Beyond four walls : curriculum design for authentic learning

Authors

Gavin Grift, Association of Innovation in Education

Abstract

Learning opportunities are everywhere, not just inside classrooms. Learning in the broader community becomes real when we find the pleasure of playing, working, talking, thinking and inventing things together. This is authentic learning - the type of learning that educators strive to achieve in classrooms and schools, in curriculum development and teaching every day. Or do they? Is 'learning outside the classroom' just another add-on, is it too challenging to assess with the outcomes and standards of policy-driven curriculum frameworks? These questions were addressed at a professional learning event, 'Curriculum Design: breaking down the walls', which drew on the resources of the Australian National Schools Network (ANSN). The aim of the ANSN curriculum-planning action research hub is to provide the support and action research methodology and frameworks that teachers need in order to develop a deeper understanding of the process of planning curriculum. Teachers need to become leaders of learning. 'Breaking down the walls' is about more than school-community links, it is about dismantling frameworks and replacing them with authentic, engaging and motivating ways to learn with the support of the rich resources that sit outside of the traditional school and teaching workforce. [Author abstract, ed]

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