Ways of thinking and practising : highlighting the complexities of higher education curriculum

There is often little opportunity to think deeply about educational practice, and curriculum in particular in universities today, yet this is a much-needed conversation as graduates encounter an increasingly complex world. We propose ways of thinking and practising (WTP) as an idea to help frame these complex conversations. In this conceptual paper, we suggest that WTP provides an opportunity to think about curriculum in four key ways. The first is WTP help foster an integrated and holistic view of curriculum. The second is WTP help to focus learning on multiple knowledge forms, as well as production, circulation and application. Third, WTP signal the importance of simultaneously developing student agency whilst inducting students into disciplinary communities. Finally, WTP help focus learning on real-world needs. The complexity of WTP transects the epistemological, ontological and axiological concerns facing today’s universities, providing academics with a framework to engage with curriculum from multiple perspectives.