The Politics of the School Curriculum

Developing Macau’s junior secondary schools music curriculum

“…The purpose of this paper is to document the process of developing a music curriculum for junior secondary schools in Macau and thereby consider Lawton's (2012Lawton's ( [1980) view that centre-stages the role of teachers in this process, particularly in terms of Whitty (2012Whitty ( [1981…”

“…As noted above, the first project meeting defined the project-leader's role which mirrored Lawton (2012Lawton ( [1980) centre-staging teachers in the curriculum development Amy: The impact of this curriculum should be positive to music teachers. Unlike the Music Curriculum (1999) which sets rigid content, this curriculum only sets the framework for curriculum development and allows music teachers to design their school-based curriculum.…”

“…In summary, the evidence indicates a complex interaction within the third research question "Do participants perceive they impact on or are impacted by Macau's Junior Secondary School Music Curriculum (DSEJ, 2017a)?" An initial linear impact from DJES to project leader to team members then classroom teachers abruptly changes at the very first project meeting, changing the project leader's role to that of facilitator that mirrored Lawton' (2012Lawton' ( [1980) ideology to centre-stage teachers in the curriculum development process. From this centre-staging, these participants learn to articulate their own curriculum perspectives, their own mixed feelings about the new music curriculum.…”

“…This praxis-complex of competing between various levels and perspectives of curriculum, Lawton (2012Lawton ( [1980) attempt to centre-stage the role of teachers (p. 5).…”

“…Under these changing circumstances, teachers' rights to participate in curriculum design became a contest of wills. This contest still reverberates as witnessed by both Lawton's andWhitty's original 1980's books being republished in 2012. This paper seeks to resolve this recurring theme of Whitty's challenge to Lawton's centre-staging teachers within the curriculum development process. The narrative of this resolution considers such challenges as disenfranchisement and stasis within a non-Western case study as reported here in the development of a music curriculum for junior secondary schools in Macau.…”