What about what they need to learn?

The trouble with what they ‘need to learn’ is that either a) many administrators are blinkered by a ’rounded education’ whereby pupils with little aptitude have to study subjects they have no interest or ability in or b) we don’t actually know what our students need to learn for the world they will inherit.

It’s a flipant post with a big message – one that ACfE is hardly touching in my mind. I find it incredible to believe that we have had years of 5-14, yet the restructuring of the curriculum grows out of national debate, rather than analysis of data.

I also keep coming back to one of Alan November’s questions that sticks in my mind – “What are we teaching today that will outlast the change in technology?” – we are not asking or debating this question. Under this microscope, the majority of things that I taught in certificate work in school are largely irrelevent. Yet still they get taught in schools up and down the land.

My flippant reply was more a question. If what we are teaching today does not outlast the changes in technology then we have to try and identify what will be useful for the individual and the society in general.
I have a 6th year pupil in my Higher Technological Studies Course. He has A’s in Maths Physics Chemistry but he got a No Mention for English.
If he does not pass this year then University is not an option for him.
In the larger picture asking him what he wanted to study (which I have just done) then he says ‘Anything but english’. He would never push himself into that area of the curricullum without being ‘encouraged’ to.
An education should also be about showing new areas of understanding, skills and knowledge not reinforcing the small interests that the individual already has.

As a one time teacher of philosophy, the most important thing we can teach is, to quote Plato: “The feeling of wonder is the mark of the philosopher, for all philosophy begins in wonder.”

The desire to learn has to be paramount. It’s a shame many teachers fail to instill this in their pupils before commencing their subject matter.

There are some areas of the curriculum that clearly transcend November’s question. I would argue that literacy is clearly one of them. Perhaps we should not be asking what does transcend change in technology, but rather what in our present curriculum doesn’t. How many times do our kids ask us “Why are we doing this?” The answer to this question has to be more than “It’s in the course”.

I think we coud devise stratagems which actually gave pupils the skills they need while letting them study the content they like. Many modern simulation games do just that.

It does require a tutorial type of teacher / pupil contact time so that each pupil is monitored.

It is also where ICT and Google, Web 2.0, etc., all make it easier to accomplish.

I agree Bob
Have look at what we are doing with Sketchup on my Blog