Mark Priestley

Curriculum making across education systems: the value of diverse voices

Date and Time Thursday 24 August, 11:00 - 12:00
Building and Room James McCune Smith, 438AB [Floor 4]

Mark Priestley is Professor of Education at the University of Stirling. His research interests lie in the school curriculum – theory, policy and practice – and especially the processes of curriculum making across different layers of education systems. Mark is Lead Editor of the Curriculum Journal, a member of the Scottish Government’s key education advisory committees, the Scottish Education Council and the Curriculum and Assessment Board, and a Co-Convener of the EERA network 3, Curriculum. His publications include 'Teacher Agency: An Ecological Approach' and 'Curriculum making in Europe: policy and practice within and across diverse contexts'.

Curriculum making across education systems: the value of diverse voices

Modern education systems globally tend to be characterised by homogeneity. Transnational educational discourses, propagated by supranational organisations such as the OECD and the World Bank, exhibit a sameness – in respect of language, fundamental ideas and methodologies (Priestley & Biesta, 2012; Lingard & Priestley, 2023). Manifest trends include a focus on so-called 21st Century Skills, instrumental approaches to utilising knowledge (as something to be mobilised), personalisation and choice in learning, use of performance data, and school/teacher autonomy. These discourses further translate into homogeneity in terms of national curricular policy frameworks, with notable outliers such as England (with its recent ‘knowledge turn’) – research suggests that many such policies are reflective of supranational language and discourses (e.g., see Sinnema & Aitken, 2013; Priestley et al., 2023). Within national systems, the situation seems more complex, as homogeneity in national policies can mask considerable differences in enactment between different countries, as policy is heavily mediated by traditions of national provision and pedagogy (e.g., see Alvunger et al., 2021). Nevertheless, some research suggests that there can be considerable homogeneity within national systems (e.g., Shapira et al., 2023), as schools and other institutions enact practices shaped by particular structural and cultural conditions (e.g., national accountability systems).

In this keynote, I argue for the importance of local curricula – for example in schools and classrooms – that are both culturally diverse and responsive to the needs of communities. I will explore how more heterogeneous curriculum making that better meets the educational needs of young people and local communities might be engendered through a systemic approach to engaging with diverse voices. I utilise a framework (Priestley et al., 2021) developed to understand the multifarious social practices of curriculum making that occur across different sites of activity in education systems. For instance, I will consider the roles that young people, their families and community groups might play in culturally responsive micro (e.g., the development of programmes in schools) and nano curriculum making (the transactional curriculum events that occur minute by minute in classrooms and other educational settings through pedagogy). I will also examine how educational professionals such as teachers might engage more constructively with macro curriculum making – including the formation of policy frameworks – and meso curriculum making, for example to support colleagues in developing the curriculum across clusters of schools. This systemic understanding is necessary if we are to develop educational systems that are both responsive to the diverse needs of young people and their communities and provide appropriate levels of regulation and support for curriculum making in local sites.

References

  • Alvunger, D., Soini, T., Philippou, S. & Priestley, M. (2021). Conclusions: Patterns and trends in curriculum making in Europe. In: M. Priestley, D. Alvunger, S. Philippou. & T. Soini, Curriculum making in Europe: policy and practice within and across diverse contexts (pp. 273-294). Bingley: Emerald.
  • Lingard, R. & Priestley, M. (2023, forthcoming). The influence of the OECD on national curricula.
  • Priestley, M., Philippou, S., Alvunger, D. & Soini, T. (2021). Curriculum Making: A conceptual framing. In: M. Priestley, D. Alvunger, S. Philippou. & T. Soini, Curriculum making in Europe: policy and practice within and across diverse contexts (pp. 1-28). Bingley: Emerald.
  • Priestley, M & Biesta, GJJ (eds.)(2013). Reinventing the curriculum: new trends in curriculum policy and practice. London: Bloomsbury.
  • Priestley, M., Smith, J., Angier, C. & Schuler, B. (forthcoming, 2023). Approaches to Curriculum Making.
  • Shapira, M., Priestley, M., Peace-Hughes, T., Barnett, C. & Ritchie, M. (2023). Choice, Attainment and Positive Destinations: Exploring the impact of curriculum policy change on young people. University of Stirling/Nuffield Foundation.
  • Sinnema, C. & Aitken, G. (2013). Trends in International Curriculum Development. In M. Priestley & G. J. J. Biesta (Eds), Reinventing the curriculum: New trends in curriculum policy and practice (pp. 141-164). London: Bloomsbury.

Upcoming ECERs

Title
26.08.2024
ECER'24, Nicosia
08.09.2025
ECER'25, Belgrade
17.08.2026
ECER'26, Tampere
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Important Dates ECER 2023

Title
01.12.2022
Submission starts
31.01.2023
Submission ends
01.04.2023
Registration starts
01.04.2023
Review results announced
15.05.2023
Early bird ends
26.06.2023
Presentation times announced
30.06.2023
Registration Deadline for Presenters
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Conference Venue

and Local Organisers

University of Glasgow
Glasgow G12 8QQ

Local Association - SERA

Scottish Educational Research Association

EERA Member Organisation

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