Stages of Learning in Communication
The VELS take account of the developmental stages of learning young people experience at school. While student learning is a continuum and different students develop at different rates, they broadly progress through three stages of learning. General statements about characteristics of learners in these three stages are available at Stages of learning.
The following statements describe ways in which these characteristics relate to learning experiences and standards in each of the three stages of learning in the Communication domain.
Prep to Year 4 – Laying the foundations
When children enter school, they bring with them a great diversity of experience as communicators from the home and other settings. In Prep to Year 4, they develop understanding of communication conventions in the formal and informal contexts of the school and the classroom. Learning in all domains, from the earliest years of school, is dependent on the acquisition of effective communication, and on students’ understanding of the interactive nature of communication.
Students learn to listen attentively and without interrupting. They take turns, ask clarifying questions, paraphrase what has been said to check meaning, and build on the ideas of others. They practise the skills of being attentive listeners and viewers in pairs, in small groups and in whole-class situations.
They learn to work with a variety of aural, written and visual texts, and share their understanding of these texts with the teacher and peers. They learn how to identify key points, develop their own interpretations, and provide evidence to support these interpretations.
They communicate ideas and personal experiences in oral presentations – to individuals, groups and the whole class – and develop skills in communicating information on specified topics in all curriculum areas. They explore the use of a range of verbal and non-verbal cues and strategies to enhance and engage an audience. They develop skills in communicating ideas in a logical order.
In these years, students learn about how communicating with others varies according to different contexts, purposes and audiences, for example, in the playground and in a variety of classroom situations. They learn to present more formal presentations, such as dramatic performances.
Years 5 to 8 – Building breadth and depth
In Years 5 to 8 students consolidate and build on their knowledge and skills related to effective communication. Students strengthen their communication skills as they become more independent, flexible and self-regulatory in their learning, and participate in a variety of interactive classroom situations, both formal and informal, and including cooperative learning situations.
As the curriculum program broadens, they develop understanding of the purposes of the specialised forms and language of different domains, and practise using these forms and language appropriately in their own communication.
As they progress through this stage, students develop a wider range of strategies for listening attentively and for extracting meaning from different kinds of communication. They regularly present ideas, information and opinions for a variety of purposes, to a range of audiences, in both formal and informal settings.
In all learning areas, students respond to a wide variety of aural, written and visual media. They interpret increasingly complex information and evaluate the effectiveness of the ways in which it is presented.
Years 9 and 10 – Developing pathways
In Years 9 and 10 students communicate to meet their own learning needs and to meet the requirements of a wide range of purposes, both in and beyond school. They explore new ideas in depth, often in cooperation with their peers. They further develop their skills in communicating with others in different kinds of situations, including in informal, unstructured groups, in teams, and in problem-solving situations.
At this stage, students develop greater knowledge and understanding of the language, forms and communication conventions of different learning areas, and of a range of occupations and further education pathways. They become more fluent in making choices about the use of specialised and appropriate language to communicate complex information to different audiences and for different purposes.
Students experiment with communicating complex information in a variety of ways. They further develop skills in structuring oral and written presentations to achieve clear and coherent communication. They are able to make informed decisions about selecting resources and technologies appropriate to the format, content and mode of communication. They evaluate the effectiveness of their own and other people’s communication, and modify their own presentations to improve communications.
In all learning areas, and in various workplace and community contexts, students respond to many different kinds of aural, written and visual texts, in print and other forms. They analyse different interpretations and are able to explain and justify their own interpretations. They reflect critically on how societal conventions and ideology influence the presentation of ideas and information.
National Statements of Learning
The Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) incorporate the opportunities to learn covered in the national Statements of Learning (www.mceetya.edu.au/mceetya/statements_of_learning,22835.html). The Statements of Learning describe essential skills, knowledge, understandings and capacities that all young Australians should have the opportunity to learn by the end of Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in English, Mathematics, Science, Civics and Citizenship and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
The Statements of Learning were developed as a means of achieving greater national consistency in curriculum outcomes across the eight Australian states and territories. It was proposed that they be used by state and territory departments or curriculum authorities (their primary audience) to guide the future development of relevant curriculum documents. They were agreed to by all states and territories in August 2006.
During 2007, the VCAA prepared a detailed map to show how the Statements of Learning are addressed and incorporated in the VELS. In the majority of cases, the VELS learning focus statements incorporate the Statements of Learning. Some Statements of Learning are covered in more than one domain. In some cases, VELS learning focus statements have been elaborated to address elements of the Statements of Learning not previously specified. These elaborations are noted at the end of each learning focus statement.
