Curriculum Overload A Way Forward


Book Description

Schools are constantly under pressure to keep up with the pace of changes in society. In parallel, societal demands for what schools should teach are also constantly changing; often driven by political agendas, ideologies, or parental pressures, to add global competency, digital literacy, data literacy, environmental literacy, media literacy, social-emotional skills, etc. This “curriculum expansion” puts pressure on policy makers and schools to add new contents to already crowded curriculum.




What Students Learn Matters Towards a 21st Century Curriculum


Book Description

This report highlights that economic, societal and environmental changes are happening rapidly and technologies are developing at an unprecedented pace, but education systems are relatively slow to adapt. Time lag in curriculum redesign refers to the discrepancies between the content of today’s curriculum and the diverse needs of preparing students for the future.




Curriculum Flexibility and Autonomy Promoting a Thriving Learning Environment


Book Description

For the first time, the OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030 project conducted comprehensive curriculum analyses through the co-creation of new knowledge with a wide range of stakeholders including policy makers, academic experts, school leaders, teachers, NGOs, social partners and, most importantly, students. This report is one of six in a series presenting the first-ever comparative data on curriculum at the content level. It summarises existing literature, explores trends in curriculum adaptation, addresses challenges and strategies for effective implementation and offers policy insights drawn from real-world experiences of curriculum reforms. This report explores curriculum flexibility and autonomy in global education systems, assessing how curricula adapt to diverse educational needs and contexts. It maps the stakeholders who influence decision-making on curriculum flexibility and discusses dilemmas faced by policymakers and practitioners between curriculum prescription and autonomy. Drawing on international examples, it illustrates how flexible curricula can enhance teaching effectiveness and inclusivity. It emphasises key strategies such as enhanced teacher training and collaborative policymaking, necessary for flexible curricula to meet educational needs. It also identifies critical factors, such as clear goals, accountability mechanisms, and societal support, which are crucial for successful curriculum implementation.




Singapore Math and Science Education Innovation


Book Description

This edited volume explores key areas of interests in Singapore math and science education including issues on teacher education, pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, teaching practices, applied learning, ecology of learning, talent grooming, culture of science and math, vocational education and STEM. It presents to policymakers and educators a clear picture of the education scene in Singapore and insights into the role of math and science education in helping the country excel beyond international studies such as PISA, the pedagogical and curricula advancements in math and science learning, and the research and practices that give Singaporean students the competitive edge in facing the uncertain and challenging landscape of the future.




Implementing Education Policies Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence Into the Future


Book Description

Students in Scotland (United Kingdom) engage in learning through Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), which aims to provide them with a holistic, coherent, and future-oriented approach to learning between the ages of 3 and 18. CfE offers an inspiring and widely supported philosophy of education. This report analyses the progress made with CfE since 2015, building upon several months of observations in Scotland, the existing literature and experiences from other OECD countries.




Embedding Values and Attitudes in Curriculum Shaping a Better Future


Book Description

This report highlights how clearly articulated and experienced values and attitudes can support students’ positive lifelong learning outcomes and promote a more equitable and just society. Despite the variety of values espoused in national curricula, there is an emerging trend in prioritising values that enhance well-being and learning across different countries.




Curriculum in a Changing World


Book Description

A collection of 50 think pieces showcasing perspectives on curriculum theory and practice, presented by the British Educational Research Association (BERA), in conjunction with the British Curriculum Forum (BCF). Written by eminent curriculum makers and innovators working across the UK and beyond, the contributions share insights into the study and practical implementation of curriculum in schools, colleges, universities, and other formal and informal educational settings. Contributors include Rachel Lofthouse, Tim Oates, Mark Priestley, Beng Huat See, Sonia Thompson and Michael Young. Curriculum in a Changing World explores historical and contemporary approaches to curriculum design, highlighting the evolution from knowledge-focused curricula to competency-based frameworks. Providing valuable insights for all educators, policymakers and researchers, the think pieces delve into government policy; issues of equality, diversity and inclusion; school-based innovations; and teacher education. Future directions for curriculum are considered in the context of seismic shifts in society, from global ecological concerns to a digital revolution. The book celebrates the rich landscape of curriculum innovation and research in the four UK nations and beyond, and builds on an illustrious heritage, including the seminal tradition of research and development founded by Lawrence Stenhouse. Published to mark BERA’s 50th anniversary, this unique volume is edited by the steering group of the BCF, a vibrant and active network united by a deeply held interest in the study of theoretical, innovative and practical elements of curriculum.




Adapting Curriculum to Bridge Equity Gaps Towards an Inclusive Curriculum


Book Description

This report takes a pragmatic look at equality, equity and inclusion in curriculum. It examines how curriculum can be adapted to meet specific needs of diverse learners, particularly vulnerable students. It also features a range of strategies which countries use to design curriculum, so that no student will be left behind.




Curriculum Work and Social Justice Leadership in a Post-Reconceptualist Era


Book Description

This book urgently confronts systems of privilege and oppression within education, and combines concepts including bifocality, currere, and conscientização to highlight the role of dialogical and autobiographical reflection in dismantling neoliberal and colonial logics at the level of theory, policy, and practice. The author purposefully connects methods and concepts from curriculum, social studies and the arts, and offers insights into identity formation, social position, and social transformation. As such, Jales Coutinho presents an opportunity for curricularists to evaluate the connections between their lives and their work within and across mutually-constitutive discursive and material contexts, and critically analyze their agency, their relational encounters, and their position as changemakers within unjust social realities. Focusing on the intersection of curriculum theory with educational policy and leadership, the text calls for a mutual "becoming conscious" to illustrate how this can affect a paradigmatic shift toward social justice education, lived curriculum, and emancipatory pedagogy. With the potential to expand and set the tone for a long-standing curriculum conversation for curriculum theorists, educational leaders and policymakers concerning the contours and dimensions of our work in schools, research institutions, and policy circles, it crucially asks: what does it mean to engage in the complicated conversation of curriculum work in a post-reconceptualist era?




Mathematics Curriculum Reforms Around the World


Book Description

This Open Access volume by the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) is an outcome of the ICMI Study 24 and gives a status-quo of school mathematics reform around the world and what we can learn from this movement. Each theme and section of the book offers descriptions and analyses of multiple case studies in different countries and contexts, along with opportunities to compare, contrast and learn from these diverse experiences. The volume provides a synthesis and meta-analysis of the different historical, geographical and global aspects of school mathematics reforms and explores in which way curricula are elaborated, proposed, changed, and reorganized. It offers a more informed and comprehensive analysis of the roles of different actors and of the many aspects influencing and shaping mathematics curriculum reforms that are taking or have taken place. It also explores the possibilities and means to tackle a curricular reform in the current scenario we live in and how to unfold future developments. This book will be of interest to practitioners and scholars with an interest in school mathematics curriculum reforms. It will also be a useful resource to those involved in school mathematics curriculum reform initiatives by providing current information about the curriculum changes that are taking place in respect of content, teacher education, educational materials, and a range of implementation challenges across diverse contexts.