National Curriculum

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CAP THAT! recap

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In June 2015, we launched our annual CAP THAT! campaign with a simple message: turn the captions on when watching video content in class. This year we focused on the significance of using captions to benefit even more students, including students with English as an Additional Language, those who have reading difficulties, children on the autism spectrum, as well as students who are Deaf or hearing impaired. Amongst Australian schools nationwide, this equates to over one million kids in total.

CAP THAT! captioned for learning logo


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Captions: essential for learning

This downloadable brochure is available for teachers, librarians and teachers of the Deaf to use and share, explaining how captions provide literacy, learning and accessibility benefits for all students. Available information includes:


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Including captioning for excursions

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The principles of CAP THAT! don’t have to stop at the school gate. There are options for including captioning as part of an excursion; it just requires a little research and planning beforehand.

Teacher and six primary school students standing outside a building


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How does captioning help with inclusive education?

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Inclusive education is an expectation for any student enrolled in a mainstream school, which is the case for the vast majority of Australian school students who have a disability.

Teacher and four primary school students using a laptop


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Parents support captions in the classroom

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Parents are a key ally in providing a supported captioning experience, according to Kate Kennedy from Parents of Deaf Children (PODC), the NSW-based parent organisation providing support, information and advocacy services to families of children with hearing loss.

Father and son sitting on a sofa using a laptop together

While the focus of the organisation is on supporting families, it often works with schools and classroom teachers to ensure they are aware of the needs of deaf children in the classroom.


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Captioned video and transcripts – ideal access and teaching combination

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For students with diverse learning needs, the use of captioned content in the classroom is the best way to gain access to context and information for learning experiences using media. When captions are not available, the fall-back position for teachers has often been the use of transcripts.

Student writing the word 'plant' on an interactive whiteboard, alongside the words Irrigation, gardener, farmer, water, soil and fertilising. The caption reads 'will consolidate your message.'


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Using captions to teach skills and concepts

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Access and opportunity combine with the use of captioned video in the classroom to provide necessary context, as well enduring information, after the initial learning experience passes.

Considering that captions are really just words used in a particular way to provide access and meaning, it challenges us as educators to ponder how we can use the opportunity these words provide. The written word has been used to teach concepts for thousands of years, so let’s look at words in the context of access. The use of captioned video ‘turns a light on’ to expose the hidden treasure – information – which lies within the video. Further learning for all students can be facilitated by releasing that knowledge in a variety of forms.


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Captioned Discovery Kids helps primary children learn

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Discovery Kids is Australia’s only dedicated educational channel for primary-school aged children (5-12) and a sponsor of Media Access Australia's national CAP THAT! campaign. From its launch on Foxtel in 2014, 100% of the content on Discovery Kids has been captioned.

Robert Irwin speaking with the caption "No? Well, that's where closed captioning comes in"


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Captions can help address disability education funding crisis

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New data has been released showing that Australian schools are struggling to fund the educational support needs of students with a disability. For schools looking for low-cost ways to support learning, especially for students with a hearing impairment, using captions on classroom videos offers essential access to the curriculum.

Teacher and students in a primary school classroom

Recent research conducted by the Australian Education Union (AEU) through the State of Our Schools Survey questioned 3,300 teachers and principals about funding for students with disability.


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iPads, and improved access to education

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Media Access Australia spoke to Lyn Robinson, Assistive Technology Teacher and Principal Researcher in the iPad Project about how tablet computers are helping students with disabilities better access education.

Row of iPads with numbered labels, all connected via 30-pin USB cables

Digital media and technology: 

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