スウェーデンの総合制高等学校における教育課程改革 : 履修方式の転換に焦点をあてて
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概要
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The purpose of this paper is to describe the significance of the way of designing curriculum by choosing courses. For this purpose, the reforms in Swedish upper secondary schools in the 1990s are taken up. In Sweden, the integrated upper secondary school was set up in 1971 from three different types of schools. This integrated upper secondary school consisted of 22 lines in order to offer all kinds of education which the old three types of schools had had. These lines had different duration and requirements for entering. Students chose their own lines when they entered the school and later specialty, which gave them the fixed curriculum with little room for course options. This system was criticized because it led to separation between lines and specialties, which was far from the aim of the upper secondary school; "the School for all". Two other educational organizations prompted the upper secondary school to change the way of designing curriculum. One was vocational education for adults. It had used "module system". This system partitioned out the curriculum by objectives in order to keep the curriculum up-to-date all the time, to make it clear what the students had learned, and to meet the various requirements from employers. The other was upper secondary education for adults. This offered the same education as the integrated upper secondary school. However, the way of designing curriculum was not same because adults wanted to study just what they needed. All subjects were divided into 4 courses from elementary to advance so that students could study courses one by one. In 1991, Parliament decided to abolish the line system and to introduce the "program system". 16 national programs, all of which are 3-year programs, were set up in the upper secondary school. The way of designing curriculum by courses was introduced at the same time. This way was new because each course can certify what students had learned and attained at a certain standards. Courses were not fastened on a program, that is to say, they became common certifications of learning. Each student chose one program when he/she started upper secondary education. The program gave him/her the frames to design curriculum, with the room for course options. The national curriculum was revised in 1994. For the first time, it was based on discussion about the whole educational stages in Sweden. The new national curriculum was applied to the upper secondary school, the upper secondary education for adults, and the schools for individuals with learning disabilities in common. The reforms have been assessed as generally positive. Students have got more opportunity to choose courses and influence their own curricula thanks to this way of designing curriculum by courses. However, it has given rise to some issues. It became difficult to relate courses each other from the viewpoint of the whole education. One course cannot have enough time for students to attain standards in reality. The criterion which each course has needs to be obvious so that every teacher cannot assess equally. These issues are still challenging. The way of designing curriculum by courses contributed to the reforms on three big points of view. The first point was about the structure of the course of study in the upper secondary school. It made the structure simple and flexible. The second was to relate the system to the labor market. The third was to put the upper secondary school as one in the grand design of lifelong-learning society. The "course-designed curriculum" has had several significant effects in the reforms. It made the curriculum and the outcome in the upper secondary school clear to society.
- 2008-03-31