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.




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.




Transforming Education for Personalized Learning


Book Description

The pressing necessity to overhaul education systems to align with the demands of the contemporary world rises. Transforming Education for Personalized Learning delves into the imminent challenges besieging education, offering pragmatic solutions to metamorphose classrooms into dynamic learning environments with research, real-world illustrations, and expert perspectives. It scrutinizes fundamental shifts required in pedagogical methods, curriculum construction, assessment frameworks, and the judicious integration of technology. Central to its philosophy is the accentuation of personalized learning, the cultivation of critical thinking, and the nurturing of creativity and collaboration among students. Emphasizing an inclusive and equitable educational system, the book discerns the varied needs and strengths of learners. It advocates for a future where educators evolve into facilitators of learning, armed with strategies to adapt teaching styles, embrace innovative pedagogies, and craft engaging and purposeful learning experiences. It underscores the imperative for a paradigm shift in education, cognizant of the demands of the 21st century. It advocates for personalized learning approaches that cater to individual strengths, interests, and learning styles. The book also explores innovative teaching methodologies, instructional design, and the effective integration of technology to enhance critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. The book targets educators, school leaders, policymakers, teacher educators, parents, educational researchers, students, professional development providers, educational consultants, advocacy groups, and non-profits.




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.




Music, Technology, Innovation


Book Description

Music, Technology, Innovation: Industry and Educational Perspectives draws upon cutting-edge practice in the use of technology from both a pedagogical and industry perspective. Situated within the latest research, this edited volume explores technological innovation from a musical perspective, examines current trends within the industry, and carefully considers them from an educational perspective. Noted throughout history, music education is responsive to industry innovations. However, emerging technologies often begin with over-hyped promises before they move through various phases of development and are then repurposed for learning and teaching. Educators can adopt an innovation and develop a framework that is pedagogically sound and learner-centred. Based on these ideas, the authors together highlight industry innovations that have potential outcomes for engaging students in music learning within research-informed practices, build upon these ideas and identify proactive mechanisms for teaching music education, and work towards developing a framework for understanding these phenomena. The chapters address key topics including the ethics of technology, AI and music, online performance and teaching, gamification, big data, teaching audio production, acoustic ecology, and more. The examination of areas in contemporary innovation can further support the potential to empower teachers and students to understand the opportunities for teaching, sustainability, and growth in music education.




Ebook: Psychology and Educational Inclusion: Identifying and Supporting Learners with SEN


Book Description

This book offers a holistic evidence-based approach to special educational needs and inclusive practice. Psychology has an important role within the inclusive process, but it can be misused and so must be understood and adopted critically and reflectively to prevent exclusion. The book draws on psychological and educational theories, research, and practice in order to increase students' and practitioners' understanding of issues related to identifying, assessing, and supporting learners with neurodivergences, difficulties, or Special Educational Needs (SEN) within educational settings. It includes chapters that explore different SEN and the methods and approaches used to identify and support students. These approaches exist along what we propose is the ‘special and inclusive education continuum’. Drawing on theory and research from psychology, readers will evaluate and apply a range of different approaches, while reflecting on and developing their own practice. This book provides in-depth consideration of some of the most common SEN and issues of co-occurrence. It also explores prevalent but often neglect SEN, including socio-economic disadvantages, additional language learning, migrants and refugees, and why gifted students have SEN.




Evolutionary Thinking Across Disciplines


Book Description

This volume aims to clarify the epistemic potential of applying evolutionary thinking outside biology, and provides a survey of the current state of the art in research on relevant topics in the life sciences, the philosophy of science, and the various areas of evolutionary research outside the life sciences. By bringing together chapters by evolutionary biologists, systematic biologists, philosophers of biology, philosophers of social science, complex systems modelers, psychologists, anthropologists, economists, linguists, historians, and educators, the volume examines evolutionary thinking within and outside the life sciences from a multidisciplinary perspective. While the chapters written by biologists and philosophers of science address theoretical aspects of the guiding questions and aims of the volume, the chapters written by researchers from the other areas approach them from the perspective of applying evolutionary thinking to non-biological phenomena. Taken together, the chapters in this volume do not only show how evolutionary thinking can be fruitfully applied in various areas of investigation, but also highlight numerous open problems, unanswered questions, and issues on which more clarity is needed. As such, the volume can serve as a starting point for future research on the application of evolutionary thinking across disciplines.




Ways of Thinking in STEM-based Problem Solving


Book Description

Taking a future-oriented approach, this book addresses students’ ways of thinking in STEM-based problem solving. It provides a rich set of chapters that explore how we can advance important thinking skills in STEM education for K-12 students. STEM education is essential to understanding and solving many of the world’s major challenges. However, the kind of interdisciplinary modes of thinking required to tackle such unforeseen problems is lacking in most STEM education delivery. This book examines the various ways of thinking that can be applied to effective STEM-based problem solving across K-12 education. These include design and design-based thinking, systems thinking and modeling, critical thinking, innovative and adaptive thinking, intuition in problem solving, and computational and algorithmic thinking. Across the chapters, the authors’ interdisciplinary perspectives give further depth to understanding how students learn and apply their thinking to solve STEM-based problems. The book also provides guidance on how to assess ways of thinking in STEM education, to ensure educators can recognize students’ progress and development. Bringing together a team of international experts, this book is essential reading for pre-service teachers, teacher educators, and researchers in STEM education.




International Summit on the Teaching Profession Reimagining Education, Realising Potential


Book Description

Students face a future filled with uncertainty and change. For education systems to continue to remain relevant, they must empower students to navigate these changes and succeed in the future by equipping them with the requisite knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. Teachers are key enablers of this endeavour, and it is imperative that governments and teacher organisations collaborate to support teachers in exploring and enacting pedagogies, and designing learning environments that support student attainment of future-ready competencies, through policies, processes and teacher professional development.