In a recent vlog post at Leading Across Borders my colleague Joe Clausi and I posed the question to each other, “What’s the most exciting thing going on in education right now?” It’s fascinating to consider, and to hear perspectives from around the world.
For me, one of the most exciting things going on right now in my neck of the woods is the changes in our curriculum. Although these changes are a couple years old now things continue to evolve as we settle into new routines, new ways of delivery, and different approaches to assessment.
Adopting a new curriculum involves a mindset shift. When our curriculum was redesigned things were reorganised into “Big Ideas”, or overall themes for the year. Furthermore, we moved from teaching specific content to curricular competencies. This mindset shift is like going from “what we want kids to know” to “what we want kids to be able to do.” Our “Core Competencies” are organised under three main themes, communication, thinking, and personal & social, and are woven into teaching and learning throughout the year. Core competencies are assessed as a student self-assessment and reported out three times a year. My district uses a 4-point scale for reporting out on subject areas, but this is one area that is still evolving.
I’m curious, how is curriculum evolving in your area?
And what is most exciting in education for you right now?
