The 166 New School Curricula: New Content, Digital Dimension

166 new Curricula – 123 redesigned and 43 updated – for Kindergarten, Elementary, High School and Lyceum (excluding the 3rd Lyceum) of General Education were presented today at a press conference by the Minister of Education Niki Kerameos, in the presence of Deputy Minister Zettas Makris and the President of the Institute of Educational Policy, Giannis Antoniou.

THE PRESENTATION IN DETAIL

The Curricula define what, how and why of the learning process for each lesson, each class, each level, as well as:
• Include the content of the course
• Guide the planning of the course with indicative activities and evaluation suggestions
• Identify lesson objectives and expected learning outcomes.

The axes of modernization of the New Curricula are three:

1) First, the didactic design of the Curricula changes.
The focus is on the student and the expected learning outcomes, ie everything that the student needs to know, understand and be able to apply after the lesson.
• For example, instead of memorizing historical events, the student is asked to participate in activities that will allow him to understand the significance of the events, their causes and consequences with e.g. to impersonate the historical person in a role play or to write a letter on behalf of that person.
In addition, continuity and coherence are preserved in the educational process, through the shift from “matter”, to thematic fields that remain constant from class to class and from step to step.
• For example, in Mathematics the thematic unit “Pattern-Functions” remains constant from the Mathematics of the 1st grade to the Mathematics of the Lyceum: first, the student recognizes simple numerical patterns, then more complex numerical patterns, then deals with linguistic, symbolic and geometric patterns, while in Lyceum it comes to the identification and study of population patterns, such as demographic changes in different countries or COVID-19 cases.

2) Second, the content of the Curricula is restructured.
It is enriched and adapted to modern scientific developments and social needs.
• For example, in Physics the applications of quantum theory are introduced and in Mathematics the contemplative mathematics (statistics, probabilities etc) are strengthened.
Interdisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity are generalized in all fields of knowledge.
• For example, Philosophy includes topics of applied ethics, bioethics and ethics in artificial intelligence.
Finally, the connection between theory and practice and addressing the challenges of the 21st century is strengthened.
• For example, in Informatics, students will understand existing problems and suggest solutions using appropriate computer tools, e.g. the student will be asked to represent with appropriate software the data on changes in temperature and carbon dioxide emissions in a place and to compare their rates of change, in order to better understand the phenomenon of climate change.

3) Third, the digital dimension of the Curricula is generalized.
Digital technologies and digital literacy are integrated in all cognitive subjects, and rich digital material is formed.
• For example, in Environmental Studies, Geography and Geology-Geography, students will be able to participate in virtual tours around the world and practice cartography, using digital tools. At the same time, the New Curricula themselves are digitally captured.

The Institute of Educational Policy (IEP) had the overall supervision of this important project, which was prepared by scientifically sound and meritoriously selected teams, from September 2020 to October 2021. In November, the relevant training will begin, as well as the their pilot implementation in all the Standard and Experimental schools of the country, which will continue during the school year 2022-2023. During the school year 2023-2024, the new Curricula will be implemented universally, with the simultaneous start of the implementation of the “multiple book”.

The New Curricula are part of a broader reform framework, which includes, inter alia, the continuing teacher education system, the new textbooks and teacher choice (“multiple book”), the digital transformation, the theme bank, the Skills Workshops, the evaluation of the educational work of the school unit, teachers and students, as well as the educational system (“Greek PISA”).

The Minister of Education and Religions, Niki Kerameos, stated: “With the New Curricula, the school environment is evolving into a living laboratory of research, communication, action and expression. It becomes engaging, exciting: it stimulates students’ interest and curiosity, and encourages teachers to envision and innovate. Together with the Skills Workshops, the learning of English from the first school years, the greater autonomy of the school unit, the training of teachers and the general upgrade of the school, we seek to teach our children how to learn, to equip them with modern knowledge and skills, useful for their present and future. Education is changing. In practice.”