The debate over the National Curriculum for history in England and Wales, 198990: the role of the press

The construction of a history curriculum for England and for Wales under the terms of the 1988 Education Reform Act occasioned more debate in the media than any other subject in the National Curriculum. The links between the content of a history syllabus and perceptions within both nations of the part this plays in moulding national spirit made this inevitable. The disparity of view between the two groups charged with devising the syllabus and the government, particularly the Prime Minister, heightened the tension. This article explores the way in which consequent political, professional and public discussion was covered in the whole range of national newspapers. It is argued that the failure of the London press to comprehend the situation in Wales reduced significantly its appreciation of the processes involved in the making of the history curriculum.     

芬兰《学前教育国家核心课程》的背景、特点及其启示

芬兰政府颁布的《学前教育国家核心课程》被认为是世界上最优秀的课程标准之一。该课程标准是在特定背景下颁布的,具有以下特点:立场明确,保护儿童权利;内容丰富,发展幼儿个性;信任儿童,鼓励自由表达;注重环保,培养审美能力;强调互动,侧重发展性评价等。其对中国幼儿园课程开发的启示包括:坚持主体性原则,打破狭窄的课程定位;坚持整合性原则,树立开放的课程观念;坚持发展性原则,重视创新的课程架构等。     

Implementing a new science National Curriculum for England: how trainee teachers see the How Science Works strand in schools

This article reports empirical work conducted by three university teacher education providers into how a major revision of the science curriculum in England, the How Science Works strand, has been translated into practice for 14–16 year olds in schools. Data were collected from pre-service teachers about their understanding, experiences, perceived challenges and resourcing of How Science Works during their final school experience. The results indicate that implementation of How Science Works in schools lies on a spectrum between two extremes referred to as creative implementation and restricted implementation; a recognition that success with this new approach requires a fuller engagement in higher order thinking skills; and that the importance of differentiation is paramount if all pupils are to connect with the new curriculum. The article concludes that support is needed for major transitions in pedagogy with both serving and trainee teachers. This needs to start with teacher education and encompass teacher development, with greater involvement both in school and university programmes.     

A National Curriculum for Wales: A Case Study of Education Policy-Making in the Era of Administrative Devolution

The 1988 Education Reform Act legislated for a statutory curriculum in state-funded schools in England and Wales. This study explores how, out of a common curriculum framework for both countries, there emerged a school curriculum that was adapted to the distinctiveness of the linguistic and cultural context in Wales. The roles of those most closely involved in policy development in Wales are examined as is the relationship between the 'national' and 'territorial' arenas of policy-making in the months leading up to publication of the Education Reform Bill in November 1987. It is argued that a pragmatic approach to policy development in Wales during that period laid the foundations both for a reworking of the 1988 curriculum framework during the 1990s and for potentially more radical change following the 2002 Education Act.     

日本新修订高中学习指导要领与理科课程的新变化

2009年3月日本文部科学省公布新修订《高中学习指导要领》,高中阶段的理科课程设置结构、课程类型、修业方式均出现了新的变化,不仅新设了科学与人类生活和理科课题研究两门综合性的课程,而且物理、化学、生物、地学各科课程的目标、内容构成以及学习方式也在新课程理念的影响下发生了新的变化。     

Mapping creativity in the Hungarian National Core Curriculum: a content analysis of the overall statements of intent,curricular areas and education levels

In the past 20 years, creativity has increasingly been recognised as an important aspect of young people's education around the world. The global interest in creativity is fuelled by various economic and social considerations. One concern of the approach to creativity in education is the curriculum. The research reported in this paper aimed at identifying the curriculum-level enablers and barriers to nurturing creativity in Hungarian public education by investigating the place of creativity, as well as that of creative pedagogy, in the Hungarian National Core Curriculum (HNCC) using content analysis. Findings revealed that creativity and the components of creative pedagogy were recurring elements of the HNCC. In Arts and Mathematics, the high importance of creativity was also supported by the strong presence of the elements of creative pedagogy. The barriers identified include the lack of clear and consistent definitions of creativity, the varied incidences of creativity and components of creative pedagogy, with extremely low attention to nurturing creativity in Foreign languages, Man and nature (science), and The Earth – our environment (geography). It has been concluded, therefore, that a more coherent and consistent approach to creativity across the HNCC is required.     

The teaching:research nexus : a model for institutional management

Teaching and research lie at the heart of higher education. The interaction between teaching and research has therefore attracted the attention of both researchers and policymakers. Much has been written about this relationship, looking in particular at the perceived mutual benefits between teaching and research. This paper presents some findings from a research project which, using a comparative approach, aimed to examine the nature of the teaching:research nexus and, in particular, to consider the response of institutional management. Based on the observations collected through the project, a new model is proposed for institutional management of the teaching:research nexus. This model is based on a range of contextual factors, classified as ideological or environmental, and two contrasting approaches to institutional management of the relationship between teaching and research, active and passive. This model offers a new approach to understanding the operation of the teaching:research nexus within institutions of higher education.     

Assessing National Curriculum Mathematics in England: Exploring Children's Interpretation of Key Stage 2 Tests in Clinical Interviews

This paper initially discusses recent changes in mathematics education and assessment in England and Wales against the background of research on mathematics performance and assessment. It then reports findings from qualitative research with 10–11 year olds undertaken with the object of exploring the validity of the pilot pencil and paper tests in mathematics developed as part of the assessment programme for the English and Welsh National Curriculum in 1993 and 1994. Fifteen children from across the 'ability' range were asked to work through a selection of items in the situation of an individual clinical interview. This enabled in-depth data to be collected about their interpretation of and performance on the items. This paper focuses in particular on items where the ambiguity of the boundary between everyday knowledge and mathematics might be expected to lead to problems for children in interpreting the tasks required of them by the test items. The results show that the nature of the items might well have prevented some of these children, in the context of a paper and pencil testing situation, from demonstrating mathematical capacities and understandings they seem to have possessed. Their initial performance does not always seem to have reflected their underlying competence as demonstrated in the extended interview.     

Educational placements and National Curriculum Key Stage 2 test outcomes of children with a history of specific language impairment

As part of their longitudinal investigations of a large cohort with a history of specific language impairment (SLI), Professor Gina Conti-Ramsden and her research team based at the School of Education, University of Manchester, Dr Emma Knox, Dr Nicola Botting and Dr Zoë Simkin report on the changing educational placements and National Curriculum assessment outcomes of 200 children at 11 years. Teacher questionnaires reporting on the Year 6 primary education placements of the sample reveal details about the long-term educational needs of children with SLI.
Furthermore, in exploring the experiences of the sample in the National Curriculum Key Stage 2 tests the present study found that children with SLI perform poorly relative to national expectations of levels of achievement across all tests. At present there are no guidelines for supporting children with SLI in relation to National Curriculum tests and the present data suggests there is an obvious need for these to be developed.     

The Literacy Hour: a case for listening to children

Despite a professional rhetoric about the importance of consulting children, there is reason to think that many teachers continue to disregard children's views in their dayto-day practice. The Literacy Hour, with its detailed content and prescribed pedagogic structure, leaves teachers, teaching assistants and children very little room for comment or change. This article reports on a small-scale interview study involving 48 children. The study aimed to understand children's experiences of the Literacy Hour. It is suggested that their comments should serve to inform professional practice. They raise important considerations related to teaching and learning and also provide reasons for questioning if the hour is as complete an answer to literacy teaching as it is claimed to be.     

The National Board certification process as professional development: The potential for changed literacy practice

Using a communities-of-practice framework, this 2-year qualitative study centered on five elementary teachers the year following their participation in the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification process. Focused on teachers’ appropriation of the Board's standards and portfolio as conceptual tools related to literacy instruction, the study suggests that the National Board process does provide a learning opportunity for teachers and can positively impact teachers’ practice over time. However, personal and institutional constraints influence the degree to which teachers are able to implement instruction aligned with National Board standards.     

The Return to Final Paper Examining in English National Curriculum Assessment and School Examinations: Issues of Validity,Accountability and Politics

There are sound educational and examining reasons for the use of coursework assessment and practical assessment of student work by teachers in schools for purposes of reporting examination grades. Coursework and practical work test a range of different curriculum goals to final papers and increase the validity and reliability of the result. However, the use of coursework and practical work in tests and examinations has been a matter of constant political as well as educational debate in England over the last 30 years. The paper reviews these debates and developments and argues that as accountability pressures increase, the evidence base for published results is becoming narrower and less valid as the system moves back to wholly end-of-course testing.     

Curriculum and pedagogy in Key Stage 2: a survey of policy and practice in small rural primary schools

ABSTRACT

Small primary schools have often been criticized for their staff's inevitably limited cur‐ ricular expertise and consequent difficulty in providing a full National Curriculum for their pupils. Yet in terms of standards of attainment and quality of teaching such schools are rated rather more favourably than larger ones in OFSTED inspections. Based on an investigation of policy and practice in thirteen small primary schools this article attempts to examine the reality of small schools’ planning and implementation of National Curriculum requirements at Key Stage 2 and suggests possible reasons for their ‘better’ performance, at least as judged by OFSTED inspectors.