Transnational Curriculum Standards And Classroom Practices

Focusing on the meaning of teaching, Transnational Curriculum Standards and Classroom Practices contributes to a deepened understanding of what it means to be a teacher in an institutional context ranked high on the policymakers’ agenda. While the policy literature emphasises efficiency in teaching, educational research demonstrates an awareness of the importance of alternative perspectives on what makes for successful teaching. This book critically examines the conditions and dimensions of teaching as framed in current policy discourse and situates school education in relation to wider societal issues. Based on a four-year research project financed by the Swedish Research Council and drawing on international policy discourse, as well as international research, the chapters in this book contribute to the knowledge of relations and influences between international educational reform movements, national curriculum reforms, and implications for teaching and learning practices at the classroom level. Offering results and reflections from comprehensive comparative classroom studies, the book makes a distinctive contribution to our knowledge of the implications of policy for teachers and students. This book should be essential reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate students interested in the relationship between the curriculum and teaching in a contemporary context, as well as those engaged in the study of education policy, curriculum theory, pedagogy and educational leadership. It should also be of great interest to policymakers and teachers.

This book explores how different classroom discourses and concepts of knowledge permeate teaching in high- and low-performance classrooms. Drawing on empirical research from classrooms in Sweden, it presents a theory-based framework for classroom research. The book examines the central concepts of knowledge, curriculum, pedagogy and equity to discuss differences in access to knowledge and the implications of these differences for students’ future opportunities and well-being. It analyses the relationships between different teaching factors and discusses teaching from democratic perspectives developed within curriculum theory. Combining insights from curriculum theory with insights from sociolinguistic and sociocultural classroom research, this project breaks new ground in how knowledge from curriculum content is recontextualised into concrete teaching practices in the context of a standards-based curriculum. Providing valuable insights into the intersections between classroom practice, student performance and teacher expectations, this book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the fields of curriculum research, education policy, teacher education and classroom practice.

In the last decade, programming and computational thinking (CT) have been introduced on a large scale in school curricula and standards all over the world. In countries such as the UK, a new school subject—computing—was created, whereas in countries such as Sweden, programming was included in existing subjects, notably mathematics and technology education. The introduction of programming and CT in technology education implies a particular relationship between programming and technology. Programming is usually performed with technological artefacts—various types of computers—and it can also be seen as a specific branch of engineering. This book analyses the background to and current implementation of programming and computational thinking in a Swedish school technology context, in relation to international developments. The various chapters deal with pertinent issues in technology education and its relation to computers and computing, for example, computational thinking and literacy, teachers’ programming competence, and computational thinking, programming, and learning in technology education. The book includes examples from educational research that could also be used as inspiration for school teaching, teacher education and curriculum development.

This book explores how different classroom discourses and concepts of knowledge permeate teaching in high- and low-performance classrooms. Drawing on empirical research from classrooms in Sweden, it presents a theory-based framework for classroom research. The book examines the central concepts of knowledge, curriculum, pedagogy and equity to discuss differences in access to knowledge and the implications of these differences for students' future opportunities and well-being. It analyses the relationships between different teaching factors and discusses teaching from democratic perspectives developed within curriculum theory. Combining insights from curriculum theory with insights from sociolinguistic and sociocultural classroom research, this project breaks new ground in how knowledge from curriculum content is recontextualised into concrete teaching practices in the context of a standards-based curriculum. Providing valuable insights into the intersections between classroom practice, student performance and teacher expectations, this book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the fields of curriculum research, education policy, teacher education and classroom practice.

Edited by three leading figures in the field, this book offers an absolutely authoritative interpretation of international education today. Under the umbrella of groups such as the International Baccalaureate Organization, academic research, increasing student numbers and interest from national school systems, international schools are rapidly developing in terms of curriculum, standards and influence. This book brings together present thinking on all aspects of international education, its management and the best practices. Truly international in scope, this is a book that anyone involved with international education should read.

This book brings together voices and perspectives from across the world and draws in a new generation of curriculum scholars to provide fresh insight into the contemporary field. By opening up Curriculum Studies with contributions from twelve countries—including every continent—the book outlines and exemplifies the challenges and opportunities for transnational curriculum inquiry. While curriculum remains largely shaped and enabled nationally, global policy borrowing and scholarly exchange continue to influence local practice. Contributors explore major shared debates and future implications through four key sections: Decolonising the Curriculum; Knowledge Questions and Curriculum Dilemmas; Nation, History, Curriculum; and Curriculum Challenges for the Future.

This is the first book to specifically address the needs of transnational youth, a growing population of students who live and go to school across the United States and other nations including Mexico and different Caribbean islands. The author describes a coherent approach to English language arts and literacy education that supports the literacy learning and development of transnational students, while incorporating these students’ unique experiences to enrich the learning of all students. Drawing from exemplary teachers’ classroom practice and research-based approaches, the book demonstrates how teachers can engage with transnationalism to reap the unique and significant benefits this phenomenon presents for literacy education. These benefits include a deeper appreciation of cultural and linguistic diversity, an increased awareness of world citizenship, and the development of globally informed ways of reading, writing, investigating, and thinking. Book Features: Describes a comprehensive approach to literacy education that is more inclusive, productive, and powerful for all students. Shows teachers how attending to transnationalism can fit within and enhance the work they already do with all of their students. Includes learning activities that align with best practices for building multicultural, multilingual, and other forms of border-crossing knowledge and skills. Includes specific strategies teachers can use to address the unique challenges that transnationalism poses, such as extended absences from the classroom. “Allison Skerrett shows in this book that teachers can mitigate harm through specific choices in their teaching, by viewing difference as a resource that is available to a greater degree when we are fortunate enough to have transnational students in our classrooms.” —Randy Bomer, Professor and Chair, Curriculum and Instruction, The College of Education, University of Texas at Austin “This well-researched and engagingly written book brilliantly illuminates the often hidden or sorely misunderstood life and schooling experiences of transnational youth. It is a primary text for courses on literacy theories and practices, and fills a critical gap in how we conceptualize and implement literacy instruction for all youth.” —Jabari Mahiri, professor of education, UC Berkeley

Curriculum of Global Migration and Transnationalism seeks to address the question: "What is the curriculum of global/transnational migration?". The authors in this collection explore the multifaceted implications of movement for curriculum, teaching and learning, teacher education, cultural practice, as well as educational research and policy. In this book, the authors consider the following, among other questions: is the current experience of global/transnational mobility and/or migration really a new phenomenon, or is it an extension of existing processes and dynamics (e.g. colonialism, capitalism, imperialism)? What does global/transnational mobility imply for schools and other educational institutions and processes as spatially located entities? What approaches to curriculum are needed in the constantly shifting context of global movement? How are the "global" and "local" re-imagined through the experiences of mobility and migration? This book was originally published as a special issue of Curriculum Inquiry.