Primary school children could find themselves studying micro-blogging service Twitter and online encyclopedia Wikipedia under proposed changes to the curriculum.
The plans, outlined by former Ofsted Sir Jim Rose, call for teachers to be given a greater flexibility in the subjects they teach. Rose has suggested the six core ‘learning areas’ currently covered by the curriculum should be overhauled.
As well as continuing with the chronology of history and mental arithmetic, the new ‘learning areas’ would also cover modern media and web-based skills such as blogging, keyboard skills and even podcasting.
John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, told The Guardian: “It seems to jump on the latest trends such as Wikipedia and Twitter. Computer skills and keyboard skills seem to be as important as handwriting in this [the proposal].
Traditional books and written texts are downplayed in response to web-based learning”.
The proposals are due to be published next month.
