Overview
Syllabus overview
Some students with intellectual disability may find Years 11–12 Life Skills outcomes and content the most appropriate option to follow in Stage 6. Before deciding that a student should undertake a course based on Life Skills outcomes and content, consideration should be given to other ways of assisting the student to engage with the outcomes of the equivalent Stage 6 course. Students with disability can access syllabus outcomes and content in a range of ways, including through a range of adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment activities. Decisions regarding curriculum options should be made in the context of collaborative curriculum planning.
Life Skills outcomes cannot be taught in combination with other outcomes from the equivalent Stage 6 course. Teachers select specific Life Skills outcomes to teach based on the needs, strengths, goals, interests and prior learning of each student. Students are required to demonstrate achievement of one or more Life Skills outcomes. Students may access or demonstrate learning in a range of ways, including using aspects of their home languages and dialects, or using their preferred communication form(s).
The Business and Economics Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus aligns with the Business Studies 11–12 Syllabus and the Economics 11–12 Syllabus to provide opportunities for integrated delivery.
Organisation of Business and Economics Life Skills 11–12
The Business and Economics Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus includes essential knowledge, understanding and skills relating to Business Studies and Economics, considering personal, local and global perspectives. The first 2 focus areas, The foundations of economics, and Jobs and the economy, develop essential knowledge and understanding of the interrelationship between economics and business. The 2 focus areas, Starting a business and Managing a business, are designed to support students to develop the knowledge and skills required to successfully launch and operate a business. Students then extend this knowledge and understanding to the 3 focus areas Businesses and the Australian economy, Economic growth and issues, and The global economy. Throughout the course, students apply their knowledge to business and economic concepts.
Figure 1 shows the organisation of Business and Economics Life Skills 11–12.
Image long description: The focus areas of the syllabus are grouped into 3 rows. The top row is titled Introduction to Business and Economics, and it contains The foundations of economics, and Jobs and the economy. The middle row is titled Business Studies, and it contains Starting a business, and Managing a business. The bottom row is titled Economics, and it contains Businesses and the Australian economy, The global economy, and Economic growth and issues. Surrounding the focus areas is a line labelled ‘Personal, local and global perspectives’ at the top, and ‘Application of knowledge to business and economic concepts’ at the bottom.
Protocols for collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
NESA is committed to working in partnership with Aboriginal Communities and supporting teachers, schools and schooling sectors to improve educational outcomes for young people.
It is important to respect appropriate ways of interacting with Aboriginal Communities and Cultural material when teachers plan, program and implement learning experiences that focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Priorities.
Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) protocols need to be followed. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ICIP protocols include Cultural Knowledges, Cultural Expression and Cultural Property and documentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ identities and lived experiences. It is important to recognise the diversity and complexity of different Cultural groups in NSW, as protocols may differ between local Aboriginal Communities.
Teachers should work in partnership with Elders, parents, Community members, Cultural Knowledge Holders, or a local, regional or state Aboriginal Education Consultative Group. It is important to respect Elders and the roles of men and women. Local Aboriginal Peoples should be invited to share their Cultural Knowledges with students and staff when engaging with Aboriginal histories and Cultural Practices.