Curriculum flows and fens: Drowning out social education in formal curricula in Australia?

This paper examines the marginalisation of Social Education (SE) as espoused in curriculum policy in Australia, and the potential impact on pedagogy and practice at both a pre-service and in-service teacher level. In doing so, it contributes to a critical dialogue about the purpose, nature and future of SE in Australian school education, by examining the policy "flows and fens" teachers must navigate to interpret and enact SE through the lens of the Australian Curriculum. The increasing verticalisation of curriculum as evidenced by the recommendations of the recent Review of Australian Curriculum (2014) is problematised and the possible and preferable futures of SE are subsequently discussed.