Everything you need to know about Curriculum 21
The background to a common curriculum is the education article (Art. 62) in the Federal Constitution, which was adopted by the Swiss people in 2006. It obliges the cantons to harmonise schools. Curriculum 21 is an instrument for this.
It is intended to help ensure that children and young people in all cantons have the same skills and knowledge in the individual subject areas at certain points in time. This is particularly important when moving across cantonal borders.
A common curriculum also simplifies the coordination and production of teaching materials. It is no longer necessary for each canton to develop its own teaching materials in line with the curriculum. Common teaching and learning objectives are also a further step towards harmonising the training and further education of teachers. Synergies between the cantons can also be utilised and costs saved as a result.
No expertise without knowledge
Until now, the cantonal curricula were strongly focussed on the content to be taught in the individual subjects. They specified to teachers which topics had to be worked on with pupils at what time and to what extent. Curriculum 21 also contains a lot of content that is mandatory to teach. However, they are always directly related to the corresponding competences to be achieved. In other words, the skills and abilities that learners must have acquired by the end of 2nd, 6th and 9th grade. These are also referred to as national educational goals.
For example, the mandatory content of history lessons at upper secondary level includes the French Revolution, the two world wars, fascism and the Holocaust. However, the curriculum would not be fulfilled if the children only acquired knowledge about events and memorised dates. Among other things, they should also acquire the skills to place their knowledge in a wider context of world history or to assess and compare events from different eras.
«The cantons say what, the teachers decide how.»
Franziska Peterhans
Does this mean that knowledge transfer in schools is now being neglected? Of course not, according to learning experts, including the Swiss Federation of Teachers (LCH). If pupils are to acquire skills, this means nothing other than that the acquired knowledge is also understood and can be applied. Children should not simply accumulate knowledge and memorise facts.
Cantons retain their influence
What does Curriculum 21 not regulate? Curriculum 21 does not impose any rules on teachers regarding the type of teaching and forms of learning. Teachers are therefore still free to decide how they want to lead their pupils to the specified competences, whether in face-to-face lessons, in project lessons, with learning workshops or in learning landscapes. The curriculum serves as a compass and is not a law book.
The cantons are also free to set their own teaching priorities in terms of content and scope. Each canton decides for itself when, in which procedures and to what extent Curriculum 21 is introduced. In most cantons, the introduction is planned for the 2017/18 school year at the earliest. Basel-Stadt will be the first canton to start in August 2015, while Aargau is taking until the 2020/21 school year.
However, the cantons are also obliged to provide the necessary resources, in particular to organise further training for teachers and to provide adapted teaching materials. The LCH is calling on the cantons to provide cross-cantonal tools for competency-based assessment. The cantons are also responsible for adapting the timetables for the individual subject areas.
In twelve cantons, the government will decide on the introduction of Curriculum 21: AG, AR, BE, GL, GR, LU, NW, OW, SG, SO, TG, VS. In eight cantons, the decision lies with the education council: AI, BL, BS, SH, SZ, UR, ZG, ZH. In the canton of Fribourg, the Directorate of Education, Culture and Sport is authorised to issue the directive. In various cantons, efforts are being made to allow the introduction of Curriculum 21 to be decided at the ballot box.
Improve the languages
Curriculum 21 is a step towards greater standardisation in the education system and more equal opportunities for children and young people. However, it undoubtedly still needs to be optimised, particularly with regard to the acquisition of additional national or foreign languages. Unfortunately, it is still not coordinated whether foreign language lessons at primary school start with English or French. For example, a fourth-grader who lived in Augst in the canton of Basel-Landschaft has been learning French since year 3. If she then moves with her family a few kilometres away to Kaiseraugst in Aargau, she will look in vain for French lessons in the timetable. Instead, she misses a year of English lessons. Politicians urgently need to rectify this situation for the benefit of the children!
Franziska Peterhans
is the Central Secretary of the Swiss Federation of Teachers (LCH) and a member of the Executive Board.