Curriculum theorising: examining the middle ground of curriculum

Using current data, this article examines the ways in which teachers enact new curriculum prior to classroom implementation. This is new and important research as few, if any, studies have further explored what Goodson termed the 'middle ground' of curriculum (1994). This article locates the middle ground of curriculum between the high ground of curriculum (the formal construction of the written curriculum) and its ground-level implementation in the classroom. A model of the middle ground of curriculum that helps us to understand curriculum change processes from the perspective of those most affected by them - teachers - is subsequently proposed.

Curriculum design for the twenty-first century

Changing student profiles, the pervasive influence of technologies and the pressure to produce work-ready graduates with more than discipline knowledge are three consistent themes giving rise to new curriculum models in the twenty-first century. The new approaches are both exciting and challenging—exciting because they offer new and enhanced opportunities for students to learn and challenging because they are charting new territory which has implications for institutional infrastructure, learning, and teaching. In this chapter we explore the imperatives for change and set the context for the theoretical models, curriculum designs, and innovations presented by the contributing authors.

E-portfolios : developing nurse practitioner competence and capability

Objective: This paper aims to integrate nurse practitioner literature on competence and capability with post graduate and nursing literature on e‑portfolios in order to demonstrate the potential merits of e‑portfolios in nurse practitioner education for competence and capability development. Primary Argument In the Nurse Practitioner Standards Project, competence and capability were proposed as key criteria to assess candidates in nurse practitioner educational courses. Portfolios have traditionally been used to demonstrate competence in nursing and are integral to nursing education as well. An examination of the portfolio and electronic portfolio literature in postgraduate nursing education and professional practice indicates that these portfolios fall under two main structures, each with different purposes: 1) A spinal column structure, with evidence and reflective pieces aligned to competency standards or course objectives, for the purposes of meeting prescribed competencies, professional development planning and showcasing evidence for authorisation or potential employers; and 2) A cake mix structure, which consists of a reflective narrative tying evidence together, which enables a greater focus on personal learning journeys, reflection and the development of personal qualities. Finally, evidence from the general nursing literature suggests the complexity of e‑portfolios in assessment and evaluation can be overcome by using qualitative research methods. Conclusion: To meet the competence and capability needs of nurse practitioners, portfolios could be used, for competence and showcasing and for learning and capability. Further research would be useful to refine and explore the use of e‑portfolios to meet the needs of NP candidates and their educators, clinical mentors, authorisation personal and employers. The current evidence on nurse practitioner education, competence, capability and e‑portfolios points to the integration of the use of an e‑portfolio into current nurse practitioner curriculum models to meet the unique needs of nurse practitioner candidates.

Community projects : extending the community lawyering model

Law schools in Australia and the United Kingdom are increasingly adopting clinical legal education (CLE) as an important part of their curriculum. Models of CLE are emerging in those jurisdictions which draw on local experience and the strong tradition of CLE and community lawyering in the United States. The purpose of this article is to examine the pedagogy that underlies CLE and to consider how it can be applied to newly emerging models of CLE. In particular, it will evaluate a community project legal clinic in which students work on social justice projects in partnership with a range of community organisations, not limited to legal centres, with a view to determining whether pedagogical goals are being met in the way that the course is being delivered. This article argues that community project legal clinics can result in positive student learning outcomes in relation to the development of a pro bono ethos and commitment to social justice, lawyering skills including client communication, and the development of a positive professional legal identity. Part II of the article provides a brief overview of the history of CLE in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, noting the trend towards the development of community lawyering clinics. Part III examines the benefits of community lawyering clinics focusing on the benefits for student learning and the service-learning pedagogy applied in community lawyering clinics in the United States. Finally, part IV looks at a case study of a new community project clinic in Australia that draws upon the service-learning pedagogy of community lawyering CLE. In the community project clinic, students engage in service-learning through undertaking projects with not-for-profit community organisations. Community partners identify relevant issues and needs, and the students work in interdisciplinary teams to address these. Law students working in these teams are often exposed to a broader social problem or issue than they would experience in a traditional ‘in-person’ legal clinic. Initial evaluation suggests that this model for community clinics in law schools assists students to develop lawyering skills and a positive legal identity including awareness of and support for pro bono legal work and a sense of belonging in the legal profession.

Conceptualising recognition of prior learning processes in the age of open learning

This chapter interrogates what recognition of prior learning (RPL) can and does mean in the higher education sector—a sector in the grip of the widening participation agenda and an open access age. The chapter discusses how open learning is making inroads into recognition processes and examines two studies in open learning recognition. A case study relating to e-portfolio-style RPL for entry into a Graduate Certificate in Policy and Governance at a metropolitan university in Queensland is described. In the first instance, candidates who do not possess a relevant Bachelor degree need to demonstrate skills in governmental policy work in order to be eligible to gain entry to a Graduate Certificate (at Australian Qualifications Framework Level 8) (Australian Qualifications Framework Council, 2013, p. 53). The chapter acknowledges the benefits and limitations of recognition in open learning and those of more traditional RPL, anticipating future developments in both (or their convergence).

Relatório de estágio em educação pré-escolar e ensino do 1º ciclo do ensino básico

O presente relatório de estágio de qualificação profissional surge como forma de explanar o trabalho desenvolvido ao longo da prática pedagógica, pois o período de estágio apresenta-se como uma oportunidade fulcral para o desenvolvimento e experimentação de métodos e estratégias que colocam, muitas vezes, em questão conceções e preconceitos inerentes ao processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Sendo que os estagiários necessitam de oportunidades que contribuam “para a construção da sua própria aprendizagem” (Portugal, 2012, p. 100). Este contém análises e reflexões das práticas desenvolvidas e opções tomadas durante o estágio, tendo por base uma metodologia de investigação-ação na medida em que o trabalho realizado direcionou-se para a necessidade de transformação social. Neste sentido fomentou-se o questionamento reflexivo para melhoramento das práticas. Este estágio foi realizado em díade e apoiado em estratégias como as narrativas colaborativas, as planificações semanais, a avaliação reguladora e a supervisão. O presente encontra-se dividido em duas componentes, uma mais teórica, à qual se convoca autores e documentos legais para fundamentar a componente seguinte que é mais prática, onde se analisa as práticas desenvolvidas ao longo do ano letivo.

English history teachers’ views on what substantive content young people should be taught

Public and policy discourse about the content of history curricula is frequently contested, but the voice of history teachers is often absent from such debate. Drawing on a large scale on-line survey of history teachers in England, this paper explores their responses to major curriculum reforms proposed by the Coalition government in February 2013. In particular it examines teachers' responses to government plans to prescribe a list of topics, events and individuals to be taught chronologically that all students would be expected to study. Nearly 550 teachers responded to the survey, and more than two-thirds of them provided additional written comments on the curriculum proposals. This paper examines these comments, with reference to a range of curriculum models. The study reveals a deep antagonism towards the proposals for various reasons, including concerns about the extent and nature of the substantive content proposed and the way in which it should be sequenced. Analysis of these reactions provides an illuminating insight into history teachers’ perspectives. While the rationales that underpin their thinking seem to have connections to a variety of different theoretical models, the analysis suggests that more attention could usefully be devoted to the idea of developing frameworks of reference.

Um estudo sobre as práticas de avaliação de aprendizagem do 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico: a prática avaliativa

Trabalho de Projeto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Educação: área de especialização em Supervisão Pedagógica realizado sob a orientação científica de Professor Doutor João Carlos de Gouveia Faria Lopes

Relatório de estágio de qualificação profissional

Relatório EPE - Relatório de estágio em Educação Pré-Escolar:O relatório de estágio para a qualificação profissional foi realizado no âmbito da unidade curricular de Prática Pedagógica Supervisionada na Educação Pré-Escolar, sendo esta parte integrante do Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1º ciclo do Ensino Básico. Todo o trabalho desenvolvido no presente relatório teve como objetivo dar a conhecer, de forma crítica, reflexiva e sustentada, as experiências vividas pela formanda com o grupo de crianças que acompanhou, num total de 210 horas de estágio, iniciado em fevereiro e terminado em junho do presente ano. A prática pedagógica de um educador de infância influencia diretamente o desenvolvimento das crianças, bem como o desenvolvimento do próprio docente, contituindo para o desenvolvimento de competências fundamentais para a sua prática futura. Com vista a uma planificação focada nas necessidades e interesses evidenciados pelo grupo de crianças, o educador deve observar, planear, agir, avaliar, comunicar e articular, levando a cabo, paralelamente, a investigaçãoação como forma de refletir sobre a sua prática e sobre os efeitos da mesma, em si e nas crianças. Tendo por base estes pressupostos, foram observadas necessidades de desenvolvimento, interesses e resultados de aprendizagem, que permitiram a planificação de atividades a realizar, por forma a atingir os objetivos traçados para o desenvolvimento de capacidades nas crianças. Para isso, recorreu-se a estratégias inovadoras e diversificadas, suportadas pelos modelos curriculares High/Scope e Reggio Emilia, e também pela Metodologia de Trabalho de Projeto. O trabalho desenvolvido em torno da unidade curricular visa competências como a mobilização de saberes, a adoção de estratégias diferenciadas, a tomada de decisões conscientes e adequadas, o desenvolvimento de projetos de investigação e o desenvolvimento e consolidação de competências socioprofissionais e pessoais. Neste sentido, contribuiu para o desenvolvimento pessoal e para o crescimento profissional da mestranda, através das intervenções realizadas com o grupo de crianças. As diferentes etapas do processo educativo acompanharam afincadamente esta etapa, na medida em que contribuiram para um maior conhecimento da formanda quanto à ação e à planificação. Importa salientar que as atividades desenvolvidas ao longo deste período visaram o desenvolvimento de todas as áreas e domínios de conteúdo, nas crianças, com mais ênfase na área da formação pessoal e social e na área do conhecimento do mundo.

Relatório de estágio de qualificação profissional

Relatório EPE - Relatório de estágio em Educação Pré-Escolar: O presente relatório de estágio de qualificação profissional, elaborado no âmbito da formação da mestranda em Educação Pré-Escolar, visa a descrição e reflexão da ação educativa desenvolvida ao longo deste processo formativo, explanando, também, as competências profissionais e pessoais construídas pela mesma. Este perspetiva a mobilização de pressupostos teóricos e legais que fundamentaram a prática pedagógica da mestranda, com recurso a estratégias que visam uma educação inclusiva e equitativa, atendendo às características das crianças, encaradas como co-construtoras das suas aprendizagens. Com base numa visão socioconstrutivista, são apresentadas as perspetivas pedagógicas que se propuseram a dar resposta às necessidades e interesses evidenciados, tendo em consideração a capacidade de pensar e agir no contexto educativo em que foi desenvolvido o estágio. Assim, revelou-se fundamental o recurso ao método de investigação-ação, em que o educador é investigador da sua ação, sendo um profissional crítico e reflexivo, que está aberto à mudança. Este relatório pretende dar a conhecer as técnicas e estratégias utilizadas para alcançar os objetivos e desafios propostos todos os dias, tendo em vista a melhoria da praxis educativa desenvolvida pela mestranda, conforme os dados observados, recolhidos e analisados. Procurase, também, expressar as suas aprendizagens, pensar sobre as mesmas e como estas influenciaram a prática profissional. O educador de infância deve manter uma postura atenta em relação ao grupo de crianças com quem exerce a sua profissionalidade, intervindo de forma adequada e ponderada e, assim, desenvolvendo competências pessoais e profissionais. Considerando os princípios apresentados no perfil geral de desempenho profissional do educador de infância, este deve realizar formação ao longo da vida e avaliar constantemente a sua ação e adaptá-la, conduzindo a uma flexibilidade na tomada de decisões.

Interactive Curriculum Based on Models of Mind & Brain

What does it mean for curriculum to be interactive? It encourages student engagement and active participation in both individual and group work. It offers teachers a coherent set of materials to choose from that can enhance their classes. It is the product of on-going development and continuous improvement based on research and feedback from the field. This paper will introduce work in progress from the Center for Excellence in Education, Science, and Technology (CELEST), an NSF Science of Learning Center. Among its many goals, CELEST is developing a unique educational curriculum, an interactive curriculum based upon models of mind and brain. Teachers, administrators, and governments are naturally concerned with how students learn. Students are greatly concerned about how minds work, including how to learn. CELEST aims to introduce curricula that not only meet current U.S. standards in mathematics, science, and psychology but also influence plans to improve those standards. Software and support materials are in development and available at http://cns.bu.edu/celest/private/. Interested parties are invited to contact the author for access.

A45 ICT curriculum design to bridge the gap between industry and academia

Building Information Model (BIM) software, collaboration platforms and 5D Construction Management software is now commercially available and presents the opportunity for construction project teams to design more cost effectively, plan construction earlier, manage costs throughout the life cycle of a building project and provide a central asset management register for facilities managers. This paper outlines the merits of taking a holistic view of ICT in curriculum design. The educational barriers to implementation of these models and planning tools are highlighted. Careful choice of computer software can make a significant difference to how quickly students can master skills; how easy it is to study and how much they enjoy learning and be prepared for employment. An argument for BIM and 5D planning tools to be introduced into the curriculum to assist industry increase productivity and efficiencies are outlined by the authors.