Health and Physical Education – Cross-curriculum priorities

Cross-curriculum priorities support the Australian Curriculum to be a relevant, contemporary and engaging curriculum that reflects national, regional and global contexts. Cross-curriculum priorities are incorporated through learning area content; they are not separate learning areas or subjects. They provide opportunities to enrich the content of the learning areas, where most appropriate and authentic, allowing students to engage with and better understand their world.

Opportunities to apply cross-curriculum priorities to learning area content vary. All 3 cross-curriculum priorities are of relevance and meaning to the Health and Physical Education curriculum. These cross-curriculum priorities are identified in content elaborations where they can offer opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning in Health and Physical Education.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culture

In Health and Physical Education, students can explore the roles identity and connection play in the health and wellbeing of the oldest continuous living cultures in the world. Students have opportunities to investigate the lived experiences of First Nations Australians and their impact on identities, connection to Country/Place, and the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. Students gain insights into the impact systemic racism and discrimination have had on Australian First Nations Peoples. They can investigate strategies that promote truth-telling and build cultural awareness to develop empathy and respectful relationships.

Students appreciate how family and kinship structures maintain and promote health, safety, relationships and wellbeing within First Nations Australian communities. They can learn how the sharing of cultural knowledge is aligned to ceremonies and roles within their communities. Students explore how First Nations Australians have long successfully developed complete diets that meet nutritional requirements. They see how foods were and continue to be used for medicinal purposes. Students also investigate the origins, purpose and history of traditional and contemporary First Nations Australian games. There are also opportunities for them to explore the significant contributions First Nations Australians have made to the health and sporting fields.

Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia

In Health and Physical Education, the priority of Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia provides opportunities for students to engage with diverse cultures, traditions and belief systems of the Asia region. They develop empathy, respect and interpersonal skills that reflect cultural understanding. Students can examine the diversity of cultural beliefs, practices and experiences across the cultures of the Asia region. They are able to explore the influence these have on identities, interactions and relationships.

Sustainability

In Health and Physical Education, students explore how they can interact with natural and outdoor settings, and with people in their social networks and wider communities. They consider the role of these connections in supporting the wellbeing of individuals and the community now and into the future. Students develop their world view by exploring diversity, social justice and consumerism as they relate to the promotion and maintenance of health and wellbeing. Through movement experiences, students participate in physical activity in a range of settings, including natural and outdoor settings. They appreciate the interdependence of the wellbeing of people and the environments they live within.