Knowledge-rich curriculum: towards definitional clarity in the context of reform in Australia and England

Abstract

This article examines the theoretical and empirical influences informing the term knowledge-rich curriculum, a concept increasingly central to education policy but often only loosely defined. Drawing on an analysis of the term in Australian and English education policy, the article argues that the concept has been most strongly influenced by two distinct fields: social realist curriculum inquiry and cognitive science. It considers both how these influences may be in tension with each other and the potential implications of this for policymakers and educators. Specifically, it argues that the take up of instructional practices only superficially informed by cognitive science can distort the d..