Draft English Curriculum Lacks Connection With Reality

The draft English curriculum released this week, raises concerns about how out of touch it is with the realities of secondary education in 2025 in Aotearoa New Zealand, says Chris Abercrombie, PPTA Te Wehengarua president.

“Its focus on cursive writing at Year 8, for example, shows a complete lack of understanding of the challenges of secondary teaching and the extent to which teachers have to work to engage and motivate students and manage an ever-increasing range of abilities and behaviours.

“Similarly, making Shakespeare and authors from the 1800s compulsory. Does this actually reflect what the teaching profession considers would be best for the students that they teach?”

Moving away from a curriculum that is underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a seriously backward move, says Chris Abercrombie.

It was also extremely concerning that the English teachers’ subject association had stepped away from the development of the draft curriculum.

“If the draft curriculum has been written outside of the frameworks developed by the profession, and the curriculum writers are not listening to the subject association that represents the profession, then we have to question what connection it has to the reality of the classroom.

“If there is no link between the curriculum and reality, then it will not be delivered or received well, resulting in more students being disengaged and more teachers leaving the profession.

“Good curriculum needs the input of the subject specialist teachers who are on the ground delivering it.”

Chris Abercrombie urged all English teachers and school leaders and the community to provide feedback on this. “We will be watching to see whether the Ministry of Education responds to that feedback.”

© Scoop Media