Knowledge and curriculum: Changing perspectives

20 Aug 2024

To nationalise the curriculum – to change what a nation knows – is a significant undertaking. It is little wonder that Te Mātaiaho: The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum has generated debate, and it is perhaps unsurprising that the terms of that debate are polarised between knowledge-rich and learner-centred approaches, and between ‘Western’ knowledge and Mātauranga Māori.

Professors David Lambert (UCL) and John Morgan (The University of Auckland and UCL) draw upon their work in curriculum-thinking to explore how the New Zealand debate dovetails with wider discussions in the field. They set out changes in the knowledge landscape, and how these have given rise to different ideas about curriculum. They provide ‘case studies’ of national curriculum making in England, Wales, and New Zealand before discussing ways ahead for curriculum-making in schools.

The aim is not tell teachers what to teach, but to set out what is at stake when teachers take control of the curriculum.

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Presenters

Emeritus Professor David Lambert

Dr David Lambert was a comprehensive school geography teacher for 12 years becoming a Deputy Headteacher in 1985. He joined the Institute of Education (IoE) in 1986-7 as a teacher educator, becoming Reader in Education in 1999 and enjoying a spell as Assistant Dean ITE (research). In 2002 he become full-time Chief Executive of the Geographical Association, helping to guide its transformation into a significant provider of CPD and a leader in funded curriculum development activity. From September 2007 he returned to the IoE as Professor of Geography Education. Recent publications include “Geography 11-19: A Conceptual Approach”, co-written with John Morgan. His overarching goal is to advance the importance of geography in schools, not least its role in helping young people grasp the significance of the Anthropocene.

Professor John Morgan

Dr John Morgan the Head of School of Critical Studies in Education. His primary research interests are in Geography and Environmental Education. He joined the University of Auckland in 2012, having previously worked at both the University of Bristol and the Institute of Education, University of London. From 2021 to 2023 he was Professor of Geography and Environmental Education at University College London. His academic career developed out of his 10-year experience of teaching Geography in London schools and colleges.