thrupp@waikato.ac.nz
This column is about what I see as the significant responsibility problem. A skilled teacher can do a lot to make any topic of principals to influence the balance of the curriculum taught palatable but teacher education programmes have become in schools. It seems almost audacious shorter and teachers are poorly prepared to write on this topic in the same week It is not hard to think of a for social sciences teaching. that it is reported that teacher sick days Finally, even as the new histories are up 50 per cent on last year and that variety of contexts curriculum got launched, we have had the number of students missing from the that will create headwinds a barrage of calamitous global concerns nation’s schools has almost doubled in to add to the pandemic this year. Russia the past nine months. Many principals for the enactment of invaded Ukraine, since then we have are in survival mode. But bear with me, had China seeking more influence in as I think curriculum decisions are part the new histories our region, there is the threat of global of the solution. recession and famine and the climate curriculum. Bringing the matter into sharp relief is emergency becoming more obvious with the new Aotearoa New Zealand Histories curriculum launched heat waves, fires and floods in so many countries. back in March, the first effort of the Ministry of Education’s new curriculum centre, Te Poutāhū. It will shine some light on our country’s neglected colonising history and is a very worthy project. It’s also apparent the Ministry has done a really sterling job of consulting on the new curriculum as well as trialling it, producing resources, some PD and so on. Still, there’s a big remaining problem, and it’s nicely summed up POPULAR MATHS SERIES in the Ministry website link called ‘Implementation information for schools and kura’. You see, curriculum is like education policy, it is never simply implemented in the ways policymakers would wish for. Instead as it gets put into practice it goes through processes of translation and reinterpretation related to context. Academics refer to this as ‘enactment’. It is not hard to think of a variety of contexts that will create headwinds for the enactment of the new histories curriculum. One is national politics. A change of Government will dampen political enthusiasm for the curriculum, especially if ACT, with its concerns about ‘ethno-nationalism’, becomes a coalition partner. Community context will likely be a mixed bag. Depending on their ethnic and socio-economic makeup, and geographic location, some communities and sections of communities are likely to be far more pre-disposed towards learning about Give your students the best advantage to local histories than others. Some communities/sections of excel at maths. They use our textbooks, while communities will most likely love it, some will resent the power issues raised, and some won’t see it as a priority. you have all our free online teacher support. The context of childhood and youth is a further issue. However YOUR STUDENTS DESERVE THIS! worthy a topic, unless it has some appeal to young learners then teachers face an uphill battle. Try presenting young people with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and watch their eyes glaze over. mel@caxed.co.nz www.caxed.co.nz The context of teacher education, past and present is another
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A recent headline from The Guardian says it all: We’re living in an age of permanent crisis – let’s stop planning for a ‘return to normal’. With global online platforms like Tik-Tok global issues often weigh just as heavily on children as local ones. So what to do as a principal? I suggest sticking with a generous view of the school curriculum. Some features of such a view might be:
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That as a selection of knowledge and ideas, the curriculum is always coloured by the national politics of the day which are important but may not always be in the best interests of the particular children in our care. Yes, local consultation and discussion is important but there needs to be enthusiastic and worthwhile learning happening, that trumps everything else. So what will actually appeal to children – and teachers – and make them excited to come to school? The Social Sciences curriculum goes wider than the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories curriculum even if that is the new focus at the moment. Aspects of geography, politics and economics are all needed in order to make sense of the world. That teachers should be encouraged to spend some time on global developments so that children have a chance to process the horrifying news they are being increasingly faced with. Thinking of the local as a reflection of the global. For instance, when the statue of Captain John Hamilton was removed from the centre of Kirikiriroa in 2020, it was at the request of Waikato Tainui but also in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement which saw the defacing and toppling of statues of colonisers in other countries as well. Recognising that there is a large New Zealand diaspora, presently around 15 per cent of the population, who live in other countries. Connecting the local with the global will benefit the many young Kiwis who will end up living overseas where our national preoccupations will often fade but will still resonate in some way in the countries to which they migrate. Thinking of the local as a place to draw strength for the global. Hopefully the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories curriculum will highlight local examples of perseverance, forbearance, commitment, selflessness and the like, along with past injustices. Thinking of the local as a way to respond to the global, for children to have agency. For instance, it seems clear that taking some local environmental action is a way to combat growing eco-anxiety, as it offers a chance to do something in our small corner of the world.
Overall, although time is always a constraint, it can’t be one or the other when it comes to the local and global in the curriculum. Schools really do have to address both in order to best prepare children for the lives ahead of them.