Wednesday 26 th May 2010 Park Inn Hotel Joy Waelend Nov 2009

What kind of curriculum will you design to meet my needs?

 What are your school aims / ethos?  Do you have a consensus on how children learn best?  What do your children need most? ( how do you know?)  What research can you do to clarify your thinking?  What is the leadership’s vision for the school? Who can support you in this process? Who else can work with you on this process?

Consider the principles of curriculum design as a reference for evaluating your current curriculum.  Consider starting points for the process of design

‘They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.’ Andy Warhol

“Education only flourishes if it successfully adapts to the demands and needs of the time. The curriculum cannot remain static. It must be responsive to changes in society and the economy, and changes in the nature of schooling itself.” National Curriculum 1999 A curriculum for the future

The curriculum is a key strategic driver for raising standards and improving outcomes for all our children in all our schools, so

 What are you trying to achieve?  How can you organise learning to achieve these aims?  How will you know if you have been successful ?

How do you rate the current health of your curriculum in school? And how do you know?  How well does your curriculum meet the needs of your pupils?  How much do pupils enjoy learning in your school?  How much do teachers enjoy learning in your school? PoorExcellent

To what extent does your current curriculum planning and design reflect:  Question 1 – what are you trying to achieve?  Question 2 – how can you organise learning to achieve these aims?  Question 3 - how will you know if you have been successful? Does the balance feel ‘right’? Are the questions equally ‘weighted’? How would you like to shift the balance?

 Give us practical, hands on and active learning opportunities.  Real tasks and real problems to solve and jobs to do.  We would like some variety and opportunity for genuine personal choice.  Give us more opportunities to use ICT and real technology to help us learn. (We really enjoy it even if you don’t)  Give us things to do which challenge us but don’t overwhelm us.  Let us have FUN.

Give us the chance to actually apply the things we have learnt to new situations. Sombre and humourless lessons really do turn children off. You enjoy it, we will too! We need to see the real importance of learning it. Let me know how well I am doing and what I need to do to get better. Don’t dominate me, share learning with me. Please don’t lecture me, help me to learn. Please show me that I matter.

 Even tempered, even handed, enthusiastic expert.  Consistent not moody,  Fair and firm “no need to shout”. (I feel anxious when you do)  Listen to me  Be kind to me and really know how I feel.  Know all our names  Make learning fun.  Explain in a way that helps me learn

What are you trying to achieve? How do you organise learning? How do you know you have been successful?

Knowledge Skills Personal and social skills

 This is a process of development that will take time  Be clear on the definitions – what do you mean by curriculum?  Consider how to engage all stakeholders in the process  Matching the process to the school improvement cycle and the SEF

The entire planned learning experience underpinned by a broad set of aims and purposes - QCDA Education both influences and reflects the values of our society, and the kind of society we want to be – new PNC The school’s curriculum provides memorable experiences and rich opportunities for high quality learning… the school may be at the forefront of successful, innovative curriculum design - Ofsted

Briefly talk together about some successful approaches to engaging stakeholders in conversations about the way learning is planned and organised. What has worked for - Parents? - Governors? - Learners?

The entire planned learning experience underpinned by a broad set of aims and purposes. How would you like your pupils to describe their learning experience? What would you like them to say?

How would you like your pupils to describe their learning experience? What would you like them to say?  Green – they already say this and quite often  Amber – they say this occasionally or some children would say this  Red – learning at our school is seldom described in this way Q2 – organise learning to achieve these aims

An effectively designed curriculum ensures:  The curriculum meets the needs and interests of all learners;  A broad and balanced curriculum is an entitlement for all learners;  The curriculum is integrated with effective teaching, learning and assessment;  The curriculum is at the heart of schools' strategies to raise achievement and improve outcomes for all its learners.

 To what extent is each design principle reflected in your curriculum?  How do you know?  What would your stakeholders say? Health check Needs ‘tweaking’Just getting started Dynamic evolving curriculum

Curriculum PedagogyAssessment Interdependence is key All three elements work together for effective learning and teaching

Ofsted Grade descriptor – ‘outstanding’  memorable experiences and rich opportunities for high quality learning and wider personal development and well being.  The school may be at the forefront of successful innovative curriculum design in some areas.  overall breadth and balance…customised to meet the changing needs of individuals and groups.  Cross curricular provision, including literacy, numeracy and ICT is mainly outstanding. As a result, all groups of pupils benefit from a highly coherent and relevant curriculum which promotes outstanding outcomes.

 Curriculum stimulates both learners and staff.  Monitor the impact of changes on learning from the start.  Innovations based on need, and well thought out, never a whim.  Understand and develop a clear philosophy of pupils’ learning.  Involved in networks, often as leaders.  Win hearts and minds of staff, governors, parents and pupils. Curriculum innovation in schools - Ofsted October 2008

 What are your school aims / ethos?  Do you have a consensus on how children learn best?  What do your children need most? ( how do you know?)  What research can you do to clarify your thinking?  What is the leadership’s vision for the school? Who can support you in this process? Who else can work with you on this process?

“How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply important to us, and, keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselves each day to be and to know what really matters most.” —Stephen Covey