In Praise of the New NZ School Curriculum
Today the release of the new New Zealand Curriculum was announced and I have to say I’m very impressed.
Included in the new curriculum is a new section on values where our upcoming generations will be taught: (from the website)
Through their learning experiences, students will learn about:
- their own values and those of others
- different kinds of values, such as moral, social, cultural, aesthetic, and economic values
- the values on which New Zealand’s cultural and institutional traditions are based
- the values of other groups and cultures.
Through their learning experiences, students will develop their ability to:
- express their own values
- explore, with empathy, the values of others
- critically analyse values and actions based on them
- discuss disagreements that arise from differences in values and negotiate solutions
- make ethical decisions and act on them.
This is the best news I’ve heard for a long time. Just a couple of days ago I was discussing the education system with my brother-in-law who is a teacher and I expressed how I wished that kids were taught values and critical thinking.
I’m extremely happy and if this post is ever read by anyone who has been involved in the new curriculum I would like to pass on my personal thanks – you’ve restored my faith in our system.
I look forward to a new generation of critical thinkers!
You need to make your sarcasm a little more obvious!
Classic! The funny thing is that I am being serious. And I take it that you don’t like the changes to the curriculum?
I haven’t looked at all aspects of it but, lately, I’ve been concerned that our upcoming generations are not learning to think critically and that’s why I’m excited about it.
However, I’m taking it that you don’t like it and possibly can’t imagine why anyone would. I’m very interested to hear your views on this – care to elaborate?
[...] Posted by Ken on January 9, 2008 The teaching of religion in schools is currently under discussion in New Zealand (see NZ Human Rights Commission discussion document Religion in schools). For many there is a conflict between “religious instruction (the old way limited to Christianity) and teaching about religion (where children are taught about all the relevant religions). Teaching about religion should provide opportunities for encouraging tolerance and understanding. It would also fit well into values teaching as described in The New Zealand Curriculum (see also In Praise of the New NZ School Curriculum). [...]