This paper builds upon the evolving methodological perspective of a rural standpoint (Roberts, 2014b), and its related method of strategic eclecticism (Roberts & Green, 2013), to re-analyse existing data behind a previously published paper by Drummond, Halsey and van Breda (2012). It does this through an examination of the role of the rural in…

Understanding spatial reasoning is important to success in mathematics. This article shows how the proficiency strands in the "Australian Curriculum: Mathematics" provide the tools needed for effective teaching and learning of spatial thinking.

The goal of education is to foster all students' intellectual, social, and personal potential to their highest level by providing them with an equitable and equal education irrespective of their characteristics (e.g., ethnicity, social class, language use, religion, and other human differences). Different students and communities should not be…

This article explores the correspondence between the vision of play articulated in Singapore's national kindergarten curriculum framework and the play-related pedagogies enacted by teachers on the ground, particularly during Learning Centre Time (LCT). Influenced by neo-liberal ways of thinking, the curriculum states that "purposeful…

The centenary of the publication of "The Teaching of English in England" provides an opportunity to consider the current National Curriculum for English in England from a historical perspective. This paper reports on a hermeneutic study that explores the humanist values underpinning Newbolt's Report and how they shape the creative…

Purpose: The paper presents a review of the process of inclusion of 'civic education' as part of the formal education system in the Republic of Macedonia, from its beginnings as project activity in the late 1990's to its current implementation as a mandatory subject in the primary grades. Comparison is made between what was initially planned and…

This article argues that learner-centred education needs to shift from a discussion only on pedagogical activities such as group-work and other cooperative learning strategies. It suggests that the focus of learner-centred education should be on the cultural world of the African child and how this influences the way in which he/she learns Western…

There is debate internationally about the production of curriculum texts and the epistemologies underpinning the knowledge legitimated in national curricula. National History curricula in particular are a source of contention bounded by calls for coherent and unifying national narratives that are inclusive and reflect the complexity of the…

For many students, school is a place that makes no sense; a place where students' interests are not reflected in the curriculum. Using mixed methods research, we developed an instrument that identifies student interests. This instrument was applied in a pilot study that considered 10th-grade students from three schools in Santiago, Chile. We…

Recent education policy analysis has revealed the standardisation of education systems and an intensified focus on learners and learning to meet the requirements of the global economy and neo-liberalism. In this paper we analyse the way that early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand has become increasingly entangled with school sector…

In Singapore, early childhood care and education has evolved according to the nation's needs since its independence in 1965. From a welfare scheme to custodial care, early childhood care and education is now recognised as a critical part of children's learning and development. Over the years, the government has progressively implemented policies…

China and the US have responded to the challenges of a knowledge-based society, technological advancement, and global competition by implementing educational reforms to impart skills or competencies required of 21st century students. This study compares the rationales, content, and curricula design of both countries' key competencies frameworks…

Owing to the mixed-bag effects of religion on society, and particularly South Africa's history with religion as embedded in the oppression of and liberation from apartheid, a recent curricular review has seen the introduction of teaching about religion in the Life Orientation (LO) curriculum. From our standpoint as academics in Religion Education,…

Indonesia has experienced a resurgence of interest in the English language teaching. English learning is viewed as an essential aspect to build skills of the youth. In order to keep abreast of these demands, a lot of curricular and pedagogical changes have been made in teaching programs and formal education setting. This research investigated the…

This article presents an analysis of the standard language ideology within a corpus of school-designed language policy documents from 264 primary schools in England. It examines the processes by which standard language ideological concepts (e.g. 'Standard English', 'correctness', 'hegemony') get textually manifested in school policies, and how…