Working Toward a Future-Resilient Technologies Curriculum

Abstract

The Australian Curriculum: Technologies has been designed in response to pressing national priorities, including food and water security, population health and wellbeing, the growth of the knowledge economy, and the continual transformation of engineering and manufacturing. These priorities underpin the inclusion of two central subjects—Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies—supported by contextual applications across the Foundation Primary year to Year 10. The curriculum is intended not only to be comprehensive but also integrative, fostering meaningful cross-disciplinary connections that provide opportunities for innovation in areas such as food and fibre production and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

This paper synthesises key elements of the Australian Curriculum: Technologies and the Digital Literacy general capability, with a particular focus on building a future-resilient curriculum. When developing these documents, international policy frameworks and research perspectives were considered, highlighting the global importance of digital literacy as a threshold capability for lifelong learning.

This paper also examines the challenges posed by declining ICT literacy in Australian students, the evolution from the ICT  capability to the Digital Literacy capability, and the conceptual pillars of Computational, Design, and Systems Thinking. Attention is given to the importance of a whole-school approach to implementation, the need for teacher professional learning, and the integration of ethical, sustainable, and futures-focussed practices. Ultimately, this paper argues that the Australian Curriculum: Technologies is central to preparing young Australians, not only for probable futures, but also to equip them to shape their own preferred futures that are sustainable, ethical, and adaptable to rapid technological change.