David Lillis: Unpublished Letter to the Listener

Recently (on 4 June), I wrote a 300-word letter to the Listener but have received no response. Here it is below, for those who are interested.

“Paul Little and Sarah Frost express concerns that Shakespeare is unduly prominent in our draft English Curriculum (The Listener, 7 June). However, Shakespeare is mentioned only once there, and developers are obliged to prescribe what they consider the best readings for every subject.

Bob Edlin: Teachers say Treaty must be included in our English curriculum......

Teachers say Treaty must be included in our English curriculum – but are we envied by overseas schools?

Time is running out, if you want to contribute to the consultation on a draft intermediate and secondary school English curriculum that reportedly prioritises Shakespeare, grammar and 19th century literature. A report from RNZ says the consultation “ closes on Friday”, which is today.

David Farrar: Curriculum changes sound good to me

Radio NZ reports:

The draft secondary school English curriculum is ringing alarm bells for some teachers, with no reference to Te Mātaiaho – the framework that underpins every other curriculum area.

Teachers told RNZ the omission of Te Mātaiaho in the document published this week was bizarre, and they were worried it was part of a move to sideline the Treaty of Waitangi, which until recently had been a critical part of Te Mātaiaho.

Professor Elizabeth Rata: A Knowledge Rich Curriculum for New Zealand

The 2007 New Zealand Curriculum allows teachers and schools to decide what to teach. In this localised curriculum there is no prescribed content, no nationwide standardisation nor effective quality control. The result is increased inequality. Students in schools committed to high quality academic subjects continue to achieve. Students in schools that offer little more than socio-cultural beliefs and practices are denied the education needed for full inclusion in modern society.

Dr Peter Winsley: The English Curriculum New Zealand schools need

In recent years the English curriculum has been weakened through the replacement of rich knowledge content with ill-defined “competencies.” Shakespeare disappeared. Identity politics coloured the 2007 National Curriculum, was strengthened in the 2022 Refreshed Curriculum, and continued in later documents. Little attention was paid to cognitive science “or the science of learning”.