ERIC Number: EJ1023121
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0958-5176
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Teachers' Perspectives on Curriculum Making in Primary Geography in England
Catling, Simon
Curriculum Journal, v24 n3 p427-453 2013
The phrase "curriculum making" has recently been used to describe medium-term planning and teachers' enactment of such planning in the classroom. This narrows the term's initial use from that in the first half of the twentieth century when it was employed inclusively from national programmes to lesson planning. While considering related studies about curriculum making, this paper focuses on the interpretation described and used by the Geographical Association (GA) to encourage more open approaches to medium-term curriculum planning in England by teachers. It reports the outcomes of a small-scale study of primary teachers' perspectives on their experiences of curriculum making during one GA project, "The Young Geographers Project". It identifies a number of "curriculum dynamics", including teachers' feelings of liberation, children's agency in curriculum making, the importance of subject knowledge, engaging with children's everyday experiences and interests, and purposefulness for curriculum topics while retaining flexibility and openness. Reflecting on these findings, 10 features pertinent to curriculum making are noted.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Elementary School Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Curriculum Development, Geography Instruction, Lesson Plans, Planning, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Learning Activities, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Knowledge Level, Student Attitudes, Questionnaires, Interviews
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (England)
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Author Affiliations: N/A