Supporting Implementation of Digital Technologies: Progress report – Data Point 2 – Focus on curriculum and pedagogy and learning outcomes

Existing research suggests curricular change in disadvantaged schools requires additional support and context sensitive approaches to teacher professional learning to support curriculum implementation. This research investigates the impacts of a national curriculum implementation project designed to support Australia’s most disadvantaged schools to implement the Digital Technologies (DT) curriciulum, with a particular focus on schools located in poorer urban postcodes and on regional and Indigenous schools. The implementation project—Digital Technologies in Focus (DTIF)—was funded by the Federal govement and led by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). This output reports findings of the early stages of an external evaluation commissioned by ACARA and published on their website.
A case study design focused on six schools selected to maximise diversity (state, sector and location). This report provides an account of relevant contextual factors at each school and teachers’ and principals’ early engagements in DTIF. The analysis provides insights into school-specific challenges and factors supporting success. Results identify that the schools’ initial attention and work focused on building basic resources (that were inadequate due to long term underfunding) and building teachers fundamental DT skills. Results emphasis the importance of flexibility and responsiveness to local needs, with face-to-face support from curriculum experts identified as particularly effective. The research findings contribute to understandings about challenges to implementing DT curriculum in disadvantaged Australian schools and factors promoting success in the early stages of curriculum implementation and school-wide change.