TOWARDS A NATIONAL SENIOR PHYSICS CURRICULUM

1. TOWARDS A NATIONAL SENIOR PHYSICS CURRICULUM Dr Mark Butler Gosford High School mark.butler20@det.nsw.edu.au

2. Background • 1989 all Education Ministers issued a set of common goals for schooling in Australia (Hobart Declaration) • 2004 ACER contracted by Federal Government to investigate the feasibility of a National Education Qualification (Project director: Prof Geoff Masters) • 2005 ACER Report - National Certificate of Education: exploring a way forward. (www.dest.gov.au/...education/.../australian_certificate_education.htm) • 2006 ACER contracted by Federal Government to complete a Comparative Study of Selected Subjects for the Year 12 Certificate (Project Director: Prof Gabrielle Matters) • 2008 National Curriculum Board Formed (precursor of ACARA).

3. ACARA is responsible for… • A national curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 12 in specified learning areas. • A national assessment program aligned to the national curriculum that measures students’ progress. • A national data collection and reporting program that supports: • analysis, evaluation, research and resource allocation; and • accountability and reporting on schools and broader national achievement. • A national Baccalaureate??

4. ACARA Curriculum Development • Phase 1: development of the national curriculum K-12 by 2010 for • English • Mathematics • Sciences • History • Phase 2: development of the curriculum for • Languages • Geography • The Arts • Phase 3:TBA - design and technology, health and physical education, ICT, economics, business and civics and citizenship.

5. Time line for stage 1 • Framing paper Dec 2008 • Public consultation and submissions • Shaping Paper May 2009 • Draft Science Curriculum March 2010 • Further public consultation • K-10 Science completed Dec 2010 • Senior sciences completed (June 2012?) • Substantial implementation of K-10 by 2113

6. Development of the science curriculum • The curriculum in years (not stages) and will contain key content and skills to be achieved in each year of schooling • The different years that students begin various stages of schooling in different states will present a challenge. • Writing teams and advisory panels were formed for each of the ‘core’ subjects. • In science, the use of contexts, the importance of conceptual development and the inclusion of contemporary science will presented significant challenges for the writers and advisory panels. • Senior science courses in Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Environmental Science to be developed without optional/elective units.

7. The Big Ideas • K-2: Exploration, Observation, Order, Change, Questioning & speculation • 3-6: Patterns, Systems, Relationships, Evidence & explanations • 7-10: Sustainability, Equilibrium & interdependence, Form & function, Energy, Evidence models & theories

8. Junior and Senior Science Curricula Organised into 3 Strands: • Science Inquiry Skills • Science and Human Endeavour • Science Understanding

9. Science Years 7 – 10 Science inquiry skills • formulate scientific questions or hypotheses for testing • design and conduct science investigations involving measurement and repeated trials • gather and organise data from a variety of sources • analyse and test models and theories based on the evidence available • explain and summarise patterns in data using science concepts.

10. Science Inquiry Skills • Questioning and predicting • Planning and conducting • Processing information • Reflecting and evaluating • Communicating

11. Science Years 7 – 10 Science as a human endeavour • be aware of contemporary issues such as water and its management, climate change, stem cell research, nanotechnology, gene technology • apply scientific understandings to make responsible, ethical and informed decisions about issues • be aware of the nature of science and research of Australian scientists • appreciate that science provides rewarding careers • appreciate the diversity of people who have contributed to, and shaped the development of, science.

12. Science as a Human Edeavour • Nature and development of science • Application of science • Science and contemporary issues

13. Science Years 7 – 10 Science understanding Physics and chemistry • • nature of matter, including particle theory • • forms of energy, energy transfer and storage • • forces and motion • • acids and bases • • metals and non-metals • • elements, compounds and chemical reactions. Biology • cells and living things • the human body • Ecosystems • theory of evolution and the diversity of living things. Earth science • structure of the earth and geological history • plate tectonics and geological phenomena • stars, galaxies and the universe.

14. Science Understanding • Biological sciences • Chemical sciences • Earth and space sciences • Physical sciences

15. Some Implementation Issues In schools by 2011 but timing of implementation to be left to the jurisdictions (Substantial implementation by 2013) While the curriculum must be written around ‘indicative hours’, time allocation will be left to the jurisdictions () Accreditation to remain in the hands of the current state and territory Boards of Studies (ie. SC, HSC, VCE, QCE, etc. and related testing and assessment procedures to remain) Australian Baccalaureate??

16. Science Years 11 – 12 Senior Course, also organised by the three strands will be developed in: • Biology • Chemistry • Physics • Earth and Environmental Science

17. Senior Physics Curriculum • Three strands (SHE,SIS,SU) • Organised in two years with two units in each year • No options • Independent student research projects • Indicative hours() • Consultation draft released March 2010 • Public consultation and stake holder meeting held • Too much content, too little integration between strands, concern about independent research, too little contemporary science, some things missing (thermodynamics, co-planer forces) • All senior science put ‘on hold’ since June so ACARA could concentrate on the K-10

18. Senior Physics Curriculum: Questions • How can we provide an accessible physics course for students who will not continue to study and one that prepares students for tertiary studies in science? • What should we frame the rationale? • What fundamental physics laws and theories should be in the curriculum? • Should topics such as relativity and wave particle duality be included? • What contemporary physics should be in the curriculum? • Given that we have to provide year based, semester courses how can we develop topics sequentially? • How can we insure an inquiry approach?