For teachers, one of the lures of international teaching is being freed from the shackles of rigid national curriculums.
Liberated from governmental strictures, international schools have the freedom to be more creative with their curriculum offerings by blending external programmes - such as the International Baccalaureate (IB), IGCSEs, American-influenced Advanced Placement - with their own curriculums.
However, if you have never taught a “home-made curriculum”, it can seem daunting: can you adapt to what will be required? Does it dovetail with the main curriculum? Does it really work?
As someone who has worked in a mix of schools teaching IGCSEs, A levels and the IB, and who has also taught numerous bespoke middle and high school programmes, there are definitely a mix of pros and cons when doing this.
Here are some of the key insights for anyone considering a school with such an approach.
Benefits of bespoke international curriculums
1. They allow for adjustments to match the identity of a school
Particularly in schools of faith or in certain geographical locations, schools that have an “in-house” approach to curriculum can better align the “what” and “how” of their pedagogy to that school’s philosophy.
I saw this work well, for example, in Catholic schools and when I taught in a UK school that was in a predominantly Muslim part of England.
In subjects, for example, like history, English, RE and geography, schools can shape their texts and focuses around resources that very clearly match the school’s mission and vision.
In particular, I have seen service learning become a highly integrated aspect of the curriculum, and this overt focus would be more challenging in a school where the curriculum was more rigid.
2. They are more responsive to student needs
Without the constraints of an established curriculum, schools that follow their own path can bend and twist to meet more diverse student needs.
They can, if used reflectively, use internal data, for example, to shift curricular focus quickly in order to meet the needs of a school’s particular cohort.
I saw this work particularly well during Covid-19, as the unpredictable impact of lockdowns upon a cohort could be better responded to, and quickly, because of some of the pressure.
3. They can remove the pressure of high-stakes examinations
More and more research is moving towards the idea of doing away with high-stakes assessment, and there are holistic benefits to students not being put in the pressure cooker of exam pathways from day one.
As such, a bespoke curriculum allows schools to stagger any form of assessment into more manageable amounts and not all in one final high-stakes exam.
Limits of bespoke international curriculums
1. They can lack vertical alignment
This is a fundamental challenge, and one I have seen in schools that do not have the tether of a brought-in curriculum.
Instead, well-intended teacher creativity and expression can lead to silos where certain sections, certain departments and even certain teachers can “do their own thing” knowing there is no external high stakes assessment to hold them to partial account.
2. They make succession planning challenging
International schools are fast-moving places, and without the backbone of an established external curriculum, it can be difficult for schools to hand over classes and courses to new teachers when too much freedom has been given to the previous one.
As such, there can often be pressure on those who are still there to do a lot of rapid upskilling and training of new staff.
3. Explaining your CV
There is a cache to having taught the “big” curriculums; IB, A level, IGCSEs, Common Core and, especially when considering repatriation, UK schools in particular can turn up their noses at any curriculum they have not heard of.
However innovative your school’s curriculum may be, you will have to be ready to explain how it has helped you prepare yourself for teaching conventional content, particularly when that content is tethered to high-stakes external assessment.
It can be done, of course, but it is worth being aware of this reality if you take the opportunity to teach a bespoke curriculum.
Andy Bayfield is assistant principal at St Mary’s International School, Japan
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