Joining the dots

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Joining the dots

• Some implications of current educational
  initiatives in Scottish schools for the
  Universitys Curriculum Review
• Elaine M Cowan Liz Curtis
• School of Education
• e.m.cowan_at_abdn.ac.uk and elizabeth.curtis_at_abdn.ac.
  uk

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The Scottish Education context

• The National Priorities as stated in 2002
• 1. Achievement and Attainment
• 2. Framework for Learning
• 3. Inclusion and Equality
• 4. Values and Citizenship
• 5. Learning for Life
• See www.nationalpriorities.org.uk

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Current major national initiatives in Scottish
Schools

• Education for Citizenship 2002
• Assessment is for Learning 2001-2008
• Curriculum for Excellence 3-18 2004 onwards
• Other developments (local) aiming to enhance
  learning e.g.
• Thinking skills
• Philosophy for Children,
• Critical skills programme,
• Collaborative learning
• Core and cross cutting skills

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Curriculum for Excellence 3-18- why change it?

• The curriculum in Scotland has many strengths.
  Its well-respected curriculum for 3 to 5 year
  olds, its broad 5-14 curriculum, Standard Grade
  courses and the National Qualifications structure
  have been carefully designed to meet the needs of
  pupils at different stages.
• However, the various parts were developed
  separately and, taken together, they do not now
  provide the best basis for an excellent education
  for every child. The National Debate showed that
  people want a curriculum that will fully prepare
  today's children for adult life in the 21st
  century, be less crowded and better connected,
  and offer more choice and enjoyment.

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CfE 3-18

• De-clutter the curriculum (especially in primary
  schools)
• To give better continuity and enhance progression
  at stage transitions (i.e. Nursery to PS/ PS to
  SS/ SS to University?)
• Review the curriculum in a more generic way,
  rather than in the more traditional,
  stage/subject compartmentalised fashion.
  Encourage across curriculum skills and learning
• Emphasise the importance of the values underlying
  the curriculum as well as the processes of
  learning and teaching.

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CfE 3-18 The Four Capacities

• The curriculum should enable all children to
  become
• Successful learners
• Confident individuals
• Effective contributors
• Responsible citizens
• What does each of these outcomes mean?

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Planning for CfE core principles

• Underlying principles for CfE
• challenge and enjoyment breadth progression
  depth personalisation and choice coherence and
  relevance.
• These principles find support in the literature
  on learning and pedagogy accumulated over several
  decades of research linking e.g. to motivation.
• CfE also identifies three factors upon which the
  opportunity for children to develop the four
  capacities will depend
• the environment for learning
• the choice of teaching and learning approaches
  and
• the ways in which learning is organised
  (Scottish Executive, 2004, p. 13)

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Learning and Teaching approaches in CfE 3-18

• Active engagement How can learning activities be
  designed in order to provide a stimulating
  context for the active engagement of individual
  learners?
• Meaningfulness How can we ensure that the
  learner can make the necessary connections with
  new information, and make sense of the learning
  experiences provided?
• Motivation Is there a willingness on the part of
  pupils to engage with the process of learning?
  How can we make the learning challenging,
  enjoyable and/or seen as worthy of effort?
• Metacognition How can pupils be encouraged to be
  reflective to learn how to learn?
• ICT and learning How can we use ICT tools to
  enhance and transform pupils learning?

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CfE Organising learning

• Cooperative and collaborative learning What
  opportunities are provided
• for peer mediated learning? How can a
  collaborative learning community be
• constructed in order to reap the advantages of a
  classroom culture within
• which teachers and students support one another
  in pursuit of clearly
• articulated goals?
• Problem-based learning How can we provide pupils
  with the challenge of
• real problems to solve as individuals or in
  collaborative groups, thus fostering
• the motivation which comes from a genuine need
  to know the answer?
• Grouping How can the needs of individual pupils
  best be met by
• differentiation and organisational strategies and
  that do not themselves create
• negative consequences?

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CfE implications for Learning and Teaching

• How can schools meet the capacities, skills
  attitudes for 21st Century outlined in CfE?
• The Assessment is for Learning initiative
• Core Skills e.g. WwO Problem Solving to enhance
  co-operative learning (linked to monitoring
  surveys AAP/SSA) and SEEDs Literacy and Numeracy
  programme
• Other developments

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What is Assessment is for Learning?

• Based on the work of Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam
  Kings College London
• Funded by SEED (ends March 08) and supported
  with in-service and thinking/development time
• Classroom teachers involvement in AifL projects
  (including formative assessment) and evaluation
  through action research

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AifL the Programme

• By December 2004, this initiative involved 1,581
  schools. Working in Associated Schools Groups
  (ASGs) has emphasised the importance of
  professionals working together across sectors and
  subject boundaries building communities of
  practice to enhance learning and tecahing.
• By end academic session 2007-8 all schools in
  Scotland will be AifL schools and this will
  continue as an important aspect within CfE 3-18
  initiative
• The outcomes of projects are captured in case
  studies available in the Assessment Online
  Toolkit, a dynamic resource aimed primarily at
  Scottish classroom teachers and school managers,
  but which will also be of interest to local
  authorities, researchers, trainee teachers,
  parents and pupils.
• www.ltscotland.org.uk/assess

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How does this link to improving teaching and
enhancing learning?

• The Assessment is for Learning programme is based
  on the ideas that learners learn best and
  attainment improves, when learners
• understand clearly what they are trying to learn,
  and what is expected of them
• are given detailed feedback about the quality of
  their work, and what they can do to make it
  better
• are given advice about how to go about making
  improvements
• are fully involved in deciding what needs to be
  done next, and who can give them help if they
  need it.

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AifL the programme

• Supports teachers in developing their practice
  implementing formative assessment strategies
• Monitors the Scottish education system (AAP/SSA)
• Shares the standard and helps teachers to
  confirm professional judgments on childrens
  learning
• Reports to discusses progress with parents and
  children
• Supports and meets childrens needs involves
  pupils and parents in setting appropriate next
  steps for learning
• ..that is Assessment as, for and of learning

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What is an AifL School? A Place Where Everyone is
Learning Together
Our pupils and staff help to set their own
learning goals
Our pupils and staff practise self- and
peer-assessment
Our pupils and staff identify and reflect on
their own evidence of learning
ASSESSMENT AS LEARNING
Learning and Teaching
Curriculum
Staff use a range of evidence from day-to-day
activities to check on pupils progress
Our pupils, staff and parents are clear about
what is to be learned and what success would be
like
Using evidence as feedback to inform improvement
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
Staff talk and work together to share standards
in and across schools
Our pupils and staff are given timely feedback
about the quality of their work and how to make
it better
Staff use assessment information to monitor their
establishments provision and progress, and to
plan for improvement
Our pupils and staff are fully involved in
deciding next steps in their learning and
identifying who can help
Assessment
Our classroom assessment involves high quality
interactions, based on thoughtful questions,
careful listening and reflective responses
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AifL strategies

• Sharing learning intentions
• Understanding the standard success criteria
  (what makes a good answer?)
• Wait/thinking time - allowing response time and
  using better questioning to develop thinking
• Giving and following up quality feedback so
  children can do better next time
• Peer and self assessment children evaluating
  their own work
• .. Do these work?

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Does AIFL work? Miller Lavin s research at
Dundee University (SERA 05)

• Implementing AifL strategies in the classroom
  (370 P6/7 children across approx 16 teachers)
  over four months resulted in
• Measurable gains in self worth, self confidence
  as well as learning for those of the lowest and
  of the highest ability and for boys
• Less marked gains for those of middle ability
• Boys with negative views of their abilities at
  start of the year made twice the gains of others

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ITE Students experiences of implementing AifL
(Cowan)

• Key to the experiences of ITE students at
  Aberdeen University 2004-7 both on and off campus
• Linking to the national programme our ITE
  students were learning about AifL and using these
  strategies in schools.
• From 2003 onwards growing use in primary
  classrooms of AifL principles and strategies by
  teachers and our students was evident
• In the last two years, greater involvement by
  teachers and students in secondary schools is
  also evident.
• AifL percolates the whole school system 3-18 and
  is a core underlying principle and so continues
  within CfE 3-18

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Did it make a difference?

• Students wrote
• The pupils preferred this way of working as when
  they know the learning intentions, they know how
  to go about achieving (these).
• AifL enhanced pupil learning gains .. (they
  were) extremely beneficial for identifying next
  steps for teaching and learning.
• Links to idea of metacognition (i.e. develops
  skills and enhances deeper understanding about
  own learning in order to generalise and apply it
  in other contexts)

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CfE 3-18 links to other school developments in
Learning and Teaching strategies

• Existing developments not only in AifL but also
  .
• Core skills (all have SQA NQ profiles since 2000)
• and
• Philosophy for children
• Thinking skills
• The Critical Skills Programme
• Collaborative learning
• as additional useful strategies to draw on to
  help children to learn more effectively

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Why Education for Citizenship?

• Longstanding concerns in education but impetus in
  Scotland from
• Crick Report 1998 in England Wales
• LTS Advisory Group to examine Scottish context
  and consultation document published in 2000
• LTS Advisory Group produced final report in 2002
  Education for Citizenship in Scotland a document
  for development and discussion

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Why EfC?

• The curriculum alone will not develop good
  citizens. Young people must be allowed to live
  important experiences in school and participate
  in real citizenship. (p 2)
• From HGIOS Education for Citizenship self
  evaluation series 2003

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EfC what is it?

• Experiences to develop skills, values and
  knowledge
• Within curriculum or subject areas
• Across the curriculum through broader experiences
  both in and out of school

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What is EfC?

• Political Literacy i.e. KU of
• Contemporary social, political, economic,
  cultural and moral issues
• Individual/social needs and consequences of
  actions to meet them
• Rights and responsibilities in a democratic
  society
• Conflict and decision making processes including
  role of the media

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EfC Skills

• Coping effectively/safely in a range of social
  situations
• Working in teams to carry out tasks/ overcome
  difficulties
• Communicating effectively
• Researching and handling information
• Thinking critically about evidence

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EfC Values

• Respect and self for others
• Share responsibility for community welfare
• Value and respect culture and community diversity
• Understand and value social justice
• And dispositions including creativity and
  enterprise contributing to capability for active
  and responsible citizenship via independent
  thought, solving problems, self expression,
  observe/reflect on environments.

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EfC Issues confronting schools

• Education about citizenship?
• Factual
• Education through and for citizenship?
• Participation and action (more problematic?)

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Universitys curriculum review implications
incoming students

• CfE, AifL and EfC should mean that our students
  incoming from schools
• Take more responsibility for their own learning
  review and targets
• Have greater awareness and understanding of
  different learning styles
• Will have experiences and developed skills in a
  range of types of assessment (formative/summative,
  peer/self)
• Share in a deeper understanding of the standard
  and the clear criteria for success (what they
  need to be able to do, apply and/or know)
• Value detailed positive feedback on how to
  improve
• Participate in meaningful interaction and
  learning conversations - not be silently
  compliant
• These will have major implications in relation to
  student expectations of their future learning and
  assessment experiences in the University and also
  major effects therefore on staff.

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Qualifications and Achievement

• Currently ongoing national consultations (to end
  March)
• Awareness that some children are doing external
  exams in each of the last 4 years of secondary
  school. Is this good for their learning and
  development?
• Formal consultation on changes for Level 4 and 5
  qualifications (SG/Int 1 2) but no current
  changes planned at level 3, 6(H)/7(AH).
• Bologna agreement but most intake have Highers
  (at level 6 our 1st year) not AH partnerships
  issue FE/schools
• Recognition of wider achievement across all
  levels developments ongoing between SG, LTS and
  SQA - perhaps there will be a need for University
  admissions to take more note of this and the
  skills incoming students bring into the
  University in the future.
• Links to demographics and mature applicants and
  part time studies

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Citizenship

• From EfC to responsible citizens
• Links to incoming students wider achievement and
  development of Core/ Cross cutting skills
  profiles
• Emphasis on responsibility active participation
  in the local community as well as individual
  rights
• Student involvement in developing curriculum
• Increasingly look across and between traditional
  subject boundaries.

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Relevant references for CfE and AifL

• Curriculum for Excellence http//www.curriculumfor
  excellencescotland.gov.uk/
• AiFL Teachers toolkit online www.ltscotland.org.u
  k/assess
• The SSA for Language and Communication 2005
  including results on core skillslink to and
  provide evidence for the CfE 3-18 capacities?
  www.scotland.gov.uk/publications (See also SSA
  Social Subjects Enquiry skills 2006 )
• Black et al (2000) Working Inside the Black Box
• Paul Black Dylan Wiliam 1998 Inside the Black
  Box Raising Standards Through Classroom
  Assessment http//www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbla9810.
  htm
• Assessment Reform Group 2002 Beyond the Black Box
  http//arg.educ.cam.ac.uk/publications.html
• Miller, Lavin, F, 2005 Formative assessment and
  childrens views of themselves as learners. P 10
• www.LTScotland/assess Newsletters archive for
  Autumn 2005 (7)
• Cowan, E. M. 2005. Assessment is for Learning
  Experience of two student cohorts.pp 8-9
  www.LTScotland/assess Newsletters archive for
  Autumn 2005 (7)
• Other sources
• McGuinness, C 1999 From Thinking Skills to
  Thinking Classrooms. DfEE. Norwich
• www.standards.dfes.gov,uk/kestage3/respub/afl_ws
• www.qca.org.uk/7659.html
• www.aaia.org.uk
• www.criticalskills.co.uk
• http//philosophyforkids.com

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Relevant references for EfC

• LTS 2002 Education for Citizenship in Scotland a
  document for development and discussion
• Cleaver et al 2003 in Teaching Citizenship 7
  15-19
• Clark, Cowan, McMurtry Cooney 2004 Citizenship
  the view from North of the Border in Register of
  Research in Primary Geography 4 25-29
• Ireland, Kerr et al 2004 Citizenship Education
  2nd Annual Report. Research Report 531.
  www.nfer.ac.uk/research/citizenship.asp
• Leighton 2004 in Teaching Citizenship 9 26-31
• Sutherland 2002 in Education in the North 10
  65-79
• Torney-Purta et al 2001 Citizenship and Education
  in 28 countries Civic Knowledge Participation
  at Age 14. Amsterdam IEA
• Twine 2002 in Education in the North 10 80-82