Do we need to redesign the National Curriculum to save the world?
As a father of two children – one in high school and one in junior school – I often get frustrated with some of the subjects that they are being taught in school. When I ask my kids how their school day went, I often get the reply of ‘borrrrrrring!’ and ‘I don’t see why we have to learn about…’ now you can insert the standard things we all probably said as a student here – for example; Shakespeare, algebra, drama, religion, and dance. Yes, we have all been there, but on reflection these WERE things I said as a child, and I am over 30 years out of high school.
So what has changed? Well, the world certainly has, our approach to life certainly has, and the world of work and the roles within it are completely different. So why has The National Curriculum for England, which the Education Reform Act first introduced in 1988 not re-focussed its priorities in line with societal needs?
The national curriculum was developed to provide pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge they require to be educated citizens. But the big question is, are we educating our kids about the right things and providing them with relevant knowledge and skills to give them a fighting chance in the world of work? I am not sure we are. We all know a great teacher creates a much better response from a student and has a greater impact on their lives than a bad one. I also believe that force-feeding students generic knowledge about subjects where the relevance is less obvious to the child can often cause students to fall out of love with learning. I am not bashing core subjects like Maths, English and Science, these are all essential areas of study and provide core knowledge in my opinion. However, it is time to reassess and restructure the wider framework in which they sit and how they are communicated. It is this framework that would benefit most from a redesign and a better alignment with our modern lifestyles and the current world of work.
“The question I would ask is – do you think that the work of William Shakespeare is more relevant today than, say, learning code?”
We can argue all day about whether Shakespeare is still relevant, but that is not what I am questioning here. The question I would ask is – do you think that the work of William Shakespeare is more relevant today than, say, learning code? Or, is Egyptology more important than learning how to present ideas to a group, or learning how to debate a problem and solve it? When you only have a finite amount of time to fill a student with as much vital information as possible, and in a way that they will happily absorb it, you have to prioritise. If we apply design thinking to the problem we would certainly have a more rounded relevant outcome that is focused on what is best for the individual child and how they contribute to society post-education.
The six key areas.
By restructuring the framework into six overlapping core areas we can create a more focused and stimulating education process that the student will find rewarding and much more relatable.
Science & Technology.
Technology is one of the main drivers for the advancement of the human race and should be at the forefront of not only what we teach, but how we teach too. The way we currently deliver, consume, process and store information is all centred around technology, and the evolution of any technology is driven by our ability to understand and harness science. Understanding how science benefits our everyday lives will impact all our futures, and inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and tech entrepreneurs. Core topics might include Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Electronics, Code and Problem Solving.
Health & Wellbeing.
Before you point out that I missed out Biology, yes I know it is a science, but I upgraded it to the hero here instead. One of the most important things we can do as humans is to learn to understand our bodies. How they work and how they thrive or fail is often down to how we maintain them, and how we can optimise our bodies to get the best out of them. Exercise and diet are two key factors that impact our mental health and general wellbeing. By reducing the focus on just playing sports (which is still essential), and moving towards a more holistic healthy lifestyle approach we can create healthier humans. A healthier student is also proven to be more focused and receptive to learning. In addition to general biology, students would learn to; prepare healthy meals, basic first-aid, social skills, relationship building and mindfulness. We all know that your ability to cook has a massive impact on your diet and that your diet has a massive impact on your physical and mental health. We also know too well that the health of the nation has a huge impact on the NHS and the economy, so why not just teach kids how to prepare healthy meals as a priority skill, rather than the novelty subject it is seen to be?
Languages & Culture.
This is an opportunity to learn languages alongside the history and culture of other countries and civilisations. Learn about different cultures each school term whilst also learning English and another core language in parallel to core knowledge. Learn about travel and exploration, regional foods, beliefs and customs. Geography would be covered in part here as well as in Nature & Environments.
Business & Finance.
This is maths with context. It is stripped back and rebuilt around practical applications. The ability to manage their finances with basic budgeting and projection skills will prepare students for college and beyond. Understanding how a business operates and even basic bookkeeping skills are more useful than algebra and trigonometry (which are still important) in everyday life. Technology should be embraced here, it is not the enemy. Teaching students how to use a scientific calculator correctly or spreadsheet software makes maths more accessible and user-friendly.
Art & Design.
There is a real opportunity here to develop a generation of young adults with an ability to not only think differently but understand the value of doing it. The ability to challenge ideas and think creatively are great skills to have. Art is not the ability to draw, art is the ability to think and create beyond what we understand and what we see. It is having the ability to see beauty in everything and interpret that into the physical. Design becomes an even more powerful skill when partnered with other areas like business, technology and science. I also believe that our children will learn more design and engineering from playing with Lego for one hour a week than they will by building a spice rack from scraps of wood in CDT class.
“I strongly believe that the future of human existence on this planet will be based on the current generation’s appetite to change our learnt behaviours. ”
Nature & Environments.
I strongly believe that the future of human existence on this planet will be based on the current generation's appetite to change our learnt behaviours. We need to reimagine and refocus our approach to life on earth and define a more sustainable way forward for everyone. This will only happen by giving kids a fundamental understanding of how our fragile ecosystem works and how to maintain it. If this generation is going to save the world we really need to prioritise this over the emperors of ancient Rome or how the longbow was a medieval game-changer.
Our children seem to spend a lot of time looking backwards at historical events and cultures (which is important), but, is it more important than preparing them for today’s future, and its potential challenges? The Romans conquered Europe and introduced many advanced technologies, but Apple, Facebook, Google and the like have peacefully taken over the planet. We seem to spend a lot of time focused on teaching facts that can be measured for the purpose of grades, rather than teaching them how to be curious, adventurous, free-thinking, different, dynamic, confident and how to fail (which is a lesson in itself). There is a sales mantra that ‘to measure it, is to get it done’, and this may be true of sales. But, sometimes it feels like grades are the stick, whereas inspiration is the carrot. Good grades are not always an indication of future success, and for every kid that turns out as predicted, there is one who beat the odds and worked it out for themselves regardless of poor grades.
Once we embrace the fact that not all progress needs to be measurable, we can then start to teach kids how to learn, challenge and grow in their own way, rather than how to listen and absorb facts. If we design a joined-up learning process, where areas of learning interact and overlap to cross-pollinate ideas and inspire kids to want to seek out knowledge and skills for themselves; then we can really start to unlock the power of the next generation of brilliant young minds that we are relying on to save the world.
Written by Darren Scott – Founder & Creative Director
For further information, images and interview requests contact Jo Scott on jo@truth-design.co.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Truth Design
Established in 2006, Truth Design is part of the Truth Creative group and is co-owned by Darren and Jo Scott. The group also consists of Truth Digital and Truth PR. Truth provides creative, digital and branding solutions for clients within a diverse range of sectors, including retail, hospitality, luxury, education and charity.
Find out more at www.truth-creative.co.uk or on Twitter @Truth_Creative.