A Case Study of Curriculum Innovation for Global Capacities: One Response to the Call of the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

This case study presents a twenty-first century, skill-oriented curriculum innovation developed at a non-selective, 120 year old, independent secondary boys’ school located in Perth, Western Australia. This chapter examines two elements of the innovative instructional approach known as The Personal Learning Program. These elements are the ‘project’ and the ‘challenge’. The ‘project’ and the ‘challenge’ are part of a skill-based curriculum model designed to equip students with the requisite global capacities for success in twenty-first century life. The aim was to create a blueprint for twenty-first century skill-based instruction. The case study affirms research on how twenty-first century skills enhance student learning and engages all stakeholders. The Personal Learning Program challenges the conventional wisdom about the construction of learning opportunities, learning preference and skill development. The case study presents a new way of considering global capabilities, their development and acquisition. Through The Personal Learning Program the case study presents a new methodology for a constructivist-oriented, twenty-first century secondary curriculum, aimed at improving the educational engagement in the early years of secondary education. The study offers direction for schools and systems looking towards developing an inter-disciplinary, global skills focus through curriculum and classroom learning practices.