Premium
Exploring the role of ‘brokers’ in developing a localised curriculum
Author(s) -
Leat David,
Thomas Ulrike
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the curriculum journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.843
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1469-3704
pISSN - 0958-5176
DOI - 10.1080/09585176.2018.1445513
Subject(s) - curriculum , agency (philosophy) , creativity , government (linguistics) , curriculum theory , globalization , curriculum development , political science , national curriculum , work (physics) , process (computing) , public relations , curriculum mapping , pedagogy , sociology , emergent curriculum , subject (documents) , engineering , social science , computer science , law , mechanical engineering , library science , linguistics , philosophy , operating system
There is a move in some countries, including England, towards less curriculum control by government. This stands in contrast to a national curriculum which may be universally applied in all schools within a state/country. National curricula tend to use either content‐based (subject mastery) or process (skills)‐based models. More localised curricula have the potential to be more issue‐ and problem‐centred using local resources and people as part of their building blocks. However, marketisation and globalisation typified by Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) ‘effect’ on national policies have discouraged teachers' creativity and curriculum innovation and negated teacher agency. Unfortunately, schools and community partners can find it hard to work together because of logistical, communication and cultural impediments, which gives significance to the role of curriculum brokers who can bridge these divides. This paper offers a case study of two brokers in order to describe, understand and conceptualise their role in curriculum development. The wider implications for curriculum development are outlined.