Curriculum for Excellence & International Education

Pam SlaterCurriculum for Excellence Team

September 2007

Purposes of today

• To provide an overview of Curriculum for Excellence and its relevance to International Education

• To show where International Education is embedded in Curriculum for Excellence

An International Outlook

“Key elements of international education can be defined as a series of learning outcomes associated with:

• knowledge & understanding• values & dispositions• skills & capabilities, including creativity & enterpriseImportantly, in addition, international education should

provide pupils with clear opportunities for:• participation & action”

[SEED Sept 2001]

HGIOS Self Evaluation Series E International Education

“Effective international education will enable your pupils to become informed, thoughtful and active international citizens in the 21st century. It will teach them to value cultural diversity and to recognise and address discrimination. It will help them to form views on important global issues and to express their beliefs in a reflective manner.”

[HMIE 2003]

ValuesThe Curriculum• ….should emphasise the rights & responsibilities of

individuals and nations. It should help young people to understand diverse cultures and beliefs and support them in developing concern, tolerance, care and respect for themselves and others

• ….must enable young people to build up a strong foundation of knowledge and understanding and promote a commitment to considered judgement and ethical action

( Page 11 ACfE 2004)

Values• Wisdom• Justice• Compassion• Integrity

Purposes• Successful learners• Confident individuals• Responsible citizens• Effective contributors

Principles• Challenge and enjoyment

• Breadth

• Progression

• Depth

• Personalisation and choice

• Coherence

• Relevance

Responsible CitizensWith• respect for others• commitment to participate responsibly in

political, economic, social and cultural lifeAnd able to• make informed choices and decisions• evaluate environmental, scientific and

technological issues• Develop informed, ethical views of complex

issues

Confident IndividualsWith• self respect• a sense of physical, mental & emotional well-

being• secure values & beliefs• ambitionAnd able to• be self aware• develop & communicate their own beliefs & view

of the world

Proposals: Looking at the curriculumdifferently

• Single framework 3 – 18• Promote learning across a wide range of contexts and well

planned experiences• More than curriculum areas and subjects, also

– Ethos and life of the school– Interdisciplinary projects and studies– Opportunities for personal achievement

• Equip young people with high level of literacy and numeracy skills

Proposals: Organising Learning Organising learning through curriculum areas - to provide

breadth– Health and well being– Languages – Mathematics– Sciences– Social studies– Expressive arts– Technologies– Religious and moral education

Cross-cutting themes

• Citizenship

• Enterprise

• Creativity

• Sustainable development

Curriculum for Excellence: A way of unifying the curriculum

• Activities such as enterprise, citizenship, sustainable development, health and creativity, which are often seen as add-ons, can be built into the curriculum framework.

(Progress & Proposals 2006)

Mainstreaming Education for Citizenship

In essence, it (the curriculum) must be inclusive, be a stimulus for personal achievement and, through the broadening of pupils’ experience of the world, be an encouragement towards informed and responsible citizenship.

Interdisciplinary projects and studies

“The curriculum needs to include space for learning beyond subject boundaries, so that learners can make connections between different areas of learning. …..

To be successful, these activities need to be well planned with a clear purpose and outcomes in mind.”

(Progress and Proposals 2006)

Opportunities for personal achievement

“ ..activities such as performances, community or enterprise activities and trips. … Many of these activities are voluntary for learners and have traditionally been organised as ‘extra-curricular’ opportunities. However, they play a major part in creating opportunities for individual growth , progress and achievement and we need to consider how they can be made available for all learners.”

Proposals: Levels of achievement

ACfE levels of achievement will • replace 5-14 levels• extend from 3-18• describe both outcomes and experiences• “I can…” and “I have…” statements• Provide scope for challenge and depth

(no need to speed through levels but no ceilings either)

Learning Outcomes & Experiences• The work of seconded teacher writers

• To embed the values, purposes & principles

• Ensure coherence with other curricular areas

• Embed cross-cutting themes

Within an outcome!

Purposes of science education Methodology

Teach for understandingIncrease cognitive demand

Big areas of contemporary science

Skills

Allow cross curricular work

DeclutterShow progression

Active

ACE Capacities

Re-shaping outcomesWork in progress

From ….I can construct a food web and predict the consequences of change (P5-P7)

ToI can use my knowledge and understanding offood chains and webs to create, plan and protect a wildlife area

Where can we find International Education?

Within science• Learning through science enables children & young

people to

-investigate their environment by observing, exploring, investigating and recording

-recognise the impact science makes on their lives, on the lives of others, on the environment and on culture

-express opinions and make decisions on social, moral, ethical, economic and environmental issues

(Building the Curriculum 1 Science)

• “ The values that guide scientific endeavour- respect for living things and the environment…………..etc are the basis of responsible citizenship”

• “They (children & young people) can be challenged to consider how they can contribute to the well-being of society through, for example, aid initiatives, environmental projects, volunteering in other ways as active participants in civic society “

(Building the Curriculum 1 Science & Social Studies)

Within Modern Foreign Languages

“ Scotland has a rich diversity of language including the different languages of Scotland and the growing number of community languages such as Urdu, Punjabi and Polish. This diversity offers rich opportunities for learning. Learning other languages enables young people to make connections with different people and their cultures and to play a fuller part as global citizens.”

(Building the Curriculum 1)

Within Modern Foreign LanguagesThrough my learning of a new language

-I enhance my understanding and enjoyment of other cultures and of my own and gain insights into other ways of thinking and other views of the world

-I have contributed successfully to my group to plan and prepare a short talk in the language I am learning on topics of personal interest or linked to an aspect of a country where the language I am studying is spoken

-I have worked with others to read & research texts in the language I am learning. I can demonstrate my understanding of different cultures and my appreciation of different ways of looking at the world in countries where the language I am learning is spoken.

(Draft outcomes & experiences)

Within Expressive Arts

“ Children & young people can explore the importance of cultures, the arts & heritage in Scotland and other societies, and gain understanding of the cultural values and achievements of different societies. In this way they can deepen their insights and experiences of cultural identities and come to recognise the importance of the arts to the identities of nations.”

Within RME

“Religious & moral education enables young people to explore the world’s major religions and approaches to living which are independent of religious belief, and to be challenged by these different beliefs & values. It supports young people in developing responsible attitudes to other people, their values and their capacity for moral judgement.”

(Building the Curriculum 1)

Within Social Studies

“Through social studies young people develop their understanding of the world by learning about their own people and what has shaped them,other people and their values, in different times, places and circumstances, and how their environment has been shaped.

They learn about human achievements and to make sense of changes in society, conflicts and environmental issues. With greater understanding comes the opportunity to influence events by exercising informed and responsible citizenship.”

(Building the Curriculum 1)

Eco Schools ScotlandA major driver in moving towards a

Sustainable Development in Education approach in many schools has seen the adoption of achievement in the Eco Schools Award scheme……Changes made in the Eco School programme with the inclusion of biodiversity & the proposed inclusion of global dimension have ensured that most schools have gained considerable experience of SDE.

“The curriculum areas should provide a basis for learning and the development of skills across a broad range of contexts. They offer opportunities for citizenship, sustainable development, enterprise, creativity and cultural aspects. …..

It will be open to schools to organise the outcomes and experiences differently (for example by designing challenging interdisciplinary projects), …to plan for progression, breadth and depth of learning.”

p15, Progress and Proposals 2006

Implications

• Role of the teacher– Shift from prescription about detail of the

curriculum towards more scope for professional judgement and creativity

– Teachers who exemplify the 4 capacities– Teachers for excellence

Leadership

A Curriculum for Excellence places increased expectations on the leadership of schools. As at present, headteachers and other leaders will ….. have opportunities to be creative in curriculum design, learning from evidence of practice, within clear parameters.

Progress and Proposals, 2006

A major focus for leadership in future should be on developing leadership at all levels, priorities for improvement with a strong drive on improving learning and teaching

Improving Scottish Education,2006HMIe

Curriculum for Excellence 2007