The National Teacher Research Panel was set up about 15 years ago by CUREE supported by a group of national education agencies most of which no longer exist. It had three main goals:
- To ensure that all research in education takes account of the teacher perspective
- To ensure a higher profile for research and evidence informed practice in government, academic and practitioner communities
- To increase the number of teachers engaged in and with the full spectrum of research activity.
Over the several years of its existence, the Panel, supported by its expert advisers in CUREE, has helped and encouraged dozens of teachers and school leaders to do high quality but practical research. The Panel also helped them report their findings succinctly, in plain English and focused on relevance to other practitioners. This is one such example of that work.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) described the curriculum as 'the entire planned learning experience of a young person', which includes skills, values and personal development in addition to what is to be taught and learnt. But what does this mean in practice? The key factor is the design of the curriculum at school level. It is the point at which the curriculum meets the learner that is crucial and it is what teachers do that really matters. Evidence from research featured in this research summary suggests that learning and achievement flourished when it involved some or all of the following:
planning for learning that is 'context based'
connecting the curriculum with young people's experiences of home and community
planning for learning experiences that structure dialogue in group work and encourage collaborative learning
designing content and experiences that identify and build on pupils' existing understandings
flexible learning across different areas of the curriculum, and
ensuring teachers have excellent professional development in subject knowledge to enable them to create learning experiences of this kind.
This summary shows just how wide-ranging the curriculum can be. Drawing on research findings from eleven robust studies* we give examples of effective curriculum planning and delivery that not only covers subject material, but helps to challenge the most able and talented, close gaps in attainment, promote working together and, by motivating pupils, encourage lifelong learning. We also present six case studies which illustrate ways in which teachers have successfully incorporated the six key features into curriculum design in different contexts.
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