Curriculum - Finding What Is Important

We are in a time of much needed change.  For some years now, schools have been charged with and given permission to design their own local curriculum.  Sadly many have not taken up this opportunity and as a result there is a continued set of prescribed topics and themes  pervading our classrooms.

Of anything, coverage and the need to meet the 'requirements' of the curriculum, seems to be the biggest hurdle put up in the way of true transformative practice in our schools.

It seems to be ingrained into us, that the achievement objectives and learning areas outlined in the curriculum need to be delivered to the 'consumers' in our classrooms.  I'd like to put it out there here and now, this is not the case and in fact is the enemy of real learning.  It is possible to 'power share' learning without being constrained to narrow criteria.

Firstly I'd like to say that the back end of the curriculum is a carry over from the past.  A past that required us to prepare children with a set of skills that would benefit them in the workforce.  While there is some value in us understanding this area of the curriculum, there is no benefit at all to us spoon feeding this learning to children.  Add to this that it is basically impossible to know what knowledge will be important in five, let alone ten or twenty years, it would be arrogant to think that by following a 'curriculum' we are doing the best by our children.  Once again, this is my opinion.

In your day to day life, when do you ever box learning like this?  Do you think about what you do in curriculum areas, or do you carry out your daily tasks, using the knowledge you have, searching for the knowledge you don't have and developing integrated understandings and new connections?

I would propose that this is exactly how learning does happen and it is up to us to create classrooms that are all about connections and mutual sharing in this way.

However in saying all of this, there are areas we can be focusing on, absolutely knowing these will be valuable to children for their future.  These come in the form of dispositions that fall nicely out of the key competencies.   It is these aspects, these competencies and specific disposition that we as educators need to be focusing our energy upon.

I of course, believe this can be done by establishing a curriculum with play and student agency (genuine student voice of every child) at its core.  I speak here not from copious research, but by practical experience.  As we have moved to a curriculum that genuinely believes that the child is the curriculum, we have seen coverage and progress like never before...not only that, coverage of areas of learning that are the direct result of child interest and in turn, connection, after connection being made allowing for individual progress that is just right for that child.  When I backward plan now, I am always blown away by just how much we manage to achieve in a few weeks, not to mention a term, or even a year.   In this respect it is the work of John Holt that speaks so strongly to my teacher heart...

John Holt spent copious amounts of time observing and noticing; his work is easy to read and understand, and is not data-driven. He even says himself  “What I am saying about education rests on the belief that, though there is much evidence to support it, I cannot prove, and that may never be proved. Call it faith. The faith is that man is by nature a learning animal. Birds fly, fish swim; man thinks and learns. Therefore, we do not need to “motivate” children into learning, by wheedling, bribing or bullying. We do not need to keep picking away at their minds to make sure they are learning. What we do need to do, and all we need to do, is bring as much of the world as we can into the school and the classroom; give children as much help and guidance as they need and ask for; listen respectfully when they feel like talking; and then get out of the way. We can trust them to do the rest.”

I have come to see this approach to curriculum as teaching and learning through play.  But more than that, it is teaching and learning through a child-led curriculum.    I refer to teaching and learning in a reciprocal way, I sometimes teach, they sometimes teach, we are always learning...each and every one of us.

This type of curriculum is possible school-wide.  It is as simple as letting interests and urges guide what is going on and being prepared to know enough to 'guide' and 'discover' alongside.  Teacher and children exploring and discovering together.  Putting wellbeing and relationships forefront.

We absolutely all need to be moving away from a curriculum that poses children as consumers of knowledge.  We do them no favours by presenting learning in this way.  Creating a child-led curriculum empowers everyone, it fosters talents, provides for needs, promotes equity and excellence, it gives us the scope to individualise what we are doing and most of all, it focuses on learning that is important, authentic and ever evolving.  We are not redundant in this mode, but we do stop being the fountain of all knowledge and are given the permission to go on this journey with them...like a pick a path book, the ending is never defined when we start the journey and may not be the same for everyone.  

Below is a bit of a 'preview' (still in draft, so excuse any typos) of where our heads are at curriculum design wise.  We have been  a 'pillars' school for many many years now.  You will notice these four pillars in the middle green circle.  These pillars works so wonderfully for us and the dispositions, competencies and 'learning' falls so well out of them.  This framework is also heavily inspired by Te Whariki.  It is not finished and as always, for us, it a work in progress...never finished and always evolving according to the needs of our children and our community.  It is also supported by other frameworks that we feel are important.