Assessment – Assessment and the Curriculum

Continuing the theme of assessment the next few posts are going to involve a trek around the QCA website to summarise the information and exemplification found there.
The QCA ‘Assessment and the Curriculum‘ page is a good starting point when considering how you will monitor the day to day progress of students as they traverse [...]

Personalisation

The following recommendations were made by a highly successful school working in a deprived area, where personalisation and brain-based learning have transformed the school:

Education is done with not to, students
Students have choices of how to learn, when they learn (through flexible timetabling), where they learn and with whom.
Pupils become independent and lifelong learners
Pupils are not [...]

Personalised Learning – The Four Deeps

Personalising learning has gone from contentious double-speak first spewed forth by central government in 2004 to something that is at the heart of curriculum development.
” John White, emeritus professor of philosophy of education at the Institute of Education, one of the most consistently original and free-spirited thinkers in British education, has called into question one [...]

QCA Curriculum Aims

These images expand on the headline characteristics that we are aiming to nurture and develop in our learners.

Delivering the Even Bigger Picture

This is a very simple but effective diagram showing how the ongoing work of a single department, in terms of curriculum change, is part of a far bigger agenda. I would encourage senior leaders to ensure that middle managers never lose sight of what we are trying to achieve – successful learners, confident individuals and [...]

Have You Had YOUR Training?

Over on the ‘About’ post, there was a question that raised some interesting issues around training. As you may, or may not(!) be aware, training on curriculum change is being provided through a range of support partners. NCSL (National College of School Leadership) and SSAT have been charged with providing support for leadership and curriculum [...]

Building up the Big Picture

The big picture is all well and good but what if you want to try and convey what it means to an audience of teachers or parents who are not familiar with it. Its not going to be instantly clear what on Earth is going on! Fear not, here is a powerpoint file that allows [...]

Absolute Beginners…

“New curriculum? Whats that then?”
If you’re looking to get on the change agenda on the bottom rung the link below is probably for you. Straight forward, plainly focused – what are the aims of the new KS3 curriculum? If you’re working with a group of teachers for the first time, approaching the changes cold or [...]

Dimensions

Dimensions – the beloved topic of many an astrophysicist’s waking hours are coming to a KS3 curriculum near you soon. Outside of M-theory and the high-brow small-talk of Stephen Hawking’s local pub, (curriculum) dimensions refer to the enhanced learning opportunities that we are seeking to weave into the revised KS3 curriculum. It is within a [...]

PLaTes, PiLaTes and PeTaLs

The personal learning and thinking skills (pronounced plaits, pelts and even petals depending on who you are speaking to) are the foundation stone on which the new curriculum is being built and the consistent theme that blends KS3 and KS4 learning. The philosophical shift from subject specific, content driven teaching to skills-focused, cross-curricular learning [...]