Curriculum Mapping Study

The Shuttleworth Foundation firmly believes that analytical and communication skills training should be top priorities for school students, especially in the South African context. However, evidence within schools, and results from international studies such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Project in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), indicate that South African learners have not performed well in the areas of analytical and communication skills.

As a result of these findings, the Foundation commissioned an analysis of all the learning areas in the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) based on Outcomes Based Education (OBE) in the Foundation Phase (FP) in South Africa against set criteria. The analysis evaluated each Assessment Standard in every learning area according to the analytical and/or communications skills that it focuses on, as well as the level in Bloom’s taxonomy (a classification of the different objectives that educators set for students) that it adheres to.

The findings are compelling in that, while there are gaps in the intended OBE curriculum relating to the development of analytical skills, these are not as severe as the chasm that may be occurring between the intended and implemented curriculum, particularly in the Foundation Phase. What is encouraging is the development of defined critical skills that strive to create active and effective citizens who are also lifelong learners. It is an attempt to shift the focus in teaching and learning from a more rote and recall orientated discipline to one which involves acquisition of knowledge, skills and values. Unfortunately this theory or philosophy of OBE that was used to develop our intended curriculum is not necessarily the theory or philosophy that is being used in the actual implementation of the curriculum.

The implementation is influenced by the beliefs, attitudes, training and experiences of mainly our teachers who are ultimately responsible for defining and delivering the curriculum at classroom level. The report suggests that any interventions to address an improvement in the education of analytical and communication skills in schools should involve training and re-orientating our teachers where possible to enable them to understand and subscribe to the ideals of the new curriculum and the theory of OBE. This will help to assure that the gap between the intended, implemented and attained curriculum is narrowed.

The report also highlights recommendations on teacher re-alignment to address effective teaching strategies that will bridge the gap. For example, learners need to be given more opportunities to implement and develop these skills. Training teachers to be better equipped for and informed about effective teaching strategies, such as Problem-Based Learning, could help to alleviate this deficit in our intended curriculum and lessen the gap between the intended and implemented curriculum.

• Full report PDF