The secondary curriculum review
Less than 80 years ago no one owned a television and few people ever travelled more than 50 miles from the town in which they were born. Today television and the internet bring constantly updated international news, sport and culture into our homes, while international travel and global trade are becoming the norm. Events thousands of miles away have an immediate impact and peoples, cultures and languages from around the world have a huge influence on our society.
If we are serious about bringing learning to life, we must set it within a global context. We must excite tomorrow's scientists about the difference they could make to humanity, show our linguists how they can influence the business world, focus our communicators on the potential impact of the media and encourage our cooks, designers, inventors, peacemakers and builders by showing where the discipline of learning can take them. A curriculum for the 21st century should encourage the development of critical thinking so that learners are not only aware of global issues and events from different viewpoints, but also realise that they can play a part in working towards local and global solutions.
In 2005 the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) published a guidance paper, Developing the global dimension in the school curriculum, which outlined eight aspects that are crucial to developing global understanding in our learners. These were:
One of the aims of the curriculum is to foster successful learners who know how to process information, reason, critique and make judgements. Teaching these skills within a global context can be highly motivating. The following guidance should help teachers create an environment in which learners are able to develop their global understanding.
Opportunities to explore global issues can occur in many different contexts and can be integral to many activities both within and beyond the classroom. In order to help learners appreciate the global dimension to their lives and make informed decisions about playing an active role in the global community they should have opportunities across the curriculum to:
The 'importance statements' for each subject provide an immediate signpost for schools when embedding a global dimension across the curriculum.
| Subject | Extract from importance statement to support a global dimension |
|---|---|
| Art and design | They learn to appreciate and value images and artefacts across times and cultures, and to understand the contexts in which they are made. In art and design, pupils reflect critically on their own and other people's work, judging quality, value and meaning. |
| Citizenship | Citizenship encourages them to take an interest in topical and controversial issues and to engage in discussion and debate. Pupils learn about their rights and responsibilities, duties and freedoms, laws and justice, and democratic institutions?. Citizenship encourages respect for different national, religious and ethnic identities. It also equips pupils to? explore diverse beliefs, cultures and identities and the values we share as citizens in the UK. Pupils begin to understand how society has changed and is changing in the UK, Europe and the wider world. Citizenship addresses issues relating to social justice, human rights and global community, and encourages pupils to challenge injustice, inequalities and discrimination. It helps young people to develop their critical skills and to consider a wide range of political, social, ethical and moral problems and explore opinions other than their own. They learn to evaluate information, make informed judgements and reflect on the consequences of their actions now and in the future. They can argue a case on behalf of others as well as themselves and speak out on issues of concern. |
| Design and technology | Working in stimulating contexts that provide a spectrum of opportunities and draw on the local ethos, community and wider world, pupils identify needs and opportunities?. They combine practical and intellectual skills with an understanding of aesthetic, technical, cultural, health, social, emotional, economic, industrial and environmental issues. |
| English | Literature in English is rich and influential. It reflects the experience of people from many countries and times and contributes to our sense of cultural identity. |
| Geography | The study of geography stimulates an interest in, and a sense of wonder about, places and helps make sense of a complex and dynamically changing world. It explains how places and landscapes are formed, how people and environment interact, and how a diverse range of economies and societies are interconnected. It builds on pupils' own experiences to investigate at all scales from the personal to the global?. Geography inspires pupils to become global citizens by exploring their own place in the world, their values and responsibilities to other people, to the environment and to the sustainability of the planet. |
| History | History? helps them develop their own identity through an understanding of history at personal, local, national and international levels?. It encourages mutual understanding of the historic origins of our ethnic and cultural diversity, and helps pupils become confident and questioning individuals. |
| ICT | ICT enables rapid access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities and cultures, and allows pupils to collaborate and exchange information on a wide scale. ICT acts as a powerful force for change in society and citizens should have an understanding of the social, ethical, legal and economic implications of its use, including how to use ICT safely and responsibly. |
| Mathematics | The subject transcends cultural boundaries and its importance is universally recognised. |
| Modern foreign languages (MFL) | Languages are part of the cultural richness of our society and the world in which we live and work. Learning languages contributes to mutual understanding, a sense of global citizenship and personal fulfilment. Pupils learn to appreciate different countries, cultures, communities and people. By making comparisons, they gain insight into their own culture and society. The ability to understand and communicate in another language is a lifelong skill for education, employment and leisure in this country and throughout the world. |
| Music | As an integral part of culture, past and present, music helps pupils understand themselves, relate to others, and develop their cultural understanding, forging important links between the home, school and the wider world. |
| Science | Pupils discover how scientific ideas contribute to technological change - affecting industry, business and medicine and improving quality of life. They trace the development of science worldwide and recognise its cultural significance. They learn to question and discuss issues that may affect their own lives, the directions of societies and the future of the world. |
The table below shows how the key concepts for each national curriculum subject link to the eight aspects of a global dimension.
| Subject | Key concept | Global dimension aspect |
|---|---|---|
| Art and design | Cultural understanding | Diversity Interdependence Global citizenship |
| Citizenship | Democracy and justice Rights and responsibilities Identities and diversity Critical thinking |
Social justice Human rights Diversity Values and perceptions |
| Design and technology | Cultural understanding | Sustainable development Global citizenship |
| English | Cultural understanding | Values and perceptions Global citizenship |
| Geography | Interdependence Environmental interactions Cultural understanding and diversity |
Interdependence Sustainable development Values and perceptions Global citizenship Diversity Social justice |
| History | Cultural, ethnic and religious diversity Causation |
Diversity Conflict resolution |
| ICT | Impact of technology | Global citizenship Social justice Sustainable development |
| Mathematics | Appreciation | Diversity |
| MFL | Intercultural understanding | Diversity Global citizenship Interdependence Values and perceptions |
| Music | Cultural understanding | Diversity Interdependence |
| Science | Cultural understanding | Diversity Sustainable development |
Detailed information on approaches to the global dimension, including whole-school guidance and subject-specific examples, are included in the DfES publications Developing the global dimension in the school curriculum and Putting the world into world-class education.
