PGCE PROCESS WORK- MODULE 1- UNIT 2 TASK 5B - HAYDEN’S VIEW ON THE GROWTH OF INTERNATIONALLY FOCUSED CURRICULA WITHIN NATIONAL CONTEXTS

PGCE Module 1 PROCESS WORK UNIT 2 TASK 5B - HAYDEN’S VIEW ON THE GROWTH OF INTERNATIONALLY FOCUSED CURRICULA WITHIN NATIONAL CONTEXTS

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Hayden gives various explanations as to why internationally focused curricula are increasing within national contexts. These are:

A desire for parents wishing their children to have a more international education because of elitism

More universities preferring a programme such as IB because they feel the ‘A’ levels in the UK are too narrow and have been “dumbed down”

Parents responding to the fact that universities are looking more favourably towards IB

Schools wanting to demonstrate more International -Mindedness because of the multicultural mix within their classrooms 

School incentives in funding for providing a more international programme

Schools feeling their current curriculum is too narrow and wanting a broader based curriculum such as that offered by the IB programme.

Government influences

Media portrayal 

I agree with her conclusion that it is a mix of all of the above that are probably responsible for the growth of a more international approach to schooling developing in a national context.

Roz Trudgon, IB co-ordinator a Kingston Academy in Birmingham offers another perspective. She states that the IB:

“.. instils a sense of confidence and standing on your own two feet," (Trudgeon, cited in Davis, 2010, online)

Trudgon goes on to criticise A-levels saying that they:

“…are often about spoon-feeding, and the narrowing down of the curriculum can leave students bored.” (ibid, online)

This aspect of student boredom with an existing curriculum has not been  explored by Hayden. What do the pupils want? Is this boredom suggested by Trudgon a contributory factor influencing parents’ decisions to move their child into a school system that offers a wider choice? I feel that this is a possibility when it comes to whether a student should take the A level route or opt for a wider range of subjects that might provide more stimulus. 

Trudgon also makes the point that the IB attracts students who might otherwise have left school because it:

“ …requires students to take a broader range of subjects, complete an extended essay, take a course in the theory of knowledge and participate in extracurricular activities …” (Davis, 2010, online)

I feel that schools today mostly encourage their pupils to have their own opinion and to voice it. Consequently I think that, as Trudgon is suggesting, students own choice may also be a contributory factor in the growing trend towards international education in national contexts.

Bibliography

Davis, R. (2010), International baccalaureate gaining ground in state schools,  The Guardian, (online). Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2010/sep/07/international-baccalaureate-state-schools-a-levels (accessed 20th October 2016)

Hayden, M. (2013) A review of curriculum in the UK: internationalizing in a changing context. The Curriculum Journal 24 (1): 8-26. Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09585176.2012.744328 (accessed 20th October 2016)