The Core Curriculum
Edited by Dries Ballyn, Veerle Breemeersch, Soetkin De Knijf, Eline De Ridder, Dries Froyen, Veerle Vandeput (AHOVOKS)
Society expects a lot from education. It is generally accepted that subjects such as languages, mathematics and science are necessary but not sufficient to prepare the next generation for an ever-changing society. This is also evident from the eight key competences that the Council of the European Union recommends for lifelong learning. In addition to the ‘classic’ content, the eight key competences include transversal competences such as Digital competence, Entrepreneurship competence and Citizenship competence.
At the same time, there is debate about what and how much can be included in a core curriculum. Preconditions such as available learning time, resources, teacher competence, the learning ability of students and infrastructure can impose limitations on what is feasible in schools. The core curriculum often leaves room for regions or schools to add their own learning objectives that fit the regional context or the school context. In any case, choices have to be made about what is and what is not part of a core curriculum.
In this yearbook twelve European countries describe how their core curriculum is organised and how it is designed. They used the following questions:
- What strategies are used to develop a core curriculum in times of increasing expectations of education due to new social developments and challenges?
- Which competences are so essential that every student must be taught them and how is this decided?
- Can transversal / cross-curricular competences be included in a core curriculum? To what extent and in what way?
- Which approaches are used to balance the breadth of a curriculum with its depth?
- Which strategies are used to ensure the feasibility of a core curriculum?
The editors are proud to present you the insights of 12 CIDREE members, an overview article in which some interesting similarities and differences between the 12 articles are highlighted and a contribution by ChatGTP on the core curriculum.
