An essential teaching tool....


According to Nick Gibb.
He was speaking at the VOICE conference recently, and the text of his speech can be read on the DfE website.
Here's the relevant section for you to decide what you think...

One of my greatest concerns about the QCDA’s 2007 reforms was that they actively promoted a state of perpetual revolution, encouraging constant change by contextualising concepts against current events – which then become obsolete almost immediately.
This will not be true for the new curriculum.
Core knowledge, by its very definition, does not need to be repeatedly revised to reflect changing fashions, or new current affairs.
Instead, the new curriculum will focus on the fundamentals that will give children today (and tomorrow) the best possible start to their future.
And I will count it as a success when teachers are able actually to laminate their lesson plans and recycle them from September to September.
Of course, a leaner curriculum will also allow teachers far greater professional flexibility over how and what to teach.
It will not specify how teachers should contextualise these concepts and subjects for their students. No longer will we create a whole host of hostages to fortune, doomed to become out-of-date before the ink is even dry on the page.
Rather, we will leave it to teachers to decide how to bring these subjects and topics to life.

Comments

Angus Willson said…
The phrase 'laminate that' could catch on.

There probably is a serious point here that some knowledge is enduring.

But he actually says 'lesson plans'.

It must be the case that some lesson sequences work so well they can be re-used for a number of years. SLTs shouldn't tinker with the lesson plan pro forma every year so they have to be re-done.

We shouldn't constantly strive for new and different for the sake of it. Good lessons can be repeated.

Signed, sealed and delivered.
Alan Parkinson said…
Thanks Angus... :)