In his role at QCA, Mick is facing the challenge to ‘develop a modern, world-class curriculum that will inspire, challenge all learners and prepare them for the future.’ It means facing fundamental questions, including:
- How do we make a curriculum special for learners?
- How do we create a curriculum that is something that unfolds and evolves with the times?
He claims that problems in the past have been in documenting and listing the curriculum forcing regimentation and inflexibility on the education system and that things need to move on. A new curriculum must reflect the changing world and the nature of a modern, technologically rich society.
To do this means addressing key issues coming from learners:
- Why do I get taught at the speed of other pupils?
- Why do I take exams in the Summer?
- Why must I fail an exam this year when I could pass them next ?
- Why do I have to remember things when I can find out on a mobile phone?
- Why are there so few subjects when I have hundreds of TV channels?
- Why do I have to write in school when everyone types in life?
He went on to describe a vision of ‘Lifelong learning’. Learning that means more than just developing subject knowledge – Learning means developing enterprise and initiative, individual maturity and a sense of self and belonging. Schools also must adapt. In schools everyone will be learning, teachers and pupils – even parents.
The curriculum will be purposeful and authentic. Technology will be pervasive. Assessment will become ‘on demand’ seeking ‘achievement routes’ that matter to individual learners. Lessons will also persist – captured online or on a personal device – so a learner can relive the experiences.
A final presentation provided a big picture of the UK curriculum – what it is trying achieve and how it might be organised? Mick presented a picture of Successful learners, Confident Individuals, Responsible Citizens where their Skills, Knowledge and Attitudes are all equally important.
- Does this make sense to educators around the world?
- Is addressing this why we came here to the Symposium?
- What questions does it raise for you?
There was an interesting post on a similar subject on the Remote Learning Blog
Does Learning = Remembering
http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2007/10/learning-rememb.html
Great blog… and hints at the ultimate question for the internet age – how do we educate young people to be digital citizens?
For me it boils down to a simple statement.. “In the 21st century the skill will be not what you know! But knowing what you need to know and where to find it!”