‘It’s not something that I think I have seen in my own children’: New SA curriculum to boost interest in reading
The state government has unveiled an updated curriculum that will focus on life skills and building student’s love for literacy. Find out when it will start at your school.
Education
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The state government has announced a new curriculum that will aim to increase student’s passion for reading and literacy from term one next year.
Education Minister Blair Boyer revealed the updated curriculum on Thursday, which will include a literacy subject focused on “giving kids the passion and inspiration to be readers outside of school”.
“It was something that I loved growing up and at every available opportunity I was reading a book,” Mr Boyer said.
“It’s not something that I think I have seen in my own children and I know that many other parents in South Australia – and around Australia – probably struggle with that as well.
“There are lots of competing interests now around screens and devices and all sorts of other things, which can make that harder.”
The public school curriculum will also introduce new languages, arts and maths subjects, which will all have a specific goal of teaching children valuable “life skills”.
“We’re leading the nation with a focus on maths improvement – and that means making sure students have the numeracy and financial literacy skills for everyday life,” Mr Boyer said.
The updates to the arts and languages curriculum will aim to teach students about the world around them by encouraging creativity, respect, confidence and empathy.
Education Department chief executive Martin Westwell said the new curriculum was a “significant step” and would enable students to “apply their learning to real-world situations”.
“The emphasis needs to shift from the passive reproduction of processes and facts to capabilities – both general and subject-specific – conceptual understanding, deep thinking and the ability to apply knowledge across various situations,” Professor Westwell said.
Mr Boyer said the changes respond to student, teacher and industry feedback.
“This curriculum brings together what we want students to know, what they need to be able to do, and who we want them to be,” he said.
The curriculum updates come alongside a $12 million grant provided by the state government to two leading South Australian arts organisations, Carclew and Patch Theatre.
“South Australia is unique with organisations like Carclew and Path – and we’re proud to be providing them the funding they need to deliver outstanding outcomes for children and young people across the state,” Mr Boyer said.
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