NSW Curriculum
NSW Curriculum Framework - The Practice of Relationships
(This summary has been taken from the NSW Curriculum Framework developed by the Department of Community Services.)
The Curriculum Framework is set of principles to guide practice and to support childrens learning in early childhood services. The NSW Curriculum Framework has been developed by the Department of Community Services as a resource for childrens services in providing positive experiences for children and families. The Curriculum Framework applies to all services for all children under school age. The document is relevant to babies, toddlers and three to five year olds. It applies to children with disabilities and their families, children and families from culturally diverse backgrounds, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with the belief that although there are some additional issues to consider for these children and families, these are the main principals of good practice for all children and families. It is based on the belief that care and education are interwoven and cannot be separated, making it inappropriate to label some services or parts of the day as educational and others as care.
Outcomes for children
Professionals in childrens services work with a sense of purpose. Outcomes for children come from professionals knowledge of development, their understanding of individual children and their strengths, interests, and potential, the nature of the service in which they work and the provisions it can offer, and the wisdom and aspirations of parents and the community. What follows is a general list of qualities desired for children within this Framework. These are the qualities that support living fully and contributing in a positive way to the community. They are listed under areas of development. Obviously, the achievement of these outcomes depends on age and developmental level. The wording of the outcomes below is in most cases in terms of a process in which the child is engaged. For many of these, the process is life-long, and it would be expected of course that a child approaching five years of age will be further along in the process than a younger child.
Sense of Self
The child is developing:
An awareness of their uniqueness and what contributes to that
A sense of curiosity, desire for challenge, and joy in learning and achieving
A view of self as a competent, creative, and capable communicators
An appreciation of her or his own strengths
Feelings of belonging to and pride in their culture and their family
Broad inclusive notions rather than restrictive ones of what it means to be male or female
A view of self as powerful and effective
Growing ability to assert him or herself appropriately and at the same time appreciation of the rights of others
Confidence to ask questions and seek help
A sense of belonging to the community and contributing to it
An appreciation of what it means to be an Australian
An ability to add to and alter the picture they and others have of themselves, by taking reasonable risks, meeting new challenges, and having new experiences and relationships
Sufficient confidence and resilience to persevere in the face of obstacles and not be devastated by lack of success.
The Communicating Child
The child is developing:
The ability to seek and understand information, express opinions, convey feelings effectively
Skills to communicate freely and effectively with peers and adults in familiar situations
An increasing ability to use and understand nonverbal communication
Pleasure in playing with language through rhyming, making up words and sounds, and telling stories
Recognition and valuing of a range of kinds of literature
An appreciation of literacy and numeracy as invaluable means of making meaning in the world
Understandings and skills needed to learn to read and write.
The Thinking, Investigating, Exploring, Problem Solving Child
The child is developing:
Increasing understanding of the world and pleasure in learning and problem solving
An active approach to learning and problem solving
Skills to use other people to support their learning
Delight in self-discovery and exploration.
The Healthy, Active, Physical Child
The child is developing:
Confidence and skills in using the body
Daily living habits, understandings and skills that support health and well-being.
The Social Child
The child is developing:
Familiarity with and a sense of belonging to the larger community
Skills in interacting with adults and other children
Appreciation of others and the benefits of collaboration
The ability to function as a member of a group, including skills of negotiating, leading, following, conflict resolutions, appropriate assertiveness
Increasing empathy, caring, a sense of justice, appreciation of the worth of all people Comfort with diversity
A sense of fairness, the courage to work to eradicate injustice and racism
The capacity to control behaviour from within and to be motivated primarily by care and respect for self, others and the environment.
The Feeling Child
The child is developing:
The ability to recognise and accept their own feelings
The ability to express feelings appropriately and to judge the impact of behaviour on others
The ability to read other peoples feelings and situations.
The Creative Child
The child is developing:
The capacity to express ideas using a range of media
Understanding that some problems do not have an easy solution
Recognition that many problems have a number of good solutions
Appreciation of the individuality and diversity in approaches and solutions
Realisation that working creatively and collaboratively to find solutions is an enjoyable activity.
The Spiritual and Moral Child
The child is developing:
Respect for and enjoyment of the natural environment and living things
Appreciation of beauty in its many manifestations.
More Information
More information in regards to the NSW Curriculum Framework is available from this website:
NSW Childcare Framework
