ABSTRACT
The title of this chapter makes reference to an initiative of Education Queensland who launched the New Basics Trial (2000–2004) introducing three suites of Rich Tasks that covered three 3-year spans from Year One (ages 5–6) to Year Nine (ages 13–14). The Rich Tasks at the centre of the New Basics Trial were “rich in the sense of having variety, scope and depth; in requiring academic rigour; and in being multidisciplinary” (Matters, 2006, p. 18). The New Basics approach to curriculum differed from a subject-based or key-learning-areas approach and was taught in “four categories of essential practices for new times: Life pathways and social futures, Multiliteracies and communications media, Active citizenship, and Environments and technologies” (Matters, 2006, p. 19). Of the 38 schools that started the trial in 2000, after 3 years one had dropped out and another 22 had joined, indicating the increased popularity of it in schools. The tasks at the heart of the approach provided opportunities for students to engage in extended performance tasks that combined subject areas and were sensitive to local school-specific and community needs. The tasks were very specific activities that students undertook and had real-world value or were what Askew (2012) called connectivist by nature, ultimately allowing students to demonstrate their grasp and use of knowledge and ideas as well as the skills necessary to investigate and communicate. We would suggest that the tasks enabled the students to develop functional mental models that were rich in networks of related understandings.
