office of learning and teaching designing a curriculum for the future secondary schools

Office of Learning and Teaching

Designing a curriculum for the futureSecondary Schools

• Learner at the centre

• Leadership

• Integration of student learning initiatives

• Organisational structures and learning environment

• Performance and development culture

Student Learning Whole School Self Assessment Tool

Student Learning Whole School

Self Assessment Tool

Questions for reflection

• Whole school level– Individually, rate your current situation against each of

the five areas.– What’s your evidence for your placement?– Compare your ratings within your team.– Finalise your school rating.

• Groups within your school – Would you give the same rating to each of the groups

within your school? Why/why not?– What can you learn from those groups that

have/haven’t made progress?

Why bother?

Our curriculum challenges

The economic challenge is to develop in young people the skills, knowledge and personal qualities they need for a world where work is undergoing rapid and long- term change

The technological challenge is to enable young people to make their way with confidence in a world that is being shaped by technologies which are evolving more quickly than at any time in history.

The social challenge is to provide forms of education that enable young people to engage positively and confidently with far-reaching processes of social and cultural change.

The personal challenge is to develop the unique capacities of all young people, and to provide a basis on which they can build lives that are purposeful and fulfilling.Creative and Cultural Education- All Our Futures Summary, 2000

Prepare our students for high levels of challenge, complexity and individual responsibility

Two types of knowledge‘FRAGILE’ KNOWLEDGE

can be:• Missing (exposed to, but

can’t remember)• Inert (it’s there but you can’t

do anything with it)• Naïve (simplistic,

stereotypical or wrong)• Ritualistic (pattern useful

for school task, nothing more)

‘GENERATIVE’ KNOWLEDGE focuses on:

• Retention of knowledge AND

• Understanding of knowledge AND

• Active use of knowledge.

(David Perkins)

requires ‘GOOD’ THINKING

A good performer in Math had this to say about her strategy: I know what to do by looking at the

examples. If there are only two numbers I subtract. If there are lots of numbers I add. If there are just two numbers and one is smaller than the other it is a hard problem. I divide to see if it comes out even and if it doesn’t I multiply.

‘Smart Schools’ David Perkins (1992) p.25

Desforges and Cockburn (1987) reported on research from UK - They noted that students used considerable ingenuity to avoid thinking about classroom tasks wherever possible. Students were predominantly task focused, and were more interested in completing a task rather than comprehending it.

Is this true for your students?

If yes, where did they get this view?

What do your students value?

What are your students’ perceptions of:

• the role of the teacher?

• the role of the student?

• what is effective learning?

They work to pass and not to know, alas they pass and do not know!

Bertrand Russell

MY PERCEPTIONS OF MYSELF AS A LEARNER

Amanda McGraw

Building learning capacity

What is it?

• learning skills?• learning dispositions?

Ready, willing and able

Positive learning dispositions

Resilient Resourceful Reflective ReciprocalCurious Questioning Clear thinking Collaborative

Adventurous Open-minded Thoughtful Independent

Determined Playful Self-knowing Open to feedback

Flexible Imaginative Methodical Attentive

Observant Integrating Opportunisitic Empathic

Focused Intuitive Self-evaluative Imitative

Guy Claxton, 2006

Building on what students know and

are able to do

(Vygotsky)

Instruction is powerful only when it is sufficiently precise and focused to build directly on what students already know and to take them to the next level. While a teacher does and must do many things, the most critical is designing and organising instruction so that it is focused.

Without focus, instruction is inefficient and students spend too much time on completing activities that are too easy and do not involve new learning or too little time on tasks that are too difficult and involve too much new learning or relearning.

‘Breakthrough’ Fullan,Hill & Crevola (2006)

Student engagement/disengagement• What is the current level of student

engagement in Years 7-10?• Does it vary from year level to year level?• Is it an issue for all students, for some

students? • What do you currently do to address

engagement?• Should engagement be a prerequisite or an

outcome?

Victorian Essential Learning Standards

Can the Victorian Essential Learning Standards

assist us to address some of these challenges?

• Changing world

• Generative knowledge/Deep understanding

• Building learning capacity – skills and dispositions

• Building on what students know and are able to do

• Student engagement


Physical, Personal and Social Learning

Discipline-based Learning

Interdisciplinary Learning

Three core, interrelated strands:

Dimensions in all domains are based on an underlying

continuum of learning.

Standards define what students should know and be able to do at different levels.

Progression points provide examples of what typical

progress towards the standard may look like.

Level 1

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Level 6

Level 2

The learner at the centre

Requires whole school curriculum planning

… and attention to the learning culture of the school.

A curriculum for the future ….

Which direction?

Where are we now?

What are the issues, dilemmas and challenges we face?

Where do we want to be?

There is no such thing as ‘best practice’ or even ‘next practice’ – in abstract. You cannot say what is good teaching, good school organisation, good leadership, (or even good curriculum?) until you have specified what it is you want youngsters to have gained, in the light of the particular world they are being readied for.

Guy Claxton 2006

OUR EDUCATIVE PURPOSE

What is powerful to

learn?

VictorianEssential Learning

Standards

What is powerful learning and

what promotes it?

Principles ofLearning

and Teaching

LEARNER

How do we know it has been learnt?

Assessment Advice

Who do we report to?

StudentsParents

ColleaguesSchoolSystem

Curriculum Planning Modules

Module 1 - Whole school curriculum planning to suit our students

Module 2 - Planning programs for cohorts of students

Module 1 Whole school curriculum planning to suit our

studentsActivity 1.1 Characteristics of effective whole

school curriculum planning Activity 1.2 School contextActivity 1.3 Victorian Essential Learning

StandardsActivity 1.4 Drivers for student learning Activity 1.5 Curriculum designActivity 1.6 Learning, teaching and

assessment

• Use template 1.1B in your school team to audit your current practices.

Characteristics of effective whole school curriculum

planning





assessment

Strengths Areas for improvement

Learning Outcomes

Engagement and well being

Transitions and pathways

SCHOOL CONTEXTWhere are we at with student

learning?

Equity funding, ESL funding

MIPS fundingLSF fundingOther……

School Context

• What are our goals and targets?

• What are our key improvement strategies?





assessment

Everyone (leadership team and teachers) must be familiar with:

• characteristics of learners (adolescents)

• domains• dimensions• purpose of each domain &

dimension• standards• learning focus statements






assessment

Curriculum drivers

Curriculum drivers: • are a way of structuring learning to

connect domains and dimensions in the Victorian Essential Learning Standards

• reflect our students’ learning needs and provide a structure for them to achieve the Standards

Drivers for student learning

Curriculum drivers may reflect:• what we want our school to stand for• the diverse needs, backgrounds,

perspectives, interests, achievements and ways of learning of our students

• the ‘big ideas’ that we want our students to engage with deeply

• the future learning needs of our students • particular domains

Drivers for student learning – some examples

• Environmental sustainability

• Studies of Asia

• Globalisation

• Multiculturalism

• Healthy school

• Civics and citizenship – leadership

• The Arts

Humanities – some essential questions• Why do people seek to discover what is unknown?

• How does learning about other cultures help us understand ourselves?

• What does it mean to ‘come of age’ and how does it differ across culture, time and gender?

• Can we all be individuals as equal parts of a whole?

• What keeps people of different cultures from living/working successfully together?

• How does reflection on your work and thinking help you understand?

• How do we find out the truth about things that happened long ago and far away? How do you see through bias?

(from Ron Ritchhart ‘Intellectual Character’)

English – some essential questionsFrom English KLA – GWSC• How does studying our texts inform us about

the world we live in?• How does the study of literature (our texts)

deepen our understanding of the human condition?

• How does reflecting on my English skills in journals and reflective pieces improve my ability to communicate?

• How does being able to use the conventions of English improve our ability to communicate?

• How does the use of diverse spoken language skills aid in communicating with an audience?

English – some essential questions, cont…

• How does knowing how to create a dynamic interaction of various spoken language skills improve our ability to engage an audience?

• How does writing about my experiences differ from other kinds of writing?

• How should imagination be used in developing skills in the English language?

• How does studying an issue develop our ability to think using the English language?





assessment

Possible design options

• Incorporate the interdisciplinary and physical, personal and social strands of the Standards into existing discipline-based subjects and broaden their focus in this way.

• Integrated approach where one or more disciplines and other relevant domains are combined and addressed through key questions or themes.

• Combine all three strands in the context of extended projects that students are to complete.

• Mix of integrated and domain specific subjects• Different approaches at different year levels• A mix of approaches at each year level• PLUS others

What might a future curriculum look like?

Learning would be structured mainly through projects. Some projects would be individual, while many would be group-based.

Problems and goals would not be completely predefined by the curriculum. Students would repeatedly practise identifying and solving problems, rather than having them placed before them.

Learning would take place in a range of contexts and use a range of methods. Projects would not all be research-based or within a traditional classroom environment. Students would be involved in doing as much as in thinking or knowing.

Alongside more traditional, teacher-centred assessment, students’ work would be evaluated by field experts, peers, parents and so on. It would be evaluated for different kinds of skills and knowledge - interpersonal, thinking strategies, self-organisation, depth of understanding and so on.

Thinking and self assessment would be embedded across the curriculum. Students would focus particularly on learning to make connections between different contexts - the transfer and application of knowledge across different domains.

Skills would be revisited and practised over time, so that knowledge gained earlier in an educational career could be applied creatively to new problems.

Students would gain depth of understanding in a number of disciplines, or domains of knowledge, including traditional academic subjects. They would also learn explicitly how to combine interdisciplinary knowledge in completing a project goal.

The Creative Age- Knowledge and Skills for the New Economy. DEMOS 1999.

Community views?Implementation issues?

Curriculum ModelsLook at different curriculum design models

from various schools.

•What are their strengths?

•What are their limitations?

Reporting (as distinct from teaching)

• Who will report to parents on each of the domains?

• Consider: – elements of domains and dimensions covered in

each subject/program– identification of teachers who will report on

particular domains and students – coordination of information for reporting purposes

if more than one teacher has assessment information on a domain/s for particular students

Transition Model for reporting against the Standards 2007 to 2008

2007 2008Minimum expectationsTo report against the Standards in: English Mathematics Health & Physical Education Personal Learning Civics & Citizenship The Humanities (Economics, Geography, History) Communication ICT Other subjects to be reported against the CSF

Minimum expectationsTo report against the Standards in: English Mathematics Health & Physical Education Personal Learning Civics & Citizenship The Humanities (Economics, Geography, History) Communication ICT Interpersonal Development The Arts Languages Other Than English Science Design, Creativity & Technology Thinking Processes





assessment

The learner at the centre

What promotes powerful learning?

Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12

1. The learning environment is supportive and productive

2. The learning environment promotes independence, interdependence and self-motivation

3. Students’ needs, backgrounds, perspectives and interests are reflected in the learning program

4. Students are challenged and supported to develop deep levels of thinking and application

5. Assessment practices are an integral part of teaching and learning

6. Learning connects strongly with communities and practice beyond the classroom

How do we know if it has been learnt? Identifying purpose of assessment is a key

consideration for curriculum planning:

•Assessment for learning – occurs when teachers use their inferences about student learning to inform their teaching (formative)•Assessment as learning - occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals (formative)•Assessment of learning – occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgments about student achievement against goals and standards (summative)

Implementation issues

Key questions to be explored

For next year?• What is the most appropriate curriculum

design based on the learning needs of our students and staff knowledge and expertise?

• Will the same curriculum design be appropriate for all cohorts of students?

• How will we arrange students, staff and resources to best implement our curriculum design?

In two years? In five years?

Evolution or revolution?

• ‘Steady as she goes’ with as little tinkering as possible

• Continue with process of curriculum change we have already begun and incorporate changes as needed

• Use this as a catalyst to reconceptualise our curriculum

…a big bang or evolutionary change?

Possible questions for reflection• What are the existing structures in our school that may be preventing us from moving forward?

• What is our plan for the next few years?• What’s working for us? What’s working against

us?• What do we need to do when we get back to

school?• How do we build this into our Strategic Plan and

Annual Implementation Plan?

Student Learning Whole School Self Assessment Tool

office of learning and teaching designing a curriculum for the future secondary schools

Documents

office of learning

effective learning

school task

school rating

students perceptions

young people

students value

students kno