Identifying needs for support to enhance teachers’ curriculum design expertise

Abstract

Teachers’ understanding of curriculum reform and their ownership regarding the reform are expected to be promoted by having them fulfil the role of designer. However, despite these positive expectations about teachers who take an active designer role, several studies have shown that teachers lack the knowledge and skills needed for proper curriculum design. The assumption underlying the study reported in this chapter is that teachers need support during collaborative design in order to enhance their curriculum design expertise. This chapter presents and discusses the support offered to promote teachers’ curriculum design expertise during a collaborative curriculum design project conducted within the frame of a national reform in the Netherlands.