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It is proposed the draft curriculum will be published mid 2006 and distributed to all schools. Following this, the project will enter a consultation phase in which the Ministry of Education will be seeking feedback until late 2006.
The draft learning area introduction has been distributed widely through social sciences networks. Further feedback will now be considered as part of the consultation process that accompanies the draft curriculum from mid-year.
This has been a lengthy collaborative process. The draft will be accompanied by key messages signalling what is different and important.
Since the project began in 2003, the social sciences community has encouraged teachers and teacher educators to participate in the redevelopment process. Student involvement was a key feature from the early stages of this process.
The essence statement and achievement objectives have evolved as a result of numerous hui and meetings and discussions during this time. For more information about the social sciences development, visit the Curriculum Project Online.
Recently, a number of individuals and organisations, both nationally and internationally, have critiqued the draft curriculum, and editors have checked for consistency across the eight learning areas.
It is proposed the draft curriculum will be published mid year and distributed to all schools. Following this, the project will enter a consultation phase in which the Ministry of Education will be seeking feedback until late this year.
The combined social sciences conference, SocCon 2005, held at Te Papa from 25–28 September 2005, provided a number of opportunities for discussion and feedback in specialist groups. The feedback is being considered in the next phase of the project. An analysis of this and the audit material will be available before the end of the year.
The emerging curriculum is currently undergoing various audits. Some of these audits are to ensure that the following future-focused themes are apparent:
Other audits are concentrating on diversity, Māori in the mainstream, ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), financial literacy, and special education.
A draft curriculum will be published in 2006 for feedback and trialling.
The Social Sciences Reference Group will meet in mid-November 2005.
New versions of the draft essence statement and achievement objectives are now available (see above).
Work has continued on the writing of the essence statement and achievement objectives. The feedback has assisted the developers to continue refining and clarifying the essence statement and achievement objectives. This is an ongoing process.
Curriculum design and development is a new process for the senior subjects. It is recognised that more time will be needed to engage teachers fully and arrive at appropriate outcomes.
A series of meetings took place at the SocCon Conference in Wellington during 25–28 September 2005.
Work has continued on the writing of the essence statement and achievement objectives. At all times members of the working party link to previous curriculum developments and feedback since May 2003, including the work that was produced at the end of February 2005. Further drafts have been produced and distributed for feedback.
The feedback has assisted the developers to continue refining and clarifying the essence statement and achievement objectives. This is an ongoing process.
Curriculum design and development is a new process for the senior subjects. It is recognised that more time will be needed to engage teachers fully and arrive at appropriate outcomes.
The Social Sciences Reference Group met on 12 August to discuss and approve the essence statement and achievement objectives for the draft New Zealand curriculum that will be available for consultation in 2006.
Work has continued on the writing of the essence statement and achievement objectives. Many people have been involved in this process since April. At all times members of the working party link to previous curriculum developments and feedback since May 2003, including the work that was produced at the end of February 2005. Further drafts have been produced and distributed for feedback.
The feedback has assisted the developers to continue refining and clarifying the essence statement and achievement objectives. This is an ongoing process.
Curriculum design and development is a new process for the senior subjects. It is recognised that more time will be needed to engage teachers fully and arrive at appropriate outcomes.
Work has continued on a revised essence statement. A structure for the achievement objectives has been developed and was progressed by small working groups for consideration on 2 June 2005.
These groups include:
A new site has been developed, Curriculum Marautanga Project Online – Social sciences, to provide information and a feedback facility for the social science community.
The Social Sciences Reference Group met on 4–5 May 2005 and agreed:
By 2 June 2005 a further draft essence statement will be written.
A structure for the achievement objectives was developed.
The reference group extended invitations to members of the social sciences community to work alongside them at the 4–5 May meeting.
The expected outcomes for the two days were to:
The Social Sciences Reference Group has representatives from the four main disciplines (social studies, history, geography, and economics), tertiary sector PPTA, NZEI, and the Electoral Commission.
A structure for the achievement objectives has been developed and is being progressed by small working groups for consideration on 2 June 2005.
These groups include:
Members of the working party who are also members of the reference group did not attend.
The reference group decided that the essence statement had moved too far from the intent of the last essence statement. The group believed that significant achievements had occurred in 2004 in assisting the social sciences community in understanding the learning area and participating in developments. To maintain the community's trust and ownership of the process and outcomes, ongoing developments must reflect outcomes from 2004.
Small focus groups of teachers and subject associations are making meaning out of the new
Social sciences essence statement, November 2004 (Word, 34 KB)
and structure. Feedback from these meetings plus what the working party developed were presented to the Social Sciences Reference Group on 24 March 2005.
The group determined that a new working party be assembled to write in conjunction with the reference group. The essence statement and achievement objectives frame must show how the:
This will occur by mid June 2005.
A paper on the relationship of the key competencies to social sciences has been commissioned by the Ministry of Education. This paper will assist in our understanding of how we integrate the key competencies into social science programmes.
A group of experienced social science educators (the working party) met in Auckland to scope out a draft structure that includes aims and achievement objectives, and to:
The group was asked to align the structure with the draft essence statement. This meant that ongoing improvements were made to it. Members of the working party have been part of the social sciences redevelopment, some since May 2003 or participated in hui in 2004 or have been involved in Ministry of Education projects.
The working party had the Ministry of Education guidelines for the writing of essence statements and achievement objectives. The documents produced by the working party included a revised essence statement, a revised framework with strands and achievement objectives, an analysis of the social sciences essence statement in relation to values, an alignment analysis of the social sciences essence statement and achievement aims and objectives, identification of the subjects that constitute this essential learning area, and a paper reflecting decisions about the name of the learning area.
These papers were distributed to focus groups and critical friends to provide feedback to assist the Social Sciences Reference Group in making decisions about the draft papers.
Published on: 13 Sep 2007
