Published works

The NSW Geography Syllabus now requires that Stage 3 students (Years 5 and 6) study a contemporary bush fire event using an Inquiry Learning approach. The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) estimates that in 2017 2,500 schools, 4,000 classroom teachers and 100,000 students will be undertaking this Unit.

The NSW RFS has supported the development of An evidence-based practice framework for children’s disaster education. The Framework is a primary guidance to the Stage 3 Geography work now being undertaken by the NSW RFS, addressing the majority of elements identified under the Framework’s 6 areas (Curriculum, Pedagogy, Assessment, Professional Development, Scaled Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation).

This is an opportunity for inter-generational change. Stage 3 students will experience disaster resilience education framed around a contemporary bush fire event.

NSW RFS volunteers and staff already undertake numerous activities with schools and students, most commonly with the delivery of key fire and bush fire safety messages with younger children.

The Geography Syllabus change has required the NSW RFS to reflect on how to support explicit educational outcomes. The NSW RFS response to the change has four key elements:

• collaborations with NSW education sector, professional associations, schools and interested teachers to develop approaches and tools that can contribute to educational values and outcomes.
• Capability development for teachers through participation in professional learning events and communications as well as supporting resources.
• a revised NSW RFS Schools webpage that has a focus on Stage 3 Geography, reflects inquiry-based learning principles, and has information pathways for teacher, students and NSW RFS Members
• skills development for NSW RFS Members to support Stage 3 students and teachers, including an RFS Members pathway on the Schools Education landing page;

This work also complements key elements of the research utilization roadmap 2016-21 for the BNHCRC Building Best Practice in Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction (CC-DRR) project. This work will help to create effective CC-DRR programs that can be sustainably implemented at scale, and that increase resilience and reduce current and future disaster risk.