I have enjoyed reading Bill Boyd’s blog recently, indeed my last post about curriculum films began from his own about Charles Leadbeater.
Another piece I came across was his post about the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence, titled “Having the Courage in Our Convictions“. He includes a really useful graphic detailing the 4 capacities, or as Bill states the 4 purposes, which underpin the Curriculum for Excellence.
To enable all young people to become:
- Successful learners
- Confident individuals
- Effective contributors
- Responsible citizens
Much of the detail around these curriculum foundations is applicable to our own school development. We are at the stage of exploring what should underpin the curriculum design, this is very relevant to us. Here is the diagram.
Following Bill’s original post he refers to the commentary from Dave Cockburn who reflects that these 4 purposes
…will help us see the curriculum in a new light, as long as we remember that we are striving not to create a system which produces a plumber at one end and a surgeon at the other, but produces intelligent, well-informed, inquisitive people who understand the ideas of leadership and teamwork, and the vital role of intellectual enquiry and endeavour.
I certainly agree with him, this is a valuable starting point. Once you throw in the local requirements for a curriculum and wider stake holder perspectives we will be some way to establishing the foundation we need.
A Very easy to follow input . Whenever i read your blog i see a original view.
Thank you.
The biggest challenge for this diagram is that we bowed to pressure to expand on it to the degree that we've done. Its beauty in the early days was that the teacher, as a professional, was granted the capacity to interpret and apply as they saw fit in their locality (cue Leadbeater). With every exemplification of 'interesting' or 'good' practice, there are many who choose to interpret it as “the practice”, each time, in my view, eating away at the licence this great, eight-word curriculum could have offered.
Great set of purposes there. I'd like to see something on life-long learning also. Finally, you might consider expanding it further by offering some 'hows' to the abilities where appropriate. You might get further ideas from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS… though this is more focused on the teacher-end rather than the student one.
I have made a lot of use of the Scottish proposals and outcomes in my work in curriculum making this year.
Currently working on some literacy work for a conference later in the year which shall be shared on my blog as always.