The document discusses the key changes and challenges of implementing the Australian Curriculum for history. It outlines the structure of the history curriculum from primary to secondary school, which includes overviews and depth studies. It acknowledges some new content but emphasizes that much of the primary content was already covered. The biggest change is the inclusion of overviews to provide context for depth studies and a broader chronology. Resources and strategies are provided to help teachers integrate the overviews into their courses.

1. The Shapes of the Australian Curriculum: History | Many voices, many stories
Annabel Astbury
Head, Digital Education
ABC

2. Who are you?
photo:George Eastman House, via Flickr Commons

3. Who am I?

4. Principles
• 2007
• Draft paper
• Consultation
• Draft Curriculum
• Consultation
photo:Nationel Archiefen, via Flickr Commons
• Curriculum
• Implementation

5. Curriculum Overview
• Primary F - 3: Family histories
• Primary 4 - 6: Local histories /
National story (19th c.)
• Year 7: The Ancient World
• Year 8: Ancient to the Modern
World photo: Brooklyn Museum , via Flickr Commons
• Year 9: The Making of the
Modern World
• Year 10: The Modern World and
Australia

6. Framework
Key Inquiry Questions
Historical knowledge and understanding
Historical Skills
- Chronology, terms and concepts
- Historical questions and research
- Analysis and use of sources
- Perspectives and interpretations
- Explanation and communication

7. So what are the main (perceived) challenges?

8. New Content
(new knowledge)
photo: NationalLibrary NZ, via Flickr Commons
Resources
photo: Center for Jewish History, via Flickr Commons
Time
photo: National Library of Ireland, via Flickr Commons

9. How much ‘new’
content is there?
• Primary School: specific history
curriculum but how much of it
is already covered?
• F - 3: Family and local histories
Not significant changes - just
specified more.
• 4 - 6: National history
Some change: grand voyages,
photo: Powerhouse Museum Collection , via Flickr Commons
colonial life and road to
nationhood. Specific attention
to AITSI cultures.

10. Things to remember
• Many of the histories can be part of the inquiry method (‘Key Inquiry
Questions’) and be incorporated into an integrated curriculum with focus on
literacy and numeracy.
• Scope and sequence documents from VCAA
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/foundation10/curriculum/comparisons/
History_scope_and_sequence_AusVELS.pdf
• don’t make it a chore! Primary teachers have the edge because they are
experts in integrating disciplinary studies.

11. How much ‘new’
content is there?
• Year 7: Ancient Australia / incl.
focus on an ancient Asian
history.
• Year 8: definite inclusion of
Islamic world with ‘Western’
world. Inclusion of Asian
histories in this period.
• Year 9: Industrial Revolution,
photo: Smithsonian Institution, via Flickr Commons
imperialism, World War I
• Year 10: rights and freedoms,
globalising world.

12. Most significant (and
The overviews
interesting) change

13. The overviews
• Not a new concept:
experienced teachers have
always contexualised the
histories they have taught.
• This approach formalises the
process.
• Advantages of the overviews:
- challenges students to
examine concepts that they
can then test and apply to the
depth studies
- introduces students to the
curiosity and wonder of world
stories

14. Approaching overviews and depth studies
• Know your content.
• Remember: overviews are meant to be only 10% of teaching time. There is a
lot of content specified but there are different ways to cover it and integrate it
into the course of study.
• Overviews are meant to give students an introduction to the period.
• Overviews are meant to make links to and between the depth studies.
• Overviews are meant to consolidate understanding through a review of the
period.
• Overviews are not to be taught exclusively of the depth studies but integrated
so that students get a sense of an expansive chronology.

15. Planning a course
‣ Look at content of the overview and assess where it
fits into the depth studies
‣ Use the key inquiry questions as a focus for the
teaching and learning
‣ Focus on integrating the overviews
‣ Over the year the course has to tell a bigger story
‣ Some aspects of overviews can be useful introducing
depth study

16. Teaching ‘big’ history
‣Activities that allow students to work individually / small groups
which generate questions and thought.
‣Mapping exercise: annotated maps on Google maps - great to
give overviews and maintain throughout the course.
‣small group work on analysis of objects: ‘mystery’ objects from
collections such as History of the world in 100 Objects.
‣Small group work on analysis of images.
‣Timelines: using online tools that can be amended or added to.

17. Resources
.. and one shameless plug...

18. Textbooks
major publishers

19. Online
Historical knowledge:
Cultural institutions
University courses: MIT/Harvard/
iTunes U
Social bookmarks

20. Online
Historical knowledge:
a previous presentation - links to
videos, timelines, games

21. Online
ABC Education Portal

22. Apps to assist with
teaching historical
skills
Social bookmarking.
Evernote
Socrative
Google maps / earth
Wolfram Alpha
Edmodo
SCVNGR
Historypin
Broadcastr
SMART Notebook for iPad (IWB)
Subtext

23. Human Odyssey:
from the ancient to the
modern world
A teacher’s companion to the
historical overviews in the
Australian Curriculum.
Blackline masters

24. Maps

25. Narrative for teachers

26. Activities

27. Worksheets

28. Timelines

29. Senior Courses
Consultation closed Friday 20
July.
Ancient History
Modern History

30. Organisation of courses
Modern History
Unit 1 Year 11 Unit 2
Understanding the Modern World Movements for rights and recognition
in the 20th century
Unit 3 Year 12 Unit 4
The rise of modern nations The Modern World since 1945

31. Organisation of courses
Ancient History
Unit 1 Year 11 Unit 2
Investigating the Ancient World Ancient Societies
Unit 3 Year 12 Unit 4
People, power and authority The Ancient World: sites and
development

32. Further Resources
HTAV | History Teachers’ Association of Victoria
HTAA | History Teachers’ Association of Australia
ACARA | Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority
ESA | Education Services Australia

33. Contact
✉ astbury.annabel@abc.net.au
diigo: http://www.diigo.com/user/astbury