Implementation Key Principles:
- Lessons are linked to the contemporary world to help engage students
- We have a spiral curriculum that has been designed starting at key stage 5 and working backwards to key stage 3 (in some cases it has been following university feedback -e.g. unit in 9 on oceans as that has been identified as a weaker area in knowledge for geography students)
- Every unit is designed with knowledge and skills laid out in the SOL and each lesson is planned backwards
- Tier 3 vocabulary is identified in the scheme of work a and highest leverage words explicitly taught
- Opportunities to teach students how to gather data and design fieldwork are drawn upon where possible
- Lessons are designed to ensure all students are able to access the curriculum and meet individual needs
- Assessment for learning is planned into all lessons in order to inform teaching
- Content is rich, relevant and reflective of the diverse world in which we live
- Learning is sequenced to enable young people to develop knowledge and skills
- Literacy is explicitly delivered across the curriculum
- Learning is adapted to support the specific needs of individuals
- A sustainable approach is supported through the curriculum
- Resilience is promoted for students by frequent (low stakes) assessment to inform teaching
In classrooms, this may look like:
- Tier 3 vocabulary explicitly taught using school literacy techniques including literacy model and ‘inside, outside and beyond’
- Lessons follow a clear ‘I, we, you’ structure.
- Students are challenged to use geographical terminology when talking in pairs or sharing answers with the class.
- Lessons are differentiated for all students using scaffolding and challenge tasks
- Carefully planned shared schema, developed by experts and tailored by teachers to meet the needs of teaching groups
- DO NOW tasks drawing on prior learning
- Signature strategies used for Checking Understanding, such as Show Call, Show Me, Intentional Monitoring
- Shared literacy and reading strategies in place, such as Inside Outside Beyond and whole class reading work
- Precise pedagogical decisions made for students with additional needs (EHCP, SEND K, PSP, Behavioural, PA) including additional adults, alternative resources or outcomes, seating arrangements, precise deployment of signature strategies
- Teaching which alters according to student understanding demonstrated both from assessment points and within lessons
In work produced, this may look like:
- Regular feedback: model answers on the board and self-assessed in green pen; marked by teacher in books with prompts to improve in green pen
- Re-teach episodes following tri-weekly or termly assessments
- Work should have a sub-title of ‘independent task’ for writing tasks
- Regular feedback, which addresses knowledge or skills gaps
- Opportunities for conscious practise by students (reteach episodes, ‘fix-it’ sessions, revision)
- Opportunities for self and peer assessment, engaging with success criteria
- As relevant to Key Stage, opportunities to engage with exam-style content
- Home learning will promote digital literacy in line with school strategy
For students, this experience may include:
- Understand the journey of the curriculum and the synoptic links between the lessons and units.
- Asked to speak like a geographer using full sentences and geographical terminology
- Understand how their geographical knowledge and skills can be applied in their future careers and their role in society
- Consistent staffing in lessons with teachers who know them and similar learning journeys across year groups
- Regular opportunities to engage with feedback on progress (parents’ evenings, progress grades, reports, assessment feedback, in-class feedback, marking)
- A clear sense of the curriculum journey leading to CEIAG – how can you pursue this field of study? What might it lead you to?
- Where students are taught by professionals at the start of their career, they can expect additional adults in classes supporting through a range of strategies (live coaching, learning walks, observations, team teaching)