Blog 2 - What would the pedagogical principles be of your dream school?

What would the pedagogical principles be of your dream school? 

The word ‘pedagogy’ can be mistaken by primarily being known as teaching (Smith, 2012). Donaldson (2015) advocates that ‘Pedagogy is about so much more than teaching in the narrow sense of methods used in the classroom’. It is more about the carefully selected approaches used by teachers in the classroom compared to the purposes and objectives of the lesson and curriculum (Donaldson, 2015). In the new curriculum ‘Successful Futures’, that is to be implemented in 2020, Donaldson (2015) has outlined 12 pedagogical principles that relate to the 4 core purposes of the curriculum as a whole. He also identifies 6 AoLE that can be seen in the image on the left. 

Each one of these AoLE will make “distinct and strong contributions to developing the four purposes of the curriculum and taken together they will define the breadth of the curriculum” (Donaldson, 2015, p. 38).

Good teaching methods are the key to all apparent learning (Murphy et al, 2009, p.5). Donaldson’s principle number 3 and 4, discuss employing a blend of approaches with are both direct and exploratory, which indicate the value of both (Donaldson, 2015). Whereas the AoLEs identified are aimed at just the worth of exploratory learning in teaching (Assessment Foundation, 2017; Donaldson, 2015). This seems to suggest a much more balanced approach to structuring a lesson, which is refreshing.  

To me the shift from “What am I going to teach?” to “What do the learners need?” is key to effective pedagogy.  This shift places the child’s needs at the centre of the teacher’s planning, moving away from a content based curriculum, and moving towards developing learners’ knowledge and skills through relevant and authentic experiences (Donaldson, 2015). This means a huge move at the planning stage of lessons, and moving the emphasis from teaching and onto learning.  This response to pupils’ needs will not only motivate and interest learners more, but it will also challenge learners’ critical and creative thinking.   Another obvious advantage of the “teach less and learn more” model is that there is less superficial differentiation placed on the learner, which all too often places a glass ceiling on the learners’ possible progress (Luckie, no date; DfE, 2013; Estyn, 2016). 

One huge aim in education and in the Government, is the continuous well-being of a child and society in general (Donaldson, 2015; Murphy et al, 2009, p. 5). A personal experience of how this is being recognised in primary schools is, a school that is partnered to my university, is producing a well-being app, called– iValueU. Students can post and enjoy things shared on the app – all in the hope of praising positive mental health. Health and well-being links up with the pedagogical principle number 11. Learning is only going to be pursued when a child has the correct social and emotional well-being. By using appropriate approaches that support the learners you are allowing them to develop their emotional intelligence and metacognition (Donaldson, 2015, p. 70). The recognition of mental health and wellbeing within a school is critical (Gofal, 2015).

The ability to function as a member of a team is an essential quality in the world of work.  I feel that this is such an important pedagogical principle, and must be valued heavily within the classroom climate (Donaldson, 2015; Collins et al, 2012). This also means that the physical environment must be carefully considered to facilitate this powerful and motivating learning strategy (Collins et al, 2012; Rymanowicz, 2017). There is also evidence to show that pupils' confidence rises when working with peers, and problem-solving skills are refined through discussion and reflection.  This can only be achieved through collaboration (Collins et al, 2012; Rymanowicz, 2014). 

The curriculum of 1988, focused heavily on raising pupils’ academic achievement in literacy, numeracy and science (Shuayb and O’Donnell, 2008, pp. 3; Donaldson, 2015, pp. 22). Donaldson was able to identify that this statement was still needed in the curriculum of today, but with a few modern-day adjustments. For example, principle number 9 states, “Good teaching and learning reinforces cross curriculum responsibilities, including literacy, numeracy and digital competence and provides opportunities to practice them” (Donaldson, 2015, p. 68). These are the cross-curriculum responsibilities that need to be offered through authentic contexts within our lessons and not just simply seen as an add on (Donaldson, 2015, p. 68). A major issue that should be a focus on for education, which was very briefly mentioned, is the fact that children need to be equipped for jobs that haven’t yet been considered. The curriculum needs to be flexible and future proof to allow all learners to be successful members of society (Stabback, 2016, p. 4; Murphy et al, 2009, p. 6). 

It is important to note that whatever pedagogical principle is applied, it must be underpinned by a healthy attitude towards learning. Value must be placed upon sustained effort, and not just the end result.  For example, if you, as a teacher, plan on doing a particular lesson on bugs for instance. But the class as a whole end up being more interested on the way in which plants grow or trees are formed. Then as a teacher you must be prepared to re-plan your lesson. This is an example of us modelling and celebrating mistakes and make the process of learning visible within our classroom environments. It is vital that we support pupils to move away from the teacher's model and apply their own skills and ideas, developing confidence and competence through reflection. Encourage learners to recognise and celebrate their own progress, and change our practice to suit the learners and the learning (Donaldson, 2015).

References

1.     Assessment Foundation (2017) Available at:  http://www.assessmentfoundation.org/blog/the-donaldson-report-a-successful-future-for-assessment-part-1-of-3.html(Accessed: 30 November 2018). 

2.     Collins, F. & McCray, J. (2012) ‘Relationships, learning and team working in UK services for children’, Journal of Integrated Care, 20(1), pp. 39-50.

3.     Department for Education (2013) Teachers Standards: Guidance for school leaders, school staff and governing bodies. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/665520/Teachers__Standards.pdf(Accessed: 30th November 2018).

4.     Dickins, M. (2014) A- Z Of Inclusion In Early Childhood. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.

5.     Donaldson, G. (2015) Successful Futures: Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales. Wales: Crown.

6.     Estyn (2016) Inspection Explained. Available at: https://www.estyn.gov.wales/inspection/inspection-explained(Accessed: 30th November 2018).

7.     Gofal (2015) Welsh Government must deliver on mental health curriculum recommendationsAccessed at: http://www.gofal.org.uk/news/2015/02/25/welsh-government-must-deliver-on-mental-health-curriculum-recommendations/(Accessed on: 15^thOctober 2018). 

8.     Luckie, D. et al. (no date) Available at: http://www.the-aps.org/Link-Library/Meetings/Comparative-2014/Workshop-2-Luckie.pdf(Accessed: 30th October 2018).

9.     Maha Shuayb and Sharon O’Donnell. (2008) Aims and Values of Primary Education in England and other countries.Cambridge: The University of Cambridge. 

10.  Murphy, L. et al. (2009) Education Studies: An Introduction. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education.

11.  Rymanowicz. K, (2017) Children and empathy: Teamwork. Accessed at: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/children_and_empathy_teamwork(Accessed on: 15th October 2018). 

12.  Smith, M. K. (2012) What is pedagogy?Available at:  http://infed.org/mobi/what-is-pedagogy/(Accessed: 30 November 2018).

13.  Stabback, P. (2016) What makes a quality curriculum? Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002439/243975e.pdf(Accessed: 12th October 2018).