Skills Vs Knowledge: A New Curriculum

We are working in a critical and crucial time in education. Something needs to shift. Students are disappointed by what our education system offers them, teachers are leaving the profession in their droves and governments are asking for more evidence, more proof, more assessments to meet targets and quotas. So what is really wrong with our education system? What are we doing that needs to change? Let's assess the facts:

Poor behaviour and engagement from students is on the rise, leading to teachers feeling like they need to assert more control and power in the classroom; thus making the voices of our children less heard. 

Students no longer see the value and point in what they are learning about. They are taught for tests and exam success that has little impact on their real lives and future selves. 

We are putting students and teachers through constant rigorous testing to consistently prove themselves, their value, their worth and yet we wonder why generations are suffering from poor mental health, anxiety and low self esteem?

What is the solution, you ask? I believe the answer lies in the curriculum. More specifically a new skills curriculum. We are teaching a completely knowledge based curriculum. We use the retention of knowledge as a base for intelligence and more importantly to determine our students' futures. But knowledge alone is not enough. Consider the modern workplace: this is a skills based workforce. Employers are looking for a range of skills that create an ecosystem of effective productivity. Knowledge is a factor but it is not the whole picture, so why is it still the whole picture for our young people? 

Let’s also consider the workplace for my next point. We, as workers, thrive best when we have an element of control and autonomy over what we are doing in our careers. It allows us to be creative, to best show off our skills and to feel confident and trusted in what we do. Yet, everyday I hear more stories of power, control and authority in schools whilst disengagement and bad behaviour continue to rise. What is wrong with students having some control over their education? After all, it is theirs. Have we forgotten that our role is to facilitate their education in the best way possible for them? Why not let them lead the way, to give them some of that autonomy we all crave to best show off what they can do? 

My final point is what we are teaching. Pythagoras theorem, World War 2, Pathetic fallacy. Knowledge, Knowledge, Knowledge. Yet, we live in a modern world where knowledge is no longer something we need to retain. Knowledge is at our fingertips. We can find out anything we need to know with a simple Google search or an AI prompt. Education needs to face the fact that knowledge is no longer a test of intelligence. It is skills that we should be teaching and our curriculum should reflect this. 

Does being a dyslexic student mean that you can’t be a fantastic writer/ journalist/ publisher? Should a student's pathway to higher education and particular career prospects be limited because they couldn’t gain a grade 4 in their English GCSE? Despite their amazing ability for critical thinking, creative writing and their curious mind. What a waste of talent. 

Does the student who can’t retain those mathematical formulas to solve his equations in his high pressure exam mean that he won’t make an innovative architect or engineer. How many incredible innovators are missing an opportunity to shine simply because they forgot some needed formulas in a stressful time period? 

I am not saying knowledge is not important. I am sure none of us would like to visit a doctor with no knowledge of medicine, however, what I am saying is that there is more than knowledge that we should be assessing. Knowledge alone does not make a good doctor. A doctor should have skills in problem solving, critical thinking, coping strategies for high stress situations not to mention people skills for bedside manner. Knowledge is only a part of what we do so why are we making it the only thing to measure a student's success for the future?

So, where does this change start? The curriculum.

What if we had a curriculum that was purely centred around skills?

What if knowledge became one part of that skills based curriculum?

What if students showed these skills through project based learning based on real world scenarios that allowed them to have control and autonomy in how they demonstrated them? 

What if teachers became facilitators rather than controllers?

What if these skills were showcased through the use of portfolios and face to face conversations with higher education instead of a grade on a piece of paper?

What if we started to look at the profile of a person and what they can demonstrate before deciding what path they have to the future? 

What if teachers were allowed to focus on creating lessons and projects based on experiences, skills and passion instead of teaching for a test?

What if future prospects were inclusive to all students and for all skills; not just those who can retain knowledge?

What if the curriculum were the change we needed to transform education for the better?

What if…..