Understanding the sample programs

The sample programs are designed to be adopted and adapted for school contexts and student learning needs:

• Teachers should use professional judgement when making these decisions.
• Teachers should refine the programs, and assessment supports in response to any adjustments made.
• The programs and resources should be used with timeframes that are created by the teacher and the school to reflect contextual needs, such as assessment timelines.

Note – where staff cannot adapt or modify sample programs, consider the use of alternatives that:

• have a strong evidence base
• are better matched to local-level curriculum requirements
• are more effective in meeting student needs.

The structure of the programs

Each sample program has been designed using the following structure:

• Title – indicates focus area, stage, year, type of document and the name of the program.
• Contents – a key reference page to support navigation.
• About the resource – outlines the purpose of the program, suggested use and duration.
• Program overview – provides an overview of the guiding and conceptual programming questions, the assessment, the syllabus outcomes, prior and future learning, and pre-reading for teachers.
• Core texts – core texts are provided or suggested for all programs.
  • The core texts are supported by outlines of how they address the text requirements.
  • A brief overview of the texts is provided in the core texts booklet.
• Phases approach to conceptual programming 11–12 – the programs are organised into phases and sequences.
  • Within each phase, notes provide additional information to support the teaching of the program.
  • Blue teacher notes provide useful additional information for teachers using the sample materials – they are particularly supportive of early career and out-of-field teachers.
  • Pink literacy notes identify ways to provide enhanced literacy support.
  • Grey differentiation notes suggest additional resources and ideas
• Support and alignment – the programs are aligned to system priorities, the Australian Professional Teaching Standards.
• A brief overview of the creation and consultation process.
• Resources and activities – teaching and learning is supported by teacher reference material and student activities.
  • These are provided in the resources and activities booklet.
• References – provide links to
  • third-party material
  • websites
  • further reading
  • the evidence base informing the program.

The text in the image above reads:

Teacher note: the blue feature boxes include instructions for the classroom teacher engaging with this program. They provide suggestions for how content could be delivered and links to additional resources.

Literacy note: the pink feature boxes include information about explicit and targeted literacy instruction. These contain links to department resources to support teachers and students in developing key literacy skills within the context of the teaching and learning activities.

Differentiation note and/or Life Skills note: the grey feature boxes include suggestions and strategies to support differentiation and/or adjustments for a diversity of learners.

Opportunities for adaptation and collaboration

The following is an outline of some of the ways the sample teaching and learning programs can be used. Teachers can:

• use the teaching and learning program as a model and make modifications based on contextual needs
• use the materials during faculty meetings and planning days and refine them based on faculty or school goals
• plan opportunities for
  • team teaching
  • collaborative resource development
  • mentoring
  • lesson observation
  • sharing of student samples
• use the samples to backward map Years 12–7 and carefully plan knowledge and skill development.

Professional learning

This section has links to professional learning courses and resources that support the teaching of these programs.