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My research: How is the geography curriculum made?

How is the geography curriculum made? Exploring the concepts of ‘curriculum coherence’ and ‘curriculum control’ David Mitchell Institute of Education, London. My research: How is the geography curriculum made?. My key positions ‘curriculum’ as enacted Focus on teacher

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My research: How is the geography curriculum made?

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  1. How is the geography curriculum made?Exploring the concepts of ‘curriculum coherence’ and ‘curriculum control’David MitchellInstitute of Education, London

  2. My research: How is the geography curriculum made? • My key positions • ‘curriculum’ as enacted • Focus on teacher • Theory of a society – curriculum power relationship

  3. Exploring the concepts of ‘curriculum coherence’ and ‘curriculum control’ for how the geography curriculum is made “The England National Curriculum is, in law, an expression of content, and of aims and values. It cannot do everything. To expect it so to do will most likely result in failure.” Oates, 2011:134

  4. Tim Oates (2011) ‘curriculum coherence’ & ‘curriculum control’ High Performing education system

  5. Tim Oates (2011) ‘curriculum coherence’ & ‘curriculum control’ NATIONAL CURRICULUM National Frameworks Governance Pedagogy ITE Textbooks & materials Assessment & qualifications Accountability High Performing education system

  6. “A system is regarded as ‘coherent’ when the national curriculum content, textbooks, teaching content, pedagogy, assessment and drivers and incentives all are aligned and reinforce one another.” Oates, 2011:141

  7. curriculum ‘control factors’(Oates, 2011) Initial teacher education Pedagogy Curriculum content NC, Textbooks (& support materials) Accountability Assessment & qualifications National Frameworks (routes etc) Curriculum Institutional structures Allied social measures Inspection Professional development Funding Selection & gatekeeping Governance

  8. ‘Curriculum Coherence’ through ‘curriculum control’ (Oates, 2011) Initial teacher education Pedagogy Curriculum content NC, Textbooks (& support materials) Accountability Assessment & qualifications National Frameworks (routes etc) Curriculum Institutional structures Allied social measures Inspection Professional development Funding Selection & gatekeeping Governance

  9. ‘Curriculum Coherence’ through ‘curriculum control’ (Oates, 2011) A single body represented by teachers/ univs/ exam boards/ employers (& gov – but not with total control) (Pring, 2013) Initial teacher education Pedagogy Curriculum content NC, Textbooks (& support materials) Accountability “...need not be... ‘top down’ control or exercised exclusively by the State.” (Oates, 2011:126) Assessment & qualifications National Frameworks (routes etc) Curriculum Institutional structures Allied social measures Collaboration between teachers (model of the schools’ council projects) (Pring, 2013) Inspection Professional development Funding Role for the GA Selection & gatekeeping Governance

  10. curriculum ‘control factors’(Oates, 2011) Current situation? Initial teacher education Pedagogy Textbooks (& other materials) Curriculum Accountability National Frameworks Assessment Curriculum Curriculum Inspection Professional development Funding Selection & gatekeeping Governance

  11. Assessment & qualifications curriculum entitlement (Geography) TENSION • Some potential tensions • not enough ‘deep learning’ in the curriculum = teaching to the test • ‘bloated’ specification = over-assessment • over-generic curriculum = unfair tests • progression in content wrong = odd patterns of failure and success • irrelevant content = loss of validity and confidence • Source: Oates, 2011:131-132 • Assessment for accountability confused with assessment for learning = corruption of teaching...‘Campbell’s law’....“When a measure becomes a target it ceases to become a good measure.” • Pring (2013) p. 124

  12. Over-generic centralised curriculum (means power over curriculum lies elsewhere) “’pupils must understand ‘that there are patterns in the reactions between substances’...This statement essentially describes all of chemistry. So what should teachers actually teach? What are the key concepts which children should know and apply? The concept of entitlement becomes seriously eroded, if not absent, from a National Curriculum formed of such generic statements.” Oates, 2011:142 “GCSE specifications in Geography must require learners to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: aspects of physical and human geography, and their associated processes, including relationships between people and environments.” Ofqual (2012) GCSE Subject Criteria for Geography

  13. Initial teacher education Pedagogy Textbooks (& other materials) Accountability Curriculum National Frameworks Teacher – making (sense of) the curriculum Assessment Curriculum Curriculum Inspection Professional development Funding Selection & gatekeeping Governance

  14. Social, economic & political ‘climate’ Initial teacher education Pedagogy Textbooks (& other materials) Accountability Curriculum National Frameworks Teacher – making (sense of) the curriculum Assessment Curriculum Curriculum Inspection Professional development Funding Selection & gatekeeping Governance

  15. Significant other points (Oates’ 2011) Subjects to drive the curriculum Essential subject content – concept led, not context ‘Deep’ subject knowledge Less frequent centralisedchange in curriculum (because contexts should no longer be specified) Separates curriculum and pedagogy role of teacher to ‘make the curriculum’ interesting Wary of trying to copy other countries’ systems

  16. Teachers’ role as curriculum makers (up to a point) “A national curriculum cannot specify and control all elements of the ‘real’ curriculum – and will run into terrible difficulty if it attempts so to do...It is vital to distinguish the role of national curricula in specifying conceptual and factual content, and the role of teachers in developing motivating teaching and learning.” Oates, 2011:133

  17. Finally...Some issues raised • Role of university geography – how is the ‘change in the structure and content of knowledge’ to be fed into the curriculum? • How autonomous should teachers be in choosing content? • What is the role of the child in curriculum choices? • Is Oates’ over emphasising the power of the NC over the ‘real’ curriculum? • Are different value & belief positions (which create difference in ‘real’ curricula) sufficiently recognised? • How realistic is coherence in English education system?

  18. We must not work alone...

  19. References • Mansell, W. (2007) Education by numbers. The damaging treadmill of school tests. Politico’s. • Oates, T. (2011): Could do better: using international comparisons to refinethe National Curriculum in England, Curriculum Journal, 22,2, 121-150 • Ofqual (2012) GCSE Subject Criteria for Geography http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/qualifications-and-assessments/ online: last accessed 24.01.13 • Pring, R. (2013) The Life and Death of Secondary Education for all. Abingdon: Routledge • Roberts, M. (1995) ‘Interpretations of the geography national curriculum: a common curriculum for all?’, Journal of Curriculum Studies, 27,2, pp. 187-205

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