Friday 30 August 2013

The New National Curriculum

Today we discussed the new National Curriculum, due to come into effect in September 2014. This is a document that poses us both challenge and tremendous opportunity. How we remain true to a demanding but fundamentally just call to raise standards yet remain true to a constructavist view of education, responding to the radical change in the world around us and keeping education relevant for our students will form the basis of our discussions this year and beyond. I have embedded the presentation from this morning's INSET to jog memories as necessary, and invite you to reflect upon and comment on your responses.


Not Broken, but Obsolete?

Today we discussed the nature of the curriculum in English schools and reflected on whether or not it is fit for purpose in the 21st Century. I borrowed an observation from the video of Sugata Mitra, that asserts that the curriculum in British schools, is not 'broken' as sometimes implied, but obsolete. Producing people for a Victorian, bureaucratic empire, that simply no longer exists.

This asks us, as professionals, to take a radical look at what we do, and ask ourselves, what could we do better? What pedagogical structures and curriculum content can we adopt to ensure that what our students experience in school isn't obsolete, but prepares them for a world that is changing in unimaginable ways and at a plainly exponential rate?

 I have collected here, 6 videos that raise this issue and make suggestions about how we might answer the call for change. Take some time to watch one or more of the videos and reflect on their message and how it impacts upon you in the classroom, in whatever role it is that you fulfil. I invite you all to leave comments that can contribute to this discussion as we move forward in our journey together at Upland.