1st Edition
Inspiring Primary Curriculum Design
This new book from the only university-run primary school in the UK helps schools design their own curricula by providing access to the latest education research along with supporting ideas and questions for how this can be applied successfully.
Co-written by practising teachers and research academics it combines practitioner expertise with the latest world class academic research. Each chapter includes examples of how schools approached designing their own curricula and shows how an evidence-informed approach can lead to new ideas that are bold, innovative and imaginative.
Packed with innovative ideas and practical suggestions, this book highlights the importance of using research evidence to develop teachers' practice in the realities of their own classrooms and schools. It is a key read for teachers, school leaders, teaching assistants and student teachers, especially those who recognise the important role of research in developing excellence in their practice.
Chapter 1: Curriculum Making: Key Concepts and Practices
Mark Priestley and Constantinos Xenofontos
Chapter 2: Considering the Possibilities
James Biddulph and Julia Flutter
Chapter 3: Nurturing Compassionate Citizens of The Future: Weaving Together Pedagogy and Curriculum
Penny Coltman and Luke Rolls
Chapter 4: Rethinking Spaces for Learning: Designing A Curriculum with Freedom and Flexibility at its Heart
Kate Fox, Jonathan Clarke, John-Mark Winstanley and Jane Warwick
Chapter 5: "Why do I have to sit down?": Designing an Age-Appropriate Curriculum for Children in Year One
Rachel Sutton, Lucy Downham and Harriet Rhodes
Chapter 6: Learning to Learn from Nature: How Principles of Harmony in The Natural World Can Guide Curriculum Design
Richard Dunne and Emilie Martin
Chapter 7: Knowing About and Acting Globally in Everyday Classrooms
Susan Lee Robertson and Ana Mocanu
Chapter 8: Education as the Embracing of a Loving Universe: designing an inclusive curriculum
Graham Schweig and Nitesh Gor
Chapter 9: No Mountain High Enough: Using Music to Raise Academic Achievement
Phil Kirkman, Michelle Long and Luke Robbins-Ross
Chapter 10: Vision-Driven Curriculum Practices: ‘Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good’
Andy Wolfe, Caryn Smith, Lisa Harford and Mark Lacey
Chapter 11: Oracy and the primary curriculum: what does research tell us?
Neil Mercer
Chapter 12: Unlocking Research: To New Possibilities
James Biddulph and Julia Flutter
Afterword
Stephen J Toope
Biography
James Biddulph completed his PhD at Cambridge University. He is a successful educator and the Headteacher of the first and only University Training School for Primary Education. Prior to being the Headteacher of the University of Cambridge Primary School (UCPS), he was the inaugural Headteacher of Avanti Court Primary in East London. He completed two Masters, one in Music and one in Educational Research during this time. Early on in his career he was awarded Outstanding New Teacher of the Year and gained Advanced Skills Teacher status.
Julia Flutter has worked in education research for over 20 years as a Research Associate at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, where she has been focusing on collaborative approaches for improving classroom teaching. She was a director of the Cambridge Primary Review Trust, a not-for-profit organisation promoting excellence in primary education, and an Associate Editor for the internationally respected Cambridge Journal of Education. She was a contributing author and sub-editor to the Cambridge Primary Review final report, Children, Their World, Their Education (edited by Professor Robin Alexander and published by Routledge, 2010).
