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 Agriculture Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus aligns with the Agriculture 11–12 Syllabus to provide opportunities for integrated delivery.
Organisation of Agriculture Life Skills 11–12
The Agriculture Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus is structured around the interrelationship of plants, animals, soils and water. The syllabus illustrates the role of practical investigations and fieldwork in the development of students’ knowledge, understanding and skills. Depth studies provide students with opportunities to deepen their understanding of course content through application of knowledge.
Figure 1 shows the organisation of Agriculture Life Skills 11–12.
Image long description: The focus areas of the syllabus are grouped into 2 columns. The left-hand column contains Agriculture in Australia, Plant production, and Animal production. The right-hand column contains Commercial food and fibre production, Opportunities and challenges for Australian agriculture, and Agricultural research. A box titled Depth studies stretches across both groups of focus areas. Surrounding all the focus areas is a line labelled ‘Practical investigations and fieldwork’.
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.