Curriculum reform with a school-based approach: intellectual,structural and cultural challenges

Curriculum reform with a school-based approach is often assumed to offer schools and teachers autonomy at the site level, thus enabling them to develop a school-based curriculum and pedagogies to better fit the needs of students. Over the past decade, school-based curriculum development in Hong Kong has encountered issues that deserve worldwide attention and discussion. By reviewing the experiences of two schools in Hong Kong and drawing on international evidence, this study identifies key challenges and difficulties in school-based curriculum reform in three areas. Intellectually, there is a lack of a strong and broad shared knowledge base for curriculum development. As a result, most school-based curriculum initiatives have been piecemeal, fragmented and shallow. Structurally, many teachers have wasted time ‘re-inventing the wheel’ when developing school-based curricula. This effort has left them without sufficient time and energy to be effective in teaching. Culturally, reliance on school management to steer school-based reforms has prevented the development of a new culture in which teachers have the autonomy to make changes in their daily practices. Without cultural changes, curriculum reforms are not sustainable or effective. This study proposes a cooperative platform that integrates the strengths of central intelligence and school-based initiatives to maximise support for curriculum development at the teacher, school-site and system levels.     

A school-based fusion of East and West: a case study of modern curriculum innovations in a Chinese kindergarten

School-based curriculum innovations have been widely implemented in Chinese kindergartens since the turn of the new millennium. However, in the absence of professional guidance, Chinese kindergartens have been forced to ‘ride a blind horse’ when developing curriculum. The aim of this study was to understand the nature of and mechanisms underlying school-based curriculum (SBC) development (SBCD) in an informative kindergarten in southern China from the sociocultural-historical perspective. Data obtained from interviews, observations and document analysis were triangulated to determine why and how curriculum innovations had taken place and the nature of the curriculum introduced. Evidence suggested that (1) SBCD in the Chinese kindergarten under study was a dynamic process undertaken in four main stages: imitation, absorption, integration, and evaluation; (2) the resulting SBC was a comprehensive and sophisticated curricular system balancing child-centred and teacher-directed pedagogies and hybridising Eastern and Western curricula; and (3) SBCD in the kindergarten under study was guided by Chinese philosophy (highlighting balance and harmony), which offers a valuable perspective on recent curriculum changes in Chinese kindergartens. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.     

浅谈高中语文教师专业化发展

如何培养教师的自我发展意识,让教师自主发展,这已经成为教育研究者的共识。如何提高语文教师和语文教学的专业化水平这是当前课程改革过程中每一个语文教学的研究者和从教者都必须思考的问题。文章紧扣语文课程中教师这一环节,从规划教师职业生涯、更新教学理念、明确语文教师发展方向、开发校本课程进行反思性实践等几个方面探讨语文教师的可持续专业发展的问题。     

Providing school-based learning in elementary school mathematics: the case of a professional development school partnership

Abstract

School–university partnerships also known as professional development school (PDS) partnerships provide potential for universities and schools to establish partnerships that can benefit university faculty, school teachers, university students, and school students. This study examines the impact of a PDS partnership in which the author served as a school-based mathematics coach for two years in a high-need elementary school. Data sources included interviews, surveys, and field notes from classroom observations. Inductive qualitative analyses which were situated in a multi-level framework for researching professional development found that teachers posed more cognitively demanding mathematical tasks and high-level questions in year two compared to year one of this project. Further, student achievement was noted on both state-wide and district-created assessments. Also teachers reported that the school-based approach to professional development led to some teachers taking on more informal leadership roles to support their colleagues’ mathematics instruction. Implications for school-based learning opportunities across the world include the need to establish specific university–school partnerships, and carefully designing research studies to examine the impact of these learning opportunities.     

100 years of primary curriculum development and implementation in Ireland: a tale of a swinging pendulum

There are ongoing initiatives in curriculum development and implementation in Ireland and internationally in order to enhance the educational experiences and outcomes of learners. This article is the first historical longitudinal analysis of primary school curriculum development and implementation in Ireland from the 1890s to the 1990s. The purpose of the paper is to distil key lessons from the history of curriculum development and implementation to inform contemporary policy and practice. The paper begins by situating current curriculum discourse and developments in both a national and international context. It then delineates the three main curriculum reforms undertaken in Ireland in the period under review. The section relating to each period includes an overview of the societal context in which the curriculum was developed, the process of development, the content of each curriculum and its implementation. Three key themes emerge from the analysis – the impact of wider societal factors on curriculum, the impact of the radical nature of curriculum change attempted and a lack of focus on planning for implementation.     

A study of in-service teacher educator roles,with implications for a curriculum for their professional development

In-service educators have a crucial role to play in meeting the professional learning needs of teachers of the future, according to the Council of Europe’s ‘ET 2020’, although it is less clear what that role entails. This empirical study, undertaken in a university school of English language in Turkey, explores the everyday experience of a team of wholly school-based in-service educators and develops a model of their role based on an analysis of questionnaire, interview and focus group data. The results attest to the complexities of the in-service educator’s role, revealing them to be more than simply effective teachers. Catering for affective needs, coaching a broad range of clients, interpreting contextual variables and providing appropriate feedback represent some of the challenges in-service educators are facing in the research context, which set them apart and suggest important lessons for the development of an in-service educator training curriculum.     

论校本课程开发与教育民俗的传承

教育民俗是传统文化重要的组成部分.随着社会发展变化,教育民俗如今面临消亡的命运.校本课程开发提供了通过学校教育保护和传承教育民俗的重要手段,它是保护和传承教育民俗的希望所在.     

基于校本课程实施的中学生实践能力发展状况的调查——以大连市四所初中调查为例

本研究以大连市440名学生为研究对象对初中学生实践能力发展水平及实践能力与实践兴趣的关系进行调查.研究表明,初中学生实践能力主要包括五大类:生活能力,工具、产品的使用和维修能力,交流能力,娱乐、体育运动能力,实验研究能力;学生实践能力发展存在性别差别;实践活动与活动兴趣呈现显著的相关性.     

论高师办学与课程实践的互动发展

培育高素质师资是教师教育改革与基础教育发展的共同责任。实施新课程六年来,中小学教师存在诸多矛盾和困惑,既有教师在职专业持续发展方面的原因,也有职前教育中高师院校办学方面的原因。互动新课程中,基于教师专业化理念,高师院校重审教师教育的优势和特色,实施切实可行的专业引领策略,促进课程改革不断深入,既是坚定教师专业情意态度的职责使然,也是提升教师教育理性价值的现实要求。     

How principals promote and understand teacher development under curriculum reform in China

On-going curriculum reform in China demands that teachers and principals shift their norms of practice to facilitate student learning. Principals are expected to take a more hands-on approach and work more collaboratively with teachers towards curriculum change. This paper presents case studies of how principals in three different schools in Shanghai shaped teacher development activities which built teacher understanding and capacity to meet the requirements of the curriculum reform. The analysis provides insights into how principals proactively promoted teacher development and identifies some of possible gaps in their strategies. Implications are drawn about the relationships between curriculum reform, school leadership and teacher development.     

职业学校教师专业学习团队——一种基于校本课程开发的教师专业发展途径

教育质量是职业学校发展的生命线,提高职业学校教育质量的关键在于教师专业的发展,而校本课程开发是教师专业发展的有效途径。本文提出职业学校要依托校本课程开发这一平台,以建构教师专业学习团队为途径,通过促进教师专业发展来提高职业学校的教学质量。     

Key Competences in Europe: interpretation,policy formulation and implementation

The evolution in Europe towards more competence-based curricula in the last ten years or so is the result of several exogenous factors and a determined European policy. The Reference Framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, a Recommendation approved by the European Parliament and the Council in 2006, and the work carried out within the Open Method of Coordination as well as by European research bodies have had a significant impact on Member States' curriculum reforms. This article shows that some terminology issues, both conceptual and practical, may explain, together with other causes, the diverse formulations of key competences and the way in which they are being integrated into the compulsory education curricula by the Member States or at intra-national levels. The focus of the article is on cross-curricular competences because these are the key competences which require the most significant innovations in teaching and learning practices, on assessment tools and procedures, and school organisation. The analysis illustrates the main differences and convergences in policy formulation and implementation strategies among the EU Member States. It also identifies key obstacles that must be overcome for an effective implementation before suggesting some policy recommendations.     

Questioning reform in the standards movement: professional development and implementation of common core across the rural South

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were adopted in an effort to create a consistent set of standards across schools, districts, and states in order to ensure equality of educational opportunities for all students in the country. Educational reform through standardization implies that across thousands of miles and millions of students, individual classroom teachers are able to create equitable instruction based on policy and curriculum mandates. For such reform efforts to be successful, standards must be implemented with fidelity, thoroughness, and strong support from stakeholders. The present study examines the role of teacher preparation for CCSS implementation, notably in rural and economically depressed districts in the American South. Teachers were surveyed about their CCSS professional development experiences and needs, CCSS instructional and assessment practices, and perceptions of student learning related to new standards. The analysis reveals that teachers do not feel fully prepared to teach according to CCSS, and highlights areas of professional development where districts failed to support effective teacher implementation. Findings from this study illustrate inequitable professional development for teachers and provide implications for professional development types, content, and quality that teachers perceive as essential for CCSS success.     

Remaking the professional teacher: authority and curriculum reform

Globally, national curriculum policies are up for renegotiation. These negotiations are shaped by international and national top-down accountability regimes, and an increasing turn towards curriculum centralization and standardization. The new Australian Curriculum (AC) is no exception. The AC is an important educational policy event, one in which understandings about teacher professional authority is being redefined. In this paper, we examine how judgements about teachers’ professional authority are used to defend, promote and explain the AC. Drawing on an analysis of policy documents and interviews with high-level policy-makers, we argue that the AC is opening space in the policy field to reposition teachers’ work by promoting a view of teachers’ professional authority as constrained and defined through the written curriculum documentation.     

Classroom-level curriculum development: EFL teachers as curriculum-developers,curriculum-makers and curriculum-transmitters

This qualitative study aimed to explore teacher curriculum approaches and the strategies attached to each approach because they influence the taught curriculum, teacher development and student learning. The study was therefore grounded in teacher curriculum development, curriculum implementation, teacher development, student cognitive and affective change and constructivism. To address this study's qualitative and exploratory purposes, it made use of the qualitative paradigm at the levels of ontology (multiple curriculum realities), epistemology (interaction with rather than detachment from respondents) and methodology (using idiographic methodology and instruments). In line with the qualitative paradigm, it used qualitative case-study (method), general interviews, pre/post-lesson interviews, group interviews and participant observation (data collection methods) in addition to grounded theory (data analysis approach) to meet the research purposes. Working with English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and mixed-nationality college students, the study reached a teacher curriculum approach classification comprising curriculum-transmission, curriculum-development and curriculum-making. It recommended alternatives for teacher, student and curriculum development, curriculum implementation and teacher training.     

The contribution of primary school teachers to curriculum planning and development in Iraq

ABSTRACT

This article describes the role of primary school teachers in Iraq in connection with curriculum change and development. It identifies the ways in which professional teachers have been faced with increased central control and concludes by responding directly to the Ministry of Education. A survey involving interviews and question‐ naires was conducted with primary school teachers of different school location, age, gender, experience, qualifications and subjects taught, and in various school locations. Headteachers and education officials were also interviewed to establish the degree of involvement of primary teachers in their curriculum planning process.     

论高中化学新课程目标的校本化实现途径

高中化学新课程目标的校本化是一个关系到国家教育教学目标落实和学生化学素质全面提高的一个综合性问题。本文从高中化学新课程目标校本化实施中所不可或缺的学校自身内部运作因素和外部支持因素两个方面进行了分析和论述。     

Curriculum making as professionalism-in-context: the cases of two elementary school teachers amidst curriculum change in Cyprus

ABSTRACT

In this paper, two case studies of elementary school teachers in the Republic of Cyprus are constructed to discuss how curriculum making relates to teacher biographies and sense of professionalism, as those are shaped at the intersection of their professional history and projections for the future, informed by and informing their constitution as professionals in local institutional and broader social contexts. Drawing on the ecological model of teacher agency, the two cases are utilised to examine how teachers’ narrated professional experiences in past and current schools were at interplay with their general sense of professional role and purpose as teachers. This complex interplay is simultaneously connected to the ways they perceived and constituted their pupils as well as to the ways they themselves were constituted by others as professionals. The examination of the two cases foregrounds the notions of teacher agency and of curriculum making as contingent, negotiated and negotiable, and opens up the space to consider the politics of both as those are permeated by micro-processes of subjection and subjectivation.     

教师职业素质结构与高师课程改革

现代社会对教师的素质提出了更高的要求,如何使高师课程的设置与教师职业素质的培养有机地结合起来,成为高师课程改革应重点探讨的问题。     

县域课程政策保障：一种分析的框架

三级课程管理体制的实施和"以县为主"义务教育管理体制的推行,从制度上决定了县域课程政策存在的合理性和必要性。就目前来说,县域课程政策却是我国课程政策研究的薄弱领域。因此,这就需要从县域课程政策的提出、内涵、内容和有效执行等方面做一个全面系统的分析与建构。