How do we talk about the subjects?
When we’re discussing curriculum intent I reckon we need to be ambitious in the ways we talk about the individual subjects.
Curriculum intent more than words on a website
If we are leading or teaching a subject, we might ask ourselves:
· What’s unique about this subject?
· What’s magical about it?
· What would pupils and students be missing out on if they came to school and weren’t taught this subject?
What some schools have found helpful is to bounce around some ideas based on quotes about the different subjects.
For example, if we are teaching Art and Design, what do we think of this quote from Don Miguel Ruiz?
Every human is an artist
Or, thinking about the importance of history, what do we think of this from Marcus Garvey?
A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture, is like a tree without roots
And for languages, this Czech proverb:
You live a new life for every language you speak. If you only know one language, you only live once
The point here is not necessarily to agree with the quotes but to use them as a starting point for discussion about the unique contribution that each subject makes to our pupils and students.
This does two things:
First, it elevates the way we talk about the subjects and second, it creates a higher bar of quality for the resources we use to teach the subjects.
And that bar means that we are more likely to ask ourselves whether the materials are really making pupils think, are carefully designed and are likely to support long term learning.
If you’d like copies of the quotes for all the subjects, you can download them from the curriculum intent webinar on the Myatt & Co platform under resources. They are free to access, you just need to register.
In the next update, we’ll take a look at another aspect of curriculum intent.
Until next time
Mary
And when you’re ready, you might find these helpful for curriculum development in your school
Primary Subject Networks starting with Art on Monday 12 Sep 16.00-17.30
Huh Curriculum Leaders Course – September-October cohort
Simple but uplifting leading to intriguing subject based ideas. Thank you
Hi Mary - would you be able to offer any guidance on PSHE as a subject e.g. what would you say the disciplinary knowledge is for this subject?