The Asia Education Foundation has released the research report, What Works 2: Leading school change to support the development of Asia-relevant capabilities

What Works is a series of research reports produced by the Asia Education Foundation under its core funding agreement with the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Aimed primarily at teachers and school leaders, the What Works series is based on evidence-informed practice, combining up-to-date research with illustrations of practice that demonstrate ‘what works’ and ‘what is possible’ to support the development of Asia-relevant capabilities in Australian schools.

As part of the momentum for widespread Asia literacy, this new report, What Works 2: Leading school change to support the development of Asia-relevant capabilities features stories of leadership and change from Australian schools in their bid to support the development of Asia-relevant capabilities amongst young Australians.

Combining feature illustrations and video clips from three schools/clusters, additional illustrations linked to change leadership frameworks, and research around key ingredients for leading successful change, this What Works report highlights the following:

• Leaders with a strong sense of moral purpose for building Asia literacy can effect deep and sustainable change in their schools
• Leaders who provide inspirational motivation to their staff are able to enact deep and sustainable change
• That research and evidence-informed practice is vital to change leadership in both curriculum and pedagogy
• Teacher-leaders can effect change with support provided by a distributed leadership model and a professional culture that prioritises student learning as its core
• Sustainable leadership builds Asia literacy from what has happened in the past and connects this to a vision of what is desirable for the future.

Online consultation opportunity General Capabilities

The Australian Curriculum has identified a set of knowledge, skills and dispositions or general capabilities that will assist students to live and work successfully in the twenty-first century.
The Shape of the Australian Curriculum v2.0. identifies seven general capabilities to be addressed in the Australian curriculum. These are:

• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Information and communication technology competence
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social competence
• Ethical behaviour
• Intercultural understanding.

ACARA is now conducting consultation on the full set of general capabilities materials.

Overviews that describe the nature, scope and significance of each general capability are on the general capabilities section of the Australian Curriculum website at: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities.

You are able to provide feedback on these materials by registering on the ACARA site. Respondents may give feedback in two ways: 1) by completing the online survey or 2) by using the feedback button for each section of the general capabilities materials.

The consultation period will close on Sunday 7 August 2011.

Following consultation, feedback will be analysed and general capabilities materials revised prior to publication on the Australian Curriculum site in November 2011.

To view the general capabilities materials and to register for the General capabilities consultation, go to: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Consultation.

For further information, visit http://www.acara.edu.au/