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explains the purpose of including Teacher information sheets read: “It is recommended that
teachers work through the in-service component of these materials before using the
sourcebook activities with their classes” (Department of Education, 1988a, p. 1); and “where
specific information is needed to complete an activity, teacher information, pupil information
or pupil activities sheets have been included” (Department of Education, 1988a, p. 5). By
providing Teacher information sheets, it acknowledges that primary teachers, who generally
do not specialise in a curriculum area, need support, being unreasonable to expect that they
would have deep knowledge about all topics covered in the curriculum. By providing a
summary of the research related to key topics addressed in the syllabus, teachers are able to
access background information they can use to inform their teaching. Teacher autonomy is
then encouraged by suggesting teachers to exercise their discretion in summarising the
Teacher information sheets to construct into student worksheets, through the following
statement:
Discuss with children some of the views of Aboriginal habitation of Australia as
presented in the teacher information sheets. Children should not be given copies of
the information sheets, although teachers may wish to compile a brief summary of
relevant points for pupil use (Department of Education, 1988a, p. 17, emphasis
added).
7.23.3 Narrative style of school curriculum.
Unlike the primary school Social Studies curriculum of the previous eras analysed, during the
lead up to the 1988 Bicentennial era, the curriculum lacks a similar type of vitality and storymaking,
and instead presents as very boring. Gone are the personalities of history that could
potentially really engage students and in its place is a Social Studies curriculum that is
presented as ‘factual’ and almost encyclopaedia-like that it would require high levels of
pedagogical creativity on the classroom teacher’s part to create an interesting curriculum. In
particular, for a year 5 student, national history is presented in such an unimaginative way
with a focus on civics and citizenship rather than history, that unless the teacher was either a)
an expert or had a deep interest in History or b) was aware of Social Science pedagogies, this
curriculum presents as exceptionally tiresome and boring; especially when compared with the
narrative style of the curriculum in the two previous eras analysed. In the example provided
at Source 7.95, although Sir Henry Parkes is mentioned, there is no background information
provided of this exciting statesman nor the personalities involved in the vibrant debates that
were held in the few decades leading up to Australia’s Federation in 1901. This reads more
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