The journey of the creative curriculum

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The journey of the creative curriculum
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The start

• The leadership focus..
• To be convinced yourself that it is a journey
  worth taking
• Resilience
• A place on the SDP..powering school direction
• Reflected in Teaching and Learning Policy

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.. Ill buy it!!

• My new iphone..
• Looks brilliantit IS brilliant
• Im terrified of it
• How do I actually use it to release its full
  potential?
• Becoming a creative learning school.
• Could be overwhelming. . Where to start?
• I only know one story, one journeythis is how
  it went.
• Actuallythis is how its still going..

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The threat exists of children drifting into
underachievement through disengagement20/20
vision document 2006

• The key question
• How could we bring sparkle into learning?

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Journey

• Disparate parts to explore..
• WhyWhoWhereHowWhat?
• .next?

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Children

• Prussia 1717.chalk and talk
• todays children are no longer the people
  our educational system was designed to teach
  Mark Prensky, games producer
• Children today are digital natives
• Are we teaching children for a world that no
  longer exists?
• the world our children is going to live in
  is changing four times faster than our schools
  Dr W Daggett
• We are preparing our children for jobs that
  havent been created yet

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And

• Todays children and young people are less
  passive, biddable and deferential than in past
  generations 20/20 vision document
• no pressure then

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Ethos creating the culture

• Where are you when your best ideas come to you?
• Enabling a free flow of ideas in an atmosphere
  which is not pressured
• Allowing time for thinking
• Activity not prescribed
• Fostering independencein thought and action
• Sharing the culture

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Creating the ethos is all about C words.

• Culture Curiosity Challenge
• Can do Courage Celebration
• Chorizo ..
• Capriciousness Communication
• Continuity Character Collaboration

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Teaching

• Teaching creatively and teaching FOR creativity.
  
• Can you remember your best teacher?
• AfL central
• Motivation is a four letter word Ian Gilbert
• Questioning, reflective, celebrate difference
• Good teachers are unpredictable Tim
  Brighouse/PHA

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Outcomes for teachers

• A key focus has been on empowering teachers
• Out of the comfort zone for some
• CPD so important ongoing support
• ICT upskilling
• Up to speed?.....doctors?
• School ethos. Collaborationconfidence
  fostering and allowing freedom to look sideways

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Curriculum..

• Tempting to be the starting point
• Invest in the spiritthe attitudes and values
• Ensure whole community is singing from the same
  philosophical song sheet
• Harmony not unison.

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The creative curriculum

• The bulging suitcasemust have items
• Remain focused on children
• The most complex of journeys
• So many curriculum webs .
• So many QCA schemes of work
• Excellence and enjoyment
• Literacy and numeracy priorities

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At BSM..

• Rigour and structure to the process
• Keen focus on basic skills
• Lots of talking.lots of imagining
• Key role of enrichment activities
• Creativity and successful learning inseparable

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The planning process

• The whole year overview
• Adding wealth of enrichment activities..
• Activities integrated into curriculumnot add-ons
  to interrupt normal flow
• Broad themes.initially strong QCA focus
• Well-versed in making connections across
  curriculum to reinforce learning

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And then one day in cross-curricular land

• The innocuous question. what does a Y2
  historian look like compared to a Y5 one?
• How to keep track of childrens learning in
  subjects that have crossed each others
  boundaries?
• Moved away from many of QCA schemes
• Skills based curriculum
• The audit

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Creative learning journeys

• Thematic approach
• Rolling programmes for KS1 and KS2
• Coverage of skills across the year no gaps
• Closely assessed
• Imaginative and free
• Spirituality
• The children love it animation

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The ultimate goal.

• Teaching for creativity.
• Striving for everyone to be creative learners
• Think independently, happy to be different
• Be good collaborators, open to the ideas of
  others
• Be articulate, be good communicators. Skilled in
  the art of asking questions
• Be reflective problem solvers, confident to take
  risks
• Think sideways..
• Love learning

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That is the destination..

• Were getting there..

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INFO

• www.hamilton-trust.org.uk
• Curriculum planning for Primary schools
  Education Development Service, Somerset 01823
  356150
• The New Learning Revolution Gordon Dryden,
  Jeanette Vos Network Press ISBN 1-85539-183-X