Curriculum Matters 10: 2014

Lesson observations are used in educational environments worldwide to support professional development and to measure content and quality of curriculum delivery. Within a neoliberal context, lesson observations can arguably be seen as symbolic of the embodied tensions between educational policies that emphasise accountability and the creative, hidden nature of teaching and learning. Importantly, the inherent pressures and power relationships within formally graded lesson observations can… Read more

The metaphor of a feedback loop underpinned a significant curriculum change in a first year teacher-education unit. Assessment for Learning (AfL) practices such as discussing examples of previous student work and giving peer feedback were embedded within the curriculum design. The metaphor of a feedback loop connected these AfL practices into a purposeful process that informed student learning as well as tutor learning about student understanding, that then informed the next teaching episode… Read more

“Students as co-researchers” is a mode of engagement between students and teachers in school systems that has been likened to a bridge. This article explores the bridge metaphor with reference to one school’s experience of a students as co-researchers project involving students and teachers in the school and a university partner. We use the bridge metaphor, inspired by the imagist poet Ezra Pound, to explore particular challenges faced in this project, and to envision new modes of teacher/… Read more

Proponents of metaphor research argue metaphor is no longer regarded as merely a poetic flourish, but instead forms a part of our regular meaning-making repertoire. This article critically considers the literacy metaphors spontaneously generated by teachers participating in three New Zealand literacy projects. The most prevalent literacy metaphors found rely largely on the experiences of visual perception and embodied experiences of space. I argue in light of the rapidly changing literacy… Read more

Expressions of interest are sought for proposals to guest edit a special section of Curriculum Matters.

A special section will address a specific theme in the curriculum field, which includes curriculum theory, policy and curriculum development, classroom practice and pedagogy, and discipline-based inquiry. It may focus on a particular educational sector—early childhood, primary, secondary or tertiary education—or take a cross-sector view. The articles within a… Read more

The editor of Curriculum Matters invites interested people to submit articles (essays, literature reviews, research reports, scholarship and critical comments) in the field of curriculum. The main audience groups for these articles are teachers, teacher educators, graduate students of education and curriculum theorists.

Articles should be sent for consideration electronically to the editor, Dr Jane Abbiss (jane.abbiss@canterbury.ac.nz). Authors must retain a copy for their… Read more