The Isle of Man Government's DESC Curriculum for Learning and Achievement.
"To inspire learners to flourish in life".
The curriculum is not prescriptive; rather it attempts to provide broad parameters in which schools can develop flexible, exciting and memorable learning experiences which support the development of a broad range of academic, social and personal skills.
There are ten agreed principles on which Essentials for Learning is built;
personalised - the curriculum should be flexible enough to meet the needs of all learners. |
partnership with the community - the local community’s views about the curriculum should be listened to and the curriculum should equip pupils to make a positive contribution to Manx society. |
meaningful - pupils should see the point of what they’re learning. |
pupil voice - pupils’ views about the curriculum should be listened to. |
assessment should inform learning - every pupil can improve and activities should match their levels of ability. |
learning through enquiry - the curriculum should be about answering important, meaningful questions. |
connected - pupils should be able to make connections between learning in different contexts. |
inclusive - all students should be valued equally. |
active learning - learning should be something learners do - not something that is done to them. |
challenging and engaging - pupils should be engaged and motivated. |