Cross- curricular learning



“Throughout our discussion of curriculum, we stress that children ‘s learning does not fit into subject categories”. (Plowden, 1967, p.555).

The current curriculum is outdated and over due a renovation to bring it up to date, to coincide with the modern world we live in today. Essential features of the curriculum were devised in 1988, and fail to reflect the world wide web. (Donaldson,2015). With Donaldson set to change Wales curriculum in 2021, the new curriculum is based on the six areas of learning and experience. These are literacy and communication, maths and numeracy, science and technology, expressive arts, health and wellbeing, and humanities. It will also see in the induction of three cross-curricular responsibilities.

·         Literacy- competence in literacy, spoken word, syntax, and spelling.

·         Numeracy- including arithmetical and data handling skills.

·         Digital- competence in using digital technology skills in all areas of education and in the future.

The new curriculum will include all learners aged three to sixteen. The main aims of the curriculum are to develop capable and ambitious learners, confident individuals, valuable members of society, and ready to take part in life and work. Wales new curriculum is set to bring huge changes to education in Wales, and implement much needed changes. Following in Scotland’s footsteps who have already incorporated Donaldson’s curriculum. Although Professor Lindsay Paterson, of the University of Edinburgh recently publicly argued that Donaldson’s curriculum is “dumbing down” education. Paterson stated that it can be disastrous for two reasons. Firstly, it lacks academic rigor and structure, and secondly it will widen inequality. In that where it lacks old academic knowledge, children from poorer backgrounds will not gain this knowledge. Unlike middle class children who will learn it from their parents. As Scotland’s curriculum was only introduced in 2010, there is no valid evidence to show the impact the curriculum has had.

Cross curricular learning has many positives, it makes learning more relevant to the real world, and provides context for using and applying subject specific skills and concepts. Lawson (1997), suggested that we move away from content led curriculum by, replacing content and objectives for skills, moving away from subjects to cross-curricular themes. “Subjects may be helpful to a point, but more pressing problems are not conveniently packaged within a single subject”. (Lawton, 1997. P. 85).  Barnes (2011), suggests that our experience of the world is cross- curricular. As everything that’s around us in the world can be seen and understood from multiple perspectives. Cross- curricular learning creates more interaction with children where they can learn from each other. It also encourages children to draw on previous knowledge and past experiences. There may also be negatives to cross-curricular learning, some children may not have enough skills in a certain area, such as computer skills so this could hold them back in other subjects other than just information technology. Barnes, (2005) suggests that many teachers have had limited experience of cross curricular work. “Subject progression is difficult to achieve, even when only two subjects are involved; it is almost impossible with three or more”. (Barnes, 2011).  Cross- curricular learning could cause slow regression to the core subjects such as English, Maths and Science.
References
Barnes, J and Shirley, J, (2005) ‘Strangely familiar; promoting creativity in Initial Teacher Education: Paper presented at British Educational Research Association (BERA) conference, 16th September 2005.
Barnes, J. (2011) Cross-curricular learning 3-14. London: SAGE.
Johnson, S. (2017). Scottish curriculum ‘could be disastrous for pupils but academics scared to speak out’. The Telegraph, 3 September 2017.
Lawton, S., Reed, R. and Wieringen, A. (1997) Restructuring public schooling. Münster: Waxmann.
Plowden, Lady Bridget. (1967). Children and Their Primary school: A report of the Central Advisory Council for Education, Volume 1. London: HMSP.



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