So the question is:
How are we supposed to design a
curriculum that develops these sort
of competencies – and also covers
the National Curriculum
Programmes of Study?
And how do we turn it into Mick
Waters’ feast?
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You may think that you don’t have to
ask the question about competencies
and the National Curriculum – because
the new National Curriculum doesn’t
haverecognise
any competencies.
You may
this document.
It’sthere
the new
National
Curriculum
for
But
are some
– even
though they
England
– due to be implemented in
are
not explicit.
2014.
And anyway, as a professional, you will
want to ensure that your pupils have
the very best curriculum, so you would
want to include them anyway!
© Curriculum Foundation
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The new National Curriculum states that it will:
This list may not be quite as full or ambitious as the
• Promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical
list youdevelopment
have compiled as part of Unit 2 – and is
certainly not as comprehensive or explicit as the list
• Engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement
of competencies
in the high performing countries
such• asClarify
Finland,
an New Zealand.
pupils’Singapore
thinking and organisation
of ideas
•
Develop pupils’ understanding through speculating,
However,
there isand
more
to the
hypothesising
exploring
ideasnew National
Curriculum than “facts to be learned and knowledge
• Enable pupils to:
to be stored”.
• collect, present and analyse data
•
Solve problems
•
develop the ability to give well-structured descriptions
and explanations
And so the question remains:
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“How do we put all these seemingly disparate
elements together to make one coherent
curriculum?”
And how do we make such a curriculum
interesting for our students?
Or, even better, make it so interesting that
learning becomes irresistible?
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The answer is ….
….. But how can this be possible? (or even
likely!)
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5
If you think of the curriculum as a tree, above the
ground you have the ‘branches of learning’:
Science, Humanities, the Arts, etc.
If you follow one of these branches, it will divide
into smaller ones, or twigs. These are the subjects.
So Science divides in Physics, Chemistry and
Biology; the Humanities into History, Geography
and Citizenship. Do you get the idea?
At the end of these smaller branches are the
leaves. These are the individual bits of learning
that we find in Programmes of Study or in
syllabuses.
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Forces
Rivers
The Romans
Properties of materials
Electricity
Parts of a plant
Picasso
Magnetism
The branches of learning
reflecting major areas of human endeavour
and ways of thinking
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So this is a model, a way of thinking
about how the various subjects fit
together and how learning is arranged
around them.
But what is missing from the model?
Yes, of course. A tree has roots.
And you can guess what the
roots are!
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Yes, the roots are the competencies.
As we said in Unit 2, there is not just one “right” set
of competencies. Different countries and different
schools compile lists that suit their needs and
circumstances.
You may recall the UNESCO list of 21st Century
Competencies:
•
•
•
•
Critical thinking and problem solving
Communication
Co-operation
Creativity
They form the roots of the curriculum
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The Romans
Properties of materials
Electricity
Parts of a plant
Picasso
Magnetism
Critical thinking
and problemsolving
Co-operation
Creativity
Communication
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Of course, within this botanical model, a tree can’t grow
roots unless it has some leaves to carry out photosynthesis.
And it can’t grow leaves without roots taking in moisture and
nutrients. It is not an “either- or” situation. It needs both.
And our argument within Curriculum Design is that skills
need the knowledge contexts of subjects in order to be
developed. This was the argument put forward by ED Hirsch
that we explored in Unit 2.
We also quoted Brian Male in Unit 2:
“You can’t learn to solve a problem unless you have a
problem to solve. You can’t learn to think critically unless
you have something to think about. You can’t learn to work
in a team unless the team has some activity to engage in.
The curriculum subjects provide a rich source of problems,
things to think about and activities.”
.
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So skills need the knowledge contexts that are provided by
subjects. Of course, subjects are important in their own
right, and not just as providers of contexts for skills. They
are the distillations of human thought and understanding.
And as skills need subjects, so the learning of subjects is
enhanced when they are approached through the
development of competencies.
When learners start to think critically about a subject,
investigate it, communicate about it, solve problems within
it, they start to build deeper understanding of the subject.
This was pointed out some time ago by the next writer
about education.
Do you recognise him?
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