ABSTRACT
This article examines the theoretical and empirical influences informing the term knowledge-rich curriculum, a concept increasingly central to education policy but often only loosely defined. Drawing on an analysis of the term in Australian and English education policy, the article argues that the concept has been most strongly influenced by two distinct fields: social realist curriculum inquiry and cognitive science. It considers both how these influences may be in tension with each other and the potential implications of this for policymakers and educators. Specifically, it argues that the take up of instructional practices only superficially informed by cognitive science can distort the disciplinary practices valued by social realists. The article emphasises the importance of empirically informed instructional design cohering with disciplinary practice. It further recommends that policymakers and educators emphasise in their curriculum making the types of knowledge their school communities value and embody, in addition to disciplinary knowledge.
