Pupils at No.2 Primary School of Zhangshu City in Jiangxi Province wait in line to get their new textbooks. 

Today, global education shares two common themes—quality and equity— that form the core of education development all over the world. Without a doubt, curriculum and teachers are two decisive factors in the matter.

In recent years, curriculum reform has made it to the top of the agenda for education reform in various nations, and it has also become a focal point in the debate on education reform theory and practice.

Despite discrepancies, a consensus has been reached that curriculum reform should involve positioning, value orientation, design, purpose, implementation and assessment.

On Sept. 19, 2015, the International Bureau of Education published a working paper titled The Curriculum in Debates and in Educational Reforms to 2030. The paper sets a curriculum agenda for the 21st century, summarizing the controversies facing curriculum reform, as well as its future development, to construct a roadmap for international curriculum reform in the new era. Though China cannot blindly copy international curriculum reform, the paper provides a valuable reference for China’s curriculum reform and educational development.

Traditionally, curriculum has been regarded as a technical matter best left to disciplinary specialists and educationalists, textbook writers and designers of assessment tests and examinations. Also, the role of curriculum in shaping personality is often downplayed. More recently, however, the debate on curriculum has gradually moved beyond the technical realm to become a subject of policy discussion on what manner of education is needed and for what type of society, involving decision-makers, educators and a variety of stakeholders.

Curriculum, with its unique educability and sociality, is of vital importance in education and social progress.

Curriculum is the product of a process of social dialogue and collective construction rather than content decided by a group of specialists and educators. It is associated with social development since the design and implementation of curricula concern a diversity of stakeholders and are based on a comprehensive approach to the education system.

Curriculum is to serve both personal growth and social development. As the aforementioned paper states, a curriculum articulates the educational and development aims and proposals put forward by society as well as pupils’ personal learning and development needs. The goal of building character should be embodied in the concept of curriculum.

Curriculum should help to support and legitimize educational policies as a universal dimension and essential ingredient of a systemic vision.

Finally, as a form of guidance for reforming teaching practices, curriculum may be able to promote the effective democratization of learning opportunities and stimulate the gradual transformation of the teacher’s role, thus driving overall educational reform.

Carried out against a backdrop of controversies, 21st century curriculum reform should emphasize ability, a learner-centered approach, comprehensiveness, diversity, inclusion, digital application and scientific assessment.

One major aim of 21st century curriculum reform is to cultivate and improve students’ abilities and values. Ability here has similar connotations with skill, quality and literacy. It covers a range of specific competencies, such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and creativity.

We need to strike a balance between teaching and learning. The idea is to place learners at the center as actors taking the lead in and regulating their acquisition of basic knowledge and cognitive skills, but not to overlook the importance of the teaching part.

In addition, the content of learning must promote problem solving and creative thinking as well as understanding and respect for human rights, inclusion and equity, and cultural diversity. It must also foster a desire and capacity for lifelong learning and learning to live together. A student-centered approach in which teaching and learning go hand in hand is definitely the right path for 21st century curriculum reform.

We need to construct a comprehensive cross-curricular framework. The fragmentation of themes, approaches, learning environments and courses available between and within educational levels often prevents education systems from including a holistic vision of educating and learning. Again, in reality, it is impossible to understand the world from the perspective of any single discipline, let alone to innovate. Therefore, taking a cross-curricular approach is evidently essential to improve the quality of education.

The diversity and inclusiveness of education should be highlighted. Based on the result of Performance for International Students Assessment 2012, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) proposed that the success of education should be evaluated according to three dimensions: equity, inclusiveness and excellence. Excellence is determined on the basis of overall performance of a nation or region while equity focuses on the performance of students from poverty-stricken and underprivileged households. Inclusiveness is assessed by the improvement made by low-performance individuals.

In an interconnected era, diversity and inclusiveness have become increasingly significant. It also means that we should not only look up to the developed and high-achieving nations and regions but also pay much attention to the less-developed areas and pupils who are falling behind. The level of equity and tolerance is closely linked to the success of education.

Lastly, we need to remember we are promoting education in an information-intensive era. As Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills, put it, “school systems need to find more effective ways to integrate technology into teaching and learning to provide educators with learning environments that support 21st century pedagogy and provide children with the 21st century skills they need to succeed in tomorrow’s world.”

“Technology is the only way to dramatically expand access to knowledge. To deliver on the promises technology holds, countries need to invest more effectively and ensure that teachers are at the forefront of designing and implementing this change,” he added.

In order to fully explore the potential technological development brings, all nations should first promote educational equity, create a good digital environment, and teach students basic skills, while watching out for possible negative effects of the Internet.

In addition to participating in curriculum reform, teachers play a key role in boosting reform and the quality of education.

The prerequisite of promoting the professional development of teachers is to admit that teachers are a group of professionals. For quite a long time, people did not think of teachers as professionals. They believed anyone who understands relevant knowledge of a certain discipline could be a teacher. However, teachers and specialists are two types of professions. Though there may be similarities in the mastery of content, their work ethic, professional competence and technical skill are quite different. Teachers are required to not only have the expertise but also the professional qualities the job requires.

Teachers stand on the front lines of education reform, connecting policy and students. The improvement of their inner qualities, especially the values and work ethics they uphold, would have a decisive influence on education reform, curriculum reform and implementation. Most importantly, teachers should not lose sight of the enthralling aspect of their work: how to educate tomorrow’s citizens.

In short, we must break the barriers of traditional courses and teaching, understand the trend of and draw lessons from the international curriculum reform to actively and steadily carry out the curriculum reform that suits China’s reality and global educational purpose. Curriculum should become a powerful tool to effectively improve the quality and equity of education and cultivate moral character, thus advancing China’s education reform and development.

Tao Xiping holds many positions and serves in many capacities, including the adviser to the national chief inspector, honorary president of the Asia-Pacific Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Association, vice-president of the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations, honorary president of the Beijing Association of Societal Circles, president of the Chinese Association for Non-Governmental Education, and vice-president of the Chinese Society of Education.

He was also the director and chief secretary of the Party of Beijing Education Bureau, assistant mayor of the Beijing Municipal Government, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Beijing Municipality, and a member of the Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the National People’s Congress.