Transcript Slide 1

University of Stirling
1 May 2007
May Sweeney
National Coordinator – A Curriculum for Excellence
[email protected]
National Debate: What do we want to do
better?
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Overcrowding – too many initiatives
Progression
Balance between ‘vocational’ and ‘academic’
Preparing young people better for lifelong learning
and employment
• Ensuring that assessment supports learning
• Increasing choice
A Curriculum for Excellence:values,
purposes and principles
“The Curriculum … must enable young
people to build up a strong foundation of
knowledge and understanding and
promote a commitment to considered
judgement and ethical action.”
page 11 A Curriculum for Excellence 2004
Successful
learners
Confident
individuals
To enable all
young people to
become
Responsible
citizens
Effective
contributors
Principles for curriculum
Design
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Challenge and enjoyment
Breadth
Progression
Depth
Personalisation and choice
Coherence
Relevance
Aims of the programme
• Focus practice upon the
child and around the four
purposes of education
• Simplify and prioritise the
current curriculum
• Encourage more learning
through experiences
• Create a single framework
for the curriculum and
assessment 3-18
Looking at the curriculum differently
• Single framework 3 – 18
• Promote learning across a wide range of contexts
and well planned experiences
• More than curriculum areas and subjects, also
– Ethos and life of the school
– Interdisciplinary projects and studies
– Opportunities for personal achievement
• Equip young people with high level of literacy and
numeracy skills
Interdisciplinary projects and studies
“The curriculum needs to include
space for learning beyond
subject boundaries, so that
learners can make connections
between different areas of
learning. …..
To be successful, these
activities need to be well
planned with a clear purpose
and outcomes in mind.”
(Progress and Proposals 2006)
Organising Learning
Organising learning through curriculum areas - to provide breadth
– Health and well being
– Languages
– Mathematics
– Sciences
– Social studies
– Expressive arts
– Technologies
– Religious and moral education
“The curriculum areas should provide a basis for learning
and the development of skills across a broad range of
contexts. They offer opportunities for citizenship,
sustainable development, enterprise, creativity and
cultural aspects. …..
It will be open to schools to organise the outcomes
and experiences differently (for example by designing
challenging interdisciplinary projects), …to plan for
progression, breadth and depth of learning.”
p15, Progress and Proposals 2006
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.
Because of this, all teachers have responsibility for
promoting language and literacy development. 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.”
Building the curriculum p16
Numeracy
“All teachers have responsibility for
promoting the development of
numeracy. With an increased
emphasis upon numeracy for all
young people, teachers need to
plan to revisit and consolidate
numeracy skills throughout
schooling.”
Building the Curriculum 1, p21
Assessment& Qualifications
“Ministers intend to retain Access, Higher and Advanced
Higher as points of stability within the system. These
qualifications will have to adapt over time to reflect A
Curriculum for Excellence but this will be built into the
normal procedures for updating and refreshing National
Qualifications. The main focus is on addressing the use
of Standard Grade and Intermediate qualifications
(SCQF4&5) in providing a unified structure that reflects A
Curriculum for Excellence.” Newsletter 4 Autumn 2006
Recognition of Achievement
“Ministers have also
emphasised the importance
of providing more effective
opportunities for the
development and recognition
of learners’ wider
achievements beyond
National Qualifications”
(Newsletter 4)
• is primarily an educational change project
• will support the major educational developments
• reflects developments in use of technology for
social interaction & collaborative working
• will support Scottish teachers and learners to
improve learning
• £37.5m contract signed between Scottish
Executive Education Department (SEED) and
RM in Sept 2005
• 5 Year Programme managed by LTS
• Core services provided free at point of use
• Services available autumn 2007
• The world’s first national school intranet
– 800,000 users (scalable to 1.5m)
National Intranet includes …
• a national directory and authentication system
– Single sign on with secure access for up to 1.5 million users
• a national virtual learning environment (VLE)
– Online management of curriculum delivery
• social software applications
– Facilities include; email, net conferencing & virtual
whiteboards, interest groups, video streaming, instant
messaging, mailing lists, chat
• support services
– Authority consultation, professional development and
ongoing support
Scope
SEED
LTS/SQA/HMIe
32 Local Authorities
3,000 Schools
53,000 Teachers
750,000 learners
HE lecturers & students in
initial teacher education
Ideas for using Glow Chat
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Homework collaboration
Paired activity
Brainstorm
Share information, research
School to school links
Excellent opportunity for pupils to discuss quietly!
Feedback on opinions
Support/guidance (teachers/peers)
Evidence – all pupils ideas are recorded (AiFL)
Includes pupils who are intimidated by speaking out in
class
Ideas for using Glow Meet
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International link schools
Departmental/stage links with other Scottish schools
Sharing expertise
Online teaching
Collaborative work
Share work/ view experiments
Primary/ Secondary liaison
Virtual tours
Access to subject specific expertise – artists, musicians, potters, authors
Peer (teacher) observation
Reciprocal teaching
Long term absence – inclusion
Personal presentations
Widens pupil experiences – meeting/discussing with new people
Ideas for using Glow Video Streaming / Web
Hosting
• Interviews
• Modern languages
• Environment Studies – topical footage to enhance
lessons
• Advertising of school concerts/events
• Showcasing pupil work
• Sharing practice
To find out more …..
www.acurriculumforexcellencescotland.gov.uk
www.glowscotland.org.uk
A Curriculum for Excellence
2007