Communication
Introduction
Communication is central to the capacity to construct meaning and to convey information and understanding to others in a range of ways and in a variety of settings. Successful communication requires students to be familiar with the forms, language and conventions used in different contexts and employ them to communicate effectively.
The Communication domain focuses on developing students who communicate clearly and confidently in a range of contexts both within and beyond school. It aims to assist students to develop awareness that language and discourse differ across the curriculum and that there is a need to learn literacies involved in each subject they undertake. To communicate successfully, students need to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours that empower them to respond to, make meaning of, and deconstruct a range of communication forms. They also need to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours to effectively present information, ideas and opinions in a range of forms, including verbal, written, graphic, multimedia and performance, appropriate to their context, purpose and audience.
Structure of the domain
The Communication domain is organised into six sections, one for each level of achievement from Levels 1 to 6. Each level includes a learning focus statement and, from Level 4, a set of standards organised by dimension.
Learning focus
Learning focus statements are written for each level. These outline the learning that students need to focus on if they are to progress in the domain and achieve the standards at the levels where they apply. They suggest appropriate learning experiences from which teachers can draw to develop relevant teaching and learning activities.
Standards
Standards define what students should know and be able to do at different levels and are written for each dimension. In Communication, standards for assessing and reporting on student achievement apply from Level 4.
Dimensions
Standards in the Communication domain are organised in two dimensions:
- Listening, viewing and responding
- Presenting.
Listening, viewing and responding
Effective communication demands that students develop the ability to listen, view and respond to communication forms with respect to content and context. The Listening, viewing and responding dimension focuses on developing student understanding of communication conventions, strategies to assist them to make meaning of communication forms and the ability to deconstruct and respond to a diversity of forms. This involves developing familiarity with forms, language and conventions used in different contexts across the curriculum.
Presenting
The ability to present information and learning in a coherent and appropriate manner is critical for all learners. The Presenting dimension involves students gaining the knowledge, skills and behaviours to understand context, purpose and audience; select and use appropriate structure and organisation to convey meaning; and reflect on the style and content of the presentations they make.
Stages of learning
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.curriculum.edu.au/mceetya/the_statements_of_learning,11893.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.
Pathways to VCE, VCE VET and VCAL
The post-compulsory years
As students approach the end of the compulsory years of schooling they begin to make choices about their preferred areas of and pathways for learning. Students choose studies from the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or recognised vocational training through either a Vocational Education Training (VET) program or the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).
In the post-compulsory years effective communication skills are essential for success in all curriculum areas. The compulsory requirement for English studies in the VCE, and the Literacy Skills Units in VCAL, ensure that students continue to strengthen their communication skills.
Students in the post-compulsory years extend their competence in communicating in many different social and academic contexts, ranging from the personal and informal to more public occasions. They develop communicative capacities adequate for meeting the demands of post-school employment, further education and effective participation in society.
Students further develop their critical understanding and control of language forms and structures. They communicate ideas, issues and information effectively to a range of audiences in written, visual and oral texts in print and digital formats. They use language both to develop ideas and understanding, and convey ideas and information to others. They present information and ideas, and justify points of view coherently, logically and thoughtfully.
As active, critically aware citizens, students participate confidently in debate and discussion of ideas of social importance, demonstrating critical understanding of the effectiveness of their own communication and the communication of others.
Students interpret and make effective use of the specialist languages of diverse texts, including texts relevant to academic disciplines and to workplace situations. At this stage, students benefit from explicit teaching of terminology and specific vocabulary; symbolic codes and other representational forms; relationships between everyday language and discipline-specific terminology; the language of the processes of disciplines, such as scientific processes; and the actual reading, writing and oral communication demands of specific disciplines.
Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) studies
Effective communication is essential for success in all VCE studies. VCE eligibility includes the compulsory requirement that students complete three units from the English group of studies, with at least one unit at Unit 3 and Unit 4 levels. This requirement reflects the importance of the continuing development of strong literacy skills in the post-compulsory years.
In all VCE studies students use the various literacy modes of reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing and critical thinking in a wide range of contexts, for many different purposes and audiences. Their experience in developing effective communication in all domains of theVELS provides a strong foundation for the formal and informal communication demands of the post-compulsory years.
Communication in VCE studies varies according to the kinds of disciplinary practices and forms of knowledge in the different studies. Students’ experiences of the specialised languages of different learning areas in Years P–10 enable them to deal with the curriculum literacies in VCE studies. The communication demands of the post-compulsory curriculum vary across studies and within studies. At this level, students need explicit teaching of the specialised language and communicative forms of specific studies.
Vocational Education and Training (VET)
The VCE includes a wide range of VET programs, which include training in language skills relevant to particular industries and workplace contexts. Students develop further knowledge of workplace texts and apply this knowledge in the context of activities such as working in teams, job seeking, preparing of documents, reporting, and presenting information in the workplace.
Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL)
The VCAL has four compulsory strands, one of which is Literacy and Numeracy Skills, emphasising the value it places on effective communication. As part of the VCAL learning program, students must include literacy and numeracy subjects such as VCE English and Mathematics studies, or other accredited studies such as literacy and numeracy modules from the Certificate in General Education for Adults.
VCAL Literacy Skills Units provide opportunities for students to develop literacy skills and knowledge in four main social contexts: family and social life; workplace and institutional settings; education and training contexts; community and civic life. Literacy is integral to all these social contexts. The VCAL Literacy Skills Units are framed around two broad domains: Reading and writing, and Oral communication, which correspond directly with the two dimensions of Communication and the three dimensions of English.
More information about VCE (www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce)
More information about VET (www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vet)
More information about VCAL (www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vcal)
Downloads
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Communication booklet (
PDF - 222KB)
This booklet includes an introduction to this domain, a description of the structure of the domain, and the learning focus statements and standards at each level.
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Communication standards table (Doc - 38KB)
This document provides the standards in this domain in table format to enable quick teacher reference. It includes descriptions of the dimensions and the standards from Levels 1 to 6. It does not include learning focus statements.
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Victorian Essential Learning Standards by Level
Level 1 ( PDF - 702KB)
Level 2 ( PDF - 591KB)
Level 3 ( PDF - 649KB)
Level 4 ( PDF - 751KB)
Level 5 ( PDF - 755KB)
Level 6 ( PDF - 788KB)
These booklets include the information for every domain at the relevant level. Each level publication includes:- the relevant stage of learning statement
- the relevant level statement
- introductions to each of the three strands
- introductions to every domain
- learning focus statements and standards for every domain.
