ERIC Number: EJ1158076
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2146-0353
EISSN: N/A
Curriculum Development in New Zealand: New Directions, Opportunities and Challenges for School Geography
Fastier, Murray
Review of International Geographical Education Online, v3 n3 p241-252 Win 2013
Geography as a senior subject in New Zealand secondary schools has been long overdue for curriculum change. The 2007 New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) currently being implemented at the senior school level provides geography with the mechanisms for positive curriculum change, giving teachers the opportunity to refocus on existing teaching, learning and assessment practices. Important paradigm shifts include devolving curriculum making to schools, embracing student ownership of learning, emphasizing a conceptual understanding approach and re-aligning the national geography assessment standards to the new curriculum. Although the implementation of the NZC is widely perceived as providing the needed stimulus to transform high school geography into a key subject for 21st Century learners, the process to date has not been without challenges. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, to identify the new directions and opportunities offered by the NZC using document analysis and review of associated literature. Second, using results from a teacher survey plus semi-structured interviews with heads of geography departments is to document teacher perceptions about uptake of the intended curriculum, challenges faced and the extent to which the state rhetoric is reflected in the new programs being planned by teachers of geography.
Descriptors: Curriculum Development, Foreign Countries, Geography Instruction, Curriculum Implementation, High School Students, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12, Content Analysis, Geography, Teacher Surveys, Semi Structured Interviews, Teacher Attitudes, Secondary School Teachers
Review of International Geographical Education Online. Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Meselik Campus, Eskisehir City, 26480, Turkey. Tel: +90-222-239-37-50; Tax: +90-222-229-31-24; Web site: http://www.rigeo.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A