A New Approach To Planning ?

Child-centred planning is hailed as the answer to engaging and motivating even the most disengaged students by the new Curriculum For Excellence, however do we as educators have the motivation and courage to really explore this ?

At the start of term we are given schemes of work based on ages and stages, and what is perceived to be the correct themes in areas ranging from social studies to religious education. Could we support children in designing what they want to learn in curricular areas by creating problem solving, enterprising contexts ? For example, in social studies work challenge children to create a museum exhibition that displays their learning in a topic. They have to work together, in order to ascertain what they would like to know about a subject and also what they already know. These brainstorming sessions help us to understand what they need to know and want to know, instead of the guessing that might be done at the start of a term. We can then tailor a programme around this. The possibilities of children consolidating their learning as they show others around the museum are endless. Similarly in the area of religious studies, instead of studying religious ceremonies through worksheets, why can't children plan their own ? Children have to think about not only what they will need to know, but how they are going to find out this information. This presents an opportunity for children to reach into the local community for resources, independant of the teacher.

There is no reason why we can't bring this into more traditional subjects such as maths. Children can create their own lessons and activities that support the teaching and learning process. From personal experience, I realise that the children can create games that explain the concepts better than any scheme of work could.

I think where the Curriculum For Excellence may struggle is the willingness of teachers and schools to move away from forward planning and towards more responsive measures. Participation and citizenship are buzz words in education, therefore why can't children get involved in what they actually learn, rather than a focus on their behaviours and personal values.