The National Conference for Cross-Curriculum Dimensions was held at the Congress Centre in London on 12th March 2009. This one day conference was jointly hosted by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and British Council to launch two new publications,
Cross-curriculum dimensions: a planning guide for schools and
Sustainable development in action: a curriculum planning guide for schools, and to provide a forum to discuss the curriculum dimensions and how the seven dimensions can work in action in schools. These issues were explored in the morning presentations, with the afternoon sessions given over to delegates (from government agencies, local authorities, teachers, etc.) to explore the curriculum within their own context through facilitated workshops.
To launch the first of these publications, David Gardner from QCA introduced the cross-curricular dimensions outlined below, and emphasised that these areas had been developed to reflect some of the major ideas and challenges facing society today. The dimensions should be seen as a way of helping young people make sense of the world in which they live:
- Identity and cultural diversity
- Healthy lifestyles
- Community participation
- Enterprise
- Global dimension and sustainable development
- Technology and the media
- Creativity and critical thinking
These themes should be viewed as a way of life that permeates across the curriculum; these are not new content areas or curriculum subjects, but are all interdependent and mutually supportive. Each theme is not isolated, but should be considered in light of the other themes which schools should bring into the heart of curriculum planning. The themes can provide a focus for work between subjects and across the curriculum as a whole.
The cross-curriculum dimensions have been delivered by QCA in response to their remit "to develop a modern, world-class curriculum that will inspire and challenge all learners and prepare them for the future", and are linked to 2020 Vision which identifies the following five key drivers for change in the world, and that will impact our world in 2020:
1. demographic
2. social
3. technological
4. economic
5. environmental
To support this, the new secondary curriculum now has the following statutory aims: The curriculum should enable all young people to be
- Successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
- Confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
- Responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society
Sophie Jones and Luke Pollard outlined how they had engaged with The Prime Minister's Global Fellowship programme in order to go abroad (China and Brazil respectively) in order to engage with other cultures to see how other learners engage with the curriculum. Their clear message to attendees was the need to match this inspiration and enthusiasm for knowledge and learning within our own classrooms.
The National Curriculum website links curriculum opportunities between subjects (e.g. Geography with Art), demonstrating how subject expertise and knowledge interact across the curriculum. The site and publication look at how to embed the dimensions through disciplined innovation, suggesting that "successful, effective curriculum innovation must be disciplined. It must be based on evidence, closely monitored and focused on three key questions":
- What are you trying to achieve for young people?
- How will you organise learning?
- How will you know you are achieving your aims?
The website and publication then go on to describe cross-curriculum dimensions and their inter-relatedness, all linked to existing case studies to bring the report to life. The publication looks at each of the key themes and analyses the dimension, asks key questions around how to engage pupils critically, considers wider learning objectives, and the opportunities learners needed to achieve, and are all followed by video case studies demonstrating how themes interact.
QCA then launched Sustainable development in action: a curriculum planning guide for schools, which is designed to help schools build sustainable development into the learning experience of all learners. This brings sustainable development into the heart of curriculum planning to "empower our children to change their environment" (Children's Plan 2008).
Four subject associations were asked to contribute how their subjects contributed to sustainable development - Geography, Citizenship, Science, and Design & Technology. Sustainable Development needs to be fully integrated into the curriculum throughout all subjects - connected to wider learning objectives. This publication provides a toolkit with activities based around the three key questions above, linked to a series of case studies which consider what some schools have achieved in this area, how they have achieved it, and what possible next steps may include.
Full details of the resources from the conference, including a link to the BBC News School Report produced by Mayfield School, can be downloaded from www.equity-events.co.uk/dimension
Users can access a range of TTRB resources related to the cross-curriculum themes below:
Report by:
Paul Jenkins