Special edition: Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education

Abstract

Welcome to this special edition of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport & Physical Education. As readers across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond will be very aware, the development of national curriculum texts will inevitably be characterized by both opportunities and challenges. Such developments also serve to bring to the fore the need for professional engagement with official curriculum development. This collection reflects that need and that this is an exciting time for Health and Physical Education in Australia, amidst the progressive development of the Australian Curriculum. In total there are seven papers within this issue that each represent a contribution to the academic discourses that are currently featuring within the Health and Physical Education community in Australia. The diversity of the articles appropriately reflects the vibrant and plural research community of scholars in Health and Physical Education in Australia. Importantly, they raise issues pertinent to development and debates in Health and Physical Education internationally. Whilst it is likely that papers will be read individually, we sense that some may choose to read this edition from cover to cover, like a book. Whichever way you choose to engage with this material, we trust that it offers some engaging insights into the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education and prompts discussion amongst academics and professionals throughout the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Leading off this special edition is Professor Doune Macdonald’s paper. This is important for two reasons: firstly, it is the written and documented form of the scholarly lecture that Doune presented at the University of Melbourne in 2012 as the 3rd Biennial Fritz Duras Scholar lecture; secondly, her paper provides readers with a rich context and background of the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education curriculum development process. As such, it is a valuable entrée for the papers that follow. Macdonald asks the question ‘Is the new Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education a case of/for gradualism in curriculum reform?’ Drawing from a diverse range of literature sources, whilst positioning herself as an insider (as Lead Writer) to curriculum development, Macdonald explores important perspectives of various curriculum reform processes before presenting a rationale for a futuresoriented curriculum document underpinned by sound philosophical propositions. Underpinning the next five papers are the five propositions (strengths-based approaches, focusing in on educative outcomes, health literacy, valuing in through and about movement, critical inquiry approaches), which were identified as ‘shaping’ the draft curriculum document (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education, 2013 Vol. 4, No. 2, 91 93, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/18377122.2013.801103