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Earlier on I promised a few snippets from @MaryMyatt's The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence. Here goes. My main takeaways were that curricula should seek to do less, better; that assessment doesn't only mean marking; and, most of all, you must... (what a cliffhanger!)..
...really think about *why* you are teaching what you are teaching.
In more depth:
"We should ask ourselves, why are we teaching X? Where does it fit into the curriculum plans? Why is it important to know it? What difference would it make to the learning if we didn't do it?"
In more depth:
"We should ask ourselves, why are we teaching X? Where does it fit into the curriculum plans? Why is it important to know it? What difference would it make to the learning if we didn't do it?"
"We cannot possibly know everything we are expected to teach and so we have an obligation to keep in touch with the latest thinking on curriculum developments."
"Random worksheets...have a tendency to fill a space rather than being part of a coherent whole." (I am very guilty of this, as any of my current or erstwhile colleagues will confirm.)
"Too much feedback is generic and imprecise, such as 'use more imaginative vocabulary in your writing'. Well, the pupil would have used more imaginative vocabulary if they'd known that more imaginative vocabulary was available."
"Pupils [should not be] left to flounder – they are offered challenging material and are supported, through talk & scaffolding.... [in] contrast to differentiated worksheets, which are time-consuming to resource and prepare & which essentially dumb down the curriculum offer."
"Excessive focus on marking books means that other things do not get done. Things that make a difference to learning, such as planning."
"From a very early age, pupils should be encouraged to use full sentences, using technical vocabulary...When we get this right, they are going to produce richer, more proficient writing in any case. But the talk has to precede the writing."
"The role of leaders is to know what the curriculum is for, how it is constructed and what content is covered. [They should] recognise that not everything can or should be done. It is better to start with fewer topics and to do these well and build on them over time."
That'll do. If any of that has floated your boat, I strongly recommend the book: accessible, short chapters, referencing all your favourites ( @DTWillingham, @ClareSealy, @StuartLock etc). Plus some subject-specific sections, to help you sound expert in areas you're not.
