The Long Learn Skills-based Curriculum

Much has been written about getting ‘back to basics’, but in the modern world the basics have changed and grown. It is no longer sufficient to concentrate on literacy, numeracy and memorisation as current examination systems tend to. The diagram below suggests a few of the new basic skills, values and understandings which schools might be expected to inculcate into their curriculum.

‘to stop at the traditional basics is to equip children only with the skills of their grandparents. It is like giving them a wrench to fix a computer, There is nothing wrong with a wrench, but it won’t fix a computer.’

John Naisbitt

But of course such a skills-based curriculum will depend on the ability of teachers to stimulate the sort of learning which in turn stimulates the learner, and on the development of new perceptions and procedures by Government and others to modify a failure-oriented examination system which assesses only the ability to memorise. These issues are described in Lifelong Learning in Action and in the learning materials described below.

The 21st century teacher must him/herself have a much wider range of skills and be able to teach in a wide range of environments. The next page suggests what these skills might be.

Do you want to know about the new skills of teachers??