Concept-Based Curriculum and the Teacher: Galvanising Teacher Agency

With current understanding about the teacher’s critical role in the learning process (Barber M, Mourshed M, How the World’s best-performing school systems come out on top. McKinsey & Co, Dubai, 2007; Hattie J, Visible learning: a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge, London, 2009; Mourshed M, et al., How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better. Retrieved from http://ssomckinsey.darbyfilms.com/reports/schools/How-the-Worlds-Most-Improved-School-Systems-Keep-Getting-Better_Download-version_Final.pdf, 2010), educators are now increasingly looking to involve teachers in ensuring greater customisation of learning. Educational systems are exploring more bottom-up approaches to curriculum development, as they seek to ensure that schools are equipping learners for the post-modern economy whilst at the same time deal with persistent achievement gaps and manage greater stakeholder involvement in education (Braslavsky C, The new century’s change: new challenges and curriculum responses. In: Proceedings of COBSE-International Conference, New Delhi, 2002; Darling-Hammond L, Friedlaender D, Educ Leadersh 65(8):14–21, 2008; Garner R, The Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/finland-schools-subjects-are-out-and-topics-are-in-as-country-reforms-its-education-system-10123911.html?cmipid=fb, 2015; Kalantzis M, Cope B, Comput Compos 23(4):402–411, 2006). School-based efforts have become test-beds to change instructional practices that have traditionally relied on centrally controlled, linear models of curriculum development (Brady L, Curric Teach 10(1):47–54, 1995; Gopinathan S, Deng Z, Plan Chang 37(3):93–110, 2006; Law E, Nieveen N, Schools as curriculum agencies: Asian and European perspectives on school-based curriculum development. Sense Publishers, Dordrecht, 2010). Teachers’ role in curriculum has become important in leading the bottom-up approach to curriculum, and factors such as teachers’ curricular expertise in selecting and conveying content suited to the learner in particular contexts (Ennis CD, Quest 46(2):164–175. doi: 10.1080/00336297.1994.10484118, 1994), professional learning opportunities (Cochran-Smith M, Lytle SL, Rev Res Educ 24:249–305. doi: 10.2307/1167272, 1999; Timperley A, et al., Teacher professional learning and development: best evidence synthesis iteration. Ministry of Education, Wellington, 2007) and teacher agency (Campbell E, Curric Inq 42(2):183–190, 2012; Fenwick TJ, Edwards R, Actor-network theory in education. Routledge, Abingdon, 2010; Priestley M, J Educ Chang 12(1):1–23. doi: 10.1007/s10833-010-9140-z, 2011; Priestley M et al, Curric Inq 42(2):191–214. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-873X.2012.00588.x, 2012) have become significant considerations in school-based curriculum development efforts. Specifically, given that such change depends on the active, reflexive engagement of teachers in their curricular contexts for action, teacher agency has become a critical determinant for the ongoing development and refinement of curriculum.