference for Heads of HSIE. This is one of our peak events for the year. It will be held on May 19th at Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College in North Sydney. The last leadership conference we ran together was a sell out, so book early. Our successful Economics Teachers Conference from 2008 will be repeated this year on the 19th of June at NSW Parliament House. We will again offer support to teachers delivering HSC courses for the first time in Business Studies, Legal Studies and Economics through our

Teaching Year 12 For the First Time workshop to be held later in the year at All Saints Catholic College, Casula. As we endeavour to meet the needs of as many of our members as possible, we spread the locations of our conferences around Sydney. Our capacity to deliver PD in rural locations will be limited this year as we do not have access to AGQTP funding for this purpose.

Please watch the website for updates on each of these courses. They have been registered with the NSW Institute of Teachers and therefore contribute to Institute Endorsed hours for teachers who are maintaining their accreditation at Professional Competence.

Also on my list of reminders for members is PYOE. The closing date (TBC) for 2009 is Friday 28th September. Queries can be addressed through our website to Gavin Russell, who is coordinating the competition on behalf of EBE for 2009.

EBE will continue to do our best to keep you informed. We regularly receive requests for feedback on issues around the national agenda as well as changes in NSW, so we encourage our members to provide feedback on issues of concern to them through our website.

All the best to all of our members for 2009. We look forward to seeing you at our events throughout the year.

Lyn Kirkby

President.

report Presidents Report to 2008 AGM

President’s Report to the 2008 Annual General Meeting Bronwyn Hession

t is my pleasure to present the annual report for 2008 and as it is my last report as President I have taken the liberty in

this report of not only affirming and celebrating the successes of the year, but also identifying some of the challenges that lay ahead and objectives that remain yet to be achieved.

Overall 2008 has proved to be another positive and successful year for EBE NSW. The new initiatives and ‘ways of doing business’ that have been overhauled in recent times continue to bear fruit, and the financial and membership base of the association is the strongest it has been for some time. Nevertheless we must not become complacent.

The EBE office move, and with it the archive and information management project led by our enthusiastic and generous Secretary Gae York sees us in a more modest space which is now thanks to Annette Davies and Alan Hearle operating smoothly. This has reduced our office rent by more than half and will save us $2700 annually.

Our professional development activities program continued to be well supported by members in metropolitan and regional areas and our objective to do less and focus on quality has been achieved. This program is reliant on the efforts of individual Board

members who work in pairs and teams to organise and run the events and I wish to recognise the efforts of all Board members who have given their valuable time and expertise to make these events happen. Meeting the needs of new teachers and teachers in more remote areas continues to be an important part of what we together can do.

The quality of our programs continue to be a strength and event evaluations indicate that the blend of subject matter, pedagogy, current developments and sharing professional practice that make up our programs continues to hit the

spot. Particular mention here needs to be made to the programs offered in Wagga and on the north coast and John Nairn’s invaluable role in presenting and organising these events. Appreciation must also go to Betsy Harvey for coordination of our relationships with publishers for the conferences and for her overall generous support of the program...

The AGQTP Lesson Study project led by Anne Layman and facilitated by Professor Susan Groundwater Smith was a success which forged new directions for EBE NSW. The project outcomes were substantial. Individual project participants indicated that they valued their own professional learning and the sharing of practice and two

I

participating schools have adopted Lesson Study as a whole school approach to professional learning. The project report and special edition of the EBE journal are impressive and comprehensive records of the initiative and are being sought after by a number of professionals outside EBE. Successful projects don’t just happen. They are hard work and the reporting and accountability requirements are substantial. Congratulations to all who took part and especially Anne for her leadership.

Membership levels are indeed healthy in 2008. The policy decision to vary the professional development pricing structure and subsidise the participation of members has been the main driver for growth in membership. Individual memberships grew by more than 70% between 2007 and 2008 and current total membership stand at 401. This has been a significant achievement in 2008.

The Yellow Book of Business Terms continues to generate a significant income stream and John Nairn’s efforts and vision here need to be recognised. This resource continues to be popular and it is a valuable case study in how the association can meet a very specific need that is not being met in any other way and provide income at the same time. Hopefully 2009 will see the launch of the Red Book and a similar story can be told this time next year.

As Vice president, Lyn Kirkby has helped shape most activities and has once again managed the successful Trial HSC initiative. Like the Yellow Book the trials are a cost effective means of raising income and thanks go to Lyn and those who contributed.

The EBE journal edited by Anne Layman and the EBE website managed by Rhonda

Thompson continue to be important vehicles for sustaining our public presence and providing valuable information. The website in particular will prove to be increasingly valuable as the EBE Board continues to explore cost effective and secure options for online administration and management systems. The EBE blog on the current global financial crisis must be just around the corner.

Our links with Business Educators Australasia (BEA) continue to be important and in 2008 BEA, with thirty three other national associations, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Teaching Australia. How this MOU is played out in the context of the Federal Government’s vigorous and targeted education policy remains to be seen but it may impact on state organisations including EBE. BEA has also supported national initiatives for strengthening the place of Asia in the curriculum and as an affiliate association EBE was part of this as well. The Plan Your Own Enterprise Competition is another joint project with BEA and the 2008 competition saw success for a NSW student. Sincere thanks go to the EBE Board members who managed the competition in 2008 and to Annette and Alan for the competition administration.

Advocacy for our members and for the subjects EBE covers is an important part of our role. In 2008 EBE corresponded with the new Rudd government, the new National Curriculum Board, the NSW Minister for Education and the NSW Board of Studies. The impetus for the correspondence largely reflected new directions in national curriculum and assessment and the revision of NSW curriculum including Legal Studies, Business Studies and Economics. The presentation by Lindsay Swan, Inspector HSIE

to the EBE Board was the beginning of a professional conversation that has continued and will be important. It is worth also mentioning the very successful Future Directions in Economics forum run by Lyn Kirkby and facilitated by Mike Horsley forged new directions again for EBE. The panel session in particular was memorable, especially the contribution from the HSC student from Turramurra High School.

EBE is also present in a number of other ways in the broader educational community. Many of these are perhaps not as visible as the higher profile events. EBE Board members participate in range of activities such as the NSW Premiers Scholarships panels, Commonwealth Bank Foundation Financial Literacy Grant judging, NSW Institute of Teachers consultation forums, Professional Teachers’ Council workshops and forums, NSW Board of Studies consultation. Sincere thanks to those Board members who represent EBE so well in all these and many more contexts. They are all important as are our links with the sectors and tertiary institutions.

The current composition of the EBE Board is one of its strengths and this will be enhanced as we move forward. Pauline Sheppard has been a great support to us and will ensure our links to the NSW Department of Education and Training. The outstanding practitioners on our Board including Andrew Skehan, Christine Kassar, Gavin Russell and Joe Alvaro are a strength and keep us well grounded. Hopefully a stronger tertiary presence in our Board from 2009 will also prove to be an asset.

Many challenges await us on 2009 and onwards:

• It is a critical time for the teaching profession and so it is for professional associations

• The national goals and draft national curriculum name Economics as a discipline and Business as an across the curriculum perspective ‐ what this means for us will be revealed in the fullness of time

• The NSW Institute’s higher levels of accreditation are now available and these will create a new set of demands and support needs for us to respond to

• Corporate sponsorship opportunities remain illusive – another target perhaps for 2009?

• New technologies challenge us to rethink the way we collaborate with our members, our outreach to isolated areas, and our PD delivery modes

• We must remain data driven and evaluate what we do by listening to our members; we need to respond to demands and not assume we know everything about what is needed; we need to focus on quality and have high standards for what we do.

In 2008 the Board farewells some important people. We have all missed Gae York our secretary and we wish her well in her new environs. Her sense of industry, capacity to deliver and her wonderful sense of humour have been greatly appreciated. John Nairn our treasurer is also retiring. His generosity, insight and risk management reminders will be missed also. Thank you John for your contribution in so many ways. We will miss you very much.

In concluding I wish to express my sincere thanks to Annette Davies for not only managing the financial side of EBE but for the many other things she does so selflessly. Everything that happens at EBE has Annette’s

imprint on it and no one deserves more thanks than she. Alan Hearle too has been an added plus for EBE, his quiet efficiency and unruffled manner helping to calm the storms on many an occasion. Thank you Annette and Al for all you have done. Our cost containment and efficiencies are due to you both.

Additional thanks go to our sponsor Reckon and to the staff of PTC especially Kim Tsolakis for their ongoing support of EBE.

And thank you also to the Board for your support both personally and professionally. I look forward to our working together again in 2009, and I also look forward to the new faces, fresh ideas and new blood. The EBE Board has functioned as a great team and I know it will continue to do so in 2009.

Bronwyn Hession President EBE NSW 27 October 2008.

report Business Studies Economics Scholarship

Premier’s ABN AMRO Business Studies, Economics Scholarship Innovation, Leadership and Education in the 21st Century Jennifer Harding

his study tour aimed to strengthen the teaching and learning of innovation and leadership, relating to TAFENSW

Business courses, and better meet learner needs in the knowledge economy. As quoted by the Canadian Council on Learning:

“At the same time, the demands of the knowledge economy and the transformational nature of information technology mean that skill requirements will rise rapidly and change constantly. Skills are quickly becoming dated and new ones are required.”

Coincidentally, the “TAFE: Doing Business in the 21st Century” paper was released on 27th November 2007 by the Managing Director of TAFE NSW, Michael Coutts‐Trotter, and the Deputy Director‐General TAFE and Community Education, Marie Persson. TAFE NSW: Doing Business in the 21st Century includes proposals to reform TAFE so it continues to thrive as the skills powerhouse for New South Wales.

The proposals, which have been subject to a broad consultation process and feedback from TAFE staff include:

• Delivering training in a simpler more direct way, with more locally customised services to meet the skill needs of

individuals and new and emerging industries

• Investing in TAFE staff, with 10,000 employees to be up‐skilled

• Investing in new technologies to provide a wider choice in how students learn and where they learn

• Responding faster to the changing needs of the workforce, industry and employers.

Studies of leadership in the Australian Vocation Education and Training (VET) sector identify that leaders need:

• Greater insights and intelligence of the leadership of organisational change

• Increased self‐awareness • Strategic and global leadership

capability

1.2 Strategies Education, change management, the use of technology in teaching and learning, economics and teaching and learning practice were other themes explored during the study tour. The range of learning activities were employed to ensure the outcomes of the scholarship had broad application for a number of staff. Conferences were attended, interviews with key education and business people in the United States and United Kingdom, visits to various universities, surveys conducted, and

T

a lot of research done. An innovative method of reporting was used: see the Innovation and Leadership Wiki at http://innovationandleadership.pbwiki.com, with a wealth of resources and detailed summaries and podcasts relating to the conferences and other activities, and at the blog used for reflections on the study tour itself, at http://leadershipandinnovation.blogspot.com. A podcast from London, with Stephan Ridgway and Robyn Jay in Sydney, provides some further reflection of the tour, at http://talkingvte.blogspot.com/ 2. Definitions

2.1 Leadership: what is it?

There are many definitions of leadership, and not a definitive one. It can be about inspiring the team, the ability "to get people to follow voluntarily, or the ability to affect human behaviour so as to accomplish a mission designated by the leader. Drucker defined general leadership as lifting of a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a person’s performance. Leadership is both strategic and pragmatic and Nigel Paine (2007), and his “Walking the Talk” addresses the concept of thriving in a complex and competitive environment.

His key points were for leaders to: encourages all members of a team to deliver their best as an individual and as a team member.

1. Make things happen through other people

2. Build momentum quickly 3. Learn to delegate 4. Broaden your own professional

development, especially in gathering intelligence

5. Communicate as well as possible

The diagram below may not be sophisticated or colourful, and may have too many arrows, so may be reflecting chaos theory, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Further investigation is needed ‐ is it only applicable in certain fields, for example, do we need to be super cautious in the area of public education.

So what do effective leaders do?

• Raise the bar for themselves constantly

• Self‐starters • Recognise that everybody contributes

to the success of the organisation • Behave ethically • Have a deep sense of purpose for

their leadership • Define inspiring standards • Learn all the time • Develop a tolerance for ambiguity • Foster mutual understanding of

problems amongst their tem • Reinvent the way their teams operate

and generate ideas • Listen and learn – get input from all • Communicate well – concisely,

building on facts, using analogies and humour

• Build self‐confidence • Hate bureaucracy – an especially

interesting point!

Vision & Strategy

Continuous Improvement

Business systems

Operational success

Communication

Recruit & develop staff

2.2 Innovation

Hamel (2006) defines innovation as a marked departure from traditional management principles, processes, and practices or a departure from customary organisational forms that significantly alters the way the work of management is performed.

Williams (1999) defines innovation as follows:

"the implementation of new and improved knowledge, ideas, methods, processes, tools, equipment and machinery, which leads to new and better products, services and processes". (p17)

King and Anderson (2002) focus on organisational innovation and define that it must have a tangible product, process or procedure within an organisation; must be new to the social setting within which it is introduced; must be intentional not accidental; must be aimed at producing a benefit and public in its effects.

3. Learning and resources

3.1 The survey

“Can you teach innovation and leadership?” was a key question to people via online survey, verbally and via the Wiki. The primary finding is that you can teach innovation and leadership, but:

1. it is more a facilitation method

2. participants need to want to be innovative

3. there is some debate as to whether innovation and creativity is much like artistic talent

"So even if you talk to business schools with dedicated classes on leadership, the focus is on "studying" leadership, not practicing it. Further, you can talk to corporations who desperately want better programs in leadership, and even though some spend

significant money on classes, none have great results. This is because, as critics of Hillary Clinton state, there is a pretty big difference between watching someone else drive and driving yourself. http://clarkaldrich.blogspot.com/2008/04/can‐schools‐teach‐leadership‐if‐so‐why.html

3.2 Conferences

3.2.1 Making Innovation Work Marriott Financial Center New York

http://www.conference‐board.org/conferences/conference.cfm?id=1558

Innovation originates with business strategy and culminates in growth: sounds obvious, but we often forget the link, to the detriment of implementation!

Innovation is something that needs the support of the whole organisation. Rather than say "well that's not my job" it is ‐ to think outside the square and determine better ways of working. One of the most telling points from this workshop was that everybody needs to think about how they can put themselves out of a job. This doesn't necessarily mean out of a job, full stop, but out of their current job!

Is innovation about incremental innovation, or breakthrough innovation? Can we move beyond the parameters that are set for us? Whilst incremental innovation shouldn't be looked down upon, it is important to also have breakthrough innovation ‐ outside the square.

There is a need for collaboration: i.e. the TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute e‐learning Implementation plan calls for focus groups with industry, staff and learners, and that is what is really needed to come up with innovative solutions ‐ the process is as important as the solutions, so that people

feel trusted and also feel that they can honestly contribute.

Customers want a complete experience, and we need to not only think of who our new markets are, but also about what type of experience our customers want. The customer wants a total experience ‐ something complete. In terms of education and training, what might this be?

3.2.2 National Business Educators Association conference and ISBE AGM San AntonioTexas http://www.nbea.org/conference.html

A range of workshops and keynote speakers were offered at this conference, ranging from Business Etiquette, Photoshop, e‐learning, teaching and learning practice and leadership.

The teaching in the Photoshop workshop was some of the best, most innovative ever experienced.

The keynote speaker, John Kasich stated that what people care about is whether you have integrity, honesty and ethics, that we need to take personal responsibility, and raise the bar: all things that apply to teaching and learning.

The welcome to the IBSE dinner was astounding. If you're a business education teacher, and even if you're not, see the website here. Join the Australian chapter if you can, as the ISBE conference will be in Australia in 2010.

LaDonna Gaitlin was another keynote speaker, and as a singer used the scale as a framework. The points that resonated with me were – ‘Failures can be turned into fertiliser: anything can be redeemed, so it is

important to support innovation and excellent leadership of teaching and learning’.

3.2.3 Universities Continuing Education Association Conference

This started early with the Distance Education Workshop, where Gardner Campbell was

spoke about learning as playing, and making that explicit to learners, which resonated with me. Unless we are having compelling experiences with online, you can't design compelling online experiences for your learners. Podcasting, wikis and blogging keeps a course alive, way beyond the actual course time. Experiences make the "containers" which are courses, much richer (just like travel where people make it all the more memorable). Some great sessions on Thursday ‐ Donna Brazile stated with humour: "you can go to the Zoo and not only see every species, but get the recipes for them as well (in New Orleans)”. Need to jazz or spice up things to create a new vibe: exactly the same for innovation!! You need to stir the pot rather than put things off. Must be willing to engage and inform. Only in this way will things go forward. The Inclusive Leadership workshop was a truly interactive and value added affair, with great workshop leaders. The gems from this were about going back to basics, and repeated some of the themes that have emerged about innovation and great leadership:

• Perception is reality • Take risks • Needs to be an intentional effort: get

to know people • Need to take personal responsibility

The other session which really stood out was the Technology Petting Zoo ‐ this was one of those ideas where we have had the idea but this was the twist we might be looking for. Great sessions on retention of online learners and trends in Continuing Education, and again I was struck by the similarities with TAFE NSW. The key issues were about needing to be innovative, provision of electronic learning, and funding.

3.2.4 Distance learning and development

I attended conference on distance learning at London University, where the emphasis was on access, partnerships and measuring impact. Dr Samba Mboup from the University of South Africa spoke about Africa. Some good pedagogy demonstrated in having breakout groups, very short presentations and excellent speakers, with a good grasp of PowerPoint principles, e.g. 7 words x 7 lines and a good use of pictures. Like all the conferences attended, the people make all the difference in learning.

3.2.5 JISC

http://vle.rsc‐south‐west.ac.uk/moodle/

The Higher Education Council for Funding in England aims to invest in the British higher education sector, to encourage research in identified strategic areas, as well as funding support for innovation in research into technology. It also has 74 Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), an initiative with two main aims: to reward excellent teaching practice, and to further invest in that practice so that CETLs funding delivers substantial benefits to students, teachers and institutions.

The JISC South West region conference outlined how mobile learning was funded with 350,000 pounds and was driven by

pedagogy rather than technology. This is something we all need to remember.

Lisa Gray defined both JISC and Innovation: is about introducing something new and useful. Derek Morrison made very relevant points about the need for support and the importance of pedagogy and enhancing learning. Every innovation program includes e‐ learning and the aim is to create a better learning environment. Tangible benefits include cost savings, resource efficiency, student achievement, recruitment and retention, skills and employability are all improved.

3.2.6 Gary Hamel

Gary Hamel was the speaker at the Re!nventing Management for the 21st Century conference in Sydney August 18th. Some excellent ideas, especially around the need to think completely differently:

• Employees rate their bosses • Outsiders help develop strategy • Abolish title and ranks • Give employees right to say no to any

request • Employees come first • Making innovation everybody’s job • Fully engage talents of every

individual

Gary Hamel’s definition of leadership is that leaders have two tasks: first to amplify human capabilities—empower, equip and encourage. Second is to create synergy. The key points to ensure a company scaffolds innovation:

3.3 Professional conversations

The people I met with provided the highest level of expertise in innovation and leadership in particular. Some people are also utilizing successful innovative methods in the teaching and learning of innovation and leadership.

Professional conversations focussed on the following questions:

What type of training is provided in the areas of innovation and leadership?

What delivery methods for training in innovation and leadership are used?

How does the organization itself encourage innovation and effective leadership?

What is the role of leadership in facilitating innovation?

How do education institutions engage industry, and how do organizations utilise educational accreditation?

3.3.1 Martyn Laycock Key points:

• Employee involvement • Need to rethink strategy • Difficulty of change ‐ need power to

be devolved and collaboration is essential

• Not about technology per se, but knowledge management

• Use pilots and project management • Use teams and communities of

practice So my message on this is that whilst Knowledge Management is largely a good thing to strive to introduce, take real care to plan it, align it strategically, communicate it well and sensitively.

3.3.2 Stewart Smith London

Stewart is the Director of the London Grid for Learning, Innovation and Education Department and has extensive experience in influencing leadership and change management in London schools.

1. All about people 2. Tension between standardization and

innovation 3. What does good look like in your

school?

4. What's in it for me? is the question asked on behalf of teachers for the implementation of the major change

5. Total cost of ownership has been worked out

6. Resilience 7. Change is inextricably intertwined

with the culture of the organisation.

The United Kingdom in particular has recognised the importance of innovation as a driving force for economic growth, and that education is a pivotal part of this. Their focus is on university funding for innovation, but Colleges of Further Education also benefit as they often have dual programs. The efficacy of the model is unknown, but the conferences I attended and people I spoke with, are enthusiastic and have achieved outcomes in line with the policy.

The schools sector is also on the path to the integration of ICT and progressing with this. All education sectors are essential to ensure innovation is supported, as it is a matter more of attitude and supported risk‐taking, than lock step learning. The vocational education and training sectors' use of Training Packages may be seen as inhibiting innovation, rather than supporting it, or the Training Packages can be used creatively (modelling the very thing to be taught). We have the Workforce Capability Development Guarantee for TAFE NSW, another step in the right direction, to ensure teachers and other staff are skilled to innovate in our increasingly competitive (read global) world. Training, per se, and in the traditional sense, is not necessarily the answer.

Having a central "body" responsible for innovation ‐ does this actually defeat the purpose or rather the driving rationale behind innovation? We have the Federal government, State Governments, the

Innovation and Business Skills Australia, various professional bodies, research organisations ‐ what is the best way forward with this?

3.4 Research

The concept of the study tour began in reading an article on Innovation and business, continued through reading, talking, listening and discussing all over the world.

"Don't say it, just do it" Campus Review, 5/1/08 pages 5 and 6, sounds like a marketing slogan! Mark Dodgson says "Australian business schools' research on and teaching of innovation has been nothing short of lamentable." Some things to follow up include the UK's Advanced Institute of Management; great innovation theorists; Innovation Studies Centre at Imperial College London; Australian Business Foundation.

Benefits of good innovation teaching capacity in Australia would mean:

1. substantially increasing the relevance of management education,

2. moving into the creation rather than distribution paradigm,

3. fully engaging with the innovation agenda in business, and

4. building research capacity.

The Callan, et al, (2007) NCVER report addresses three research questions:

1. What are the current understandings of leadership in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, and what types of management and leadership capabilities are required for the present and the future?

2. What approaches to learning and management development are being used?

3. What is successful and what approaches might be used more often in the future?

Duggan (2007) is a good resource for teaching both Leadership and Innovation: the key idea is that strategic intuition is a slow process, and works in new situations, when you need your best ideas. The best way to describe this is offered by Duggan: in a new situation you have to disconnect the old dots, to let new ones connect.

Gary Hamel (2007) provided reading and listening opportunities to research with podcasts, web‐based information and discussion as well as his latest book. A lot of research was also done using the Web, and my favourite was ‘Management squelches innovation’: http://www.cio.com.au/index.php?id=1013312792&rid=‐154

Further research into Leadership and Innovation for the Australian vocational education and training sector was done, both on the web, and using the publications (2007) published by Dr John Mitchell.

The key points to ensure a company scaffolds innovation:

• Staff matter • Knowledge needs to be shared • People respond to being treated well

and made to feel part of the team • Leaders who isolate themselves from

their staff, insulate themselves from reality

• Create significant presence “This is not a function of being seen around, it is a function of listening and engagement.”

• Top managers do not need to know everything

• Keep an eye on the front line • Be an acclaimed leader

3.5 Other innovations

3.5.1 Claire van den Blink Cornell University

The process of how Claire and I ended up presenting about innovation and leadership for the Australian Flexible Learning Framework was an excellent example of the synergy with the learning activities the study tour provided, and also of how networking often leads to unexpected and very useful outcomes. I first contacted Claire by email when I had signed up for a Change Management course at Cornell University, which was cancelled a few weeks before the start date. This meant a change in plans, and we ended up speaking via web conferencing....and the result can be seen and heard at: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2008‐06‐18.1701.M.EE55C0B29908DBDA9933B43DCEB51B.vcr

3.5.2 IBSE

A previous TAFE NSW Premier’s scholarship holder in this areas, Maria Evans from the Riverina Institute, had joined with this association, and now runs the Australian chapter.

The Association is for all business educators – school, TAFE NSW, trainers, and other associations. Join the AUSTRALIAN CHAPTER if you can, as the ISBE conference will be in Australia in 2010.

4. Conclusion This report is really a portal for all teachers to access information as and when it is useful to them, both for teaching and their own professional development. Economic and business imperatives have made the need to be innovative essential.

So is it possible to teach people to be innovative? The general answer seems to have been a resounding "not really" response. We can support innovation by having a risk‐supported culture, committed

leaders, technology strategy in place, and a reward system where possible, but most of the people I spoke with have commented that it is only possible to give people the framework for innovation rather than the creative spark. In terms of innovation for education, one person summed it up: "it's the way that tools are used that's really critical. Just as a great teacher can give a great (face to face) lesson with next to no tools, and a poor teacher can make a mess up ... so while new technologies might enable a good teacher to be really creative (& use them appropriately) so a poor teacher mayn't use them that well, and may use them inappropriately, thus alienating students." Using technology for its own sake won't work but enabling a culture of can do and supported risk‐taking will. Innovation and leadership is seen as the way forward for Australia. Both are a strategic way to allow us to change for the better, at a local, State and national level. As educators, we need to learn as well as teach, or ‘walk the talk’. It is time to reflect on ensuring that our facilitation of leadership and innovation reflects our practice within TAFE NSW. We can facilitate learning about innovation and leadership and already do at TAFE.

Being awarded this scholarship has given me many opportunities to learn more about people, as well as innovation and leadership in an educational and business context. Please share the knowledge gained from this study tour, particularly by utilising the tools outlined in the introduction to this report. Use the resources from the study tour as you need: for learning, teaching, facilitating, assessing.

Take away, and add to the resources available at http://innovationandleadership.pbwiki.com as you can. The Wiki is a way of collaborating, and growing the information and resources we have available in this area of education.

References Becoming an Effective Leader (2005) Harvard Business School Press Boston: Massachusetts

Callan, V, Mitchell, J, Clayton, B and Smith, L (2007) NCVER: http://www.ncver.edu.au/vetsystem

Dodgson, M "Don't say it, just do it" Campus Review, 5/1/08

Drucker, P F (2006) Classic Drucker: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation, Boston

Duggan, W (2007) Strategic Intuition: The Creative Spark in Human Achievement: Columbia University Press, New York

Hamel, G (2007) The Future of Management: Harvard Business School Press: Boston, Massachusetts

King, N and Anderson, N (2002) Managing innovation and Change: Thomson, Australia

Mitchell, Dr J and Professor Nigel Paine (2007) New Leadership for Innovative Organisations: models, ideas and challenges: J. G Mitchell & Associates Pty Ltd

Mitchell, J Innovation and Entrepreneurship in VET: John Mitchell and Associates

Williams, A (1999) Creativity, Invention and Innovation: Allen and Unwin, Sydney

Web sites are referenced at http://innovationandleadership.pbwiki.com

A Non Legal Mechanism for Women

A Non Legal Mechanism for Women Women’s Legal Services, NSW

Joe Alvaro All Saints Catholic Senior College, Casula, NSW

ear 11 Preliminary Legal Studies students who study Focus Group No.5 (Women) are required to “understand the nature of

disadvantage encountered by women” and “the legal and non‐legal means adopted to address that disadvantage” ( Board of Studies NSW Legal Studies Stage 6 Syllabus, p. 35).

Some of the content in the HSC Optional Focus Study No.2 – Family requires students to deal with this type of subject matter as well.

In Commerce, the Core Part 2.1 – Law and Society requires students to learn about using the legal system, including “accessing the law” and “issues of fairness in using the law” ( Board of studies NSW Commerce Years 7‐10 Syllabus, p.23).

One non‐legal mechanism that exists in NSW for women is “Women’s Legal Resources Ltd.” trading as “Women’s Legal Services NSW” (WLS NSW).

Vision

The vision of WLS is “to achieve access to justice and a just legal system for all women in NSW, as all women have the right to live free from violence, injustice, inequality and discrimination” (WLS NSW website)

What is it?

WLS is a community legal centre.

Where is it?

Women needing this service would contact it by telephone rather than attending a physical place. The postal address is given as P.O. Box 206 Lidcombe NSW 1825.

How did it get started?

The service was started by a group of women who were concerned that all women in NSW did not have access to a just legal system.

How is it funded?

WLC NSW is a government funded organisation. During 2006‐2007 the main grants were received from the Commonwealth Government through the Attorney General’s Department and the NSW Government through the Legal Aid Commission of NSW (WLS NSW Annual Report, 2006‐2007,P.30).

WLC NSW have legal practitioners who work on a pro bono (a Latin term meaning “for the good”) basis, offering their services free of charge.

What does it offer?

1. Website

The WLS NSW website (www.womenslegalnsw.asn.au)

offers comprehensive information about the services that are offered by WLS NSW.

2. Free telephone service

Y

Women can call a solicitor and ask for advice, information and referrals to other services in the community, in relation to all areas of law including:

- family law - domestic violence - Apprehended Violence Orders (AVOs) - sexual assault - employment - discrimination

During 2006‐2007 family law (including defacto property) was the area of law affecting most women who called the telephone advice line (Annual Report,2006‐2007,P.12).

3. Free face to face meetings

Women can book an appointment and meet face‐to‐face with a solicitor and receive advice, information and referrals to other services in the community.

This service is conducted at five locations across Western Sydney and in Wyong on a fortnightly basis (identified by WLS NSW as areas in NSW where a high number of women suffer disadvantage).

4. Free Domestic Violence Advocacy Service

Women experiencing domestic violence can call this service for advice and information. In addition this service provides solicitors to women who need legal representation at court.

5. Indigenous Women’s Program

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women can telephone this service and speak with an Aboriginal woman to ask for advice, information and referrals to other services in the community.

CASE STUDY

WLS NSW helped an Aboriginal woman who was asked to leave a hotel because she was an Aboriginal person.

WLS NSW provided a pro bono barrister to represent her at the NSW Anti‐Discrimination Board, where she was involved in a mediation session with the owners of the hotel.

Outcome – The owners paid her compensation, gave her an apology and agreed to become more familiar with the discrimination laws through undertaking some training.

(WLS NSW (Annual Report 2006‐2007, p 13)

6. Family Violence Prevention Legal Services (FVPLS)

The aim of this service is to prevent Aboriginal family violence in the towns of Walgett and Bourke/Brewarrina .

Women can telephone this service for advice and information. In addition it provides solicitors to women who need legal representation at court in the areas of sexual assault, domestic violence and AVOs, victims compensation claims and family law matters and undertakes community legal education.

7. Community Legal Education

The staff of WLS NSW conduct training sessions for members of the community in both urban and rural locations in NSW. Topics include domestic violence, family law, wills and child protection.

WLS NSW staff have been interviewed by newspaper journalists and radio broadcasters about legal issues affecting women such as

family law changes and domestic violence (WLS NSW Annual Report 2006 – 2007, p.20).

A number of publications are available for members of the community.

The WLC NSW website makes the point that these publications are written in “plain English”. Examples of publications include:

Books – E.g. “Women and Family Law”

Video and Booklet – “Go Girl” – The video is about domestic violence and AVO hearings. It tells the story of two Aboriginal sisters who guide viewers through their experiences.

Pamphlets – “Women’s Legal Services NSW” – This is a pictorial pamphlet aimed at providing legal advice to Indigenous and culturally diverse women. No words are used, only pictures. “Is this love?” ‐ For young Aboriginal women in reference to their relationships, available in Indigenous colours)

Informational Cards – Womens Legal Advice Line Domestic Violence Advocacy Indigenous Women’s Program Card

WLC NSW wrote the NSW State Library’s Hot Topic (No.56) publication on sexual assault.

The pamphlets and informational cards are free and teachers could order colour copies for their students to use as a teaching and learning resource as well as pin them up in the classroom for the purposes of visual learning.

Teachers may also request a staff member from the organisation to be a guest speaker for their Legal Studies class ‐ phone (02) 9749 7700.

8. Law reform

WLS NSW participates in law reform at both a state and federal level using its clients’ experiences to “identify gender bias and inequity in the law” (WLC NSW website). Strategies used

to recommend changes to the law and make it fairer include:

- written submissions to law reform inquires

- meetings with politicians - campaigns to raise awareness about law

reform.

WLS NSW has contributed to law reform in the following areas:

- family Law - sexual assault and domestic violence - Aboriginal customary law - Aboriginal women in prison - Legal Aid funding cuts

How effective is the WLC in addressing the disadvantages faced by women?

Accessibility

One of the values of WLS NSW is “access and equity”. On the WLS NSW website

it states that “WLS NSW will work to ensure all women have access to programs regardless of age, race, ethnic origin ,political or religious beliefs, disability or disadvantage.”

Not knowing how to use the legal system can limit the effectiveness of a legal system. The WLC NSW addresses this problem and thus makes the legal system more accessible to women. Through the service women can gain knowledge and support on how to effectively use the legal system to address their disadvantages and legal struggles. The publications offered are in “plain English” which can aid women in understanding clearly what their legal rights are and how they can effectively use the legal system.

In addition WLC NSW makes itself available to the following groups in society who can have particular difficulties in accessing the legal system:

1. Women in rural and remote areas – Non – legal mechanisms can be limited in rural and remote areas. WLC NSW operates a rural free call advice line, operates the Walgett and Bourke/Brewarrina Family Violence Prevention Legal Services and offers free face to face meetings with a solicitor in Wyong.

2. Non – English speaking women ‐ are encouraged to use the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) which will enable them to communicate with WLC NSW staff via an interpreter which speaks their mother tongue. Information about contact details for the TIS appears in a number of languages other than English on WLS NSW website.

CASE STUDY

A Cantonese speaking woman, suffering from domestic violence, accessed the WLS NSW telephone advice line using the TIS.

Outcome – Caller was referred onto a counsellor who was able to help her report the domestic violence to the police.

However most of the publications offered by WLC NSW are only provided in English, affecting accessibility for non‐English speaking women in terms of being educated about their legal rights in this way. For some women from a non‐English speaking background reading such publications in the privacy of their own home may be a more preferable way to learn about their legal rights as opposed to speaking to or going to see a stranger in the community, especially if they are fearful about others finding out what is happening to them (e.g. victims of domestic violence).

3. People who are deaf or hearing impaired are encouraged to access the service using The Telephone Typewriter (TTY) service.

Although WLC NSW is available during the day on weekdays, it is not accessible at night or during weekends when women could be experiencing the disadvantages the service covers (e.g. domestic violence). There is no link or information on the WLS NSW website about an after office hours service like the 7 days a week/24 hours a day Lifeline service that women could contact when WLS NSW is not available.

In addition, during 2007 resources allocated to the free telephone service were reduced from 4.5 days per week to 4 days per week and the number of telephone lines were reduced from 4 to 3 (WLS NSW Annual Report, 2006‐2007, P.12).

However women are still experiencing a high number of disadvantages. For example, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that approximately one in three Australian women experience physical violence, and approximately one in five experience sexual violence, during their lifetime ( ABS, 2005).

The services are offered free of charge. The face to face meetings with solicitors and legal representation in court are offered at no cost (legal practitioners offer their services to the organisation on a pro – bono basis), enabling women from poor socio‐economic backgrounds to easily access the services. There are 1800 rural free call telephone numbers.

Some of the books and the video “Go Girl” have a cost. However some books can be downloaded free in PDF format from the website.

Resource efficiency

The WLS NSW allocates its resources using the following principle:

“Where there are competing demands on the resources of WLS NSW, priority will go to women most disadvantaged in their access to justice”

(WLS NSW Annual Report 2006 – 2007, P.4)

This means there may be cases when some women in need are unable to be assisted by WLS NSW.

As mentioned above, resources to the free telephone advice line have been cut. This may suggest that more government funding is needed for WLS NSW, which effectively works in partnership with the government to help women in NSW achieve justice.

Governments cannot do it alone. They are more effective when they work together with non‐legal mechanisms like WLS NSW.

Good source of information for law reform ‐In touch with the legal struggles of women

WLC NSW is in a good position to recommend changes to the law with regards to women and to contribute to a fairer legal system for women as the organisation deals directly with women as they interact with the legal system. WLS NSW gathers its information about what changes are needed from women themselves and their experiences.

Conclusion

WLC NSW is a specific non‐legal mechanism which enables Legal Studies teachers to relate the general non‐legal mechanisms of “lobby groups”

or “women groups” to the real world , thus addressing the “significance” dimension of the NSW Quality Teaching Model (NSW Department of Education and Training, 2003), which recommends that lessons taught to teenagers are meaningful and important, enabling them to make connections between the theory of a course to what happens outside in the real world.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Personal Safety Survey, cat no. 49.6.0, Canberra, 2005

Board of Studies NSW, Commerce Years 7 – 10 Syllabus, 2003

Board of Studies NSW, Legal Studies Stage 6 Syllabus, 1999

Women’s Legal Services NSW Website, viewed on 10 October 2008,

www.womenslegalnsw.asn.au

Women’s Legal Services NSW Annual Report, 2006 – 2007 (available on WLS NSW website)

NSW Department of Education and Training (2003), Quality Teaching in NSW Public Schools – Discussion Paper, Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate, NSW

Internet Website Activity

Internet Website Activity Women’s Legal Services, NSW

Joe Alvaro All Saints Catholic Senior College, Casula, NSW

*Visit www.womenslegalnsw.asn.au

1. Person or organization responsible for the website:

__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Date of viewing of the website

__________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Create a list of legal terminology used by the website.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Choose the correct answer:

Womens Legal Services NSW (WLS NSW) is a:

a) a court b) a community legal centre c) a womans refuge d) a NSW Government Department Answer: ____________

5. Click on “About Us”

a) Who provides WLS NSW with the money to operate?

__________________________________________________________________________________________

b) Explain the purpose of WLS NSW.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

c) List the TEN values which underpin the work of WLS NSW.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

c) Outline how WLS NSW began.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Click on “Home”.

Describe the following services that are offered by WLS NSW.

a) Women’s Legal Resource Centre

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

b) Indigenous Women’s Program

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

c) Domestic Violence Advocacy Service

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Explain how WLS NSW makes itself accessible to the following groups of women.

a) Women who live in rural and remote areas

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

b) Women from a non‐English speaking background

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

c) Women with a hearing impairment

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Click on “Law Reform”.

a) Explain how WLS NSW tries to change the law for women and make the legal system fairer for

women.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

b) Identify TWO agencies of law reform who are able to change the law,that are mentioned on this page.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Click on “Publications”.

a) Choose a book that is available from WLA NSW and write down its title.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

b) Write down a description of what the book is about.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Click on the WLS NSW Annual Report 2006 – 2007 – P.12

a) Identify the most popular method by which women received legal advice from WLS NSW during 2006 – 2007.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

b) Identify the most popular area of law that women asked advice about.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Click on the WLS NSW Annual Report 2006 – 2007 – P.16

a) Define a “pro – bono service”.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

b) Explain how a pro – bono service would assist women to access the legal system.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

12. Click on the WLS NSW Annual Report 2006 – 2007.

Choose a case study from the Annual Report.

Fill out the following case study report.

Facts:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Assistance offered by WLS NSW:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

13. Evaluate the effectiveness of the WLS NSW in addressing the disadvantages encountered by women.

“Evaluate” means you are required to judge the organisation based on criteria

(see below). Analyse its strengths and weaknesses and how it could be improved.

* Criteria – Examples:

‐ Equality - Accessibility (cost and knowledge) - Protection and recognition of individual rights - Resource Efficiency

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Outcome of the case:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Y11 Business Studies Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan ~ Year 11 Business Studies The function of business in creating value / benefits & adding value to all the business processes Phil Manocchio Subject: Yr 11 Business Studies Class: 03 Periods: 3 & 4

Topic: The function of business in creating value/benefits & adding value to all the business processes (value added)

Period Begins: 11:35pm Ends: 1:15pm No of Students: 19

Syllabus Outcomes Addressed: • P1.1, Describes the nature of business and its

role in society. • H2.1 Analyses business functions and operations

and their impact on business success. Students Learn to: • Determine the value and benefit added Students Learn About: • The function of business in creating

value/benefits & adding value to all the business processes (value added)

• Coordinating the business: o Controlling the value chain o The role of management o The interdependence of business & its

environment Assessment for Learning: Assessment for learning will take place at the conclusion of the lesson. Students will remain in their mixed ability group and given a task that reinforces their learning of the value added process. Lesson Structure: Step 1: Brief introduction as to what they will be doing in today’s lesson. • Theme value added process. • Brainstorm/Diagnostic questioning what the

students already know about the value added process. They must provide an example in their definition that describes the value added process.

Step 2: Assemble students in mixed ability groups. Each group consists of 4 students. • Ask the students to tell you the ingredients they

will be using to make their pancakes and how much they cost individually. They must also consider the weight of the ingredients. Students should bring this information to class as it was requested for homework from the previous lesson.

Step 3: Each group is then to move to their cooking bay. • In their bays they are to be told that this

exercise is now a competition and Ms Thompson will judge which group has made the most delectable and presentable pancakes.

• Ms Thompson will guide the students through the procedure of making pancakes.

Step 4: • Ms Thompson is to judge the winning group.

Students are then given time to eat the pancakes and clean up their cooking bay.

Step 5: Evaluation/ Assessment for learning: • Discuss with the students what they did, why

they did it and why they decided to present their pancakes differently to the other groups.

• Short Answer Task that is to be completed at the end of the lesson or for homework and handed in to the teacher for marking. (refer to next page)

Assessment for Learning

1. Describe the value added process in making pancakes? (6 marks)

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2. Explain the importance of value added when operating a pancake business? 6 marks

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The Importance of Financial Literacy

The Importance of Financial Literacy Anne Layman

s educators of Commerce, Business Studies and Economics we are only too aware of the dangers of young people not being able

to manage their finances soundly. There are many news stories of woe that highlight the importance of the need for us to help our students to heed the dangers of over commitment. As a faculty last year we had the idea of using a simple excel spreadsheet to illustrate what could go wrong when credit debts cannot be fully paid off each month. For once that good idea was acted upon and the following activity developed by me with the assistance of our research and data Director of Studies, one lonely Parent Teacher evening when we have to ‘hold the fort’.

The formulae to calculate monthly compounded interest was used and the rate given to the students to work with. The formula used was ((1+i/n)^P)‐1 where i is the nominal interest rate expressed as a decimal, n is the number of periods compounded, and P is the period for which you wish to find the interest. The formula came from the website: http://www.pcw.co.uk/personalcomputerworld/features/2162615/gathering‐interest)

To calculate the monthly interest charges for the final activity, the annual interest rate was simply divided by 12.

The activity commences with a data interpretation exercise before the students work in pairs to use their ICT skills and to help each other. Because each student pays off a different amount the central message becomes quite personal and the students can quickly see the consequences of paying a small minimum monthly amount off their credit card bills..

The activity has proven to be quite a powerful way for the students to grasp the importance of being able to fully pay off their credit card bills by the due date and resulted in engagement and much discussion within the class.

Credit Card Activity:

Michaela has a credit card bill of $1500. She can only afford to pay the minimum monthly repayment of $25. The interest charged on outstanding amounts is 18.99% per annum.

Monthly interest rate = 0.015825%

In January Michaela pays $25 off her credit card, leaving an outstanding balance of $1475. Michaela knows she is in financial difficulty so she vows not to use her credit card until she has paid off her debts. The excel spreadsheet shows Michaela’s monthly repayments of $25 for the year.

18.99%

A

Annual interest Monthly interest 0.01015825 Owing Paid outstanding interest accrued Jan $1,500.00 $25.00 $1,475.00 $23.34 Feb $1,498.34 $25.00 $1,473.34 $23.32 Mar $1,496.66 $25.00 $1,471.66 $23.29 Apr $1,494.95 $25.00 $1,469.95 $23.26 May $1,493.21 $25.00 $1,468.21 $23.23 Jun $1,491.44 $25.00 $1,466.44 $23.21 Jul $1,489.65 $25.00 $1,464.65 $23.18 Aug $1,487.83 $25.00 $1,462.83 $23.15 Sep $1,485.98 $25.00 $1,460.98 $23.12 Oct $1,484.10 $25.00 $1,459.10 $23.09 Nov $1,482.19 $25.00 $1,457.19 $23.06 Dec $1,480.25 $25.00 $1,455.25 $23.03

Using the table above:

1. Calculate how much Michaela still owes on her credit card in December.. 2. Calculate how much she has paid off her debt over the 12 month period. 3. How much has she paid the bank in that time? 4. Explain how this has occurred.

Your turn:

Working in pairs‐

• Set up a new spreadsheet and copy and paste rows 1‐5, plus column A • row 6 to 17. • In B6 insert $1000. One of you will repay $25 each month and one of you will repay $100 per

month. Enter this data in your spreadsheet. • In D6, enter the formula = B6‐C6. • In E6, enter the formula =D6*$B$3 • In B7, enter the formula =D6+E6 • Click on the formulas in each column one at a time, then go to Edit and Fill down. • Re‐answer the first three questions above using the new data. • Compare the results when one person pays off $25 per month and the other person pays off $100

per month. Does it make a difference? • What financial advice would you give to a credit card holder to prevent them getting into financial

difficulties?

Extension work:

Another variable:

Store credit cards are currently charging 24% per annum, which is approximately 2% interest charged per month.

Set up a spreadsheet similar to the one above and calculate your financial situation if you owed $1000 and could only pay back $50 per month.

Explain how the higher interest charges affect your financial situation?

Y9 Commerce Assessment

Year 9 Commerce Assessment Gavin Russell, Moriah College

Research Assignment / Assessment Task

Remember NOT TO COPY AND PASTE your work and always use date, source and summary for the information that you have found.

Do not expect time to be given in lessons to complete this work

This is an individual task and will be worth 20 marks out of 100 for the year. You will need to hand in a report preferably word processed with all relevant research shown in the appendices.

OUTCOMES TESTED:

Critically interpret relevant articles and data

Gather, organise and evaluate information from a variety of sources

Express informed opinions

Evaluate the quality and relevance of information

Communicate in a comprehensive manner

Applies commercial concepts to the Australian business environment.

Evaluates options for solving economic and business problems.

Evaluates the changing nature of markets.

Scenario

You have been appointed as the new Marketing Manager for the joint venture between Sydney Water and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

Your job is to help convince the people of NSW to stop purchasing bottled water in disposable bottles that are bad for our environment and to purchase the new reusable bottles to be produced and marketed by the joint venture.

Tasks

1 This public relations document should:

• introduce the new product and its main features – give it a catchy name

• justify the need for the new product based on the amount of plastic bottle rubbish that is being

generated by Australian/NSW residents each year.

(Use recent newspaper and/or journal articles and the Internet to support your claims)

• propose a marketing plan for the new product. The marketing plan should include:

(i) product strategies – suggestions for materials to be used, packaging, logo, branding

(ii) pricing strategies – proposed pricing for the product and how it will be determined

(iii) promotion strategies – proposed strategies to promote / entice people to purchase reusable bottles

rather than the existing disposable bottles

(iv) placement strategies – where/how the new bottles will be made available for purchase

2

Produce a 1 page A4 Poster that could be printed in the local newspaper as part of a new advertising

campaign for the joint venture

You might like to use Fireworks to produce a logo for the bottle and the bottle itself and then use Microsoft

Publisher to produce the poster using the bottle and logos. Think about your target market and what

characteristics are needed to be included for a good advertising campaign. You may want to make a new

slogan and or a new logo to help your launch. This advert should be placed in the appendices of your report.

Report Writing in Commerce

Report writing differs from essay writing because it has a different purpose. Reports are common

communication tools as they assist in the decision making process. Written for a particular purpose, they

usually outline a problem, provide the relevant facts and ideas relate to the situation, and then recommend a

course of action. Reports are highly structured so that information they contain can be easily understood.

Headings within the report allow the reader to select the parts they wish to read. Headings also enable each

section of the report to stand‐alone.

There are three basic steps to report writing

1 Address the question(s) / case study requirement

2 Make a plan

3 Use a report format

Addressing the question(s) / answering the problem

• Read what is required carefully

• Highlight any important keywords

• Attempt all parts of the problem or question(s)

Making a Plan

• Briefly outline how you will answer the question

• Identify any relevant case studies or examples that may be useful

• Use a Report Format

Basic Report Format

Title Page

Table of Contents (not always required)

Executive Summary ‐ This tells your reader what the report is about as it describes the topics or issues

discussed; indicates the depth of the discussion; as well as providing a summary of the recommendations and

reasons for them. It is usually only a short paragraph and is a summary.

Introduction ‐ This tells your reader what you’re going to tell them in the body of your report. Your

introduction gives the background to the report; why it is useful; what other objectives are; the purpose of the

report; the limitations of the report…

Heading This is where you begin the discussion, outlining relevant facts and events. This is the main body

of the report, and is divided into sections (headings) and subheadings.

Conclusion ‐ This is where you give an overview of the material presented in the discussion and an

interpretation of the relevant facts and events.

Recommendations ‐ These are drawn from your conclusions. Your recommendations outline the specific

actions that are required.

References ‐ (not always required) A listing of all resources referred to in the report; assembled in author

alphabetical order.

Appendices ‐ (not always required) The appendices include related materials, if

appropriate.

NAME _______________________TEACHER_______________________CLASS____

Year 09 Commerce

Semester 2 Research Assignment Task

Marking Criteria

• Writes precisely using clear examples and business terms. • Demonstrates a clear understanding of marketing issues suggesting a marketing plan and a range of

suitable strategies to entice people to buy the new plastic bottles • Organises and interprets researched information. Answers are of a suitable length and correctly

structured with close attention to instructions. Addresses all questions and problems. • Produces a thoughtful and well written report using the correct format. • Produces a 1 page Newspaper advert advertising promotion that illustrates a superior use of

appropriate technology that is aimed at the appropriate target market and uses a logo and plastic bottle that has been designed

16 - 20

• Writes using clear examples and business terms. • Demonstrates a sound understanding of marketing issues suggesting a marketing plan and some

suitable strategies to entice people to buy the new plastic bottles • Organises and interprets researched information. Answers are of a suitable length and correctly

structured with good attention to instructions. Addresses all questions and problems. • Produces a well written report using the correct format. • Produces a 1 page Newspaper advertising promotion that illustrates the use of appropriate technology

that is aimed at the appropriate target market and uses a logo and plastic bottle that has been designed

12 - 15

• Writes using good examples and business terms. • Demonstrates a good understanding of marketing issues suggesting a basic marketing plan and some

suitable strategies to entice people to buy the new plastic bottles • Organises and interprets researched information. Answers are of a suitable length and structure with

attention to some instructions. Addresses most questions. • Produces a fair written report using some of the report format. • Produces a 1 page Newspaper advertising promotion that illustrates some use of technology and uses

a logo and plastic bottle that has been designed

8 - 11

• Writes using limited examples and business terms. • Demonstrates some understanding of marketing issues suggesting a very basic marketing plan and a

suitable strategy to entice people to buy the new plastic bottles • Organises and interprets researched information. Answers are of a reasonable length and with attention

to most instructions. Addresses most questions. • Produces a report using some of the report format. • Produces a 1 page Newspaper advertising promotion

4 - 7

• Writes using poor examples and business terms. • Demonstrates basic understanding of marketing issues with no marketing plan and no strategies to

entice people to buy the new plastic bottles • Poor organisation and interpretation of researched information. Answers are of an insufficient length

with little attention to instructions. Some questions are not answered. • Report is incomplete or inadequate. • 1 page Newspaper advertising promotion is not submitted

0 - 3

_________ out of 20 __________________ Signed _____(initials)

Comments

Affiliated associations

Business Educators Association of Queensland Inc (BEAQ) Economics and Business Educators New South Wales (EBENSW)

Business Educators Australian Capital Territory (BEACT) Economics Teachers Association of Western Australia (ETAWA)

Business Educators Australasia Tasmania Inc (BEAT) Economics Teachers Society of South Australia (ETSSA)

Business Education Teachers Association of Northern Territory (BETANT) Legal Studies Association of New South Wales Inc (LSA NSW)

Business and Enterprise Teachers Association of South Australia Inc (BETASA) New Zealand Commerce and Economics Teachers Association Inc (NZCETA)

Business Educators of Western Australia Inc (BEWA) Queensland Economics Teachers Association Incorporated (QETA)

Victorian Commercial Teachers Association (VCTA)

December 2008

Business education in Australia’s curriculumA statement from Business Educators Australasia Inc.

Business Educators Australasia Inc, in conjunction with its affiliates, aims to promote and extend business education in our primary and secondary schools.

Foreword

The discussion around a national curriculum and the new Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians centres on what is important to teach in our schools, when it should be taught, and how it should be taught.

The• what of this discussion is inevitably about subjects, studies and programs that should be included in the curriculum; what is core or mandated, and what is optional or elective.

The • when is about where the what is placed in the curriculum; that is, which students have access to what, and at which levels of schooling.

The • how is about creating the success for learners—the quality of teaching.

Over many years, through state and territory curriculum reviews, and a number of attempts at developing a national approach to curriculum, strong arguments have been mounted in support of providing business education for all students in the compulsory years of schooling. More specifically, the importance of developing in students an understanding of economics, and law-related, business and accounting studies, and learning for consumer and financial literacy has been widely advocated.

Success for this advocacy has been mixed with some jurisdictions building firmer curriculum positions for business education in its various dimensions, while others have maintained an optional or elective approach. This means, of course, that not all students have the benefit of education for economic, consumer and financial literacy.

Business Educators Australasia Inc., the peak body for business education teacher professional associations in Australia and New Zealand, believes that the current move towards developing a national curriculum for Australia should, in its second phase, ensure that business education, including education for economic, consumer and financial literacy, and developing understandings in business, is provided for every student in Australia’s primary and secondary schools; that is, that business education is core in the compulsory years of schooling.

Garry TaylorPresident

http://www.afssse.asn.au/bea/index.htm

Business education in Australia’s curriculum A statement from Business Educators Australasia Inc.

December 2008 page 2

Business education in Australian schools

Business education in Australian schools is not, typically, a subject as such. In fact, business education has many dimensions represented in subjects, electives and cross-curricular and integrated programs, all of which add to the richness of curriculum in primary and secondary schools.

In secondary schools business education subjects are prominent in the subject choice of many post-compulsory students. The subjects include accounting, business management/studies, economics, legal studies and related studies offered through different courses that provide multiple post-school pathways to employment and further education and training. These subjects, or variations thereof, depending on state or territory curriculum requirements and options, also feature towards the end of the compulsory years of secondary schooling. The variations are sometimes described in curriculum programs as commerce, work-related studies, and consumer and financial literacy studies.

In the compulsory years of schooling, business education informs a strong list of cross-curricular and multidisciplinary studies, including commerce, consumer and financial literacy, civics and citizenship, information and communication technologies (ICT), environmental studies, and studies of Asia. There are many opportunities for integration of business education dimensions into these studies in primary and secondary schools.

Importantly, there is increasing recognition of the opportunities to integrate business education with learning in English, mathematics, history, geography and science. Cross-curricular and multidisciplinary approaches are especially significant given the competitive pressure on curriculum in schools and the need to be mindful of available time and the workload of teachers.

More broadly, business education teachers see the improvement of literacy and numeracy skills in all students as their business. They take the abundant opportunities provided by business education subjects and in related cross-curricular initiatives to improve student literacy and numeracy.

So, far from being narrow in scope and range, the business education portfolio of studies and programs is diverse in nature, comprehensive in creating engaging learning opportunities on a K–12 basis, and has a futures focus. The diversity of knowledge and skills associated with business education is important in building authentic student engagement in their learning and interest in lifelong learning, life skills and vocational pathways.

Significantly, the content and the skills developed through business education are often advanced through a context of strong narratives drawing upon:

real-life events, situations, observations and •experiences

case studies and applied learning; people, •businesses and resource use

economic and financial relationships and decisions •in individual, government, regional and global contexts

post-school pathways for students.•

National and international perspectives on business education

As part of the ongoing national debate and discussion about what sort of education young Australians need in the 21st century, a report by the Council for the Australian Federation was released in September 2007. This report, The Future of Schooling in Australia, was clear in its view that all students should have access to studies in economics and business.¹

The report informed the subsequent Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008), which affirms economics and business as essential learning for students in humanities and social science (the disciplines of history, geography, and economics, and the study of business), one of eight must-include learning areas.²

This national recognition of the significance of economics, and the studies it informs, is unsurprising given that economic decisions by individuals, businesses and governments are about resource use and distributing the proceeds of production. The quality of these decisions will impact on individual, local and national wellbeing, and increasingly have global implications. What is surprising is that for most of our students in the compulsory years of schooling, acquiring even some of the literacy associated with business education is marginal and, typically, optional.

Internationally, there is strong support for business education in primary and secondary schools. In 2004, Scotland released A Curriculum for Excellence³, which provided explicit statements of the aims of education. It described the purposes of education as enabling all young people to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective communicators. This closely approximates Goal 2 of the Educational Goals for Young Australians.4



The supporting curriculum documents in A Curriculum for Excellence have a strong focus on business education in both discipline and cross-curricular perspectives. Further, Business Education: A Portrait of Current Practice, a recent discussion considering how business education supported the purposes of education identified in A Curriculum for Excellence, noted that:

The subjects taught within business education departments have many strengths on which to build to help learners develop the four capacities … It is important to recognise also the major contribution which business education can make to priority themes such as enterprise, citizenship and sustainable development …5

The 2008 edition of Trends Shaping Education, an OECD publication designed to help thinking about major developments that are affecting the future of education and setting challenges for schools, highlighted many of the areas that are developed through business education. Chapters include ‘Global Challenges’, ‘Towards a New Economic Landscape’, ‘The Changing World of Work and Jobs’, ‘Citizenship and the State’, ‘Social Connections and Values’, and ‘Sustainable Affluence?’6

Business education for all students

The need for all of our students to have enhanced economic and consumer and financial literacy is evident in the current global economic and financial crisis. The uncertainty created by this crisis underlines the need to embed in the curriculum of all primary and secondary schools in Australia the skills, knowledge and understanding associated with economics, and consumer and financial literacy. The response to such events should be to ensure that in future all our young people develop basic economic, consumer and financial literacy.

The support for this view is not new and has long been advocated through research by those who sensibly connect life skills and lifelong learning with this literacy. Much has been written (and researched) by academics, professional teacher associations and other agencies and individuals with an interest in the area and about the need to provide all primary and secondary school students with business education. For example:

Life globally is dominated by economic transactions and it is the quality of the economic decision making at all levels of society that

significantly determines the wellbeing of individuals and nations. It is the limited understanding of economics that ultimately restricts a person’s capacity to participate in society in response to individual, group, local or broader national and global needs. In order to operate effectively as individuals, as contributors to society and as informed citizens, every student needs to develop a basic understanding of economic principles and concepts and how they are applied.7

An economically educated citizenry is necessary to reduce the likelihood of the government failing to adhere to the preferences of its electorate. Moreover, citizens who understand how their own economic interests are bound up with the interests of other citizens are more likely to support government actions that take all citizens’ economic interests into account.8

To the old and true adage, ‘if you think education is expensive, try ignorance,’ we would add a stronger emphasis and a greater awareness of the astounding costliness of economic illiteracy.9

The financial preparedness of our nation’s youth is essential to their well-being and of vital importance to our economic future. In light of the problems that have arisen in the subprime mortgage market, we are reminded of how critically important it is for individuals to become financially literate at an early age so that they are better prepared to make decisions and navigate an increasingly complex financial marketplace. Choosing a credit card, saving for retirement or for a child’s education, or buying a home now requires more financial savvy than ever before.10

Business education must be core curriculum in the compulsory years

It is not difficult, then, to find strong, reasoned advocacy for all students to develop, for example, at least basic economic, consumer and financial literacy while at school. It is unlikely that they might do this outside of school, on any worthwhile scale. However, it is difficult to find evidence that education systems take the view that these literacies should be developed in all students as part of schooling.

In the post-compulsory years students specialise in their subjects as they build their employment and further studies pathways. While they might take economics, accounting, legal studies or business management or business studies, many will not. So if we are to educate



all students in economic, consumer and financial literacy, it has to be in the compulsory years. Unfortunately, it is often in the elective rather than the core curriculum.

Business education has a strong, real-life evidence base

Our states and territories each have their consumer ‘watchdogs’ and related consumer support agencies, often directly associated with a consumer ministry. Even a casual perusal of the websites of these agencies provides ample evidence of the need for economic, consumer and financial literacy. So, too, does the consumer education website of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) at <www.fido.asic.gov.au>. The Australian Government’s ‘Understanding Money’ website at <www.understandingmoney.gov.au> argues strongly for the incorporation of financial literacy into the core curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 10. More recently the development of the Consumer and Financial Literacy Professional Learning Program <www.financialliteracy.edu.au> through the Australian Government’s Financial Literacy Foundation and Quality Teacher Program highlighted the importance for all students of consumer and financial literacy:

In the Financial Literacy Foundation’s research report, Australians Understanding Money, young people self-assessed themselves as lacking basic knowledge, skills and confidence when dealing with a range of money-related issues. They recognised the need for consumer and financial literacy education and over 80% said they would like to improve their financial knowledge and skills, while a further 82% said being taught about money at school was beneficial.11

National support for business education

Business education and the national Statements of Learning

In July 2003 the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) requested that Statements of Learning be developed in English, Mathematics, Science, and Civics and Citizenship as a means of achieving greater national consistency in curriculum outcomes across the eight states and territories. In reconfirming the purpose of Statements of Learning in May 2005, the Ministers added Information and Communication Technologies as a further area for a Statement of Learning.

Each of these Statements, available at <www.curriculum.edu.au/mceetya/statements_of_learning,22835.html>, sets out the knowledge, skills, understandings

and capacities that students in Australia should have the opportunity to learn and develop in the particular domain. For each of these Statement domains, the dimensions of business education provide rich opportunities to support learning just as they do for the National Statement for Engaging Young Australians with Asia in Australian Schools, which can be accessed at <www.asiaeducation.edu.au>.

Australian and state and territory government support for business education

The increasing awareness of the need for consumer and financial literacy saw two national responses in 2005. One was the establishment, as a division of the Australian Treasury, of the Financial Literacy Foundation <www.understandingmoney.gov.au/Content/Consumer/About>. The other was the development by MCEETYA of the National Consumer and Financial Literacy Framework. This Framework <www.mceetya.edu.au/verve/_resources/Financial_Literacy_Framework.pdf> was prepared to further learning needed to meet the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century (1999) and is even more relevant in the context of the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (which supersedes the 1999 Adelaide Declaration).

MCEETYA is clear about the purpose and the reasons for the Framework.

The Framework is designed to:

inform the Statements of Learning that have •been agreed to by MCEETYA

provide guidance to states and territories in •the development of their curricula K–10

provide guidance to developers of support •materials and the professional development of all teachers of consumer and financial literacy.12

The Framework defines consumer and financial literacy as ‘the application of knowledge, understandings, skills and values in consumer and financial contexts and the related decisions that impact on self, others, the community and the environment’.13

It acknowledges that that globally consumers, businesses and governments exchange goods and services on a daily basis, and in ‘a climate of changing global, national, community and family economic circumstances, the form and complexity of these transactions continues to change’. It stresses the importance of consumer and financial literacy for all young people and observes that

www.understandingmoney.gov.au

www.financialliteracy.edu.au

www.curriculum.edu.au/mceetya/statements_of_learning,22835.html

www.asiaeducation.edu.au

www.understandingmoney.gov.au/Content/Consumer/About

www.mceetya.edu.au/verve/_resources/Financial_Literacy_Framework.pdf



‘research indicates the economic benefits for the entire community of increased levels of consumer and financial literacy and of addressing youth debt’.14

Strong and practical national support for integrating business education dimensions in the curriculum

The National Consumer and Financial Literacy Framework is a framework that provides a strong basis for integrating consumer and financial literacy as a cross-curricular or multidisciplinary initiative. While the professional experience and training of business education teachers places them well in terms of curriculum development and teaching in this area, Business Educators Australasia appreciates that if all students are to benefit from economic, consumer and financial literacy their seamless cross-curricular or multidisciplinary integration into the curriculum is essential.

The opportunities for this integration, and for all students to be educated in economic, consumer and financial literacy, are richly illustrated in the 2008 Australian Government resource Consumer and Financial Literacy Professional Learning Program: Facilitator and Teacher Guides, available at <www.financialliteracy.edu.au>. Professional learning opportunities are vital in any new curriculum implementation.

Developing a more complete national curriculum for Australia: including business education in phase 2 development

The first meeting of the new National Curriculum Board15 was held on 23 April 2008, and with a brief to complete the first phase of its work by 2010 it is fortunate that so much of what is currently being done well in schools will assist in developing the national curriculum.

In addressing the June 2008 National Civics and Citizenship Education Forum, the Chair of the National Curriculum Board, Professor Barry McGaw, noted that:

in the new national curriculum effort we will:

build on the best of what is already being •done in the states and territories

seek to learn from the practices of those •countries that currently outperform us

pay careful attention to the research evidence •on pedagogy and learning and to what works best in educational practice.16

That effort, at least in the near term, will focus on select subjects in the curriculum. This was made clear in a February 2008 paper prepared as background reading for the Board’s June national consultation for the national curriculum: Into the Future: National Curriculum Board Forum:

The remit of the National Curriculum Board, in the first instance, is to develop a national, K–12 curriculum in English, mathematics, the sciences and history. In a second phase, the remit will be extended to involve geography and languages other than English. The Board’s work must be shaped by the national goals [the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians] and must connect with other areas for which curriculum will continue to be developed within the states and territories.17

This remit was confirmed at the Forum in June 2008 though Professor McGaw acknowledged that it covered only part of the whole curriculum, noting that what it does must ‘clearly leave room for the rest and must be effectively connected with it.’18

The National Curriculum Board Forum background paper, in highlighting the role of national curriculum in building Australia’s future, was clear about what young Australians should expect from the school system:

Their schooling should develop a sense of themselves and Australian society, a capacity and predisposition to contribute effectively to society, and the knowledge, understanding and skills with which to work productively and creatively. The schooling of Australia’s young people should help to develop a cohesive society, with individual members aware of the rich diversity of histories and cultures that have shaped it, and committed to its continuing development. It should build strong foundations for future national prosperity, helping to make Australia productive and internationally competitive in the global economy.19

It is surprising, then, that in the work to be undertaken in phases one and two of a national curriculum, there is no reference to business education or its dimensions, including economics, the informing discipline in business education. This is a critical omission that must be addressed.




Notes

1 Council for Australian Federation, Federalist Paper 2: The Future of Schooling in Australia, September 2007, <www.caf.gov.au/Documents/TheFutureofSchoolinginAustralia.pdf>.

2 Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA), Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, December 2008, p. 14.

3 Learning and Teaching Scotland, A Curriculum for Excellence, 2004, <www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence>.

4 MCEETYA, Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, December 2008, p. 8.

5 The four capacities described in A Curriculum for Excellence are: successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), Business Education: A Portrait of Current Practice (Scotland), 2006, <www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/bepcp.html>.

6 OECD, Trends Shaping Education, 2008 edition, <http://213.253.134.43/oecd/pdfs/browseit/9608081E.pdf>.

7 Forsyth, A, ‘Constructing Social Education Curriculum for the Twenty-first Century: the Role and Importance of Economics Education’, paper presented at the AARE 2005 Conference.

8 Davies, P, ‘Educating Citizens for Changing Economies’, Journal of Curriculum Studies, vol. 38, no. 1, 2006, pp. 15–30.

9 Council for Economic Education, Campaign for Economic Literacy: Challenge and Response, <www.councilforeconed.org/cel>.

10 Bernanke, B, The Importance of Financial Education and the National Jump$tart Coalition Survey, Speech, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, USA, 9 April 2008, <www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bernanke20080409a.htm>.

11 Crough, G, Consumer and Financial Literacy Professional Learning Program: Teacher Guide, ‘Foreword’, March 2008, p. 4, <www.financialliteracy.edu.au>.

12 MCEETYA, National Consumer and Financial Literacy Framework, 2005, p. 1, <www.mceetya.edu.au/verve/_resources/Financial_Literacy_Framework.pdf>.



15 The purpose of the National Curriculum Board is to develop a single, world-class Australian curriculum for all students from Kindergarten to Year 12. For further information, refer to <www.ncb.org.au>.

16 McGaw, B, excerpt from the address to the National Civics and Citizenship Education Forum, Curriculum Perspectives, Australian Curriculum Studies Association (ACSA), vol. 28, no. 2, June 2008, p. 7.

17 National Curriculum Board, National Curriculum Development Paper, February 2008, p. 2.

18 National Curriculum Board, Event record of the ‘Into the Future: National Curriculum Board Forum’, 27 June 2008.

19 National Curriculum Board, National Curriculum Development Paper, February 2008, p. 2.

www.caf.gov.au/Documents/TheFutureofSchoolinginAustralia.pdf

www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence

www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/bepcp.html

http://213.253.134.43/oecd/pdfs/browseit/9608081E.pdf

www.councilforeconed.org/cel

www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/bernanke20080409a.htm


www.mceetya.edu.au/verve/_resources/Financial_Literacy_Framework.pdf

www.ncb.org.au

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