Jia Xu and Colin Marsh

Curtin University

 Is it necessary and possible to have SBCD at

schools in Australia?
Is it necessary and possible to use conceptual

frameworks to help us understand and develop more effective SBCD?

SBCD in China
SBCD has been a highlight of Chinas new curriculum

reform since 1999.

A curriculum policy change towards devolving partial

power in curriculum decision-making to teachers.

10% of curriculum is decided by local regions and

individual schools.
Transforming teachers role from book-knowledge

transmitters to curriculum developers.

Defining school-based curriculum development (SBCD) as:

a slogan,
a democratic philosophy,

a practical series of steps.

Caveats
SBCD is a constantly evolving term. It is very difficult to

come up with a perfect form of SBCD.

Although it is a desirable process for teachers to become

involved in SBCD yet the hard realities of systems and governments necessitate limitations.

What is a conceptual framework?

It provides a structure for curriculum planning.
It provides a coherent grouping of terms or values.

It provides ideal goals.

Some preliminary questions

Is school-based curriculum development alive and well in

2011 in Australia?
Is there a perfect type of school-based curriculum

development and has it ever existed in a pure form?

Do ideas about school-based planning change over the

decades, for better or worse?

Some different priorities of SBCD

A democratic vision to have more teacher involvement
A way of supplementing student resource materials A way of addressing critical problems in an education

system
A way to support systemic reforms and to enhance the

professional skills of teachers

How successful are current efforts to do SBCD in Asian countries ?

An example from Hong Kong An example from Singapore

SBCD in action in Hong Kong

Innovative teachers are selected to be seed teachers

and given special training at head office.

Creation of new promotional positions of curriculum

leader in each primary school

Setting up of school-based support team in each

education district
Celebration of exemplary efforts

SBCD in Singapore
Intensive workshops on SBCD provided for all primary

schools
Research activists appointed for each school to support a

specific SBCD project

Learning journeys to other schools locally & overseas Celebration of successes through public

presentations/workshops

The Australian scene in 2011

Teaching has always been a complicated process. Teachers need to be able to do a number of things

almost simultaneously, including

unpacking knowledge and ideas, making this accessible to others within a caring productive environment.

New pressures for teachers

New external pressures & ongoing internal, school level pressures.
New external pressures:
Australian Curriculum, NAPLAN, MY SCHOOL website, Professional standards for teachers.

School-based planning and central planning working towards educational reform.

General problems for doing SBCD

Lack of time
Lack of expertise Lack of finance Externally imposed restrictions Threatening school climate (resistors or lack of

effective leadership) (Marsh,1992).

The arrival of the National Curriculum

Materials produced so far for the first four subjects indicate that what ACARA is requiring is more than just general principles and outcomes for each subject area.
There will be a major emphasis upon content and specifying of what is taught at each grade level.

This will be reinforced through NAPLAN results in terms of literacy and numeracy. This will flow over into other subjects.

Likely impacts

Teaching will become more teacher-directed and focussed on content coverage.

OR

Teachers will try new initiatives enthused by the content and structures of the Australian Curriculum.

Curriculum planning models

These models are typically general and apply across various subjects and teaching levels.
Models provide simple procedures for teachers to

go about planning of lessons.

prescriptive models (Tyler, 1949; Taba, 1962). Naturalistic Model (Walker, 1970). Understanding by Design model (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998).

SBCD planning models

In situations where teachers want to get involved in school-based planning SBCD models need to be considered. It is important to remember that each school situation is very different and so it makes the task of developing SBCD planning models all the more difficult.

Major categories of school-based models

Models that create typologies of different variations of SBCD Brady (1987) Marsh et al (1990) Models that develop interlinked explanatory factors for successful SBCD Wong Yu Lai Wah (2008) Lo Yiu Chun (1999) Lee (2008) Marsh (2009)

Models that create typologies of different variations of SBCD

Figure 1: Brady's matrix for analysis of SBCD in practice (Brady, 1987)

Advantages It indicates a number of combinations; It seems to indicate that any combination is possible; It illustrates three main processes well.

Disadvantages It doesnt show the influence of head office and how they could limit choices; It is a static model just a list

of categories;
It doesnt show which factors are more important than

others.
Figure 1: Brady's matrix for analysis of SBCD in practice (Brady, 1987)

Models that create typologies of different variations of SBCD

Figure 2: A three-dimensional model of SBCD (Marsh, 1990)

Advantages It creates a dynamic, 3D

Disadvantages It doesn't include all the

picture;
It shows a lot of different combinations;

important factors, only

includes three; It doesn't show which factors

It seems to indicate that any

combination is possible.

are more important than

others; It doesn't show the influence

of head office and how this

could limit choices. Figure 2: A three-dimensional model of SBCD (Marsh, 1990)

Models that develop interlinked explanatory factors

Figure 3: School-Based Curriculum Project Scheme, Hong Kong (Lo, 1999)

Advantages It demonstrates clear focus of centrally controlled SBCD;

Disadvantages Only limited SBCD can occur; Teacher empowerment

It includes a
celebration of successful efforts.

is limited within
planning and evaluation.

Figure 3: School-Based Curriculum Project Scheme, Hong Kong (Lo, 1999)

Models that develop interlinked explanatory factors

Figure 4: Lees model of SBCD (2008)

Advantages

Disadvantages

It is teacher focused and

encourages empowerment It is pragmatic - finding spaces/ opportunities.

It underestimates
influences of head office; It doesnt clearly establish constraints.

Figure 4: Lees model of SBCD (2008)

Models that develop interlinked explanatory factors

Figure 5: A model of implementing school-based curriculum in a subject (Wong, 2008)

Advantages Highlights importance of government initiatives; Includes a number of major factors; Indicates outcomes wanted for SBCD; Highlights the need for professional development;

Disadvantages Processes depicted are complicated to understand; Over-emphasis on government initiatives.

Figure 5: A model of implementing school-based curriculum in a subject (Wong, 2008)

Models that develop interlinked explanatory factors

Figure 6: A Conceptual Model of SBCD (Marsh, 2009)

Advantages It highlights major factors,

Disadvantages It under-estimates government

processes and desired outcomes;

It includes a number of major elements;

constraints;
Some factors listed are complex to understand.

It gives clear indication of steps

involved; It highlights the need for

celebration of successful efforts.

Figure 6: A Conceptual Model of SBCD (Marsh, 2009)

Concluding comment
Making curriculum space available for SBCD is a major issue and it depends upon levels of cooperation between centralised and decentralised forms of curriculum development. There are a variety of SBCD approaches. The conceptual models outlined here provide just some of the possibilities. Because SBCD is closely related to local needs and priorities it is not possible to come up with one conceptual model which fits all.