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  • Support for early career teachers
  • Teach First
  • Year 2: Second half term: revisit how to develop a coherent curriculum
    • Summer week 2

    Induction tutor materials

    Training session - developing a coherent curriculum

    Duration: 90 minutes

    Session objectives

    By the end of the session early career teachers (ECTs) will:

    • recapped the importance of foundational concepts, sequencing, prior knowledge and building mental models in curriculum
    • reviewed a subject-specific example of a concept that reoccurs throughout a key stage
    • thought critically about how the curriculum builds pupils’ mental models through identifying the core topics within the concept and sequencing these effectively
    • considered an example from their own practice  

    Session structure

    Introduction (10 minutes)

    Settling task: Ask ECTs to reflect on:

    When have you noticed pupils being able to make links back to something they’ve previously been taught?

    • What was the example?
    • What do you think facilitated this?
    • What benefits did it have for the pupil?

    Explain the purpose of the training session, session outcomes and the related ECF statements.

    Core principles of curriculum (15 minutes)

    1. Recap on the purpose of a curriculum and key ideas that underpin an effective curriculum.
    2. Explain how a well-planned curriculum can develop pupils’ mental models of the subject through:
      • identifying a concept that reoccurs throughout a key stage
      • identifying the topics within the concept
      • model how these core concepts should be sequenced and why
      • consider the critical prior knowledge required
      • making explicit links to prior knowledge
      • exploring how core concepts develop in complexity and depth
    3. Acknowledge that writing and teaching a good curriculum is challenging. Ask ECTs to reflect on the following questions in relation to the areas just outlined. After some reflection ask ECTs to discuss this in groups:
      • what was the challenge?
      • what made it challenging?
      • what was the impact for pupils?
      • what were the solutions or things you tried to overcome the challenge?

    What does this look like in practice? (55 minutes)

    1. Share a subject-specific example of a curriculum map of an identified core concept. Do a ‘think aloud’ exercise, sharing the thought processes behind the decisions that went into the planning of this curriculum map. Also share things that were not chosen for inclusion and explain the reason why. Through your example explore:
      • how you identified a core concept that reoccurs throughout the curriculum
      • how you identified the topics within the core concept, sharing why they have been chosen and other topics excluded
      • modelling how these topics should be sequenced and why, plus the pros and cons of flexing the sequence
      • how you considered the critical prior knowledge required and how this should be assessed and recapped as required
      • how explicit links are made to existing knowledge
      • the desired outcome of how the core concepts develop in complexity and depth for the pupils
    2. Activity: Provide ECTs with a subject-specific curriculum map of a core concept. In groups ask ECTs to discuss and identify the critical prior knowledge required for the topic or concept. How could this be assessed and recapped, drawing on strategies and learning covered during the ECF? Ask ECTs to discuss and identify how they would make explicit links to existing knowledge, drawing on strategies and learning covered in the ECF.
    3. Bring ECTs back together and ask them to share key points from their discussion. Look for key themes across the group.

    Next steps and close (10 minutes)

    ECTs to reflect on the learning from the session and record their actions and next steps related to their classroom practice. Options include re-visiting certain areas of the course, talking with their mentor, watching another teacher, planning to adapt their practice, and more.

    Next steps and close (10 minutes)

    ECTs to reflect on the learning from the session and record their actions and next steps related to their classroom practice. Options include re-visiting certain areas of the course, talking with their mentor, watching another teacher, planning to adapt their practice, and more.

    Subject and curriculum

    • 3.3. Ensuring pupils master foundational concepts and knowledge before moving on is likely to build pupils’ confidence and help them succeed. 
    • 3.7 In all subject areas, pupils learn new ideas by linking those ideas to existing knowledge, organising this knowledge into increasingly complex mental models (or 'schemata'); carefully sequencing teaching to facilitate this process is important.
    • 3g. Revisiting the big ideas of the subject over time and teaching key concepts through a range of examples.   
    • 3h. Drawing explicit links between new content and the core concepts and principles in the subject.