CILIPS ConferencePeebles Hotel Hydro

2 June 2009 George Smuga Professional Adviser Scottish Government

Taking Forward Curriculum for Excellence

Purpose of SessionTo provide an up-date on national CfE developments with reference to role

of the school librarian

Let’s Remind Ourselves What CfE Is All About

• It’s preparing young people for a changing future• It’s recognising the primacy of learning• It’s ensuring that young people have the building blocks that

they need in terms of skills, concepts and knowledge• It’s having an education that supports a sustainable

prosperous future• It’s addressing the achievement gap• It’s raising the bar for all learners

The Heart of Curriculum for ExcellenceThe Four Capacities

To create:• Successful learners• Confident individuals• Responsible citizens• Effective contributors

The National Agenda – aspirational and transformational change

“We need to acknowledge that Curriculum for Excellence is as much about culture change as it is about curriculum content.. Changing this culture from dependence on central direction to independence and trust in professional judgement.. needs leadership at every level.”

Fiona Hyslop – February 2009.

The Curriculum

Review Group

Nov 2004

March 2006

March 2007

Sept. 2007 –

June 2008

June 2008

Nov 2006

Progress & Proposals

Building the

Curriculum 1

Building the

Curriculum2

DraftExperiences

AndOutcomes

BuildingThe

Curriculum 3

Critical Milestones

Where Are We at June 2009?

• Publication and engagement on Building the Curriculum 3

• Consultation on proposals for next generation of national qualifications

• Publication of CfE national programme framework

• Publication of final Experiences and Outcomes – web-site plus paper copy for every practitioner with one for each secondary school library resource centre

Still To Come

• Announcement on next generation of NQ qualifications - June

• Further case studies and exemplification• Building The Curriculum 4 – Skills development• Building The Curriculum 5 – Assessment Framework

Challenges and next steps?

Those who lack the courage to change will always find a philosophy to justify it.

Moving from this..

to…

Building the curriculum

The curriculum: all that we plan for children and

young people’s learning –

across 4 contexts

7 Principles for planningChallenge and enjoyment

BreadthProgression

DepthPersonalisation and choice

CoherenceRelevance

Experiences and outcomes

8 curriculum areas

6 Entitlements

Including broad general education;

Senior phase; Skills for learning,

for life and for work

Values

Wisdom, justice,Compassion, integrity

Values

Wisdom, justice,Compassion, integrity

Effective teaching and

active,sustained learning

Effective teaching and

active,sustained learning

Support

for learningthrough choices and changes

into positive and sustained destinations

Support

for learningthrough choices and changes

into positive and sustained destinations

Assessment, qualificationsSelf-evaluation and

Accountability,Professional development

aligned with purposes

Assessment, qualificationsSelf-evaluation and

Accountability,Professional development

aligned with purposes

Curriculum – The Four Contexts Defined as “the totality of all that is planned for children

and young people throughout their education” – this comprises:

• Ethos and life of the school and community• Curriculum areas and subjects• Interdisciplinary learning• Opportunities for personal achievementWhat are the opportunities for you as school librariansto contribute within this wider view of the curriculum?

Experiences and Outcomes

Designed around eight curriculum areas:• Expressive Arts• Language and literacy• Health and Wellbeing• Mathematics and numeracy• Religious and Moral Education• Sciences• Social Studies• Technologies

Experiences and Outcomes

These describe progression at the following levels:

• Early – the pre-school years and primary 1• First – to the end of primary 4• Second – to the end of primary 7• Third – during secondary 1 – 3• Fourth – by the end of secondary 3

The Experiences and OutcomesDelivering The Curriculum

• Describe all of the curriculum from age 3 to 15 as a whole and in particular a “broad general education”

• Replace but build upon previous guidance• Embody the four capacities and skills• Less detailed and more broadly spaced than

previous guidance• About how you teach as much as about what

you teach

Getting familiar with the Experiences and Outcomes on-line

• Versions of all documents can be downloaded• Interactive usage now available• Able to save selected Es & Os in a personal

space – through Glow or to an RTF file• Links across curriculum areas are highlighted• Exemplification highlighted• Links to powerpoint presentations, sharing

practice case studies

Experiences and outcomes: example

See ‘Process of change’ on theCurriculum for Excellence website

Principles and practicesections

(a ‘must read’ for everyone)

How are the experiences and outcomes structured in literacy and English?

In literacy and English there are three organisers and they are subdivided as follows:

Listening and Talking Reading Writing

Enjoyment and choice Enjoyment and choice Enjoyment and choice

Tools for listening and talking

Tools for reading Tools for writing

Finding and using Information

Finding and usinginformation

Organising and using information

Understanding, analysing and evaluating

Understanding, analysing and evaluating

Creating Texts Creating texts

What changes have been made since the publication of the draft literacy and English framework?

What was said?

• Not all lines of development show a clear line of progression, in particular enjoyment and choice.

• Single document for literacy and English not conducive to promoting literacy as ‘responsibility of all’.

• Role of the school librarians not acknowledged.

• Support required for literacy across the curriculum.

What was done:

• Experiences and outcomes reworded to clarify progression.

• There are now two separate documents – Literacy and Literacy and English.

• The importance of school librarians is acknowledged in the literacy across learning principles and practice section.

Overall, feedback was positive.

Reflecting on the principles and practice section in literacy and English

• What is meant by literacy?

• What is meant by texts?

• What might be some of the challenges/opportunities that you will face in promoting literacy across the curriculum?

What Is Meant By ‘Texts’

• “a text is the medium through which ideas, experiences, opinions and information can be communicated”

• “texts not only include those presented in traditional written or print form, but also orally, electronically or on film”

• From ‘Literacy across Learning – Principles and Practice’

Getting started in literacy and English: some questions for discussion

• Building on your current practice, what are the challenges and opportunities for how you work with children and young people?

• How will you ensure that the needs of all learners are met?

• Which experiences and outcomes could you link within literacy and English, across other curriculum areas and the world of work to provide a coherent experience for learners?