Global citizenship – challenges for educators (Oct 2009)

Global citizenship – challenges for educators (Oct 2009)

For a recent review of the challenges faced by educators addressing global citizenship, and the relevance of human rights, see Nelly P. Stromquist (2009) Theorizing Global Citizenship: Discourses, Challenges, and Implications for Education

Learning better together - the case for inclusive education (Oct 2009)

In a 3 June event at Parliament House IHC launched a report by education researcher Dr Jude MacArthur that makes a powerful case for including students with disabilities in regular classrooms.

Striving for coherence in implementing the New Zealand Curriculum (Oct 2009)

"Developing a shared, school-wide understanding of the key competencies, aligning these to their school vision and values, and integrating them into the planning of teaching and learning programmes were important priorities for most schools" according to the NZC implementation report issued by the Education Review Office in August.

Amongst the self-review indicators proposed by ERO to assist school leaders in implementation planning are:

• choosing achievement objectives from each learning area to fit the learning needs of their students
• considering links between learning areas, including "considering the links that exist between learning areas and the values and key competencies"
• integrating key competencies into learning and teaching
• considering how the curriculum principles will be explored and included
• aligning The New Zealand Curriculum with school-wide systems.

Schools already part of the Human Rights in Education initiative are using the human rights framework as a key tool in this process. Recognising that values - including "respect for self, other and human rights" - are supposed to be "encouraged, modelled and explored" and "evident in the school's philosophy, structures, curriculum, classrooms and relationships" (NZC p10), they see a strong human rights strand as offering the potential to bring a much needed coherence to overall school programme.

School leaders may find the attached one page summary of the Curriculum useful. (Please note that this is a significant revision of earlier draft versions of this summary, some of which failed to list "Integrity" or "Ecological sustainability" as values)