With the introduction of Curriculum for Wales, schools are expected to design and implement their own curricula based on their own vision for their learners.
But while there’s been lots of discussion about curriculum design theory and how to design a curriculum, there’s been very little discussion about translating the research and theory into practice.
We are finding that while a lot of school leaders and teachers understand curriculum design theory and understand what children need, they don’t necessarily understand what they need to do in school or in what order, and there’s very little practical support available.
Curriculum for Wales is a policy that has been co-constructed by teachers, government officials, academics and other expert groups, but the responsibility for realisation lies solely with teachers.
There’s a narrative in Wales that designing a curriculum is a manageable task, but actually it’s incredibly complex, and one that teachers lack the time and explicit support to complete.
With so many different elements to Curriculum for Wales, it can be difficult for educators to sift through the guidance and make sense of what is expected of them. It’s like having a Lego set without the instructions – you have all the pieces and you know what they are but you don’t know how they fit together in the right order.
That’s why we’ve created the Four Curriculum Design Tasks:
1. Data analysis and prioritisation
2. Creating active learning objectives
3. Sequencing the learning objectives
4. Assessment of the learning objectives
The four tasks offer a practical approach to building expertise in the curriculum design process, underpinned by research and by CfW guidance.
The tasks don’t necessarily have to be done in the order we’ve set out, they can be done concurrently.
We are currently working with several schools and clusters of schools on the curriculum design and implementation process, and we are using the four tasks to provide staff with the guided practice and support they need to succeed with Curriculum for Wales.
One example is the work we’ve done with the Cwm Rhymni cluster of schools, where we offered flexible support to improve learning and teaching and implementation of CfW.
You can learn more about our work with Cwm Rhymni on episode 109 of the Impact Podcast, in which we discuss assessment and progression in CfW with Matthew McEvoy, assistant head at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni.
If you are looking for bespoke support to help build your curriculum design expertise, contact us today.