Students' ICT competence
The HarmoS programme being currently ratified provides a general framework for the specific competences to be achieved by students. Presently there is no national curriculum in Switzerland, and as a result, cantons still use rather varied curricula. This situation is currently changing as the cantons (grouped by linguistic region) are working together on common curricula, such as the French-speaking areas’ PER (Plan d’Étude Romand) and the German cantons’ Lehrplan (Learning Plan).
ICT in the curriculum
As regards ICT the PER, currently in the process of consultation, suggests integrating ICT within the field of media education, this subject itself being a part of general education. General educational objectives are organised primarily according to the level of education.
In particular, the intention as regards the specific competences to be achieved by students is:
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to foster a selective and critical approach to media at key stage 1 (kindergarten and the first and second years of compulsory schooling);
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to decode the presentation of various types of message at key stage 2 (the third and fourth years of school);
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to foster multiple approaches to the consumption and production of media and information (the fifth and sixth years of school).
Each of the general objectives is broken down into specific objectives which can be consulted online on the PER site. Information on the contents of the Lehrplan (the curriculum for German-speaking areas of Switzerland) will become available as from October 2009.
