Ireland has followed international education policy trends, and is currently engaged in a period of considerable curricular change, particularly at second-level. Across Europe and the English-speaking world, outcomes-based curricula, that are student centred and advocate active pedagogies have been adopted to varying degrees. Recently revised curricula In Ireland show a number of similar policy trends including: a move from the explicit specification of content towards a more generic, skill-based approach; a greater emphasis on the centrality of the learner; and greater autonomy for teachers in developing the curriculum in school (Siennema & Aitken 2013). The  constructive forms of pedagogy associated with these curricula encourage the development of deep learning (Biesta 2014).

As part of this curricular change, subject specifications in Ireland are being written in terms of learning outcomes, into which development of key skills, and  flexibility of teaching and learning are built in. The European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF), defines learning outcomes as statements of what a learner knows, understands and is able to do after completion of learning (European Commission 2008). Learning outcomes form part of an innovative approach to teaching and learning, and there is a growing and dynamic role for them in education and training reform across Europe. Whether at the level of policy development or implementation, most European countries are planning or making a marked shift in this direction (CEDEFOP 2008).

Some of the education partners in Ireland (policy makers, practitioners, researchers, teacher unions) are concerned that expressing learning in terms of outcomes may comprimise curriculum coherence. They worry that the flexibility in teaching and learning approaches that are built in to new specifications may result in teachers interpreting learning outcomes in different ways. They want assurance that the learning experiences provided in all schools are both relevant to the needs of learners while at the same time develop a wide adaptive knowledge base. The growing emphasis on learner centred outcomes, and a move from explicit specification of content towards a more generic, skills based approach have attracted criticism, particularly from social realists, about the centrality of knowledge in teaching and learning. The education partners are aware of the challenges associated with the move from prescriptive content to learning outcomes, and find it difficult to envisage a way in which the system can meet these challenges.

To illustrate to the system, and the education partners  how the challenges discussed above can be addressed, the NCCA established policy-researcher-practitioner partnerships that involved co-designing, testing, and refining curriculum material that translates and communicates learning outcomes for teachers, and in doing so improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment at the system level.

This paper describes two education design-based projects. The first (upper second level physics), entitled Asteroids Impacts and Craters, was designed to illustrate the develpment of key skills and higher order thinking in teaching, learning and assessment. The second (lower second level general science) worked with teachers to develop annotated examples of student work from teacher-designed assessment tasks that will contribute to curriculum coherence in the new specification for junior cycle science. 

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