In 2018 the Netherlands started the development of a new curriculum framework for primary, lower and upper secondary education. New themes in curriculum are Digital Literacy, citizenship and a strong focus on 21st century skills. Digital Literacy is defined as a combination of ICT skills, media literacy, information literacy and Computational Thinking. Starting with a vision on a theme such as Digital Literacy and using this vision as a starting point for describing big ideas. For Digital Literacy eight big ideas were described: data and information, safety and privacy, using and controlling, communication and cooperation, digital citizenship, digital economy, applying and designing, and sustainability. Computational Thinking is integrated in each of these big ideas. The underlying framework for Computational Thinking is based on ISTE and CSTA and each big idea is specified as a learning trajectory describing learning objectives leading to a new legal curriculum framework in 2022.

1. ΩSLO ● nationaal expertisecentrum leerplanontwikkeling
A new curriculum for the
Netherlands including
Computational thinking
Allard Strijker & Petra Fisser, SLO - National Institute For
Curriculum Development Netherlands 2019-06-28, Edmedia

2. About SLO
• National Institute for Curriculum Development in the
Netherlands
• Assigned by Ministry of education
• Task: design and validation of national curricular
frameworks
(core objectives,
attainment levels,
examination programs)

3. The Dutch curriculum
• In 1993 attainment targets (‘goals to strive for’) for primary
and junior secondary education were formulated (upper
secondary education uses the examination program as goal)
• At this moment it is a mixture of common attainment targets
(‘goals to strive for’) covering the whole range of subject
domains and common standards (‘goals to attain’) for literacy
and numeracy
• But: there is not one curriculum framework that provides a
common, comprehensive and cohesive answer to the
question of what is of most worth learning and teaching
(freedom of education!)

4. Digital Literacy
• Digital literacy is the whole of ICT
(basic) skills, media literacy,
information skills, and computational
thinking
• ICT (basic) skills
– able to deal with ICT
• Media literacy
– conscious, active and critical use of
media
• Information literacy
– search, select, process and use relevant
information
• Computational thinking
– (re) formulating problems so that they
can be solved with the computer
In
Information
literacy
Computational
thinking
Media
literacy
ICT basic
skills
Digital
literacy

5. Operational Definition of CT (ISTE, CSTA)
• Computational thinking (CT) is a problem-solving process that
includes (but is not limited to) the following characteristics
– Formulating problems in a way that enables us to use a computer and
other tools to help solve them.
– Logically organizing and analyzing data
– Representing data through abstractions such as models and simulations
– Automating solutions through algorithmic thinking (a series of ordered
steps)
– Identifying, analyzing, and implementing possible solutions with the goal
of achieving the most efficient and effective combination of steps and
resources
– Generalizing and transferring this problem solving process to a wide
variety of problems

6. Operational Definition of CT (ISTE, CSTA)
• These skills are supported and enhanced by a number of
dispositions or attitudes that are essential dimensions of
CT. These dispositions or attitudes include:
– Confidence in dealing with complexity
– Persistence in working with difficult problems
– Tolerance for ambiguity
– The ability to deal with open ended problems
– The ability to communicate and work with others to achieve a
common goal or solution

7. Concepts of CT (ISTE, CSTA)
• Problem (re)formulation
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Data representation
• Problem
• Decomposition
• Abstraction
• Algorithm & procedures
• Automation
• Parallelization and simulation

8. A new curriculum, why?
• Clear descriptions what knowledge and skills are
required for the future
• Reduce the percieved overload in the curriculum
• Increase coherence
• Describe learning trajectories
• Make clear what parts are mandatory and optional

9. Subjects in the new curriculum
• Digital Literacy (including
Computational Thinking)
• English / modern foreign languages
• Dutch
• Arithmetic / mathematics
• Citizenship
• Exercise & Sport
• Art & Culture
• Human & Nature
• Human & Society

10. Teacher Design Team and Schools
• 125 Teachers
• 18 School leaders
• 84 Development schools
• Digital literacy
• Teacher Design Team
• 15 Teachers and school leader from
Primary and secondary education
• 5 primary schools
• 5 secondary schools
• 1 teacher training

11. Designing a new curriculum
Vision Big Ideas Building blocks
The vision describes
why the subject is
important for learners
in primary and
secondary education
for learning, working
and living in a future
society
The big ideas
describe de core of
the topics that ae
relevant for the
subject
Building blocks
describe in detail the
learning trajectories
for primary and
secondary education
in knowledge and
skills

12. Feedback
• After each design phase
• Teachers, Learners, Parents from selected Schools
• Selected experts, research
• Online consultation http://www.curriculum.nu

13. Definition Computational Thinking
• Based on the definition of Wing and Brennan and Resnick, the teacher
design team for Digital Literacy used the following definition of Computational
Thinking:
• Computational Thinking is solving problems, designing systems and
understanding human behavior, using the concepts and practices from
"information science" and "informatics" seen from a personal perspective.

14. Definition Computational Thinking
• Within Computational Thinking three dimensions are identified:
– The dimension of concepts: This dimension focuses on the concepts used in
information technology and computer science such as abstraction, algorithms,
decomposition, recognizing patterns and parallelization.
– The dimension of practices: This dimension focuses on practices that are typical for
working with digital technology such as iterative processes, testing, debugging, reusing
and change.
– The dimension from a personal perspective: This dimension focuses on the personal
view from the designer on digital technology, on others and on the technological world.
This involves perspectives such as critical thinking, reflecting and seeing possibilities of
digital technologies (Curriculum.nu, 2019).
• Combining the definitions broadens the scope of Computational Thinking and makes it
possible to connect to the skills and knowledge within Digital Literacy.

15. Vision
• The vision describes why the
subject is important for
learners in primary and
secondary education for
learning, working and living in
a future society

16. Big ideas
• Data and information
• Safety & privacy
• Using & controling
• Communication and
collaboration
• Digital Citizenship
• Digital Economy
• Using & designing
• Sustainability

17. Digital literacy components
• Digital literacy is the whole of ICT
(basic) skills, media literacy,
information skills, and computational
thinking
• ICT (basic) skills
– able to deal with ICT
• Media literacy
– conscious, active and critical use of
media
• Information literacy
– search, select, process and use relevant
information
• Computational thinking
– (re) formulating problems so that they
can be solved with the computer

18. Perspectives on digital literacy
• Dealing with digital technologies
• Knowing about digital technologies
• Thinking about digital technologies
• Creating with digital technologies

19. General skills
• Thinking and acting
– Creative thinking
– Problem solving
– Critical thinking
• Dealing with others
– Communication
– Collaboration
– Social and cultural skills
• Knowing yourself
– Self regulation
– Orientation on yourself and career
– Entrepeneurship

20. Goals of education
• Personal life
• Society
• Study and profession

21. Data and
information
Safety and
privacy
Using and
controling
Communica-
tion and
collaboration
Digital
Citizenship
Digital
Economy
Using and
designing
Sustainability
and
innovation
From data to
information
Safety Interacting
with digital
technology
Networks The Digital
Citizen
Participation in
a platform
economy
Interacting
with digital
technology
Sustainability
Digital Data Privacy Controlling
digital
technology
Communica-
tion
Digital identity Digital
Marketing
Applying &
Designing
Collaboration

22. Big Ideas, Learning Trajectories and Digital
LiteracyBig Ideas Learning Trajectories Digital Literacy components
Data and information  From data to information
 Digital data
- Media literacy
- Information literacy
- Computational thinking
Safety and privacy  Safety
 Privacy
- ICT basic skills
- Media literacy
- Information literacy
Using and controlling  Interacting with digital technology
 Controlling digital technology
- ICT basic skills
- Media literacy
- Computational thinking
Communication and collaboration  Networks
 Communication
 Collaboration
- ICT basic skills
- Media literacy
- Information literacy
- Computational thinking
Digital Citizenship  Active participation in a democratic society
 Tolerance and respect for each other
- ICT basic skills
- Media literacy
- Information literacy
Digital Economy  Digital economy and participating in a platform economy
 Digital marketing
- ICT basic skills
- Media literacy
- Information literacy
Applying and designing  Interacting with digital technology
 Applying and designing
- ICT basic skills
- Computational thinking

23. What is a Learning Trajectory?
• A learning trajectory is a
reasoned structured set of intermediate objectives and content
leading to a certain core objective

24. Stages
Stage 1
4-7 yr
Stage 2
8-12 yr
Stage 3
13-15 yr
Stage 4
16+ yr
Big idea
Learning trajectory Learning trajectory
Vision

25. Learning trajectory: Controlling Digital
Technology – Stage 1
• In this phase, students learn to discover that dividing an assignment into
partial tasks helps them to carry out an assignment. They learn that the order
in which they tackle this task is important to get the desired result.
• Students learn:
– that many devices, toys and robots are 'a kind of computer’;
– to recognize concepts from Computational Thinking and to apply them in
daily life in the classroom, at home and in their immediate environment
(for example, patterns, ordering principles);
– to perform a simple assignment by dividing it into sub-tasks and devising a
logical systematic plan for this, with or without the help of digital
technology.

26. Learning trajectory: Controlling Digital
Technology – Stage 2
• As a follow-up to the previous phase, students learn in this phase that people
determine the ways in which devices are controlled, even though it seems
that things are happening more and more naturally. In this phase, they learn
the basic principles of programming and learn to use concepts of
Computational Thinking, so that they can use these to solve problems.
• Students learn:
– solve simple problems by applying the concepts, methods and
perspectives of Computational Thinking, such as: decomposition,
abstraction, generalization, pattern recognition and the application of
algorithms, whereby they use digital technology effectively to solve simple
problems;
– apply the basic principles of programming in a software development kit;
– the basic principles of robotics;

27. Learning trajectory: Controlling Digital
Technology – Stage 3
• Building on the previous phases, students learn to solve problems that are
more complex in this phase of education with the help of Computational
Thinking. They become acquainted with programming in a textual
environment and think about the role of technology in their personal lives, at
school, their environment and society.
• Students learn:
– that innovations in the field of computers, storage capacity and network
connections influence the speed of innovations in digital technology and
the way in which this technology can be used;
– to apply the basic principles of robotics, become acquainted with machine
learning and artificial intelligence;
– to think about the possible implications of the above-mentioned
innovations in a constantly changing world;

28. Learning trajectory: Controlling Digital
Technology – Stage 4
• Stage 4 is the part of education in which students do their exams in upper
secondary education. The complexity of renewing the national exam
documents and procedures without explicitly knowing how Digital Literacy will
be part of the new curriculum (that still has to be implemented!) was a
problem that could not be solved in the current development process. The
TDT decided to give recommendations instead on how to continue working
on the skills and knowledge from Stages 1 to 3. The TDT recommends that
Digital Literacy:
– should be part of the official (legal) final terms of secondary education;
– should be integrated in the subjects to contextualize and apply Digital
Literacy in the different domains;
– should be integrated in the subjects to make sure that the students can
deepen en widen their knowledge and skills, so they can become
advanced users of digital technology, with as ultimate goal that all

29. Current status
• Concept version available at http://www.curriculum.nu
• September final version
• November 2019 decision how to proceed

30. ΩSLO ● nationaal expertisecentrum leerplanontwikkeling
More information, Questions
Allard Strijker - a.strijker@slo.nl
Petra Fisser – p.fisser@slo.nl