Every time I see an update from Ofsted, discuss curriculum (as it stands now) I am reminded of a Thomas Gradgrind quote:
“Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, sir!” (Hard Times Charles Dickens 1854)
It would be sad if that after nearly 166 years, we had just come round in one huge circle to a starting point where children were seen as empty vessels. Sat ready to be filled up with what society deemed to be ‘important. ‘ There are most definitely certain facts that every UK citizen should know, but understanding and skills should never be sacrificed to the alter of a ‘Pub Quiz Curriculum.’
If children need one skill for the future it would be adaptability. Many of the jobs they might be doing have not been invented yet and most certainly future workers will need to be adaptable in a future where their jobs may change every 5 years.
Will there ever again be such a thing as a ‘job for life?’ Within that idea we need to continue to remind ourselves that creativity must never be underestimated.
I will never forget when the old QCA had its units of learning in the early years of this century . They suddenly realised they were missing creativity and so produced a unit of work to show children how to be creative. At the time Mick Waters it’s CEO stated that “if the curriculum were a child, it would have a very low self esteem”. I would argue that we are perhaps in that same place again.
With the focus yet again being on facts, will the powers that be, suddenly, once again realise that the skills they are advocating are a) not helpful and b) not useful for the future.
To say Thomas Gradgrind might be considered ‘educationally in vogue‘ in terms of current ethos, says an awful lot about our children’s current curriculum. I wonder if Labour get back into power, might they resurrect the Rose Curriculum? Often described as the best curriculum we never had....created by experts and teachers, all there and ready to go.
Personal Survival 