Conference Agenda

Modern education systems globally tend to be characterised by homogeneity. Transnational educational discourses, propagated by supranational organisations such as the OECD and the World Bank, exhibit a sameness – in respect of language, fundamental ideas and methodologies (Priestley & Biesta, 2012; Lingard & Priestley, 2023). Manifest trends include a focus on so-called 21^st Century Skills, instrumental approaches to utilising knowledge (as something to be mobilised), personalisation and choice in learning, use of performance data, and school/teacher autonomy. These discourses further translate into homogeneity in terms of national curricular policy frameworks, with notable outliers such as England (with its recent ‘knowledge turn’) – research suggests that many such policies are reflective of supranational language and discourses (e.g., see Sinnema & Aitken, 2013; Priestley et al., 2023). Within national systems, the situation seems more complex, as homogeneity in national policies can mask considerable differences in enactment between different countries, as policy is heavily mediated by traditions of national provision and pedagogy (e.g., see Alvunger et al., 2021). Nevertheless, some research suggests that there can be considerable homogeneity within national systems (e.g., Shapira et al., 2023), as schools and other institutions enact practices shaped by particular structural and cultural conditions (e.g., national accountability systems).

In this keynote, I argue for the importance of local curricula – for example in schools and classrooms – that are both culturally diverse and responsive to the needs of communities. I will explore how more heterogeneous curriculum making that better meets the educational needs of young people and local communities might be engendered through a systemic approach to engaging with diverse voices. I utilise a framework (Priestley et al., 2021) developed to understand the multifarious social practices of curriculum making that occur across different sites of activity in education systems. For instance, I will consider the roles that young people, their families and community groups might play in culturally responsive micro (e.g., the development of programmes in schools) and nano curriculum making (the transactional curriculum events that occur minute by minute in classrooms and other educational settings through pedagogy). I will also examine how educational professionals such as teachers might engage more constructively with macro curriculum making – including the formation of policy frameworks – and meso curriculum making, for example to support colleagues in developing the curriculum across clusters of schools. This systemic understanding is necessary if we are to develop educational systems that are both responsive to the diverse needs of young people and their communities and provide appropriate levels of regulation and support for curriculum making in local sites.