A critical comparison of the ILA against the Australian Curriculum

Although it is described as SOSE (Study of Society and Environment) the ILA fulfils the requirements mentioned in the Australian draft curriculum for Geography. It slots neatly into one of the topics for Yrs 7 – 10 focusing on an environmental sub-strand. It also fulfils the cross-curriculum priority of sustainability that is entrenched within many aspects of learning. The Australian Curriculum achievement standards describe the extent of the understanding, knowledge and sophistication of skills that students should be able to demonstrate by the end of a particular teaching period. The “learning” that should be achieved by a Year 9 student is as follows:-

“Students determine the focus, purpose, and scale for a geographical inquiry. They frame and refine questions encompassing the perspectives of place and space and environment. They locate relevant sources, including from fieldwork. Students evaluate information sources and collection methods for reliability and representation. They process and synthesise information and data to identify order, pattern, trends, anomalies and generalisations. They form conclusions in response to their inquiry, including appraising alternatives by applying criteria and recommending a course of action. They use geographical vocabulary, concepts and geographical conventions to develop a range of geographical texts that incorporate data. Using their findings, they plan for action and devise useful individual or group strategies.” http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum_Geography.pdf

This draft ACARA document emphasises that inquiry tasks should start from the observations, questions and curiosity of students.  This important aspect of inquiry learning was evident in the ILA before students even received their task sheets. One of the first “eye opening” lessons that I taught as a fledgling teacher was witnessing the enthusiasm and dedication that young adolescents (particularly girls) would put into completing surveys about themselves. To begin an ILA with this type of survey was inspired. It certainly piqued their interest about their “ecological footprint” when they realised that another six or seven “earths” would be needed to sustain wasteful lifestyles. The observations, questions and curiosity that were revealed through to this online survey served to set the scene for the ILA.

Another achievement stand of ACARA requires that Year 9 Geography students are able to, “locate relevant sources, including from fieldwork”. Stage 4 of the ILA task sheet ensures that students rigorously explored this expectation as they were required to “ensure that your research involves the use of both primary and secondary sources of evidence”. Strategies, such as “teaching” search strategies and illustrating how to compile an on-line “survey monkey”, to assist students accomplish these requirements were carefully scaffolded and facilitated throughout the ILA by the instructional team.

The next ACARA “achievement standard” specifies that information sources and collection methods need to be evaluated for reliability and representation.  I must admit to being particularly impressed with the care and diligence taken by the instructional team to ensure that students would be able to tell which websites were reliable and valid as well as the emphasis placed on keeping track of sources in order to cite them correctly and create a suitable bibliography. This illustrates how the above standard was achieved during  “my” ILA.

During the course of the ILA data was processed and synthesised to identify order, pattern, trends, anomalies and generalisations. The students were encouraged to keep a record of their research in Stage 4 of the ILA.  This record consists of all information gathered during the inquiry, completed organisers, drafts of each section of the final product submitted electronically, reflection pro formas and a bibliography of the secondary sources used. They were told that “these items help determine how effectively you have planned, organised, conducted and reflected on your inquiry”. Students also took part in a “lesson” during which they were taught how to identify order, patterns, trends, anomalies and generalisations in statistics and graphical information by using “spiders”.  These were graphical illustrations, somewhat like mind-maps, that assisted students in locating highs, lows, trends, patterns, anomalies, causes, effects and consequences in their data. This was another way in which the ILA fulfilled the achievement standards set out by ACARA.

The students formed conclusions in response to their inquiry. These conclusions about factors that increase one’s “ecological footprint” as well as suggestions on alternative ways of living that would reduce the footprint and recommended courses of action to get friends, family and their community to reduce their “footprint” was presented in the form of a large poster (AVD). Students were then required to talk about their research and defend their conclusions during the presentation evening attended by family and friends. In so doing the ACARA achievement standard requiring the “forming of conclusions, appraising alternatives and recommending a course of action” were all accomplished.

In Stage 4 of the ILA students received a link to a “geographer’s toolkit” available in the school Masterfile. This assisted them to “use geographical vocabulary, concepts and geographical conventions to develop a range of geographical texts that incorporate data” as per the requirements specified by ACARA.

Although I did not witness any further action being taken, apart from the students exhorting family and friends to live increasingly “green” lifestyles; the potential did exist for students to communicate their findings further afield. This would certainly have “used their findings to plan for action and devise useful individual or group strategies” as recommended by ACARA.

In the Queensland Curriculum,Assessment and Reporting Framework we read that the “essential learnings” to be achieved by the end of Year 9 include, “understanding the importance of inquiry and major social and environmental ideas for investigating issues in context that range from local to global settings”.  All the hallmarks of inquiry based learning (IBL) are present in their “Ways of working”.  In this way we see that the ILA fulfilled requirement of both QCAR and ACARA.

It is gratifying to see that education about sustainability is so heavily embedded in both QCAR and ACARA.  Quite apart from ensuring the future viability of the planet, learning about sustainability also provides students with a cause to become enthusiastic about. This increases and improves information literacy skills such as developing knowledge, values and world views. This is both vital for inquiry learning, and for persuading people to contribute to more sustainable patterns of living.