Saturday, 23 July 2016

Asia, Women and Aboriginals - that's what the new HSC is all about if you believe the @SMH

The SMH reports below that 'thousands of schools' will be impacted. YES! Everyone school in NSW teaching the BOSTES courses for the HSC will be affected by the changes. There is no need to sensationalise it with the 'thousands' impacted.


Thousands of NSW school students will have a greater focus on the environment, Asia, and the role of women and Aboriginal leaders in shaping modern Australian history under a suite of proposed electives to be introduced by the NSW Board of Studies on Thursday. (SMH)

Regardless, if you read the SMH headlines, you may start to believe that the new HSC is about an agenda push into Asia, Woman and Aboriginals. Yes, there will be increasing parts of content that relate to these ideas, but isn't that just a recognition that over the past two decades we have more trade with Asia, we have given land back to and said sorry to Aboriginals and been (hopefully) less discriminatory towards women. The curriculum documents still include reference to more traditional such as Nazi Germany.

Let's not get too concerned too quickly at this review stage where BOSTES is seeking feedback from stakeholders. Let's take time to digest the content and consider how it may be taught in schools and how it will positively or negatively impact student outcomes. Will it assist them in their life more than the current content?


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