Iamge Credit: Bill Lucas Research gate
The Australian Curriculum displays 3 key areas:
8 learning areas
7 General Capabilities and
3 cross curriculum priorities (ACARA, 2010)
The general capabilities are address across all learning areas and aim to develop 21st century skills. Teachers are expected to assess general capabilities alongside their content area.
Students use literacy to:
Comprehend the language used to communicate and connect respectfully with others, communicate their own health concerns and access services and products related to their health
Develop skills to be critical of health advice, knowledge and influences
Become familiar with all aspects of physical activity involvement and gain an understanding of the language used to describe and analyse movement and movement sciences
Comprehend and compose texts related to the HPE Australian curriculum through communicating effectively to difference audiences, expressing their own ideas and evaluating other’s view points.
Students use numeracy to:
Use calculation, estimation and measurement to collect and make sense of information related to nutrition, fitness, navigation in the outdoors or various skill performances.
Use spatial reasoning in movement activities and in developing concepts and strategies for individual and team sports or recreational pursuits.
Interpret and analyse health and physical activity information using statistical reasoning, identifying patterns and relationships in data to consider trends, draw conclusions, make predictions and inform health behaviour and practices.
Students use ethical understanding to:
Learn to focus on the importance of treating others with respect, integrity, fairness and compassion, and valuing diversity and equality for all.
Examine ethical principles and codes of practice appropriate to different contexts, such as at school, at home, in the community, in relationships, on the sporting field, in the natural environment and when using digital technologies such as social media.
Explore concepts and consequences of fair play, equitable participation, empathy and respect in relationships, they develop skills to make ethical decisions and understand the consequences of their actions.
Develop the capacity to apply these skills in everyday situations and movement-based contexts.
Students use ICT to:
Effectively and safely access online health and physical activity information and services to manage their own health and wellbeing.
Develop their understanding of the role ICT plays in the lives and relationships of children and young people.
Explore the nature of ICT and the implications for establishing and managing relationships in the twenty-first century.
Develop an understanding of ethical online behaviour, including protocols and practices for using ICT for respectful communication.
Use ICT for Communicating, collaborating, creating content, seeking help, accessing information and analysing performance in the health and physical education field.
Become confident and critical consumers of a multitude of wellbeing apps that can assist them to seek help, relax, be mindful, report bullying, and so on.
Use a range of ICT to analyse, measure and enhance movement performances and to access and critically evaluate health information, products and services.
Develop personalised plans for nutrition, physical activity participation and wellbeing
Students use Critical and Creative thinking to:
Develop their ability to think logically, critically and creatively in response to a range of health and physical education issues, ideas and challenges.
Learn how to critically evaluate evidence related to the learning area and the broad range of associated media and other messages to creatively generate and explore original alternatives and possibilities.
Pose questions and seek solutions to health issues by exploring and designing appropriate strategies to promote and advocate personal, social and community health and wellbeing.
Examine their own beliefs and challenge societal factors that negatively influence their own and others’ identity, health and wellbeing.
The Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education also provides learning opportunities that support creative thinking through dance making, games creation and technique refinement. Students develop understanding of the processes associated with creating movement and reflect on their body’s responses and their feelings about these movement experiences. Including a critical inquiry approach is one of the five propositions that have shaped the HPE curriculum.
Students use personal and social capacity to:
Work independently and collaboratively in movement- and non–movement-based activities to develop personal and social skills as well as an awareness and appreciation of their own and others’ strengths and abilities.
Develop a range of interpersonal skills such as communication, negotiation, teamwork and leadership, and an appreciation of diverse perspectives.
Explore their own identities and develop an understanding of factors that influence and shape who they are.
Learn how to recognise, understand, validate and respond appropriately to their own and others’ emotions, strengths and values.
develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to set and monitor personal and academic goals, effectively manage their time, and prioritise tasks and responsibilities to balance their school, home, work and social commitments.
Taking a strengths-based approach is one of five propositions that have shaped the entire health and physical education curriculum.
Intercultural understanding allows students to :
Develop intercultural understanding as they learn about the similarities and differences among individuals and groups and explore how these are celebrated and respected in local, national and global contexts.
Learn about their own heritage and cultural identities, explore strategies to demonstrate respect, value diversity and show empathy.
Describe how these strategies can positively influence relationships.
Have opportunities to explore different points of view, promote inclusivity and investigate how respecting diversity and challenging stereotypes can influence individual and community health.
Participate in physical activities from their own and others’ cultures, and examine how involvement creates community connections and promotes intercultural understanding.
References
ACARA. (2010). General capabilities in the Australian curriculum: The arts. Australian Curriculum. https://docs.acara.edu.au/resources/Arts_-_GC_learning_area.pdf