How and why we got a national strategy

Australian schools are now wrestling with a new digital technologies curriculum. In this new subject, every student in Australia will learn the fundamentals of computer science, data science and coding.

The digital technologies subject adds new content to the compulsory curriculum for all students from the start of schooling through to year eight. Although the curriculum provides a framework for challenging and engaging STEM activities, a curriculum alone is not enough to ensure students build these capabilities.

The national innovation plan identifies education as the first imperative for Australia’s future economic prosperity. We need to focus on strengthening pre-service and in-service teachers, and better preparing students for post-school STEM careers. The challenge is most educators have limited knowledge and experience in the discipline.

In total, over AU$51 million has been invested in these projects federally.

It is now up to schools to embrace these opportunities and incorporate them into their strategic and operational planning. Some schools have already engaged with the projects, but many others have yet to get started.

Every state and territory other than NSW is teaching digital technologies as a subject in 2018. NSW are yet to announce a date when the new curriculum will be mandatory for all schools. However, that doesn’t mean that even NSW schools can’t start now. The existing curriculum, although limited in scope, still provides opportunities for teachers to get started. Parents and the community can demand action if they’re not satisfied with the current situation in their local primary and secondary schools.

But schools need to set aside substantial professional development time for their staff to properly develop confidence and competence. At a school level, this often comes down to politics, budget and competing demands on staff time. The government, industry and researchers have identified promoting STEM as a priority. Now we need to ensure it happens. We owe it to our students to ensure their education includes the foundations necessary to contribute positively to the modern world.

This curriculum isn’t about creating a generation of programmers. It’s about giving the Australians of the future an understanding and appreciation of how the modern world works so they can meet challenges that don’t yet exist.

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