Abstract:

Decolonising the school curriculum has been considered one of the ten most important innovations in pedagogy [1]. Therefore, we carried out some research to define decolonisation (of education), identify potential ways to decolonise the curriculum and note challenges to decolonising the curriculum, in the context of secondary education in England.

The review describes the first stages of ongoing work on decolonisation. This contributes to OCR’s (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA) wider work in their commitment to a more diverse and inclusive curriculum, such as looking into ways of further including writers of colour and those from ethnic minority backgrounds [2]. OCR is a leading UK awarding body which provides GCSEs and A levels and offers vocational qualifications. In the UK an awarding body sets examinations/assessments and awards qualifications. GCSEs and A levels are national qualifications which are generally taken by 16 and 18 year olds, respectively.

We reviewed academic and other literature to gather information on definitions, principles and ways of decolonising education. Through the review we found that much of the literature about England focused on decolonising the university curriculum. A number of ways of decolonising the curriculum were found, such as, teaching about how disciplinary knowledge is developed, the context of the knowledge production and associated power relationships. Challenges to decolonising the curriculum were also noted, such as the lack of textbooks and resources in decolonising topics. A series of workshops were then conducted with staff to tailor the definition of decolonisation for use by OCR and highlight opportunities for decolonisation work in the context of secondary school level education. In this presentation we will discuss the findings of the literature review, the outcomes of the workshops and highlight next steps for decolonisation work in this context.

References:
[1] Ferguson, R., Coughlan, T., Egelandsdal, K., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Hillaire, G., Jones, D., Jowers, I., Kukulska-Hulme, A., McAndrew, P., Misiejuk, K., Ness, I. J., Rienties, B., Scanlon, E., Sharples, M., Wasson, B., Weller, M. and Whitelock, D. (2019). Innovating Pedagogy 2019: Open University Innovation Report 7. Milton Keynes: The Open University. https://ou-iet.cdn.prismic.io/ou-iet/b0fbe67d-3cb3-45d6-946c-4b34330fb9f9_innovating-pedagogy-2019.pdf
[2] https://www.ocr.org.uk/news/ocr-joins-lit-in-colour-campaign-as-part-of-diversity-drive/

Keywords:

Decolonising, curriculum.