ACSA principles for Australian curriculum

The Australian Curriculum Studies Association was established in 1983, providing a national forum for dialogue between those engaged in curriculum work. The purpose of the Association is to:

• provide curriculum leadership across the nation
• develop curriculum resources
• stimulate curriculum conversations
• encourage critical and reflective curriculum practices
• engage in curriculum research

Curriculum involves what is taught (knowledge, understandings, skills, values); how it is taught (pedagogy, teaching style); and how it is assessed (assessment, testing, reporting). Curriculum shapes and is shaped by social, political, economic and historical forces. It involves the selection, interpretation and implementation of culturally-based knowledge, skills, values and beliefs.

ACSA believes that curriculum should:

• be of current and enduring personal and social value
• be constructed from a balanced and explicit selection from key areas of human inquiry and endeavour
• develop deep disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning
• prepare people to be creative and effective life-long learners
• provide people with the necessary knowledge, understandings, values and skills to be active, informed and productive citizens in a democratic society
• encourage global perspectives and promote responsible, just and sustainable global citizenship
• be inclusive in recognising and representing the cultural, political and economic contribution of the range of groups in the community
• be based on cooperation and success for all learners
• be responsive to the experience of learners
• embody participatory, collective and empowering approaches to teaching and learning
• engage people in authentic tasks.

ACSA believes curriculum work should:

• be informed by political, social, economic and historical analysis
• involve explicit identification and evaluation of the values and beliefs on which it is based
• involve critical reflection
• acknowledge that individuals will experience the same learning activity in different ways
• strive to expose and eliminate inequality experienced by individuals or groups
• promote quality at the individual, school, community, system, national and global level
• be a collaborative experience, resourced to ensure active participation by teachers, other education professionals, students and parents.

This policy statement was adopted by ACSA in 2009.