The general capabilities are an important component of the Australian Curriculum. They encompass knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that, together with curriculum content in each learning area and the cross-curriculum priorities, will assist students to live and work successfully in the twenty-first century (ACARA, 2015). The general capabilities play a role in forming successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens from the young people of Australia.
There are a total of seven general capabilities:
• Literacy.
• Numeracy.
• Information and communication technology capability.
• Critical and creative thinking.
• Personal and social capability.
• Ethical understanding.
• Intercultural understanding.
The general capabilities complement the key learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework (COAG 2009) – that children have a strong sense of identity and wellbeing, are connected with and contribute to their world, are confident and involved learners and effective communicators (ACARA, 2015). They embody the knowledge, skill, behaviours, and dispositions and collectively with the cross-curriculum priorities and the content of the curriculum students will be assisted to successfully live and work within todays society.
Cross Curriculum Priorities
The Australian Curriculum is designed to meet the needs of students by delivering a relevant, contemporary, and engaging curriculum that builds on the educational goals of the Melbourne Declaration (ACARA, 2015). A total of three key areas are recognized to be addressed within the classrooms alongside the general capabilities and curriculum content; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and Sustainability. Providing students with the skills and appropriate language to understand and connect with the world locally and globally is the aim of the cross-curriculum priorities. Below are a few examples of how these cross-curriculum priorities can be incorporated in a textiles classroom.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
- Students are to research Aboriginal or Torres Straight Island art, identify colours and symbols and use this as inspiration to design a patterned fabric. myPantone is a great app to identify colour pallets.
- Have a guest speaker come in to talk about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, identify what is sacred to their culture and what is allowed to be interpreted and manipulated, identify natural dyes used by their culture and demonstrate how it is done. Let the students have a go using this great website to identify natural sources of coloured dyes.
Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
- Set a design brief to have students research Japanese Fashion and use inspiration from their search to design a westernised garment that could be sold in Australia. Tokyo Fashion is a great website that include the late Japanese fashion trends, articles, photos, brands, and fashion map that students can use to get inspiration.
- Have students create a Glogster of a Japanese fashion trend.
Sustainability
- As an assessment task have students use Op Shop clothing items to reconstruct and create a new modern garment they would wear. Have them use Pinterest to source ideas, inspiration and possibilities.
- Have students to identify sustainable materials, research them, and design an appropriate garment that they would use this material for. Students can use Photoshop to show their designs.
REFERENCES
ACARA, 2015. Australian Curriculum. [Online] Available at http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/generalcapabilities/overview/general-capabilities-in-the-australian-curriculum
ACARA, 2015. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. [Online] Available at: http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/cross_curriculum_priorities.html
ACARA, 2015. Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority. [Online] Available at: http://www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/cross_curriculum_priorities.html
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