Rata, E. (2020)
What is a Knowledge-Rich Curriculum?
New Zealand Annual Review of Education 26, 29-35 · 10.26686/nzaroe.v26.6855
Rata never names Hirsch; she attacks Ofsted's 'knowledge-led' content-list category as fragmented and un-cohering. Citing her against Hirsch specifically is this registry's inference, not her own claim, and should be read that way.
Used in Dossier 2, Dossier 4
This critic is attached to the exact objection and inference it challenges, not merely to the topic.
D2 · O4 — Content quantity without disciplinary coherence can fragment knowledge · targets A7 A8 I6 I7
D4 · O3 — A list can be knowledge without system · targets A3 A7 I3 I6
D4 · O7 — The rivals are not content-free or anti-authority · targets A4 A7 A9 I5 I6
Primary targets: P08 P19 P01 P03
Availability: open access
PDF read directly (masthead says 2020, not the 2021 sometimes cited).
Registry verification: yes
Availability: open access
PDF read directly (masthead says 2020, not the 2021 sometimes cited).
Registry verification: yes
Positions (5)
England's Ofsted 'knowledge-led' category is a content-list approach: plenty of content, but without the coherence provided by subject concepts.
“Spielman (2018) refers to the 'knowledge-led' category appearing in some schools in England - a content-list approach with students taught plenty of content but without the coherence provided by subject concepts.”
Hirsch's response — not found
none found in ten books
Content without the generalising, cohering function of connected subject concepts becomes fragmented and meaningless.
“Without the generalising and cohering function of connected subject concepts, the unanchored content becomes fragmented and meaningless.”
Hirsch's response — not found
none found in ten books
Thinking (learning) requires both concepts to think with and content to think about -- neither a concepts-only nor a content-list curriculum suffices alone.
“Thinking (i.e., learning) doesn't occur in a vacuum - one must think with something (concepts). And students also need to think about something (content).”
Hirsch's response — not found
none found in ten books
It is a political imperative of democratic education systems that all children, regardless of background, get the kind of knowledge that lets them generalise beyond their own experience.
“This universal property is the political imperative of education systems in democratic nations; an imperative which accepts that all children, no matter their background or circumstances, have a right to the type of knowledge which enables them to generalise beyond the confines of their experiences.”
Hirsch's response — not found
none found in ten books
A knowledge-rich curriculum should use a concept-discipline-content (CDC) model to connect generalisable concepts to particular instances, addressing the limits of both content-list and concepts-only approaches.
“In conclusion, the 'knowledge-rich' curriculum seeks to address the limitations of both the knowledge-led and the knowledge-engaged approaches by using the CDC Model as a design tool to connect generalisable concepts to particular instances.”
Hirsch's response — not found
none found in ten books