How the New Mathematics Curriculum Will Impact Australian Primary Teachers

In 2010, Australia received its first ever National Curriculum for Mathematics. It lacked detail and direction and left much to interpretation. In short, teachers could essentially continue doing what they were doing and be seen to be implementing the requirements of the curriculum. The same cannot be said about the new Australian Curriculum: Mathematics (9.0) which was released, after considerable consultation in April 2022. This is a new curriculum and will undoubtedly “shock” teachers and should significantly change what and how mathematics is taught. Content that was there, has now been moved or removed, and content that was never there is now included. These changes are the result of ACARA trying to better prepare students for [1] tomorrow’s careers and [2] the society in which they live.

Almost all jobs require at least a basic level of mathematics, and most high paid jobs require very high levels of mathematics. These include topics such as statistical analysis, applied calculus which depends on algebra, logical reasoning or computational thinking which involves the creation of algorithms and a greater interplay between geometry and algebra. To address the increased need for skills in these areas of mathematics, ACARA has “beefed” up the prerequisite skills across the year levels. For example, to be successful with algebra, students in the primary grades need much more work with common fractions, and to be successful with common fractions, students need work with divisibility rules and finding common multiples and common factors. Additionally, computational thinking that leads to the creation of algorithms requires many early experiences in logical reasoning activites that involve the creation of flowcharts - among other things.

To better prepare students for today’s (or tomorrow’s) society, ACARA has well addressed the mathematics that we use in our everyday lives. Success with this subset of mathematics will enable students to become what is known as “numerate” individuals. This idea of numeracy changes as society changes. What does it mean to be a numerate individual in today’s world? Unlike the 1900s we seldom use paper-and-pencil algorithms to solve problems, relying instead on the calculators (smart phones) that we carry in our pockets. But before we reach for our phones, a numerate individual will assess the calculation and decide if they can do it mentally first. They can only do so if they have a bank of mental strategies to draw from. And regardless of the method they choose, they should review the answer and make sure it makes sense. Today, both traditional and social media platforms bombard us with various forms of statistics. A numerate individual requires skills to interpret these data and determine if they are accurate or misleading. Today’s society also offers us many more digital technologies than ever before, and digital currencies too will only become more commonplace. Numerate individuals will need to be able to navigate these options. It is worthwhile noting that to support the development of financial literacy ACARA has moved the introduction of percentages from Year 6 to Year 5, and to reiterate, included extra topics that enable students to know much more about fractions.

The new Australian curriculum will impact teachers across all year levels. We see the following significant changes in the primary school curriculum and will elaborate on these using examples in future articles.

• An increased focus on common fractions, including an earlier introduction of percentage

• The removal of traditional paper-and-pencil algorithms and increased focus on mental computation strategies

• The introduction of computational thinking involving the creation of algorithms

• A broader range of experiences with statistics.