NSW Board of Studies Syllabus

In NSW public schools the K-6 Science and Technology Syllabus and support documents are the mandatory basis of this Key Learning Area (KLA). These documents describe the nature of science and technology teaching and learning and specify the educational outcomes.

The syllabus requires students to learn about and engage in:

• the processes of investigating

• the processes of designing and making

• the uses of technology (the purposeful and creative use of techniques and resources in an effort to meet perceived needs or goals.

Teaching and learning activities begin through the learning processes of Investigating, Designing and making, and Using Technology. Students can engage in their learning in a fun, hands-on way in practical problem solving situations.

The learning outcomes from the syllabus objectives are presented in three stages in the primary curriculum:

• Stage 1 (K-2)

• Stage 2 (2-4)

• Stage 3 (4-6)

The content strands of SciTech are:

• Built Environments

• Information and Communication

• Living Things

• Physical Phenomena

• Products and Services, and

• Earth and its Surroundings

These content strands contain ‘Big Ideas’ for each stage. These big ideas enable teachers to devise rich teaching and learning activities that build on students’ prior knowledge and understandings to make new learning experiences meaningful. The explicit criteria outlined in the ‘Big Ideas’ for the learning process outcomes and the content stand outcomes are useful when negotiating explicit quality criteria for tasks with students and can be used as indicators of achievement.

The learning processes in SciTech are:

• the process of investigation that people use in order to develop reliable understanding of the natural and made environments

• the process of designing and making that people use in order to satisfy their wants and needs

• the technologies people select and use, and how these technologies affect other people, the environment and the future

Skills that SciTech students are able to apply include:

• investigate natural phenomena and made environments

• design and make products, systems and environments to meet specific needs

• assess, select and use a range of technologies

Eight Values and Attitudes outcomes apply to all stages. Students engage in learning experiences that enable them to develop positive and informed values and attitudes:

• towards themselves

• towards others

• towards science and technology