HOW „GREEN“ ARE EUROPEAN CURRICULA?

A Comparative Analysis of five Primary school Curricula

Executive Summary

To identify the possibility to implement GREEN HERO in European Countries according to their national curricula we conducted a cross-national analysis of primary schools’ curricula in five European countries (Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain and England). For this purpose, we developed a questionnaire for our partners to elicit differences and commonalities in curricula referring to general missions of primary schools in different countries, to structural principles and to domains and learning goals. The partners sent us English versions or own translations of relevant contents of their curricula. We elaborated an analytic scheme and based on this we categorized the results of our curricular analysis.

We particularly concentrated on the fields “waste”, “water” and “energy” as a consequence of the overall project design. Are these topics part of primary schools’ curricula? How are they dealt with? Do the curricula promote competencies like critical and interconnected thinking, decision making and acting?

Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used
The curriculum is serving as an important basis for lesson planning. Therefore the content of the curriculum influences what children are learning. For finding out which specific teaching content can be focused in each country, it is therefore particularly useful to analyze the various curricula and compare them.
In our study we identify the "green" potential of the curricula. Do the curricula allow inventingprograms for environmental education and sustainability?  In addition, we are interested how the school system is structured in general, because such institutional regulations are affecting the duration and nature of education measurements.
For our comparative study we were using the primary school curricula of England, Italy, Spain (Canary Islands), Romania and Germany (Federal state Rhineland-Palatinate). The curricula have been translated into English and were compared according to different categories, such as  
- curriculum structure, structural principles
- relevant domains in respect to education for sustainable development (ESD)
- the curriculum’s main ideas relevant for ESD
- taxonomic level of competencies concerning ESD mentioned  in the curricula
- special programs in the countries to foster environmental education at primary school level
We were using the techniques for systematic text analysis that Mayring developed in his method of  qualitative content analysis (Mayring 2010). Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings
In our comparison we found a broad and varying provision of sustainability issues. The variation is due to underlying missions and structural differences. In general, pupils meet important environmental issues according to the curricula. But the intensity as well as the inclusion into ESD differs, partially to a vast extent.
The responsible use of water, for example, is highlighted in the curriculum of the Canary Island, while in other countries this aspect is mentioned very scarce or it remains completely unmentioned in the curriculum like in Italy or Romania. It is also notable that the Romanian curriculum gives teachers a number of methodological guidelines, how environmental contents have to be taught (e.g.: category "Renewable Energy": class 3 Natural science, p.5: presentation of films, slides to describe how falling water is used to produce electricity), while the Italian and German (Rhineland-Palatinate) formulate this topic in a much more general wording (e.g. Rhineland-Palatinate: p.20: seeking a respectful relationship with nature: meet energy nature [e.g. hydropower, wind turbine ...]). In England and Spain renewable energies are not explicitly mentioned in the curriculum.

The curriculum analysis showed that environmental education and education for sustainable development are represented in all selected curricula in different facets. These quantitative but also qualitative differences of the various curricula mean that instructional design regarding to environmental and sustainable education varies from country to country and therefore EU students learn about sustainability in different ways.

For the “Green Hero” Project it is important to consider these results of the curriculum analysis. As chapter 5 and 6 in the analysis illustrate the main topics of the “Green Hero” program – waste, water and energy – are not mentioned the same way in each curriculum. But it would be a wrong conclusion to say that in these EU countries, the program could not be implemented in the classroom. All examined curricula emphasize the importance of sustainable education, but partially their formulations remain very general. These general wordings are also possible links for justifying the use of the “Green Hero” program in primary school.

An additional aspect which did not concern the actual curriculum analysis, but is still necessary to mention, is the achievement of competence in Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Because Green Hero is an e-learning tool, it can also be attached to ICT contents in the curriculum and this can also be used as a justification for the use of our program. All curricula emphasize the importance of computers and internet in everyday life of primary school children as well, but not to the same extent as the English National Curriculum. In England, the draft documents point out that there will be an extra subject called “computing”. Until 2014 it is called ICT and contains important issues regarding to the use of e-learning-tools like “Green Hero”, for example “Exchanging and sharing information” From the analysis we can conclude that there are great opportunities for the “Green Hero” project to implement the e-learning-toll into lessons in accordance with the curricula.

References:

Curricula

England

Department for Education and Employment; Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (1999): The National curriculum. Handbook for primary teachers in England. Key stages 1 and 2.

Department for Education: Primary National Curriculum until 2014: 

a)      Overview:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/primary

(retrieved 20th of February 2013).

b)      Geography (28.11.2011) http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/primary/b00199002/geography

(retrieved 20th of February 2013).

c)      Science (25.11.2011): http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/primary/b00199179/science- (retrieved 20th of February 2013).

d)     PSHE (25.11.2011), not statutory: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/primary/b00199209/pshe (retrieved 20th of February 2013).

e)      ICT, (25.11.2011), not statutory: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/primary/b00199028/ict/ks2

Draft documents:

• Department for Education, (2011). The Framework for the National Curriculum. A report by the Expert Panel for the National Curriculum review. London: Department for Education.
• Department for Education (2013a): Geography. Programmes of study for Key Stages 1-3.
• Department for Education (2013b): History. Programmes of study for Key Stages 1-3.
• Department for Education (2013c): Science. Programmes of study for Key Stages 1-2.
• Department for Education (2013d): Design and Technology. Programmes of study for Key Stages 1-3.
• Department for Education (2013e): The National Curriculum in England. Framework document for consultation.
• Department for Education (2013f): 2014 National Curriculum https://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/nationalcurriculum2014 (retrieved 20th of April 2013).
• Department for Education (2013g): Computing. Programmes of study for Key Stages 1-4.

Germany

Ministerium für Bildung, Frauen und Jugend (2002): Rahmenplan Grundschule. Allgemeine Grundlegung. Teilrahmenplan Mathematik.

Ministerium für Bildung, Frauen und Jugend (2006): Rahmenplan Grundschule. Teilrahmenplan Sachunterricht.

Italy

Ministerio dell’ Istruzione dell’ Università e della Ricerca (2012): Indicazioni nazionali per il curricolo della scuola dell’infanzia e del primo ciclo d’istruzione.

Romania

Ministerul Educaţiei Şi Cercetării Consiliul Naţional Pentru Curriculum (2003a): Programa Scolara Cunoasterea Mediului. Clasele I – A Ii-A

Ministerul Educaţiei Şi Cercetării Consiliul Naţional Pentru Curriculum (2003b): Programe Scolare Revizuite. Abilitati Practice. Clasele I – A Ii-A

Ministerul Educaţiei Şi Cercetării Consiliul Naţional Pentru Curriculum (2004a): Programe Şcolare Pentru Clasa A Iii-A Ştiinţe Ale Naturii.

Ministerul Educaţiei Şi Cercetării Consiliul Naţional Pentru Curriculum (2004b): Programe Şcolare Pentru Clasa A Iii-A. Educaţie Tehnologică.

Ministerul Educaţiei Şi Cercetării Consiliul Naţional Pentru Curriculum (2005a): Programe Şcolare Pentru Clasa A Iv-A Ştiinţe Ale Naturii.

Ministerul Educaţiei Şi Cercetării Consiliul Naţional Pentru Curriculum (2005b): Programe Şcolare Pentru Clasa A Iv-A. Educaţie Tehnologică.

Spain

Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes (2007): Boletín Oficial de Canarias núm. 112.

Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (2006): Disposiciones generales. BOE núm. 106.