21st Century Curriculum

Left image: Hazerbrouck Railway Station, France.
Right image: Rocks on Rouen beach, France.

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
manning@chariot.net.au

Where am I??
Loxton, Australia: S: 34º 28' E: 140º 31'


The 21st Century curriculum needs to be written to ensure that ‘teachable moments’ happen to the maximum! To do so the curriculum should be written to incorporate:

o Flexibility• be flexible to meet the needs of the self-reliant and autonomous learner.

o Multiple literacies• recognise and consider as equally important the range of ‘non-traditional’ literacy’s i.e. visual, financial, health, media, environmental, spatial etc.
• develop cultural literacy and intercultural understanding.

o Orientation
• be thematic in nature, providing guidance via the provision of ‘big ideas’ and ‘essential questions’, instead of discreet content alone.
• view all topics studied though the lens of sustainability.

o Inquiry focus• build relationship with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally.
• be inquiry based and integrate research and inquiry into the development of knowledge and skills.

o Integration• integrate with other subjects in terms of knowledge and skills.

o Authenticity• relate to the community and interact in a meaningful way.
• have a focus on the citizenship capacity of the individual by treating civic and global issues.
• customise learning to student personal pathways.
• provide ample opportunities for students to be involved in project based activities.

o Global dimensions• be global in treatment- design and share information from global communities to meet a variety of purposes.

o Creativity• enable creativity in thought and action.

o Communication• recognise a variety of ways to demonstrate knowledge and skills.
• encourage a variety of assessment strategies, including teacher, self and peer assessment.

o Challenging
• challenge students to inquire as to possible futures and explore the question of not only what?, why? and where? but also what if? and so what?
• stimulate student curiosity and inquisitiveness.
• reflect the intended outcomes for students by the development of clearly articulated and achievable standards.
• emphasis in course design and assessment on the skill of synthesis, critical analysis and evaluation.