Table Of ContentBuilding a Curriculum for Excellence
“Celebrate, don’t censor or curtail the connections that are effortlessly
effected by the young mind.” (Howard Gardner)
3-15
Linking the Learning
Education
INTRODUCTION
Curriculum for Excellence places young people at the centre of the curriculum and
clearly outlines the importance of developing the active engagement of all learners in
the learning and teaching process. As schools work towards improving learning
experiences and developing achievement opportunities for all pupils, it is vitally
important to ensure that the twenty first century curriculum promotes deep and
secure learning throughout a pupil’s school career.
Recent local and national publications have encouraged schools to consider the
curriculum they offer and focus on improving approaches to pedagogy. The
introduction of Co-operative Learning in Angus has been enhanced by advice and
guidance contained in “Building a Curriculum for Excellence – Active Learning
3-15” which fully endorses the positive aspects of developing active approaches to
learning through play in the early years and reflection on interactive teaching and
lesson structure for adults working with older pupils. This focus on pedagogy,
coupled with the recent launch of the draft outcomes and experiences for all eight
areas of Curriculum for Excellence, has meant that schools now need to consider
how they plan to ensure learning is challenging and enjoyable, with opportunities
provided to engage and motivate all learners and enable them to develop creativity
and resilience. A broad range of experiences needs to be provided which will
involve schools reflecting on the curriculum they currently offer and ascertaining if
pupils are given sufficient opportunities to learn in a variety of contexts. Depth of
learning and coherence are also a major focus and this involves drawing different
strands of learning together through extended activities across the curriculum. This
is fully recognised in the Progress and Proposals paper (LTS 2006) which clearly
states that:
“The curriculum is more than curriculum areas and subjects; it is the totality of
experiences which are planned for children and young people through their education
– a canvas upon which their learning experiences are formed.”
The promotion of a broad range of contexts for learning and interdisciplinary working
is the main focus of this paper. Schools need to begin to reflect on how they connect
both knowledge and skills across subject areas to promote deep and meaningful
learning for all pupils. Some primary schools have sound experience of planning for
learning through contextualised approaches and linking knowledge and skills across
subject areas. This is fully recognised in the recent report “Making effective use of
curriculum flexibility in primary schools” (HMIE 2007). However, it must be
noted that many schools still adhere too rigidly to inflexible programmes of study and
commercial schemes and the potential for creative and innovative approaches to
curriculum delivery is not being fully appreciated or developed. Secondary schools
do offer pupils some opportunities for interdisciplinary projects but many of these
tend to be on a “one off” basis and more attention needs to be paid to how these
deepen understanding within subject areas and make learning more meaningful and
1
enjoyable for all pupils. The nature of the new curricular outcomes and experiences
will demand closer working between departments in secondary schools and a
renewed focus on developing contextualised approaches to planning for learning in
our primary schools to enable pupils to make connections and develop the skills and
capacities required for life.
Section 1 considers essential learning across the curriculum through literacy and
numeracy.
Section 2 focuses on developing contextualised approaches to planning for learning
3-15 and the implications of developing interdisciplinary projects.
Appendix 1 summarises key research papers for those interested in undertaking
further reading.
Throughout this paper key questions are posed to encourage schools to reflect on
their current practice and plan for improvements.
2
SECTION 1 – ESSENTIAL LEARNING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
One of the main aims of Curriculum for Excellence is to embed learning and teaching
in literacy and numeracy in all subject areas. All teachers in all subject areas have a
responsibility to teach literacy and numeracy. The importance given to ensuring all
pupils have a strong base of literacy and numeracy skills cannot be underestimated
and this has recently been reinforced with the decision to introduce new national,
compulsory qualifications for all pupils in these areas in S4.
The development of literacy skills is critical in all subject areas and, although
developing numeracy may seem more relevant in some areas than others, the
expectation is that all teachers have a part to play in supporting literacy and
numeracy development. What is required within schools is shared agreement on the
approaches to be taken to achieve this and awareness amongst staff of how pupils
benefit from links being made across the curriculum. It is very clear that this is a long
term development for the whole school. Successful development requires senior
management support and involvement and it is crucial that any action plans
developed must have SMART targets which are sustainable. In all Angus secondary
schools the principal teachers of Mathematics and English have been allocated
responsibility for the development of numeracy and literacy respectively across the
curriculum. In primary schools this is the responsibility of a nominated member of
staff.
What steps have
you taken to
How will you ensure
REFLECT
evaluate where
effective
your school is at AND implementation of
in planning for
key action points over
DISCUSS
literacy and
the course of the
numeracy across
year and how will
the curriculum?
these be monitored?
3
NUMERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
“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.”
Building the Curriculum 1
Numeracy can be defined as the application of mathematical ideas to everyday life.
Good numeracy skills are important for learning across all curricular areas and are
essential for life after school. Numeracy is much more than the routine facility with
basic mathematical ideas and techniques and being numerate requires a blend of
mathematical, contextual and strategic know-how. Mathematical know-how involves
pupils knowing, understanding and using the mathematical ideas which are a typical
part of the Maths curriculum. Contextual know-how involves an understanding of
what mathematical terms mean in context and which interpretations make sense.
Strategic know-how involves pupils in routine or complex problem solving and this
can involve them:
• finding strategies to get going when stuck
• selecting key information
• organising information in a range of models
• using a range of problem solving strategies in a systematic way.
SKILLS KNOWLEDGE
T hey need a They need to
fluent use of use
mathematical What does th is mean for mathematics to
knowledge make sense of
your p upils?
and skills something new
u sed within a – to learn.
context
They need to use maths
sensibly and critically knowing
what it can and can’t do in
order to be able to judge the
appropriateness of its use.
THINKING
4
How do you ensure all teachers in all subject areas take
responsibility for ensuring pupils develop skills in all three of the
above areas?
One of the challenges facing schools in developing approaches to numeracy across
the curriculum is identifying the actual responsibility of individual departments in
teaching numeracy and developing a consistent approach for pupils.
Angus Council Mathematics Subject Network group are currently working towards
providing advice and guidance for schools in this area. They are drawing upon a
model used by Stromness Academy, Orkney Islands Council in their Numeracy
across the Curriculum Project 2006.
(www.Ltscotland.org.uk/numeracy/sharingpractice/nationalprojects/20052006/orkney/asp)
This involved the development of a guide for teachers of all subjects as to how
numeracy topics should be approached. This was a positive attempt to avoid
unnecessary confusion and difficulties for pupils. In addition to the aforementioned
guide, the Stromness team also identified prior mathematical knowledge expected by
all departments in a secondary school and identified when it was taught by the Maths
department. This approach has been very worthwhile in that it has increased staff
awareness of whether the Mathematical skills pupils need in different subject areas
have been taught. The main drawback to this approach is that it appears to leave
full responsibility for teaching the numeracy/mathematical skills required in other
subject areas within the maths department itself. Our aim in Angus is to ensure that
all staff are aware of the responsibility they have for developing numeracy skills
within their subject area as well as revisiting and consolidating numeracy skills within
a context.
What can you do at How confident are
whole school and REFELCT staff about
departmental level teaching and
AND
to identify the consolidating
numeracy skills that numeracy skills?
DISCUSS
need taught in
different subjects?
What are the implications of
this shared responsibility for
tracking individual pupil
progress?
5
WHAT DOES THIS SHARED RESPONSIBILITY LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE?
It is vital that effective communication takes place within school and time must be
made for this to happen.
Within the context of the Mathematics and Numeracy draft outcomes:
• Pupils need to LEARN the structures, patterns, concepts, ideas and
techniques within the Maths and Numeracy outcomes and experiences
• Pupils need to APPLY their learning to other situations and contexts
Within other curricular areas:
• Teachers need to USE different learning contexts or integrated settings as
arenas for explicitly teaching mathematical ideas and techniques
• Pupils need to DEAL with the mathematical demands inherent in performing
tasks, handling information, designing and making things or learning ideas
Examples of developing Numeracy in other curricular areas
Curricular Area Numeracy Development
English Language • Use of mathematics vocabulary
and technical terms
• Reading and interpreting problems
to identify mathematical content
• Explain, argue and present
conclusions to other
Science • Classifying
• Counting
• Measuring
6
• Estimating
• Recording in tables or graphs and
plot, interpret and predict from
graphs
• Order numbers including decimals
• Calculate simple percentages,
• Use negative numbers
• Make decisions on the most
appropriate methods of recording
information
Expressive Arts / Technologies / Health • Measurement is needed in all
and Wellbeing these areas
• Patterns (Music)
• Spatial ideas and construction
(Technologies, Art and Design)
• Properties of shape including
symmetry (Physical Education and
Dance)
• Multiplication and ratio (Design
enlargement, reduction)
• Measurement and estimation of
quantities in cooking activities
• Time and costings working with
recipes
• Problem solving using ICT –
collecting and classifying data
• Using data handling software
• Producing graphs and tables
• Interpreting graphs and tables and
explaining results
7
• Measurement of height, distance
and time (PE)
• Counting, time, movement,
position and direction (PE)
Social Studies / Religious and Moral • Collecting data by counting and
Education measuring
• Study of maps and co-ordinates
• Angles
• Direction and position
• Scale
• Ratio
• Time and calendars
• Timelines and number lines
The key for schools to make the most of all these opportunities is to
identify the mathematical possibilities across the curriculum at the
planning stage. Teachers of all subjects need to make links between their
subjects and numeracy explicit by talking about links frequently in their
lessons.
HOW WELL ARE YOU DOING WITH THIS?
WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS?
8
LITERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
The importance of literacy cannot be underestimated nor undervalued. It is crucial
that all teachers have an understanding of the importance of literacy skills in the
learning process. Literacy and learning are inextricably linked because good
literacy skills contribute to learning and poor literacy skills present a tangible barrier
to learning. The main challenge facing our schools is to ensure that literacy skills are
taught systematically and consistently across subject areas with regular
opportunities provided for pupils to consolidate their literacy skills by using them
purposefully in order to learn.
In Angus, a range of advice and guidance to support school based CPD around
improvements in Literacy have been developed in recent years. These include:
• Reading for Excellence (3-15) which enables teachers of all subject areas to
increase their knowledge of and skills in teaching reading through the
development of higher order reading skills.
• Listening and Talking which enhances the quality of interactive learning and
teaching of Listening and Talking in Groups (L.T.i.G) across all curricular
areas. This includes a highly effective teaching tool in the form of a rubric
detailing key stages of progression for pupils aged 3-15.
• Writer’s Craft Support Pack which promotes integrated approaches to
teaching writing through group discussion of the writer’s craft.
• Moving Images Education which develops integrated approaches to literacy
through the use of digital media with a focus on skills of analysis and
creativity.
Which literacy skills are
What steps have you REFLECT
the main barriers to
taken to evaluate the
learning and teaching at
AND
use of the above
each stage of the
resources in your
DISCUSS school?
school / department?
What impact have Identify the strengths
these had on and needs in literacy
developing teachers’ teaching across the
confidence in school – what key actions
teaching literacy derive from this audit?
skills?
9
Description:term development for the whole school. Successful development techniques within the Maths and Numeracy outcomes and experiences. • Pupils need to
