Towards a Better Future

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Chapter Three: Curriculum PART THREE: CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT: THE CURRENT SITUATION This section of the paper will focus on the development of curriculum at all levels - early childhood, primary, Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle - since the adoption by the NCCA of its revised model of curriculum planning. Aistear/ Síolta – the Early Childhood Curriculum In October 2009, the NCCA published Aistear: An Early Childhood Curriculum Framework for children from birth to six years. (For further discussion of Aistear, see Chapter 2 of this report). Aistear can be used in a range of early childhood settings, including children’s own homes, full and part-time daycare settings, and infant classes in primary schools. The framework uses four interconnected themes to describe the content of children’s learning and development – Well-being; Identity and Belonging; Communicating and Exploring; and Thinking. The Framework has both implicit and explicit links with the Primary School Curriculum (Department of Education, 2009). While the Framework is impressive, it requires its users to act as ‘curriculum developers’ in keeping with the revised approach to curriculum planning adopted by the NCCA (www.ncca.ie). For example, the first element of the document is entitled ‘Developing your Curriculum and Curriculum Statement’. This document reminds staff that the curriculum is shaped and influenced by many “ different factors, and is affected by socioeconomic and cultural factors, the type of setting, the physical environment and the philosophy, ethos, vision, principles, values, routines and policies of the setting. Developing a curriculum taking account of all these factors could prove quite a challenge for the average early childhood teacher, given the relatively low level of qualification required in the sector. Current guidelines relating to staffing of early Aistear can be used in a range of early childhood settings, including children’s own homes, full and part-time day-care settings, and infant classes in primary schools. ” childhood settings expect that each setting should be led by a person with a minimum of a Level 6 qualification. As indicated in Chapter 2, an increasing number of workers in the sector have completed a qualification at least at this level but this is not universally the case. The New Primary Language Curriculum, 2016 Research carried out by the NCCA in 2005, with particular reference to English, Mathematics and Visual Arts, identified some problems in the implementation of the 1999 curriculum (NCCA, 2005). Arising out of this research, it was recommended that the organisational framework for the — 37 —
Towards a Better Future: A Review of the Irish School System English Curriculum should be revised, that further support for implementing the writing strand unit should be provided and that detailed direction and guidance should be provided on spelling, phonics and grammar. Following the introduction of the Aistear/Síolta curriculum for early years, work began on the revision of the Primary Language Curriculum for English and Irish in junior classes in primary schools. A draft curriculum prepared by the NCCA following wide-ranging consultation, espoused the principles and methodologies of Aistear (NCCA, 2009). It differs from the 1999 curriculum for English and Gaeilge in several respects. Firstly, it has the same curriculum structure and components for English and Gaeilge ‘to support integration across the two languages’. It has far fewer outcomes (94) than the (268) objectives in the 1999 curriculum. While the original specification for the Primary Language Curriculum consisted solely of topics and learning outcomes, it is interesting to note that the curriculum as set out on the DES website is now presented as having four ‘interconnected parts’ as shown below. These are Learning Outcomes, Support Material for Teachers, Progression Continua and Examples of children’s language learning and development – all four of which will contribute to ‘Planning, Teaching and assessing for learning in English and Irish’. The four interconnected components of the Primary Language Curriculum (DES) Learning Outcomes describe the expected language learning and development for children at the end of a two-year period. Support Material includes practical advice for teachers, illustrated with videos and photos, to inform their teaching of oral language, reading and writing, in the school’s first and second languages. Learning Outcomes Support Material for teachers Planning, teaching and assessing for learning in English and Irish Progression Continua Examples of children’s language learning and development Progression Continua describe in broad terms, milestones and steps in a child’s journey in his/her language learning and development. Examples, developed by teachers and children, show children’s language learning and development across the three strands and across a range of school contexts. Primary Language Curriculum Primary Language Toolkit — 38 —
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Towards a Better Future

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