Beginning the Journey to Excellence Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray InterAuthority Seminar Build

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Beginning the Journey to ExcellenceAberdeen
City, Aberdeenshire, Moray Inter-Authority
SeminarBuilding the Curriculum 1

• Peter Eavers
• Area Adviser
• 30/31 January 2007

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Effective teachersare highly creative,
weaving a variety of concepts and processes into
a deep understanding of what is being learned
Bennett and Rolheiser Beyond Monet The Artful
Science of Instructional Integration
Bookstation, 2001
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• We must strive to avoid the situation where
  teachers
• are forced into replacing meaningful action with
  frenetic activity
• Bennett and Rolheiser op cit

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• Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now,
• bump,
• bump,
• bump
• on the back of his head, behind Christopher
  Robin.
• It is, as far as he knows, the only way of
  coming downstairs,
• but sometimes he feels that there really is
  another way,
• if only he could stop bumping for a moment and
  think of it.
• Winnie The Pooh, A.A.Milne

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Building the Curriculum 1

• Ideas for reflection and development activity in
  preparation for working with new guidance
• Basis for new, streamlined guidance
• Offers parents, employers and others an
  indication of what and how children and young
  people will learn through the new curriculum

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Time of opportunity for teachers and other
educators to

• Shape the curriculum of the future
• Think and act creatively in your own setting
• Be part of the solution to the issues raised in
  the National Debate and that arise as the review
  progresses

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Extending beyond subjects to include

• the ethos and life of the school as a community
• curriculum areas and subjects
• interdisciplinary projects and studies
• opportunities for wider achievement.

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To ensure

• Every child gets the best possible start in life
• Every child fulfils their potential
• All our young people are equipped for the 21st
  century
• Scotland is equipped for the 21st century

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Teachers are key

• to successful implementation of A Curriculum for
  Excellence.
• The quality of learning and teaching in every
  classroom and the inspiration, challenge and
  enjoyment which can come from teachers
  enthusiasm and commitment will be critical to
  achieving our aspirations for all young people.
  (p1)

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Teachers are key

• The children and young people of Scotland need
  teachers who themselves exemplify the four
  capacities, who have a sense of community with
  their colleagues and who share in responsibility
  for the success of the school and all that
  happens within it.
• (p1)

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Good teacher CPD

• is essentially collaborative rather than
  individual
• takes account of research evidence which
  indicates that the strongest influence on teacher
  choice of content and approach is the guidance
  and support of other teachers
• acknowledges that the capacity to lead learning
  and develop improved practice already exists in
  most schools
• everyone understands and accepts that there is no
  magic fairy dust, all-knowing expert or simple
  solution.
• Margaret Alcorn

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Teachers for Excellence

• A positive attitude to all pupil learning
• An ability to communicate value to pupils
• Good content knowledge and understanding
• A teaching repertoire of many ways to impart
  content
• Knowledge and understanding of relationships and
  connections across curricular areas
• Margaret Alcorn

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Four phases of CPD

• Becoming aware
• Becoming interested
• Integrating into practice
• Innovating and creating
• Margaret Alcorn

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Curriculum Areas

• Expressive Arts
• Health and wellbeing
• Languages
• Mathematics
• Religious and Moral Education
• Science
• Social Studies
• Technologies
• - Offer a way of grouping experiences and
  outcomes under recognisable headings

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Each section

• Overall rationale
• Contribution to four capacities
• Implications for learning and teaching
• Proposed guidance

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Building the Curriculum 1 Common Themes

• Values, citizenship, skills for life work,
  creativity, sustainability
• Relevant contexts and experiences
• Cross-curricular planning collaboration
• Partnerships and local communities
• Use of existing resources and expertise

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Main messages for the Early Years

• Ensure that all children experience a smooth
  change as they move from their pre-school
  experience into Primary 1
• Create a new early level for children in nursery
  and P1 to ensure continuity and progression in
  what children learn and also in how they learn
• Extend the active learning approaches used in
  pre-school into the early years of primary

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What might active learning in P1 look like?

• Classroom ethos
• motivated children fully engaged in their
  learning
• play and learning are not separate
• imaginative contexts motivate learning across the
  curriculum
• high quality, interesting resources encourage
  curiosity, challenge, investigation and
  creativity
• opportunities for children to develop wide range
  of skills and knowledge through well planned,
  purposeful play
• High aspirations, stimulating, fun, enjoyment!

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What can you do just now?

• Evaluate your practice taking account of the four
  capacities and seven principles of curriculum
  design
• Consider how active the approaches to learning
  are in your class at the moment?
• Read, observe, discuss, attend training -share
  examples from practice
• Remember in early years we are starting from a
  sound base - we can all learn from and support
  each other

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Literacy

• Competence and confidence in literacy,
  including competence in grammar, spelling and the
  spoken word, is essential for progress in all
  areas of the curriculum.

Every teacher in each area of the curriculum
needs to find opportunities to encourage children
and young people to explain their thinking,
debate their ideas and read and write at a level
which will help them to develop their language
skills further (p16)
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Numeracy

• All teachers have responsibility for promoting
  the development of numeracy.

With an increased emphasis upon numeracy for all
young people, teachers will need to plan to
revisit and consolidate numeracy skills
throughout schooling. (p20)
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Health and Wellbeing

• Learning through health and wellbeing promotes
  confidence, independent thinking and positive
  attitudes and dispositions

Because of this, it is the responsibility of
every teacher to contribute to learning and
development in this area. (p10)
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Using the document

• Teachers reflect together on the proposals
• Work with colleagues to make connections across
  the curriculum
• Plan for interdisciplinary activities
• Consider current practice and identify ways to
  develop further to reflect all four capacities

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During your workshop discussion

• Please record any key issues and questions
  arising from your discussion