Pedagogy, curriculum

& assessment

Jon Curtis-Brignell
Assistant Head: Teaching and Learning
Redesigning
Schooling
 What kind of teaching for what
kind of learning?

1.  What  are,  for  your  school,  your  desired  

outcomes  of  educa5on  (DOEs)?  
Consider:  
•  the  knowledge,  abili4es,  a5tudes  and  values  which  
you  want  young  people  to  have  acquired  by  the  4me  
they  leave  school.    
 What kind of teaching for what
kind of learning?

 
2.  What  kinds  of  learning,  in  your  school,  
with  your  students,  will  deliver  your  
DOEs?  
Consider:  
•  What  do  students  need  to  learn  in  order  for  you  to  
have  achieved  your  DOEs?  
•  Different  kinds  of  learning  processes  are  needed  to  
deliver  different  kinds  of  outcome.    
 What kind of teaching for what
kind of learning?

 
3.  What  kinds  of  teaching  will  lead  to  the  
kind  of  learning  that  is  needed?  
Consider:  
•  Teaching  is  a  way  of  engaging  different  kinds  of  
learning  processes  in  learners’  minds.  It  depends  on  
s4mula4ng  and  engaging  the  kinds  of  learning  that  
will  deliver  the  outcomes  you  said  you  valued.    
 What kind of teaching for what
kind of learning?
 
4.  What  kind  of  leadership  is  required  to  create  
the  kinds  of  teaching  and  learning  which  are  
desired,  and  so  ensure  that  students  leave  
your  school  with  your  DOEs?    
Consider:    
•  Only  when  you  have  some  clarity  about  the  first  three  
ques4ons  can  you  begin  to  priori4se  the  leadership  
strategies  that  will  cul4vate  the  necessary  kinds  of  
pedagogy.    
 
Pedagogic leadership
 A culture of and for learning
 
 
A  school  signals  its  values  through  different  aspects  of  
its  culture.  There  are  the  visible,  public  espousals  of  
these  values  through  brochures,  websites,  speeches,  
newsle:ers  and  other  publica;ons.    
     (Lucas  and  Claxton,  2013)  
 A culture of and for learning
 
 
Most  importantly,  values  are  conveyed  moment-­‐by-­‐
moment  by  teachers  in  classrooms  –  through  their  
running  commentary;  the  kinds  of  ac;vi;es  they  
create;  the  way  they  lay  out  the  furniture  or  configure  
group  work;  the  kind  of  language  they  use  and  the  
example  they  set.    
     (Lucas  and  Claxton,  2013)  
 Curriculum is pedagogy
The  failure  to  realise  that  curriculum  is  pedagogy  has  
been  one  of  the  great  tragedies  of  the  last  quarter-­‐
century  in  England’s  educa;on  system….  curriculum  
development  is  an  inherently  crea;ve  process.  It  is  the  
process  by  which  teachers  take  the  desired  outcomes  
from  the  intended  curriculum  and  convert  them  into  
engaging  ac;vi;es  in  classrooms.    
   -­‐  Dylan  Wiliam,  Principled  Curriculum  Design  
 
 
 
 Curriculum is pedagogy

•  We  need  to  create  ‘real’  understanding  (powerful  knowledge)  

•  Depth  before  breadth  –  focus  on  excellence  
•  The  Trivium:  Grammar,  Dialec4c  and  Rhetoric  
•  Extended  enquiries  (independence)  
•  PorRolios  of  excellence  
•  Interleaving  rather  than  blocking  content  
•  Embedded  forma4ve  assessment  
•  Habits  of  Mind  
 What is your ‘signature pedagogy’?
Signature  pedagogies  make  a  difference.  They  form  
habits  of  the  mind,  habits  of  the  hand  and  habits  of  
the  heart….  they  prefigure  the  culture  of  professional  
work  and  provide  the  early  socialisa;on  into  the  
prac;ces  and  values  of  a  field.  Whether  in  a  lecture  
hall  or  a  lab,  in  a  design  studio  or  a  clinical  seNng,  the  
way  we  teach  will  shape  how  professionals  behave…    
         (Shulman,  2005)  
 
English departmental signature pedagogy
 The backward design of a curriculum

•  Define  what  a  learner/historian/mathema4cian/

ar4st  /etc  should  know  and  be  able  to  do  by  y11/13,  
and  then  work  backwards  to  devise  a  programme  of  
study  from  y7  to  achieve  that.    
 
This  will  include:  
•  ‘Big  ideas’  /  threshold  concepts  
•  Powerful  knowledge  (‘knowing  that…’)  
•  Key  skills  (‘knowing  how  to…’)  
 Programme of study
Obviously  in  secondary  schools,  the  content  of  GCSE  
will  have  a  strong  influence  on  the  selec<on  of  ‘big  
ideas’.  But  schools  should  be  careful  not  to  assume  that  
GCSE  syllabuses  embody  all  the  big  ideas  that  will  be  
important,  either  for  further  study,  or  for  life  aCer  
school…Focusing  only  on  what  is  important  for  
examina<on  success  may  help  the  school  succeed,  but  
is  likely  to  be  disastrous  for  current  secondary  school  
students.  
-­‐  Dylan  Wiliam,  Principled  Assessment  Design  
 Threshold concepts / big ideas
 
Learning  should  be  an  adventure,  not  a  journey.  
         -­‐  Mar4n  Robinson  
A  threshold  concept  can  be  considered  as  akin  to  a  portal,  
opening  up  a  new  and  previously  inaccessible  way  of  
thinking  about  something.  It  represents  a  transformed  way  
of  understanding,  or  interpre<ng,  or  viewing  something  
without  which  the  learner  cannot  progress.  As  a  
consequence  of  comprehending  a  threshold  concept  there  
may  thus  be  a  transformed  internal  view  of  subject  maQer,  
subject  landscape,  or  even  world  view.    
 Jan  Meyer  and  Ray  Land,  “Threshold  Concepts  and  
Troublesome  Knowledge:  Linkages  to  Ways  of  Thinking  and  
Prac<sing  within  the  Disciplines”,    
 
Examples of Threshold Concepts
 Threshold concepts are:
•  Integra5ve:  Once  learned,  they  are  likely  to  bring  together  different  
parts  of  the  subject  which  you  hadn’t  previously  seen  as  connected.  
•  Transforma5ve:  Once  understood,  they  change  the  way  you  see  the  
subject  and  yourself.  
•  Irreversible:  They  are  difficult  to  unlearn  –  once  you’ve  passed  through  
it’s  difficult  to  see  how  it  was  possible  not  to  have  understood  before.  
•  Recons5tu5ve:  They  may  shi`  your  sense  of  self  over  4me.  This  is  
ini4ally  more  likely  to  be  no4ced  by  others,  usually  teachers.  
•  Troublesome:  They  are  likely  to  present  you  with  a  degree  of  difficulty  
and  may  some4mes  seem  incoherent  or  counter-­‐intui4ve.  
•  Discursive:  The  student’s  ability  to  use  the  language  associated  with  that  
subject  changes  as  they  change.  It’s  the  change  from  using  scien4fic  
keywords  in  everyday  language  to  being  able  to  fluently  communicate  in  
the  academic  language  of  science.  
 Big ideas in English
•  The  rela4onship  between  context  and  meaning  
•  The  rela4onship  between  form,  structure  and  
meaning  
•  The  rela4onship  between  language  and  meaning  
•  The  rela4onship  between  grammar  and  meaning  
•  The  rela4onship  between  the  writer  and  the  reader  
in  construc4ng  meaning:  the  role  of  interpreta4on.  
 
 Threshold concepts from a SoL on Poetry

•  What  it  means  to  be  poe4c:  the  no4on  of  cra`ing  
poe4c  language.  
•  The  nature  and  importance  of  figura4ve  language  and  
metaphor.  
•  The  kinds  and  importance  of  poe4c  form.  
•  The  impact  of  structure  on  meaning;  structural  
devices  such  as  metre,  rhythm,  rhyme  that  are  used  
to  achieve  this.  
•  The  role  of  the  reader  in  construc4ng  meaning:  
'informed  personal  response'.  
•  Ambiguity  of  interpreta5on    
The English draft model
Schemes of Learning - Consistency
 Don’t forget
•  Consider  transi4on  (map  the  gap)  
•  Inspire  and  interest  students  
•  Build  in  tes4ng,  assessment  and  challenge  
•  Build  in  real  understanding  (not  teaching  by  numbers)  
•  High  expecta4ons  -­‐  you  get  what  you  seele  for.  

Learning  is  what  happens  when  students  are  

forced  to  think  hard!  
 Assessment without levels
“What  we  want  is  a  model  of  ability  based  on  each  child  being  capable  
of  anything  and  us  looking  progressively,  through  assessment,  at  what  
ideas  a  child  has  understood.”  
       Tim  Oates,  Cambridge  Assessment  
“A  culture  shiC  regarding  the  nature,  range  and  purposes  of  assessment  
needs  to  take  place,  in  recogni<on  of  the  new  opportuni<es  provided  
both  by  the  new  curriculum  and  the  removal  of  levels.”  
NCTL  Report  September  2014  
 
“Assessment  should  be  the  servant,  not  the  master,  of  the  learning.”  
Dylan  Wiliam  
 Why change from levels?

•  Can become a “label” that creates a fixed mindset

•  Don’t deepen understanding – too general
•  Accuracy of levels (especially sub levels) is unreliable
•  They do not always progress smoothly to GCSE
•  Successful schools and nations don’t use them
•  Wording is often both confusing and limiting
•  They no longer exist
 What do we NEED from a new assessment
system?
•  Forma4ve  and  summa4ve  
•  Fits  with  new  KS3  Na4onal  Curriculum  
•  To  measure  progress  accurately    
•  To  benchmark  against  KS2  and  KS4  
•  To  allow  meaningful  &  understandable  
parental  repor4ng  
 What do we WANT from a new assessment system?

•  Smooth  transi4on  through  key  stages    

•  To  allow  a  “growth  mindset”  focused  on  effort  
and  progress  
•  To  provide  real  stretch  and  challenge  at  all  levels  
•  To  develop  our  ‘habits’  
 Progress so far?

•  Spoken  to  our  primary  feeder  schools  

•  Lots  of  research  in  current  thinking  
•  Curriculum  working  group  
•  Lots  of  mee4ngs  with  curriculum  leaders  and  departments  
•  Presented  to  governors  
•  Consulta4on  with  parents  
•  Consulta4on  with  students  
 New proposal

A  dual  system  on  :  

1.  Effort  towards  Tallis  Habits  reported  3  4mes  a  year  
2.  Progress  in  subject  specific  competencies  reported  
twice  a  year  
 

Addresses the feedback points 1 and 2 from the previous slide

 Habits of Mind

•  Effort  towards  the  Habits  ‘ideal’  is  reported  using  words  

•  Students  will  self-­‐assess  their  Habits  
•  Parents  will  also  assess  their  Habits  
•  Differences  between  teacher,  student  and  parent  discussed  
 What have we chosen to do?
•  Aeainment  for  each  year  is  judged  using  four  thresholds  
–  Emerging,  Developing,  Securing  and  Excelling  
(scaffolding  towards  excellence)  
•  Expecta4ons  change  in  each  year  
•  Progress  is  judged  at  3  levels  –below,  good  and  
outstanding  
•  More  importance  given  to  effort  towards  each  of  our  
Habits  
What does this mean?

Good progress
 How do we define our ‘Thresholds’?
•  Define  what  a  learner/historian/mathema4cian/ar4st  /etc  
should  know  and  be  able  to  do  by  the  end  of:  
•  Year  7  
•  Year  8  
•  Year  9  
How  would  this  look  for:  
•  Learners  who  are  excelling?  
•  Learners  who  are  secure?  
•  Those  who  are  developing  their  learning,  but  are  not  yet  
secure?  
•  Emerging  learners  who  are  working  towards  expecta4ons  for  
their  year  group?  

And  how  do  we  scaffold  progress  in  between?  

 Tracking progress and reporting to
parents
In  tracking  progress  and  repor4ng  to  parents,  we  will  
look  at  performance  rela4ve  to  baseline  threshold:  
•  Working  below  baseline  threshold  –  Below  expected  
progress.  
•  Working  within  their  baseline  threshold  –  Good  
progress.  
•  Working  above  their  baseline  threshold  or  at  the  top  
of  or  beyond  the  Excelling  threshold  –  Outstanding  
progress.  
The draft VMPA model
 Assessment  fails  to  focus  on  the  skills  that  are  
relevant  in  life  in  the  21st  century.  Assessment  has  
been  called  the  “hidden  curriculum”  as  it  is  an  
important  driver  of  students’  study  habits.  Unless  we  
rethink  our  approach  to  assessment,  it  will  be  very  
difficult  to  produce  a  meaningful  change  in  
educa<on.  
-­‐-­‐Eric  Mazur