From Curriculum to Compelling Learning - LOtC · From Curriculum to Compelling Learning ... going on that you do not know ... activities that are not helping you meet your aims? How

From Curriculum to Compelling Learning

Training for headteachers, deputy/assistant headteachers,

curriculum managers, faculty heads, subject leaders, key stage coordinators and strategy leads

Delegate resource book

Module 2

Module 2 | Delegate resource book


M2

Module 2. From Curriculum to Compelling Learning 2 of 27 © Crown copyright 2008

Session 1

By the end of this session, you will:

know what is meant by compelling learning experiences

understand the range and scope of Learning outside the classroom opportunities

understand the benefits of building Learning outside the classroom into the curriculum.

You will do this by:

analysing case studies

analysing how Learning outside the classroom can help meet a school’s Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda

considering how Learning outside the classroom contributes to personal learning and thinking skills.

Activity 1f

Look at the PowerPoint slide. Which two or three personal, learning and thinking skills would you most like to

develop in the young people for whom you are responsible?

Activity 1g

Using the QCA headings on the following pages, consider what Learning outside the classroom opportunities

you offer that help develop the skills that you identified in Activity 1f above.

Write below ideas for further Learning outside the classroom activities that could help your young people develop

the skills that you identified in Activity 1f above.



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What is a compelling learning experience?

A compelling learning experience is a real and relevant context for learning through which young people

recognise for themselves the importance of learning to their lives now and in the future.

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (2007). Used with permission

A compelling learning experience:

has clear learning outcomes relating to what young people need to know and understand, the

skills they will acquire and areas of personal development

is real and relevant connecting learning at school to the world beyond the classroom

has a real audience and purpose

provides contexts that draw together several aspects of learning connecting different subject

disciplines, focusing on a specific subject, or linking learning through cross-curricular dimensions

or the development of personal, learning and thinking skills

gives young people a sense of autonomy having the chance to think critically, make decisions,

take responsibility and manage risks

offers opportunities for cooperation and collaboration

broadens horizons and raises aspirations offering contexts that challenge young people and

encourage them to step outside their comfort zone.

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (2007). Used with permission



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Personal, learning and thinking skills

Generic skills base for OAA – Taken from HQOE ‘key outcomes of outdoor education’.

Headings from the Personal Learning and Thinking Skills identified by QCA.

Effective communication:

Present/express ideas, orally and in writing

Listen to others and instructions

Propose practical ways forward

Identify improvements

Influence others and balance views to reach workable solutions.

Team working:

Collaborate with others in working towards common goals

Understand different roles in teams

Help group arrive at a team decision

Recognise that others have a role to play within the team

Demonstrate a willingness to trust others and accept support

Recognise when others need support

Treat others with tolerance and respect

Challenge intolerance

Understand how actions impact on others

Encourage others to achieve

Recognise and applaud achievements of others.

Reflective learning:

Set realistic targets

Appreciate own strengths and limitations

Invite feedback and deal positively with praise, setbacks and criticism

Evaluate experience and apply lessons learned.

Leadership:

Understand the different roles in teams

Able to take on a leadership role where appropriate

Willing to step back and allow others to take on leadership.



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Independent thinking: (plan/do/review)

Identify questions/problems to resolve

Plan and carry out research

Analyse and review information

Support conclusions.

Creative thinking:

Generate ideas

Try a variety of solutions

Vary and adapt ideas according to changing circumstances

Ask questions

Connect their own and others ideas in imaginative ways.

Self-managers:

Seek out new challenges

Work towards goals

Persevere

Manage their emotions

Organise time and resources

Prioritise actions, anticipate

Take and manage risk

Deal with conflicting pressures.

Specific

Activity skills/knowledge:

Develop, adapt and apply skills in outdoor activities (key process – developing skills)

Develop relevant mental skills (key process – developing physical and mental capacity)

Acquire technical knowledge in use and care of OE equipment

Dress appropriately and use correct equipment

Recognise value of training in developing and improving performance (key process – evaluating

and performing/ making and applying decisions)

Recognise value of competition (key process – making and applying decisions)

First Aid training (PSHE – range statement i.e. managing emergency and risky situations)

History of outdoor education/activities.



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Health and well-being

Keep fit through physical activity

Positive self-image

Talk about benefits of participation in outdoor activities

Eat healthily in response to level of activity undertaken

Extend interest in outdoor activities beyond school.

Environmental awareness and understanding

Experience a range of different environments

Respond positively to differing environments

Understand your impact on the environment

Demonstrate and take an active part in care for the environment and sustainable development

Appreciate and draw inspiration for the environment.



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Diamond 9

Look at the ten outcomes listed on the PowerPoint. These come from the English Outdoor Council’s

guide, High Quality Outdoor Education.

Consider the young people for whom you are responsible. What would you most like them to gain from learning outside the

classroom?

List nine of the outcomes in order of importance to you and your school in the Diamond 9 grid below.

List the three learning outside the classroom activities run

in your school/dept/key stage that you consider to be the

most compelling.

Do they achieve the outcomes you have prioritised above?

What makes them compelling?



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Session 2


have identified the strengths, shortcomings, scope for moving forward and snags to

progress in your school/department’s current learning outside the classroom provision

have begun to look forward at how you can tailor learning outside the classroom to meet

the aims of your school/department/key stage.


producing an audit of existing learning outside the classroom provision in your

school/department/key stage

identifying the current contribution of learning outside the classroom to the aims of your

school/department/key stage

looking at how learning outside the classroom can help meet (some of) your

school/department/key stage aims

carrying out a 4S analysis of current provision.

You may wish to make additional notes here:



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Learning outside the classroom audit

Plot your school/dept/key stage’s current learning outside the classroom. If you wish to, stick to one department, key stage or

curriculum area and ask your trainer for a blank copy of the plan below to copy for other members of your school staff to

complete.



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Learning outside the classroom audit

Consider the following questions in the light of your responses to the circular plan.

Does most learning outside the classroom fall into one particular category?

If there are any gaps, where are they? Who could be approached to fill in these gaps?

Is the learning compelling and is it achieving the results you prioritised in the Diamond 9 on page 7 of this book?

Is your learning outside the classroom provision linked to any of the following? Whole school aims, pupil entitlement,

cross-curricular themes and projects.

Could there be learning outside the classroom going on that you do not know about and, if so, could you audit this?

Is learning outside the classroom mapped in your school? If so, who contributes to the recording and mapping of provision?

If not, who could do so?

How could the above information be used to influence future planning?



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Linking current learning outside the classroom opportunities to school aims

List up to five aims in the left hand column. For the remaining columns you will need two different coloured pens to record:

a. current learning outside the classroom provision

b. additional learning outside the classroom provision that will help meet these aims.

Are there any gaps in your learning outside the classroom provision?

Do you have any learning outside the classroom activities that are not helping you meet your aims?

How can the above help you with future curriculum planning?

School/dept/ key stage aims

Current learning outside the classroom provision that helps meet these aims

Learning outside the classroom activities that are not currently available but that could help meet these aims



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4S Analysis

Having considered your 4S analysis, you may find it worthwhile to record your thoughts on the following points:

How do we maintain, use and build on our strengths?

How can we remedy any weaknesses and stop them from affecting our progress?

How can we prioritise and exploit our potential opportunities?

How can we defend, counter and manage the threats?



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Session 3


have a vision of where you want to go with learning outside the classroom

be able to recognise the characteristics of an effective learning outside the classroom curriculum

have established how you will make the most of your resources

have identified ways of building learning outside the classroom into your curriculum.


considering the type of activity that you may or may not want to include in your learning outside the classroom

provision and the reasons why/why not

considering your school’s current use of resources and how you would like to use them

considering how the views of all stakeholders could inform your planning.

You may wish to make additional notes here:



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Learning Outside the Classroom

Module 2: From Curriculum to Compelling Learning 15 of 27 © Crown copyright 2008

Considering learning outside the classroom in our school in relation to time

Put an X on the line to indicate where you consider your school to be regarding how you use the following to support learning outside the classroom.

Put a 0 on the line to show where you feel that you need to be if learning outside the classroom is going to help your young people achieve your aims.

Time is allocated by

timetabling software,

with set lesson time

allocated to specific

subject areas

throughout the whole

school.

Time is used flexibly

to meet learning

needs with full-day

or week-long

experiences built in

across the school.

Young people have

the opportunity to

create their own

timetable.

Where are we now?

Where do we want to be?

How will we get there?

Moving towards a more personalised and flexible curriculum that better meets

the needs, interests and aspirations of all young people



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Considering learning outside the classroom in our school in relation to people

People

Learning outside the

classroom is seen as

being imposed, with

staff lacking in

confidence to work in

settings outside the

classroom afraid of

the consequences of

going off-site.

People. Learning

Outside the

Classroom is

developed by the

whole community

and a range of

people are involved

in teaching. Staff feel

confident about

organising Learning

Outside the

Classroom and

young people are

involved in the

planning process.

Where are we now?







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Considering learning outside the classroom in our school in relation to location

Location

Learning is

completely

classroom based.

Location

Learning takes place

in a wide range of

settings, including in

the classroom,

elsewhere on-site, in

the local and wider

community and

further afield.

Where are we now?







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Considering learning outside the classroom in our school in relation to site resources

On-site resources

There are no

resources available

to encourage

Learning Outside the

Classroom.

On-site resources

There is a wide

range of resources

on site to encourage


Classroom across

the whole

curriculum.

Where are we now?







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Considering learning outside the classroom in our school in relation to teaching approaches

Teaching

approaches

Teaching is mainly

formal, didactic and

classroom based.

Teaching

approaches

There is a range of

teaching methods,

including open-

ended investigation,

subject-focused,

coaching and

mentoring and the

provision of

opportunity for

independent study.

Where are we now?







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Considering learning outside the classroom in our school in relation to learning experiences

Learning

experiences

Learning is mostly

subject focused and

in short periods, and

mainly consists of

completing teacher-

set tasks.

Learning

experiences

There is a wide

range of experiences

where skills and

knowledge can be

developed and

applied in practical

and meaningful

situations.

Where are we now?







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Considering learning outside the classroom in our school in relation to a whole-school approach

Whole-school

approach

Subjects are taught

in isolation and when

learning outside the

classroom takes

place there is little

transfer of learning

both within and

beyond the subject.

Whole-school

approach


Classroom is a

catalyst for

cross-curriculum

working within the

school and wider

community. It is a

focus for team

teaching through

themed issues

identified with the

young people and is

used to provide a

context that draws

together several

aspects of learning.

Where are we now?







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Considering learning outside the classroom in our school in relation to skills teaching

Skills teaching

There is little

reference to the

development of

PLTS in relation to

the curriculum and

learning outside the

classroom.

Skills teaching


Classroom supports

the development of

PLTS through a

range of subject and

cross-curricular

themes.

Where are we now?







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Considering learning outside the classroom in our school in relation to assessment

Assessment

Assessment is

based on testing at

the end of units of

work. The

information is used

to form school

profiles.

Assessment

A range of methods

including student

self-assessment is

used formatively to

assist learning.

Where are we now?







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Session 4


have identified several means by which to measure and assess the impact of learning outside the classroom

have ideas of how to monitor learning outside the classroom effectively.


using the QCA degrees of success resource sheet to identify successful learning outside the classroom in your school

as a whole

developing means of encouraging individuals to monitor the success of their own learning outside the classroom

activities.

Evaluating learning outside the classroom in the whole curriculum

You can note the methods of measuring success below:



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Monitoring the success of learning outside the classroom

Below is a copy of the QCA resource sheet ‘Degrees of Success’.

It is essential to identify success criteria if we are to effectively evaluate and monitor progress.

We will be delighted with the outcomes of learning outside the classroom if our learners…

We will be satisfied with the outcomes of learning outside the classroom if our learners…

We will be disappointed with the outcomes of learning outside the classroom if our learners…


From Curriculum to Compellling Learning

M2



Chuff Chart

Name: Date

School/Group:

Record how you feel or how you think you are doing on the chart by drawing a line

at the level that best describes how you feel or how you are doing.

10

0

5

0

Good, great,

positive.

Bad, unhappy,

unsure.

How am I doing? How am I feeling?



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Overview of training

The overall learning objectives of this training is to provide a framework for the effective planning and

integration of learning outside the classroom within and across the whole school curriculum. It aims to give

participants:

an increased understanding of the value and opportunities offered by learning outside the

classroom

an understanding of how learning outside the classroom can make a wider contribution to the

whole school curriculum

a number of approaches to integrating learning outside the classroom within the curriculum

planning process

the ability to recognise high quality learning experiences outside the classroom.

Looking back through your resource book, what are the three most important things you have learned from the training?

Below is room for you to write your pledge(s) as to what you will do when you return to your school. It may help to add the

timescale in which you will do it.

Documents

From Curriculum to Compelling Learning - LOtC · From Curriculum to Compelling Learning ... going on that you do not know ... activities that are not helping you meet your aims? How