Q:
What trends are you seeing in curriculum
development?
A:
There is greater intentionality now in curriculum
development, meaning that parents, students, teachers
and administrators want education to provide explanations
in a number of areas. There is the demand for a roadmap, or
a big picture understanding of the content the school presents,
for both students and teachers. What is being taught cannot be
arbitrary. Teachers need to know why they are teaching what
they are teaching, and students should be able to articulate why
they are learning what they are learning when they are learning.
Otherwise, the meaning of learning isn’t clear, and a valuable
opportunity for understanding is being lost. I believe that
students and teachers who have a big picture understanding will
be empowered in their educational experiences because they have
a clearer understanding of what they are doing and why.
Curriculum development is trending towards a demand
for deeper global perspectives or cultural understanding in
communication. It is essential for our students to have the ability
to communicate with people from other parts of the world in
order to tackle big, thorny issues such as war and peace, and
environmental issues. Many curricula, from the IB to the IPC, to
independent curriculum, are all pressing towards stronger global
and inter-cultural understanding. Educators, brain scientists,
and students themselves are making a convincing argument
for more experiential and integrated learning. Students have an
increasingly important role in creating and shaping their own
education. With large-scale integrated curriculum development,
you can put these kinds of initiatives into action.
“Chinese are truly interested in
making education effective for
training students to become world
leaders and global citizens.”
Sally Booth with her family in Washington D.C., The U.S.
www.keystoneacademy.cn
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