Transcript Powerpoint
Jia Xu and Colin Marsh
Curtin University
Is it necessary and possible to have SBCD at
schools in Australia?
Is it necessary and possible to use conceptual
frameworks to help us understand and develop
more effective SBCD?
SBCD in China
SBCD has been a highlight of China’s new curriculum
reform since 1999.
A curriculum policy change towards devolving partial
power in curriculum decision-making to teachers.
10% of curriculum is decided by local regions and
individual schools.
Transforming teachers’ role from “book-knowledge
transmitters” to curriculum developers.
Defining school-based curriculum
development (SBCD) as:
a slogan,
a democratic philosophy,
a practical series of steps.
Caveats
SBCD is a constantly evolving term. It is very difficult to
come up with a perfect form of SBCD.
Although it is a desirable process for teachers to become
involved in SBCD yet the hard realities of systems and
governments necessitate limitations.
What is a conceptual framework?
It provides a structure for curriculum planning.
It provides a coherent grouping of terms or values.
It provides ideal goals.
Some preliminary questions
Is school-based curriculum development alive and well in
2011 in Australia?
Is there a perfect type of school-based curriculum
development and has it ever existed in a pure form?
Do ideas about school-based planning change over the
decades, for better or worse?
Some different priorities of SBCD
A democratic vision to have more teacher involvement
A way of supplementing student resource materials
A way of addressing critical problems in an education
system
A way to support systemic reforms and to enhance the
professional skills of teachers
How successful are current efforts to do
SBCD in Asian countries ?
An example from Hong Kong
An example from Singapore
SBCD in action in Hong Kong
Innovative teachers are selected to be seed teachers
and given special training at head office.
Creation of new promotional positions of curriculum
leader in each primary school
Setting up of school-based support team in each
education district
Celebration of exemplary efforts
SBCD in Singapore
Intensive workshops on SBCD provided for all primary
schools
Research activists appointed for each school to support a
specific SBCD project
Learning journeys to other schools locally & overseas
Celebration of successes through public
presentations/workshops
The Australian scene in 2011
Teaching has always been a complicated process.
Teachers need to be able to do a number of things
almost simultaneously, including
unpacking knowledge and ideas,
making this accessible to others within a caring productive
environment.
New pressures for teachers
New external pressures & ongoing internal, school
level pressures.
New external pressures:
Australian Curriculum,
NAPLAN,
MY SCHOOL website,
Professional standards for teachers.
School-based planning and central planning working
towards educational reform.
General problems for doing SBCD
Lack of time
Lack of expertise
Lack of finance
Externally imposed restrictions
Threatening school climate (resistors or lack of
effective leadership) (Marsh,1992).
The arrival of the National Curriculum
Materials produced so far for the first four subjects
indicate that what ACARA is requiring is more than
just general principles and outcomes for each
subject area.
There will be a major emphasis upon content and
specifying of what is taught at each grade level.
This will be reinforced through NAPLAN results in
terms of literacy and numeracy. This will flow over
into other subjects.
Likely impacts
•Teaching will
become more
teacher-directed and
focussed on content
coverage.
OR
•Teachers will try new
initiatives enthused
by the content and
structures of the
Australian
Curriculum.
Curriculum planning models
These models are typically general and apply
across various subjects and teaching levels.
Models provide simple procedures for teachers to
go about planning of lessons.
prescriptive models (Tyler, 1949; Taba, 1962).
Naturalistic Model (Walker, 1970).
Understanding by Design model (Wiggins & McTighe,
1998).
SBCD planning models
In situations where teachers want to get involved in
school-based planning SBCD models need to be
considered.
It is important to remember that each school
situation is very different and so it makes the task of
developing SBCD planning models all the more
difficult.
Major categories of school-based models
Models that create
typologies of different
variations of SBCD
Models that develop
interlinked explanatory
factors for successful
SBCD
• Brady (1987)
• Wong Yu Lai Wah (2008)
• Marsh et al (1990)
• Lo Yiu Chun (1999)
• Lee (2008)
• Marsh (2009)
Models that create typologies of different
variations of SBCD
Figure 1: Brady's matrix for analysis of SBCD in practice (Brady, 1987)
Advantages
• It indicates a number of
combinations;
• It seems to indicate that any
combination is possible;
• It illustrates three main
processes well.
Disadvantages
• It doesn’t show the influence
of head office and how they
could limit choices;
• It is a static model – just a list
of categories;
• It doesn’t show which factors
are more important than
others.
Figure 1: Brady's matrix for analysis of SBCD in practice (Brady, 1987)
Models that create typologies of different
variations of SBCD
Figure 2: A three-dimensional model of SBCD (Marsh, 1990)
Advantages
• It creates a dynamic, 3D
picture;
• It shows a lot of different
combinations;
• It seems to indicate that any
combination is possible.
Disadvantages
• It doesn't include all the
important factors, only
includes three;
• It doesn't show which factors
are more important than
others;
• It doesn't show the influence
of head office and how this
could limit choices.
Figure 2: A three-dimensional model of SBCD (Marsh, 1990)
Models that develop
interlinked explanatory factors
Figure 3: School-Based Curriculum Project Scheme,
Hong Kong (Lo, 1999)
Advantages
• It demonstrates clear
focus of centrally
controlled SBCD;
• It includes a
Disadvantages
• Only limited SBCD can
occur;
• Teacher empowerment
is limited within
celebration of
planning and
successful efforts.
evaluation.
Figure 3: School-Based Curriculum Project Scheme,
Hong Kong (Lo, 1999)
Models that develop interlinked
explanatory factors
Figure 4: Lee’s model of SBCD (2008)
Advantages
• It is teacher focused and
Disadvantages
• It underestimates
encourages
influences of head
empowerment
office;
• It is pragmatic - finding
spaces/ opportunities.
• It doesn’t clearly
establish constraints.
Figure 4: Lee’s model of SBCD (2008)
Models that develop interlinked explanatory factors
Figure 5: A model of implementing school-based curriculum
in a subject (Wong, 2008)
Advantages
• Highlights importance of
government initiatives;
• Includes a number of major
factors;
Disadvantages
• Processes depicted are
complicated to understand;
• Over-emphasis on government
initiatives.
• Indicates outcomes wanted for
SBCD;
• Highlights the need for
professional development;
Figure 5: A model of implementing school-based curriculum
in a subject (Wong, 2008)
Models that develop interlinked explanatory factors
Figure 6: A Conceptual Model of SBCD (Marsh, 2009)
Advantages
• It highlights major factors,
processes and desired outcomes;
• It includes a number of major
elements;
Disadvantages
• It under-estimates government
constraints;
• Some factors listed are complex
to understand.
• It gives clear indication of steps
involved;
• It highlights the need for
celebration of successful efforts.
Figure 6: A Conceptual Model of SBCD (Marsh, 2009)
Concluding comment
Making curriculum space available for SBCD is a
major issue and it depends upon levels of
cooperation between centralised and decentralised
forms of curriculum development.
There are a variety of SBCD approaches. The
conceptual models outlined here provide just some
of the possibilities.
Because SBCD is closely related to local needs and
priorities it is not possible to come up with one
conceptual model which fits all.