“That ICPA Qld lobbies the relevant bodies to ensure that the Department of Education (DoE) continues to develop, create and provide access to both digital and print format Independent Learning Materials (ILMs) for all subjects within the Version 9 Australian Curriculum to ensure equitable educational materials are provided for Distance Education students.”
Independent Learning Materials are an important resource in the Distance Education classroom for many rural, remote and travelling students. They provide the teaching resource and learning materials that align to the Australian curriculum. The recent decision by the DoE to no longer fund the development of these ILMs, and transition to Curriculum Support Materials (CSMs) is already having repercussions within the classroom, as LSODE primary students no longer having access to ILMs for English.
Without paper based (or printable digital) materials at home to work from, a student’s ability to learn the content for English is dependent on attending online lessons (or recordings directly after), and the provision of lesson materials directly from the teacher. In instances where there are connectivity / technology issues, the teacher is away with or the family may not be online due to work and travel arrangements, there is an obvious issue presented to the Home Tutor and student. The CSMs that are being developed are currently only available for Unit 2 of English, Prep-Yr 2. That is leaving a very large gap for other year levels and a lack of material support. The CSMs are still in early stages of development and are not sufficiently tested.
