A liberal education is focused on teaching knowledge ‘for its own sake’. The two words ‘liberal’ and ‘arts’ might stand somewhat awkwardly in our current landscape, the phrase implies freeing the human being through a study of a curriculum exposing pupils to a wide range of influences, arts, ideas, opinions and facts so that they … More A Knowledge Based Liberal Arts and Sciences Curriculum. Curriculum Series Number Seven.

Hirsch’s ‘Communal knowledge’ curriculum and aspects of Bruner’s ‘Spiral Curriculum’ are both predicated on the importance of teaching knowledge. Bruner’s might be a controversial choice as he is sometimes seen as quite a ‘progressive’ figure but, I argue here, there are important aspects of his work that warrant inclusion in the ‘knowledge-based’ category. Hirsch’s work … More Hirsch and Bruner: Two Knowledge-Based Curricula Models. Curriculum Series Number Six

What is meant by the word curriculum? The online OED definition is quite narrow: The subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college. Decide your course, list the subjects that are to be covered and off you go. The word comes from the Latin ‘curriculum’ which meant a running, course, career, from … More What is a Curriculum? Curriculum Series Number Three.

The why of curriculum design is a hugely contested area, it is tied in to the ‘why’ of school itself and is driven by politics, values, ideology and what one feels is ‘right’. This is where there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ about the design of curriculum one chooses, however there are right and wrong … More Curriculum Series Number Two: Curriculum Aims, ‘The Why’…