Greater Involvement, Greater Enthusiasm

Consulting students on curriculum

Students are the prime motivation for writing curriculum. Their experiences of curriculum strongly influence their learning and their sense of success at school and their future. So, how do they get a stronger voice in what kind of curriculum they are offered?

This is the question that has driven SSABSA to involve more than 1000 South Australian students in Stage 1 to have their say during 25 subject evaluations held over the last 18 months. During this time, SSABSA researchers have travelled to more than 120 metropolitan and country schools from all sectors of education to talk with students about their subjects.

SSABSA's Chief Executive, Dr Janet Keightley, said that the consultation process, designed to gather students' views about subject content and assessment, and their suggestions for changes, had resulted in significant and ongoing improvements in the way the curriculum is written.

"Most often, curriculum and assessment boards - both in Australia and overseas - have created subject content based on teacher input," she said. "SSABSA is now breaking new ground by including student input in subject evaluation studies and curriculum development.

"With there being such a close link between students' experiences of their chosen subjects and their willingness to learn and their sense of success at school, it is very important to seek their input in curriculum redevelopment.

"By acting on the feedback of students as well as teachers, SSABSA will be able to design more relevant, 'user-friendly' subject topics and assessment to engage students in their learning."

So, what are some of the characteristics of curriculum that engages students in learning? What features of subjects are students drawn to? What else influences their view of subjects?

Teachers the key to inspiring students

Relevancy, interest, and learning something new are important factors in determining whether a subject appeals or not, but the most critical factor is the teacher.

"Teachers who make a subject interactive, interesting and, above all, are seen to be enjoying the subject themselves, have a much greater chance of inspiring their students," Dr Keightley said.

Having a variety of different assignments and some community-based activities also rate highly.

"Students enjoy learning where they can see the relationship between what they are doing and the world outside the classroom. Sometimes they are looking for things that will link directly to their future career pathways. Sometimes they come to understand more about things of general interest, such as learning to read weather patterns in a Geography lesson and then being able to follow TV weather reports more closely."

Passive learning the fastest way to disenchant students

Passive learning that takes place solely through a text book, copying notes from a blackboard, and assessment that requires large amounts of written commentary are intensely disliked by students.

Oral assessment - often thought to be actively engaging - is instead also generally disliked, largely due to students' sense of embarrassment in the face of peer review.

Subject structure a "black hole" to students

Students have limited knowledge of curriculum statements, with many having little understanding of how their teachers construct their teaching and learning programs.

"Most students have only a vague idea about curriculum statements," Dr Keightley said.

"While students know that subjects have learning objectives and that SSABSA writes curriculum, many of them have not seen these curriculum documents. Around two-thirds of students said they would welcome access to these statements."

Variety the spice of subjects

"When asked what they would like to change about particular subjects, the general message is not so much a request for different course material as a request for different methods of engaging with that material," Dr Keightley said. "The common theme expressed by students is a desire for more variety in their learning,"

Students want their curriculum to include greater variety in the types of assignments they are given. They want more out-of-school activities, more opportunity to do research, less note taking, and more student control over subject content.

Tourism changes with the times

As a direct result of student input, changes are being made to the way the curriculum is written.

In the case of Tourism - a subject offered both at Stage 1 and Stage 2 - a substantial curriculum redevelopment has been undertaken.

The general view of students was that the number of assessments required was much greater than what was expected in other subjects. They were unhappy with the compulsory oral component and the large amount of writing required, and thought that Stage 2 Tourism repeated much of what was done in Stage 1. Those involved in redeveloping the curriculum took these views seriously.

Tourism now has an assessment workload comparable to other subjects and is assessed using a "variety of modes of communication", while Stage 1 Tourism has been restructured as an introduction to tourism underlined by themes that are explored in-depth during Stage 2.

Dr Keightley said that giving students a greater "voice" in the ongoing development of their curriculum has been a very important part of SSABSA's work over the past two years.

"SSABSA is committed to broadening the scope of student voice in all aspects of its business, and in particular, in curriculum development," Dr Keightley said.

"This philosophy has proved extremely successful. Students are astute commentators on the things that matter most to them, and have shown a great deal of mature understanding and wisdom about a range of different curriculum issues. We are learning a great deal from them. We are adding value to the curriculum, enhancing the quality of our subjects, and making them much more meaningful to students.

"In return, students have told us how important the interviews have been to them. They have felt recognised and respected by being given the opportunity to speak honestly and openly about their views. They have been delighted to think that they are making a major contribution to students' learning experiences in the future."