Curriculum design: What we can learn from afar, and why it’s imperative to be our own agents of change

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Introduction This academic year, I have been fortunate enough to learn about curriculum design in two contrasting parts of the world: Canada and Colombia. These experiences have both broadened my perspective on what a curriculum can and should do, and reinvigorated my belief that curriculum design is a key driver for instigating change. In May, I visited several schools in Vancouver, British Columbia, as part of a study tour with Whole Education. In the latest PISA rankings (OECD, 2015), British Columbia’s students scored higher than any other jurisdiction in the world for their reading, as well as being ranked second for science and sixth for maths globally. Canada has a diverse population, and yet has been successful in narrowing the gap. Within 3 years, newly-arrived migrant children have the same PISA test scores as their Canadian-born peers and there is relatively little difference in academic performance between economically advantaged and disadvantaged students - 9% com

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