K-8 Digital Literacy Curriculum in the Netherlands

Abstract

So far, in the Netherlands there has been no compulsory education in digital literacy or informatics in primary or secondary education. In 2022, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science tasked the Netherlands Institute for Curriculum Development (SLO) to develop the curriculum (i.e., the core objectives) for digital literacy for primary and lower secondary education. SLO formed a team including elementary and lower secondary education teachers, education specialists and teacher educators, and SLO curriculum specialists. Over a course of fifteen months, this team organized several meetings. They reviewed Dutch and international curricula and frameworks on digital literacy, informatics, etc., and consulted more than twenty experts. Following the standardized curriculum development procedure, the team formulated their vision on digital literacy in the context of Dutch situation yielding a document called characteristic, and then the core objectives constituting the curriculum were formulated. During this iterative development process, the team consulted the internal SLO monitoring team and the external advisory board consisting of representatives of stakeholder organizations involved or invested in digital literacy education. In March 2024, the digital literacy curriculum was finalized. It consists of nine core objectives grouped in three domains: (A) Practical knowledge and skills, (B) Designing and making, and (C) Interaction between digital, technology, digital, media, people and the society. This paper describes the curriculum development process and presents the resulting core objectives. The question leading this paper is: which aspects of the curriculum development process were beneficial for carrying out the necessary steps leading to the results?

Appendix—Secondary DL Core Objectives

• 1. Digital systems. The student uses digital systems effectively. This concerns:

  • describing what is technically required to make digital systems work and communicate in a network;

  • describing how the internet works and the place of smart devices in it;

  • using the advanced capabilities of software for communication, collaboration, and creating and editing different types of files;

  • recognizing digital systems that are used in companies, in the world of media and by government to perform tasks or solve problems;

  • keeping track of new technological developments and their possibilities and limits.

• 2. Digital media and information. The student navigates purposefully in the landscape of digital media and information for acquiring and processing information. This concerns:

  • combining appropriate searching tools, searching queries and searching strategies;

  • assessing information—both found and stumbled upon—for reliability and usefulness, taking into account the properties of sources, search tools and media used;

  • reflecting on the suitability of used searching strategies, searching tools and searching queries for obtaining the desired result;

  • describing how social media work and attract, hold and influence users’ attention;

  • reflecting on how one's own knowledge, views and preferences influence the interpretation of digital information.

• 3. Security and Privacy. The student handles digital systems, data and privacy of themselves and others safely. This concerns:

  • knowing about the rights and obligations of individuals and institutions with regard to the protection of personal data, data and privacy;

  • recognizing security risks when using digital systems of companies, institutions and governments;

  • protecting against weaknesses in digital systems and networks used;

  • recognizing how others handle privacy and the security of data they collect or store;

  • adequately dealing with inappropriate content, inappropriate behavior and security risks in digital environments.

• 4. Data. The student explores the use of data and data processing. This concerns:

  • explaining that a dataset provides a limited picture of reality;

  • conducting research with a data set to answer a question, perform a task or solve a problem;

  • describing the use of data by companies, institutions and governments;

  • describing the increasing possibilities for data-driven work;

  • reflecting on the use of AI in data processing.

• 5. Artificial Intelligence. The student explores the possibilities and limitations of AI. This concerns:

  • describing the role and influence of data on the operation of AI systems;

  • recognizing common AI systems and their use by companies, institutions and governments;

  • describing the difference between AI systems and other types of systems;

  • interacting purposefully, responsibly and critically with an AI system;

  • experimenting with training AI systems.

• 6. Creating with Digital Technology. The student uses appropriate strategies when creating and using different types of digital products. This concerns:

  • experimenting with development and editing software to express thoughts, ideas or feelings;

  • developing and sharing a digital product to inform, persuade or influence others;

  • using computational thinking strategies, consider whether, and, if so, to what extent the goal can be achieved with a digital product;

  • designing and making a product based on design requirements in an iterative process, and reflecting on the product and process;

  • taking copyrights, licenses and source and name attribution into account when creating digital products

• 7. Programming. The student programs a computer program using computational thinking strategies. This concerns:

  • describing the task and purpose of a computer program;

  • designing and schematically represent the algorithm associated with a task;

  • using programming concepts: events, data structures and combinations of logical operators; (In K-6: input and output, variables, operators, repetition and control structures)

  • documenting, testing and adjusting your own computer program or a computer program of others;

  • tackling a problem or task in such a way that programming can be used to solve it.

• 8. Digital technology, yourself and others. The student makes well-considered choices when using digital technology and digital media. This concerns:

  • communicating and acting online in a respectful and responsible manner;

  • evaluating the influence of digital technology and digital media on your own thinking and behavior and on the interaction with others;

  • paying attention to your own physical and mental health and that of others;

  • reflecting on and shaping one's own online identity in relation to others;

  • exploring one's own interest in digital technology and digital media in relation to studies and professions.

• 9. Digital technology, society and the world. The student analyzes how digital technology, digital media and society mutually influence each other and explores future scenarios. This concerns:

  • exploring the possibilities to use digital technology and media to shape social involvement;

  • exploring options to guide and regulate the development of digital technology and digital media and thereby protect human and democratic values;

  • reasoning about opportunities and risks of the use of digital technology in society from an ethical, social, economic and ecological perspective;

  • analyzing how societies depend on digital technology and big technology companies;

  • describing ethical dilemmas when making choices for the future [10].