Huh: Curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders

Huh: Curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders PDF Author: John Tomsett
Publisher: John Catt
ISBN: 1914351495
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Schools need to have purchase on the curriculum: why they teach the subjects beyond preparation for examinations, what they are intending to achieve with the curriculum, how well it is planned and enacted in classrooms and how they know whether it’s doing what it’s supposed to. Fundamental to this understanding are the conversations between subject leaders and their line managers. However, there is sometimes a mismatch between the subject specialisms of senior leaders and those they line manage. If I don’t know the terrain and the importance of a particular subject, how can I talk intelligently with colleagues who are specialists? This book sets out to offer some tentative answers to these questions. Each of the national curriculum subjects is discussed with a subject leader and provides an insight into what they view as the importance of the subject, how they go about ensuring that knowledge, understanding and skills are developed over time, how they talk about the quality of the schemes in their departments and what they would welcome from senior leaders by way of support. We have chosen this way of opening up the potentially difficult terrain of expertise on one side and relative lack of expertise on the other, by providing these case studies. They are suggested as prompts rather than the last word. Informed debate is, after all, the fuel of curriculum development. And why Huh? Well, 'Huh?' may be John's first response when he walks into a Year 8 German class but, in fact, we chose 'Huh' as the title of our book as he is the Egyptian god of endlessness. As Claire Hill so eloquently comments in her chapter, “Curriculum development is an ongoing process; it’s not going to be finished, ever.” And we believe that 'Huh' captures a healthy and expansive way of considering curriculum conversations.

Huh: Curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders

Huh: Curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders PDF Author: John Tomsett
Publisher: John Catt
ISBN: 1914351495
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book Here

Book Description
Schools need to have purchase on the curriculum: why they teach the subjects beyond preparation for examinations, what they are intending to achieve with the curriculum, how well it is planned and enacted in classrooms and how they know whether it’s doing what it’s supposed to. Fundamental to this understanding are the conversations between subject leaders and their line managers. However, there is sometimes a mismatch between the subject specialisms of senior leaders and those they line manage. If I don’t know the terrain and the importance of a particular subject, how can I talk intelligently with colleagues who are specialists? This book sets out to offer some tentative answers to these questions. Each of the national curriculum subjects is discussed with a subject leader and provides an insight into what they view as the importance of the subject, how they go about ensuring that knowledge, understanding and skills are developed over time, how they talk about the quality of the schemes in their departments and what they would welcome from senior leaders by way of support. We have chosen this way of opening up the potentially difficult terrain of expertise on one side and relative lack of expertise on the other, by providing these case studies. They are suggested as prompts rather than the last word. Informed debate is, after all, the fuel of curriculum development. And why Huh? Well, 'Huh?' may be John's first response when he walks into a Year 8 German class but, in fact, we chose 'Huh' as the title of our book as he is the Egyptian god of endlessness. As Claire Hill so eloquently comments in her chapter, “Curriculum development is an ongoing process; it’s not going to be finished, ever.” And we believe that 'Huh' captures a healthy and expansive way of considering curriculum conversations.

Primary Huh: Curriculum conversations with subject leaders in primary schools

Primary Huh: Curriculum conversations with subject leaders in primary schools PDF Author: John Tomsett
Publisher: John Catt
ISBN: 1915361265
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 365

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Book Description
There’s plenty to do when planning the curriculum in primary schools. If it feels daunting, then one of the most helpful things is to talk to other people about how they have developed the curriculum for their particular subject or key stage. This is what John Tomsett and Mary Myatt have done. After the secondary ‘Huh: Curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders’ was published, they were flooded with requests to produce a primary version. They enlisted the help of renowned primary specialists, Rachel Higginson, Lekha Sharma and Emma Turner to have conversations with primary teachers and key stage co-ordinators who are doing great curriculum development work. Each chapter provides insights into the importance of individual subjects and the unique contribution each makes to pupils’ cognitive and personal development. The subject chapters discuss the steps colleagues take to ensure that there is a coherent thread across the year groups, as the discrete subjects deliver, collectively, the primary curriculum. These conversations show how the craft of creating a rich, challenging curriculum for every subject is not a quick fix. This is a nuanced piece of work, and there are many ways of approaching it. Each chapter also contains links to subject associations and helpful resources. Primary Huh has been written for subject leaders and key stage co-ordinators; it has also been written for senior leaders, as they prepare to have supportive conversations with their colleagues who are responsible for curriculum development. Primary Huh is offered as a prompt rather than the last word. Informed debate is, as they say, the fuel of curriculum development. And why have John and Mary called it ‘Huh’? Well, John discovered that Huh is the Egyptian god of endlessness, creativity, fertility and regeneration, and they thought that was a pretty good metaphor for their work on the curriculum!

High Challenge, Low Threat

High Challenge, Low Threat PDF Author: Mary Myatt
Publisher: John Catt Educational
ISBN: 9781909717862
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
High Challenge, Low Threat is Mary Myatt's smart and thoughtful exploration of all the things that wise leaders do. Informed through thousands of conversations over a 20-year period in education, Mary shows the lessons that school management teams can learn from leaders in a wide range of other sectors and points to the conditions which these leaders create to allow colleagues to engage with difficult issues enthusiastically and wholeheartedly. This book makes the case that any leadership role is concerned primarily with the relationships between individuals. It is the quality of these, whatever the size of the organisation, which make the difference between organisations which thrive, and those which stagnate. This is not to argue for soft, easy and comfortable options. Instead it considers how top leaders manage to walk the line between the impossible and the possible, between the undoable and the doable, and to create conditions for productive work which transcend the difficulties which come towards us every day. Instead of dodging them, they embrace them. And by navigating high challenge, low threat, they show how others how to do the same.

Curriculum: Theory, Culture and the Subject Specialisms

Curriculum: Theory, Culture and the Subject Specialisms PDF Author: Ruth Ashbee
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000390268
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 126

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Book Description
Curriculum, or the substance of what is taught, is the core business of schools, and yet little exists in the way of a theory of curriculum for educators. This book sets out the principles of curriculum theory and provides a common framework and practical strategies for the successful implementation and effective management of powerful knowledge-based curriculum for all. Offering powerful insights across the subject divides, the book explores the key elements of curriculum design including progression, sequencing, substantive and disciplinary knowledge, and the relationships of subjects to their sister disciplines. Providing a crucial foundation for school leadership, it covers: curriculum in the contexts of learning, organisational culture and key philosophical and moral ideas an explanation of thirteen specialist subjects, with outline mapping of the knowledge an emphasis on the cultural elements needed for sustained excellence in curriculum work within schools the codification of curriculum and the multiple values of documents for curriculum thinking and execution. Enabling leaders to analyse and discuss subjects beyond their specialisms, this essential text will equip readers to implement real change by leading intelligently and effectively on curriculum.

The Edu-Book Club: Making CPD Resources Work in the Classroom

The Edu-Book Club: Making CPD Resources Work in the Classroom PDF Author: Dave Tushingham
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1003824900
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
Educational books can help teachers engage in quality CPD (Continuing/Continuous Professional Development), but how do we find the time to read the latest literature? And if we have the time, how do we know what to choose or what we should do with what we read? Born from a real-life book club, The Edu-Book Club helps teachers and school leaders to navigate the wealth of evidence-based CPD by bringing together key publications on teaching, assessment, and curriculum. It shows how the ideas and research presented in these publications can be translated into everyday classroom practice, to help teachers and school leaders develop and inform these practices for their own professional and classroom development. Drawing on a diverse range of books and including practical advice on how to set up and run a book club, each book club session covers: The rationale for choosing that title An interview with the author with accompanying visual notes A summary of the key ideas Key takeaways and implications for classroom practice With an accompanying website featuring the video interviews and additional resources, accessible at https://glt-alwayslearning.co.uk/posts/glt-friends-book-club-edu-book-club, this will be a valuable resource for teachers and school leaders at all stages of their careers.

Middle Leadership Mastery

Middle Leadership Mastery PDF Author: Adam Robbins
Publisher: Crown House Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1785835629
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
To make the best decisions possible, middle leaders need to have a nuanced understanding of the consequences of their actions. In this pragmatic book, Adam Robbins aims to boost their role-specific expertise to help them achieve that goal - and offers them a preferable alternative to learning from their mistakes. Instead of relying on generic leadership theories, Middle Leadership Mastery collates perspectives from psychology and cognitive science to share evidence-informed guidance on a wide range of topics - from supporting staff and students in crisis and managing wellbeing, to quality-assuring teaching and curriculum design. Adam Robbins draws on his sixteen years' experience of teaching in a deprived area to illustrate his points with stories and anecdotes from the front line, demonstrating how middle leaders can better understand their context and deliver the best outcomes from a variety of starting points.

Design and Technology in your School

Design and Technology in your School PDF Author: HildaRuth Beaumont
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1003837700
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
This book addresses the practicalities of establishing Design & Technology as a worthwhile subject in the secondary school. Written by two leading experts in the field, it explores the way in which Design & Technology may be taught so that it makes a unique contribution to the learning of young people. It provides Design & Technology departments with practical information and guidance around key issues such as planning and assessing the subject, justifications for teaching it as well as ways in which schools can manage and sustain teaching Design & Technology long term. In dealing with the breadth and depth of Design & Technology this book: Provides rationales for Design & Technology which go far beyond the usual limited economic utility argument. Considers the underpinning philosophies of technology and design and the essential place of values, clarifying the substantive and disciplinary knowledge. Discusses five important issues: decolonising the subject, gender, disruption, global warming, pollution and waste. Describes how a Design & Technology curriculum may be planned, taking into account content, resources and learning activities to achieve breadth, balance, and progression. Defines how the subject may be taught through a range of complimentary methods. Considers a wide range of assessment practices that meet the varied learning embedded within the subject. Discusses how support for the subject can be achieved by collaboration with a wide range of interested parties. This book is a valuable resource for heads of departments, trainee and practicing teachers, those engaged in further professional development and all who want to make the learning of Design & Technology an interesting, motivating, and exciting experience for young people.

School self-review – a sensible approach: How to know and tell the story of your school

School self-review – a sensible approach: How to know and tell the story of your school PDF Author: Tracey O'Brien
Publisher: John Catt
ISBN: 1915361664
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 223

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Book Description
This book looks at the sensible and meaningful role of self-review in creating sustainable improvement in all areas across secondary schools. It outlines a self-review approach focussed on key principles which ensure this approach is transparent, purposeful, does not negatively impact on workload, that does not use the same approach for all teams and that does actually result in clear ideas for school improvement. It discusses claims of effective self-review including that it challenges thinking, leads to improvement, incorporates a range of stakeholders, skills people up, and helps build professional communities. The book is full of examples and case studies so that the reader can transfer some of these ideas to their context, discuss them at meetings and help generate new ideas. It challenges the 'deep dive' approach as something that should be left to Ofsted and instead suggests that leaders should know daily what is happening in their schools, and instead work with staff to design self-review activities that are bespoke and fit for purpose. The main theme is around 'improve not prove', where stakeholders feel involved, valued and empowered to be change-makers at a range of scales. It examines how effective self-review can reduce workload and support improvements in wellbeing.

This Much I Know About Love Over Fear ...

This Much I Know About Love Over Fear ... PDF Author: John Tomsett
Publisher: Crown House Publishing
ISBN: 1845909844
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
This Much I Know about Love Over Fear is a compelling account of leading a values-driven school where people matter above all else. Weaving autobiography with an account of his experience of headship, John Tomsett explains how, in an increasingly pressurised education system, he creates the conditions in which staff and students can thrive. Too many of our state schools have become scared, soulless places. John Tomsett draws on his extensive experience and knowledge and calls for all those involved in education to find the courage to develop a leadership-wisdom which emphasises love over fear. Creating a truly great school takes patience. Ultimately, truly great schools don't suddenly exist. You grow great teachers first, who, in turn, grow a truly great school. There is a huge fork in the road for head teachers: one route leads to executive headship across a number of schools and the other takes head teachers back into the classroom to be the head teacher. John strongly believes that if the head teacher is not teaching, or engaged in helping others to improve their teaching, in their school, then they are missing the point. The only thing head teachers need obsess themselves with is improving the quality of teaching, both their colleagues' and their own. This Much I Know about Love Over Fear is an authentic personal narrative of teaching, leadership and discovering what really matters. It gets to the heart of what is valuable in education and offers advice for those working in schools.

Leadership: Being, Knowing, Doing

Leadership: Being, Knowing, Doing PDF Author: Stephen Tierney
Publisher: John Catt
ISBN: 1914351878
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
In an increasingly frenetic world too many leaders have lost sight of the simple yet profound wisdom associated with practical action, otherwise known as phronesis. Phronesis is an ancient Greek word associated with good judgement and good character. At its core, it is about the ability to discern how best to act. Practical wisdom involves acting thoughtfully and virtuously and encouraging others to do the same. Stephen Tierney describes virtue, thought and action – which coalesce in effective leadership – as the Way of Being, Way of Knowing and Way of Doing. Each of the three Ways consist of a number of elements termed the Basics. The Ways of Being: Purpose & Introspection The Ways of Knowing: Specialism & Strategy The Ways of Doing: Implementation, Networking, Guardianship & Expertise Structuring the book around these eight Basics, readers will be challenged and supported to explore each of the Basics from a theoretical perspective and then provided with real world examples of how they were applied by Stephen in his own career in educational leadership. In writing Leadership: Being, Knowing, Doing, Stephen seeks to help leaders explore their own capabilities and potential. Leadership can be learnt. The three Ways with their constituent Basics represent a mirror to help leaders reflect upon and improve their practice. In turn, current leaders are called upon to accept the responsibility to grow the leaders of the future.