'Death by a thousand cuts': a History of the Tasmanian Essential Learnings Curriculum: 2000-06 by Grant William Rodwell BA (Hons) (Tas.), MEd (Tas.), PhD (Tas.), PhD (N'castle) Submitted in fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Tasmania December 2009 ,.t' DECLARATION This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for a degree or diploma by this university, or any other institution, except by way of background information, and duly acknowledged in the thesis, and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due acknowledgement is made in the text of the thesis, nor does it contain any material that infringes copyright. Grant William Rodwell 11 APPROVAL TO COPY This thesis may be made available for loans and limited copymg m accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. Grant William Rodwell 111 CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements v Abstract vii Acronyms and Abbreviations ix A Note on Nomenclatures xi Introduction 1 Chapter One A Short History ofELs 14 Chapter Two The Parameters of the Study and a Select Literature Review of the Theory Underpinning the Research Methodology 52 Chapter Three A Select History of Tasmanian Curriculum Change; the Emergence of Outcome-Based Education 81 Chapter Four The Politicisation of the Tasmanian Department of Education 109 Chapter Five Competing Theories: Dissemination of Educational Changes: Lenses for Analysis 128 Chapter Six International and National Perspective on Essential Learnings Curricula 154 Chapter Seven The Key Stakeholders 169 Chapter Eight The Tasmanian Department of Education 178 Chapter Nine The Private Education Sector 206 Chapter Ten Academics and Researchers 213 Chapter Eleven Principals and Teachers 223 Chapter Twelve The Australian Education Union 239 Chapter Thirteen Parents and Employers 252 Chapter Fourteen The Federal Government Versus The Tasmanian Department of Education 272 Chapter Fifteen The Educational and Political Aftermath 285 General Conclusions 299 Appendices 311 References 331 IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My special thanks are due to my supervisor, Professor John Williamson, and my co-supervisor, Dr Robert Andrew, both of who provided wise and gentle guidance, reflecting an understanding of my work on a third PhD thesis. Professor Williamson continues to offer a highly consistent, knowledgeable and professional level of advice for the researching and writing of a PhD thesis. My thanks are due also to a team of librarians in a vast number of libraries around Australia, but particularly to the staff at the Launceston Campus of the University of Tasmania. I especially would like to thank the many people who consented to be interviewed in order for me to add greater depth of understanding for my thesis. People from Tasmanian society-at-large, schools and colleges, both government and non-government, and academics, who had a stake in ELs, were most forthcoming in agreeing to participate in interviews. In the case of teachers and principals from government schools, this was done outside of school hours and outside of the school itself. I would also like to thank the many other people who contacted me with advice on details of the ELs years. During the early stages of this thesis, I was also blessed with the wise counsel and practical assistance from Dr Tammy Jones, Dr Christine Gardner and Dr Ivan Webb, who shared office space with me. v I also especially would to thank Ms Penny Anderson from the Faculty of Education, University of Tasmania, who with great erudition read the thesis for accuracy in factual detail. Of course, I accept final responsibility for this. Finally, my deep appreciation and thanks go to my wife, Julie, who has shared the trials and tribulations of five postgraduate theses, including a third PhD with me and who, as usual, has been most supportive during the writing of this thesis. Vl ABSTRACT In 2000, Paula Wriedt, the Tasmanian Minister for Education, gave instructions for her department to begin the development of a K-10 statewide curriculum, soon to become known as the Essential Learnings Framework, or simply, ELs. The curriculum was an integrated one, doing away with traditional subjects, or disciplines, such as mathematics, science, English and history, and replacing these with an integrated, enquiry-based curriculum underpinned by constructivist pedagogy. This was the first attempt in Tasmania at a statewide K-10 curriculum, and the first attempt at major system-wide curriculum change for nearly twenty years. Tasmanian Labor had been returned to power following a landslide win in the 1998 election. Following a process of massive statewide community consultation, the Bacon Government established Tasmania Together, a social, cultural and economic program intended to be the keystone of Tasmania's future over the following decades. ELs was the educational component of Tasmania Together. At no time in the history of Tasmanian education had a minister for education played such a prominent role in state curriculum policy. During 2005 and early 2006, sections of the Tasmanian public began to express concerns about the educational value of ELs, as problems with its implementation brought an intensifying focus on the curriculum. These concerns came to a head in the March 2006 state election when Wriedt was returned with a drastically reduced vote in her electorate of Franklin. Premier Lennon 'stripped' her of the Education portfolio, and soon after, the Vll new Minister for Education, David Bartlett began the development of his Tasmanian Curriculum, formally signalling the end ofELs. This thesis argues ELs was essentially a political act. It was born through the quest for the maintenance of political power; its eventual demise was through the democratically expressed will of the people. This thesis attempts to uncover and describe its history and the essential causes of its demise. Using social conflict paradigm of historical analysis as a research methodology, and through a thematic approach, this thesis attempts to unravel the multiple nuances within the history of ELs. A central aspect of social conflict historical analysis is that concepts, such as 'progress' and 'advancement', are conceived of as being problematic terms to use in historical analysis. This analysis is concerned with the political, educational and social conflicts and compromises underpinning the history of ELs, especially with describing and analysing the educational and socio-political forces that brought an end to the curriculum. For system-wide curriculum developers and educational authorities, and students of curriculum change, there are many lessons to be learnt from the history of ELs. In 2000, following the decades of inactivity in curriculum development and implementation, when Tasmania embarked on this ambitious program there were many challenges facing the successful implementation of ELs. This thesis attempts to unravel some of these challenges, while at the same time recording some of the successes of the ELs program. vm ACRONYMS and ABBREVIATIONS AARE Australian Association for Research in Education AART Australian Association of Reading Teachers ACER Australian Council for Educational Research ACT Australian Capital Territory ADB Australian Dictionary of Biography AEC Australian Education Council AEU Australian Education Union ALP Australian Labor Party APS Australian Public Service ARC Australian Research Council ARF Assessment and Reporting Framework cc Curriculum Corporation CEO Catholic Education Office CEO Chief Executive Officer COAG Council of Australian Governments COPE Committee on Primary Education DETYA Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs DoE Deparlrnenl of Education ELs Essential Learnings HOG Heads of Government ICT Information and Communication Technology KLA Key Learning Areas MHA Member of the House of Assembly MHR Member of the House of Representatives MLC Member of the Legislative Council NSW New South Wales NT Northern Territory IX OBE Outcome-based Education SA South Australia SARIS Student Assessment and Reporting Information System SOSE Study of Society in Education TASSP&F Tasmanian Association of State School Parents and Friends TCCI Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry TEND Tasmanian Education: The Next Decade TESA Total Employment Services Australia WA Western Australia x A NOTE ON NOMENCLATURES The particular Tasmanian Government organization that has been responsible for the provision of schooling and at various times a wider responsibility for public education has had several name changes during the period under consideration in this thesis, depending on the Minister's responsibility. For example, it has been called the Department of Education, the Department of Education and the Arts, and the Department of Education, Community and Cultural Development. For the sake of simplicity, this thesis shall refer to it as the Department of Education. Xl INTRODUCTION For twenty years the author of this thesis was a teacher and primary school principal with the Tasmanian Department of Education, leaving in 1987. The only involvement the author had with statewide curriculum development in the Tasmanian Department of Education was as a primary science consultant during the early 1970s. During the early 1980s he was an enthusiastic advocate of the Tasmanian COPE Curriculum (described below). In 1988, the author was awarded a PhD, with a thesis dealing with the influences of progressivism on the