Critiquing Current Educational Policy Issues - Essay Example

Running head: Critiquing Current Educational policy issues: Development of a National Curriculum Student’s name Institution Course Professor Date Introduction The prosperity of the Australia relies greatly on every individual in this country to have fundamental knowledge, skills, understanding and values for a productive and joyful life in an educated and just society. Several education systems in this continent are undergoing a restructuring and consolidation phase especially through the implementation of standardization, centralization and national curriculum. This essay will try to have a discussion majorly on the development of National curriculum and its associated influence on the education in order for them to achieve high quality schooling. The development of this curriculum is deemed to help the school children have the ability to exercise judicious judgment and responsibility in matters that are associated to social ethics and justice. Teachers have been recognized as active agents in the curriculum change and development which encompasses on social justice. The curriculum provides an intellectual challenge that would introduce students to the social, political and ethical complexity of classroom teaching. A culturally diverse classroom present a teacher with persistent opportunity to open up new and diverse paths of learning and varied strategies for teaching, learning and to acquire new knowledge. Cultural, social, organizational and physiological barriers pose a great resistance to change (Ellsworth, 2000) Body Societal issues with the development of National curriculum The introduction and implementation of a new national curriculum are carried out with a view to responds to the needs, interests and the much concerns of the Australian students with the recommended use of explicit teaching and upcoming technologies (DEST, 2008). This ongoing development and delivery of socially just schooling requires an active engagement with the rights, requirements and entitlements of indigenous Australians. In addition both the indigenous and other Australian children ought to have the same educational opportunities while at the same time they remain strong in their culture and language in cross-cultural circumstances. A successful approach to be utilized during the teaching and learning of the Australian children must correspond with the implementation of a dynamic and responsive curriculum. Since, upon completion of their studies they will be in a position to focus on the world critically and to act independently and responsibly (DEST, 2008). Most of the lives of the Australian people in the future are shaped by the education framework available at the present time. For instance, the intellectual, personal, social and educational needs of the young people are addressed when ideas that deal with the objectives of education are constantly changing or evolving. The advent of globalization and advancement of information technology have placed great emphasis on educations and skills development in Australia (Bagnall, 2010). In order to meet the expectation of the society, the development of the national curriculum will provide the young people with a wide and adaptive set of skills, knowledge and understanding. Among the three models of curriculum reforms include the top-down approach of the teacher proof curricula, the bottom-up approach of school-based curriculum development and the action research movement and lastly the collaborative partnerships of schools, professional associations and relevant stakeholders (DEST, 2008). Just as Hall (1999), highlighted that Bourdieu did challenged the idea of schools as the site of social reproduction, but also suggested that schools as site of negotiation between capitalism and other forces in the lives of the young people of Australia. The development of a national curriculum in the education system will create young people to be responsible in the future for Australia as a whole. Furthermore, this current educational policy issue is deemed to take into consideration the intellectual, personal, social and economic growth of the young people. Due to increased global integration, mobility and independence, this national curriculum calls for greater religious tolerance, sense of global citizenship, appreciation of cultural diversity among people of Australia (Carrington,200,p.186). The development of national curriculum can accommodates the mobility of students and teachers across state and territorial boundaries within Australia. “Texts, routines, behavioural expectations, pedagogies and curriculum design are normally based on assumptions of the nuclear family as a baseline social formation of a morally just society” (Carrington, 2001, p.194).Strong foundation literacy and numeracy skills effectively taught to all children will help Australia towards countering other forms of educational and social disadvantage. Choice is an important value in a democratic society and necessary foundation for any school improvement. Thus it facilitates innovation and provides for greater involvement and commitment of both students and parents. The increased global integration and international mobility has offered new and exciting opportunities for many people in Australia. This has heightens the requirement to nurture an appreciation and respect for social, cultural and religious diversity and general global citizenship. Political issues associated with the development of National curriculum The National Declaration draft 2008 made a commitment to support every young individual to become a successful learners with confidence, active and informed citizens and accompanied with general promotion of equity in educational systems. For instance, crucial content and achievement standards that are needed from each pupil at every year of schooling are set in the national curriculum (DEST, 2008). The complexities of globalization, the speed of knowledge production and the challenges of diversity have been factored in the collaboration of national curriculum since they are fundamental to the future of Australians. Alternatively, the piloting of the different curriculum approaches to Australian education has been heavily prompted by the economic, political, cultural and environmental globalization. The government of Australia had opted that quality education to its citizens was crucial in maintaining the productivity and quality of life in the country. The national curriculum is destined to play vital role in quality education delivery and a commitment to the development of K-12 national curriculum. The areas to be focused are; English, mathematics, science and history. “The way in which knowledge is delivered in the classroom is a fundamental aspect of knowledge production”, (Meadmore &McWilliam, 2001, p.32). In education terms, globalization, the quality of national educational systems is increasingly being compared internationally. Much emphasis is placed on science and math curriculum, standards and testing determine the way education is delivered. Australia education ought to be in a position to anticipate any condition at which young Australians will need for functions as individuals and citizens when they complete their studies. The commitment to develop a national curriculum indicates a willingness to work hand in hand across varied geographical and school sector boundaries to impart a world class education to all Australian students (Vickers, 2010). Development of national curriculum is bestowed to offer great potential of economies of scale and a reduction in the utilization of time, effort and resources. The Australian curriculum promotes the goal of pursuing excellence within education setting where respect and promotion of cultural identity is maintained especially for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders (Brianta & Doherty, 2012, p.52). “Individuals sharing a culture are likely to interpret and define many social institutions in similar ways because of their socialization experiences and expectations” Ballastine & Roberts (2007). The Australian government has observed education as a remedy for many social evils for example poverty, violence, general inequality and erosion of basic moral values and norms. The new curriculum is to major in various social expectations such as education for democracy, peace, and health, moral and environmental (Keddie & Mills, 2007, p.205). Lack of responsibility by the teachers and management, absence of evaluation mechanism and adequate academic standards have impacted negatively the education systems in Australia. Hatton, (1994, p.14). Australian government provided funding as a support for curriculum and assessment resources and materials for every school so that it will promote values education. (DEST, 2008). In order to develop an effective learning community, there is need to foster a community of effective learners. The objective of democracy and social action is achieved through curriculum and which allows every educator to recognize and respect the unique attributed of all learners. Professional issues that accompanied the development of National curriculum The current Australian curriculum entails the following general capabilities; literacy, numeracy, ICT, personal and social competence, creative thinking, ethical behaviour and intercultural understanding”, (Brianta & Doherty, 2012, p.52). Curriculum systems and structures are the product of local feedback over many periods of time to diverse influences and resources. Education policy has moved beyond the medical and dependency models to a new paradigm that requires teachers possess positive attitudes towards inclusion” (Carrington, 2000, p.104). The development of teacher resources which can demonstrate how teachers’ fraternity can engage themselves in teaching and learning has been recognized as a fundamental aspect in supporting the implementation of the Australian curriculum in the education system. The accountability testing and expectations for literacy achievement have been on the rise with the sole objective of preparing a formidable workforce in this global information society (Mills, 2008, p.211). To improve accountability, large scale testing can measure and improve the student learning. High stake test promote the teaching of pupils tangible skills that are easily tested as oppose to critical thinking skills that can benefit the child in the long run. National assessment program literacy and numeracy initiative seeks to raise the stakes for schools, teachers and students, where external imposed testing in literacy and numeracy will affect bureaucratic decision making (Rennie, 2006, p.123). Large scale assessments are administered at the centre of users external to the classroom as opposed to being carried out by teachers in their own classrooms. Furthermore, it can be used to determine school funding allocations, student promotion to a next grade and teacher pay and promotion (Mills, 2008, p.212). Under large scale standardized testing the values to be taken into considerations are; objectivity, efficiency, precision and economy. There is a need to transform the inequitable distribution of literacies with the help of assessment programs that will not reproduce or legitimize inequalities in the Australian educational system. The outcome from national literacy and numerical tests will issue a vital measure on how Australian schools and students are faring on in areas of writing, reading, spelling and numeracy. Evidence has emerged that high stakes testing can structure the educational experiences of students such that it limits development of range of skills and literacies needed in the modern world (Booher-Jennings, 2008). Low level thinking is encouraged and outcomes measures promoted rather than the intrinsic process of learning and acquiring knowledge. Teacher pedagogies are impacted negatively through degradation of students’ experience of learning. Due to testing, schools’ curriculum is hampered as most teachers focus on areas where students will be tested while reducing the proportion of class time devoted to other curriculum areas. Furthermore, the curriculum of the school has been narrowed as a result of high stakes testing (Booher-Jennings, 2008, p.151). Testing and standards mechanisms are utilized to increase accountability through measuring knowledge production. Conclusion The development of national curriculum in the Australia should be able to set same high expectations for all students and also provide differentiated levels of support to ensure that they have a fair chance to achieve them. It should be free from all negative forms of discrimination that are based on sex, culture, language, religion and ethnicity and other differences that can arise from Australian students socio-economic background. Furthermore, it should allow jurisdictions and relevant schools to implement the directives in a way that will value the professional knowledge of every teacher and also reflect the local contexts. Consequently, this development will result into; meeting the demands of new economies, students provided with capabilities in changing polities and cultures, appreciate diversity and facilitate lifelong learning. Indeed, it should be congruent with the predominant curriculum and standards framework of the educational systems and with all stakeholders’ expectations. In addition, the national curriculum should play a fundamental role in setting up the alignment between education, economy and society that schools will be expected to address. Value education is a fundamental part of effective schooling. School managers ought to develop student responsibility in local, national and global contexts and also building student social skills and resilience. All actors and stakeholders involved in the educational reforms need to design curricula that will allow all students to relate to and find a place in current’s knowledge-based theory. A core curriculum and pedagogy should be intellectually challenging and encompasses a wide range of skills, knowledge and experiences. References Bagnall, N. (2010).Globalization. In, Connell,R.,Campell,C.,Vickers,M., Welch, A., Foley, D., Bagnall,N., and Hayes,D.(Eds) Education, Change and Society.Melbourne:Oxford. Booher-Jennings, J. (2008).Learning to label: Socialization, gender, and the hidden-curriculum of high stakes testing. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29(2), 149-160 Brianta, E., & Doherty. (2012).Educators mediating curricular reform: anticipating the Australian curriculum, Teaching Education, 23(1), 51-69 Carrington, V. (2001).Globalization, family, and nation state: reframing ‘family’ in new times. Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education, 22(2), 185-196 DEST. (2008). National Values Framework for Values Education in Australian schools, retrieved July 2012 from DEST website http://www.curriculum.edu/values/val_about_national_values_education,8771.html Hardy, I., & Boyle, C. (2011).My school? Critiquing the abstraction and quantification of education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 39(3), 211-222 Hatton, E. (Ed.). (1998).Curriculum and the social context of schooling (2nd). Sydney: Harcourt Brace Johnson, B., &Reid, A. (1999). Contesting the curriculum. Wentworth Falls: Social Science press Keddie, A., & Mills, M. (2007).Teaching for gender justice, Australian Journal of Education, 51(2), 205-219 Meadmore, D., & McWilliam, E. (2001).The corporate curriculum: Schools as sites of new knowledge production. Australian Educational Researcher, 28(1), 31-45 Mills, K. (2008).Will large scale assessment raise literacy standards in Australian schools? Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 31(3), 211-225 Rennie, J. (2006).Meeting kids at the gate: The Literacy and numeracy practices of a remote indigenous community. Australian Educational Researcher, 33(3).123-142 Vickers, M. (2010).Curriculum. In, Connell, R., Campell, C., Vickers, M., Welch, A., Foley, D., Bagnall, N., and Hayes, D. (Eds) Education, Change and Society. Melbourne: Oxford. Read More