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Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge:A guide for school leaders
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2Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
The guide focuses on the curriculum as a whole. It:
• identifiesfundamentalprinciplesthatwebelieveschoolsneedtoengagewithwhiletheydesign,implementandevaluatetheircurriculum
• considerspracticesthatsupporttheseprinciples
• explainsourprogrammesandthesupportweofferindetail
• highlightswhereyoucanfindmorespecificinformation,ratherthanrepeatingwhatisalreadyavailabletoyou.
Everyschoolisauniquecommunitywithitsownidentityandwillbeatadifferentstageinitsevolution;somewillbestartingupwhileotherswillbeevaluatingwheretheyarewithaviewtoimprovingprovisionandpractice.ACambridgeeducationcoversprimarytosecondarylevel.SomeschoolsbasetheirwholeschoolcurriculumonCambridgeprogrammesandqualificationswhileotherscombineCambridgewithothernationalorinternationalqualifications.Thisguideisrelevanttoallofthesesituations.Schoolsareresponsiblefortheirowncurriculum,andourroleissimplytosupporttheminmakinginformeddecisions.Theprinciplesandpracticesoutlinedinthisguidearebasedonourexperienceoflisteningtowhatschoolswanttoachievethroughtheircurriculum,andareinformedbyresearch-basedbestpractice.Thefinalchapter‘Workingwithus’andthe‘Annotatedbibliographyandotherresources’sectionattheendofthisguidedirectyoutoothersourcesofinformationandsupport.
Whilethefocusisverymuchoncurriculum,itisnotmeaningfultoseparatethecurriculumfromthebroaderschoolpoliciesandpractices
inwhichitisembedded.Curriculumdevelopmentinherentlyinvolvesbuildingschoolcapacity,structureandoperationstosupportthecurriculum.Theseareasarealsobrieflycovered.
Introduction
Thisguidewillhelpschoolprincipals,schoolleaders,andothersresponsiblefortheeducationalprogrammeinaschool,design,develop,implementandevaluatethecurriculumwhereCambridgeprogrammesandqualificationsarefollowed.Webelievethatawell-designedandsupportedcurriculumisnecessaryfortheschooltoachieveitseducationalvisionandaims.Theseaimsusuallyincludeacademicexcellence,fulfillingthepotentialofeverylearnerandgivinglearnersabasisofknowledgeandunderstandingthatisrelevantfortodayandpreparesthemfortomorrow.
3Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
1 Curriculum planning: An overview
Thischapterconsiderswhatthecurriculumisandhowitshouldbederivedfromtheschool’seducationalvision.Ithighlightsthefactthatqualificationsformonlypartofthecurriculum.Everyschoolisuniqueand,inplanningthecurriculum,youmustconsiderhowtosupportitsimplementation,whichmaynecessitatechangestoyourschool’sstructureandoperations.Weintroducethefundamentalprinciplesthatneedtobeconsideredinthecurriculumdesignprocess.Thesearecoveredinmoredetailinotherchapters.
What is curriculum?
Acrosstheworldthetermcurriculumisusedinseveraldifferentways.Insomecountries‘curriculum’hasaholisticmeaningencompassingnotonlysubjects,butalsotheconnectionsbetweensubjects,teachingmethodsandallaspectsofschoolingthatresultintheeducationalexperiencethelearnerreceives.Incontrast,inothercountriesanarrowerinterpretationisused,referringeithertoaprescribedrangeofcourses(thecurriculuminYear6containseightdifferentsubjects)oraspecificlearningprogrammeacrossdifferentyears(thechemistrycurriculumatsecondarylevel).Inthisguidethefollowingdefinitionsareused:
• Aschool curriculumreferstothecombinationofsubjectsstudiedwithinaschoolyearandinsequentialyearsasthelearnermovesthroughtheeducationalsystemprovidedbytheschool.
• Asubject curriculumreferstothecontentandskillscontainedwithinasyllabusappliedacrosssequentialstagesofstudentlearning.Thesestagesnormallyrefertoschoolyearlevels,andthereforeaparticularageoflearner.
• Co-curricular curriculumreferstovaluededucationalactivitiesthatsupportlearningbeyondtheschoolcurriculum,whichtheschoolencouragesandsupports.
• Theexperienced curriculumreferstothelearningstudentsactuallyreceiveasaresultofthewholeeducationalexperience.Thisincludestheimpactoftheschoolcurriculum,teachingapproaches,the co-curricularcurriculumandthelearningenvironment.Itincludesboththeplannedandunplannedorunintendedoutcomesofthecurriculum.
Itisimportanttorecognisefromtheoutsetthatplanningtheschoolcurriculum,intermsofthesubjectstobestudiedeachyeartowardsspecificqualifications,isonlypartoftheprocess.Theschool’svisionandaimswillincludepersonalandsocialoutcomesaswellasacademicones.Learningdoesnotbeginorendinclassrooms,butpermeatestheschoolenvironmentandbroadercommunity.Whatlearnersactuallyexperiencemaynotbethesameasthewrittenobjectivesofthecurriculum–itwillbetheconsequenceofacomplexwebofinterdependentpartsincluding:
• theschool’svisionandvalues
• teachingquality
• learnermotivationandpriorknowledge
• schoolleadership,environmentandculture
• theschool’scurriculumandsubjectcurricula
• assessmentpracticesandexpectations
• theschool’sinternalstructuresandoperations.
Therefore,designingacurriculumfromfirstprinciples,orevaluatinganexistingcurriculumwithaviewtoimprovingit,isnecessarilyacomplexandchallengingtask.Whileschoolsmayusesimilarorevenidenticalwrittencurricula,theexperiencedcurriculumisboundtobeuniquetoeachschool.Forthisreasonyoumusttakeownershipofyourcurriculumandregularlyevaluatetheoutcomesagainstyourintentionstomakesuretheeducationalexperienceisoptimisedandinlinewiththeschool’svisionandmission.
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The school visionisacompellingsenseofthefuturedirectionoftheschoolthatshouldbewidelysharedandinspirecommitment.Mostschoolsalsohaveamission statement,whichisawrittendeclarationdefiningtheschool’seducationalpurpose.Educational aimsmightbeincludedinthemissionstatementorlistedseparately.Togetherwiththevisionandmissiontheyprovidefocusandguidanceonwhattheprioritiesare.Theschoolstrategic plangivespracticaldirectiontothevision,missionstatementandaims.Thisshouldincludeastatementheadlining
longertermpriorities/objectiveslookinguptofiveyearsahead,andadetailedone-yearimplementationplan.
Table1(onthenextpage)outlinessomeofthemanyquestionsthatyouneedtoaddress.Itshowsthatdecisionsaboutthedevelopmentofaschool’scurriculummustbebasedontheschool’svision,missionandeducationalaims,takingintoconsiderationschoolstructuresandbuildingschoolcapacity.
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LearnersWhich attributes are desired for learners and how will these be promoted in the curriculum?What are the expected academic, personal and social outcomes?Which skills and competencies should they acquire through the curriculum? How will the curriculum motivate, engage and challenge learners?Is the curriculum relevant to the needs of learners – now and in the future?
TeachersWhich pedagogy and assessment practices should lie at the centre of teaching and learning?What teacher professional development is required to ensure effective planning and delivery of the curriculum?How will teachers be encouraged to self-reflect on their current teaching practices and the learning achievement of their students based on meaningful evidence?Is there provision for teachers to undertake relevant professional qualification courses to enhance their professional learning and the quality of student learning experiences?
LeadershipWhat role do school administrators have in the delivery of the curriculum and in supporting teachers?How do leaders know that effective teaching and real learning are taking place in classrooms?What are the quality assurance and system review needs for implementing a new curriculum?Are effective collegial and collaborative team structures and dynamics operating school-wide and within subject/learning areas?Are inter-school networking opportunities available for teachers and school leaders to support the implementation and development of the curriculum?
School communityWhat involvement will school support groups and other community groups have?What contributions can these groups make in the development of the curriculum?How can the resources of the local community be linked into the school curriculum?
Designing a curriculumWhich Cambridge programmes will be included or form the basis of the school curriculum?How do we align the curriculum to match the school’s needs and those of the learners?Which subjects (and options) will be included in the curriculum?How will learning within local or national contexts be developed in the curriculum?How will the school support learners who do not have English as a first language? (In bilingual schools) which subjects will be taught in English?
QualificationsWill the school offer national as well as Cambridge qualifications?Is progression from one level to the next coherent? Will there be any scheduling or organisational difficulties if dual qualifications are offered? Will these combinations of qualifications support learners applying to higher education (in secondary schools)?
TimetablingHow many subjects will be studied and for how many hours in each subject? How will this vary from one year to the next as learners progress through the school?Will the curriculum be fixed (compulsory) or provide a measure of learner subject choice?How will such flexibility be balanced against the school’s current resourcing and staffing provisions?
FacilitiesWhat facilities will be required to accommodate the requirements of specialist subjects?Does the school provide appropriate learning environments for studying the new curriculum?
ResourcingWhat financial provision is available for delivering the curriculum, in terms of teaching resources, teacher support and administrative requirements?Does the school have effective communication and co-ordination systems and structures for implementing, managing and refining the curriculum?
School vision and strategic planning – achieving the desired learning outcomes for learners
Building school capacity Structure and operation
Table 1: Curriculum planning within a school context: Some critical questions
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Principles fundamental to successful curriculum design and implementation
Oneaspectofplanningtheschoolcurriculumischoosingthecombinationofsubjectstobestudiedforeachyearanddesigningasequentialprogrammeforeachyearofschooling.
Cambridgeschoolsoperateinawiderangeofcontextswithdifferingdemandsandexpectations.Whatisincludedintheschoolcurriculumwillbedeterminedbytheschooland/ornationalrequirements,andshouldbedrivenbythevisionandvaluesoftheorganisation.Thecurriculumisattheheartofschools’strategiestoraiseachievementandimproveoutcomesforalllearners.CambridgeunderstandsthatwhilesomeschoolswillprefertoofferacurriculummadeupentirelyofcombinationsofCambridgecourses,combiningthesetoformaprogrammeofstudy,otherschoolswillselectindividualsubjectsyllabusesandcombinethemwithqualificationsandeducationalprogrammesfromothernationalorinternationalproviders.
Webelievethatcertainprinciplesarefundamentaltosuccessfulcurriculumdesignandimplementation.
1 The school curriculum should deliver a broad, balanced, coherent and consistent programme of learning with clear
and smooth progression routes designed for the needs of all learners. Thecurriculumshouldprovide:
• thenecessaryunderstanding,knowledgeandskillsforlearnerstoprogress,wellprepared,tothenexteducationalstage
• anappropriatevolumeofcontentandstandardofdifficulty
• aspiralapproachtoskilldevelopmentwithconceptsrevisitedandengagedwithatdeeperlevelsindifferentcontexts,dependentonthelearners’developmentalstage
• abalanceofsubjectscoveringdifferenteducationalprocesses,objectivesandcontent,developingaholisticsetofskillsandknowledge.
Theconceptofbreadthandbalancewillbeilluminatedbytheschool’svisionandeducationalaims.Aschoolcurriculumthatis‘balanced’normallyincludesmathematics,languages,sciences,technology,humanities,creativeartsandphysicaleducation.A‘broad’curriculumofthistypeprovidestheopportunityforlearnerstoexperience,acquireanddevelopessentialandvaluedlearningfromavarietyofcontexts.Itmaybethatsomedisciplines,forexampleinformationtechnology,areinfusedintheteachingofothersubjectsratherthanbeingtaughtasadiscretesubject.Thereisstilltheneedforaclearidentificationoftheseactivities,supportedbyawrittencurriculumthathelpsdefinepreciselywhoisresponsiblefortheirdevelopment.Itisalsoimportantthatliteracyandnumeracyaresupportedbyteachersofallsubjects,notjustinlanguagesandmathematics.
Inthesenioryearsofschoolingsomenarrowingofthecurriculummaybeexpectedaslearnersprepareforspecificqualificationsrequiredforprogressiontohighereducation.Learnersshouldstillbeexpectedtotakepartinactivitiesandprogrammesthatarecomplementarytotheacademicqualificationstheyarepreparingfor,andtheschoolshouldprovideabreadthofactivityandengagementinsupportofthe school’smission.
Thecurriculum,andtheassessmentsthatframetheeducationalexpectationsintheschool,willsignificantlyinfluenceteachingandlearningpracticeandtheeducationalorlearningexperiencesofstudents.Paycarefulattentiontomonitoringtheeffectivenessofschoolstructures,practices,systemsandprocessestoensurethehighestqualityofteachingisachieved.Inaddition,makesurecourserequirementsandregulations(includingthoseforassessmentandcourseworkactivities)arefollowedasthiswillhelppromoteandenhancelearnerachievementastheyprogressthrougheachyearofschooling.
IfyouarecombiningCambridgequalificationswithothers,itisimportanttoconsidercompatibilityissues.Itmaybethatotherqualificationsorprogrammesofstudyincorporatedifferentapproachestoteaching,learningandassessmentfromthosedescribedinthisguide.Thiswillrequirecarefulplanningandcoordinationtoensurethatanydifferences
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areclearlyunderstoodandaccommodated.TheanswerstothequestionsinTable1willbeparticularlyrelevantinthiscontext.
2 The curriculum supports the development of learners and teachers who are confident, responsible, reflective,
innovative and engaged. Thedemandsoflivingandworkinginthecontemporaryworld,characterisedbyuncertainty,globalisation,rapidchangeandtechnologicalinnovation,needtobereflectedinaschool’seducationalapproach.Factualknowledgeisinabundanceandfreelyavailable.Theabilitytoprocessandapplyknowledgeeffectivelyandwiselyisnowcritical.Learnersneedtobecomeproblemsolvers,abletointeractwithsubjectcontentincriticalandinnovativeways.Theyshouldacquireandemploystrategiesforaccessing,processing,applying,synthesisingandevaluatingcontentanddevelopanunderstandingofhowitallfitstogetherasanacademicdiscipline.
Inadditiontoacquiringthesebroad-basedskills,successfullearnerstakeresponsibilityfortheirownlearning.Theydothisbydevelopingself-awareness,self-motivationandbyadoptingstrategiesandhabitstotakecontroloftheirlearning.Theyareinquisitiveandactivelyengaged,abletoshifteasilybetweenindependentstudyandcollaborativeenquiry.Additionally,theacquisitionandimplementationofICTskillstoaccess,process,evaluate,communicateandshareknowledgeandunderstandingareconsideredfundamentallearningcompetencies.The‘Cambridgelearner’(seeTable2,page14)exemplifiesthesekeyattributes,whichareequallyapplicabletoteachers,reinforcingtheconceptof‘partnershipinlearning’betweenlearnerandteacher.
3 Each subject curriculum should be designed to provide learners and teachers with inspiring and relevant content
and an appropriate breadth of subject knowledge and skill development appropriate for the learners’ developmental stage.Subjectcurriculashouldbeformulatedchronologicallysotheyshowappropriateprogressionfromonestageofeducationtothenext.The
knowledge,understandingandskillsacquiredateachprecedingyearlevelformthefoundationforlearningatthenextlevel.Thisspirallingprocessleadstodeeperlevelsofunderstandingbeinggainedthroughrelatedstudyinavarietyofcontexts,reinforcingpriorlearningandcreatinglinkstonewlearning.
Weoffersubjectcurriculaacrosstheyearsofschoolingbasedonspecifiededucationalstandardsappropriatetothelearners’developmentalstage.Thefinalyearofacurriculuminasinglesubjectallowsprogressiontostudyatuniversityandotherhigherlearninginstitutions.Ourqualificationsareinternationallyrecognisedandallowforlearnerstoprogresstothenextstageofeducationbyrecognisingtheirsecondaryschoolachievements.Weworkcloselywithuniversitiesaroundtheworldtoensurethatourpre-universityqualificationsaredesignedtoequiplearnersforstudyatuniversitiesandotherhigherlearninginstitutions.
4. The school curriculum should recognise the language background of learners and provide them with the support
they need to access the curriculum. Subjects that are taught in the medium of English should be accessible for learners with English as their second language.EvenschoolsoperatinginEnglish-speakingcountrieshavelearnerswhodonothaveEnglishasafirstlanguageorlearnerswhohavedifferent
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levelsofEnglishproficiency,sothefirsttwopointsbelowapplyinallCambridgeschools.
• Every learner is a language learner:Languageplaysaparticularlycriticalroleintheschoolcurriculum.IfEnglishisthelanguageofinstructionthenitisalsothemediumthroughwhichstudentsaccesslearningandcommunicatetheirunderstandinginalltheirsubjects.Schoolsoftenhavelearnerswithdifferentlanguageprofiles,andthisrealitymustbereflectedincurriculumplanningandinacoherentlanguagepolicyreflectingtheschool’ssituation.
• Every teacher is a language teacher:OthersubjectsareassessedinEnglishandrequirelearnerstodevelopsufficientEnglishlanguagecompetencies–notonlyinreadingandwritingtobeabletotakeexaminations,butalsoinspeakingandlisteninginorderforlearningtotakeplace.TheinclusionoflearningthroughEnglishbecomesanintegralcomponentinthestudyofthesesubjects,withschoolsdevelopingavarietyofstrategiestoprogressivelyadvancetheseskillsintheyearsprecedingformalassessment.Oneofthesestrategiesisforallteacherstobe‘languageaware’andtoplanlanguagesupportintheirclasses.
• Every school can support multilingualism:WesupportthelearningoflanguagesthroughtheprovisionoflanguagecurriculaforEnglishspeakerslearningforeignlanguagesandfornon-EnglishspeakerslearningEnglish.Forsomelanguages,alternativelanguagecurriculacatertothelearningneedsoffirstandsecondorforeignlanguagelearners.Evenwherecurriculaarenotavailableincertainminoritylanguages,orwheremultilingualschoolsarenotabletoteachalargenumberofminoritylanguages,Cambridgeschoolscanstillsupportmultilingualismbypromotingotherlanguagesandmakinguseoffirstlanguagesasavaluablelearningresourceintheclassroom.
• Education in a Bilingual or Multilingual school:Inadditionwesupportschoolswhowanttousebilingualeducationprogrammesinordertodevelopbilingualismtoage-appropriatelevelsofcompetence.Thisiswheretwoormorelanguagesareusedasthemediumofinstructionfornon-languagesubjects.Learnersstudysomenon-languageschoolsubjects,suchasmathsorgeography,mainly
throughasecondorthirdlanguage,andsomesubjectsthroughtheirfirstlanguage.Theunderstandingofbilingualeducationislinkedtoothereducationalconceptssuchascontentandlanguageintegratedlearning(CLIL).Here,incontentclasses,learnersdevelopsubjectknowledgeandnewlanguageskillsatthesametime.Ifdualnationalandinternationalqualificationsarebeingoffered,thecurriculummayspecifysubjectsthatwillbetaughtthrougheitherEnglishorthefirstlanguage,thatis,inabilingualcurriculumdesign.Tofindoutmoreaboutourapproachtobilingualeducationvisit www.cie.org.uk/bilingual
Weareawarethatmanylearnerscompletingourprogrammesandqualificationsareoperatinginalanguagewhichisnottheirfirstlanguage.Examinersapplyapositivemarkingapproach,lookingtoawardmarkswhenalearnerhasdemonstratedunderstanding.Learnersarenotpenalisedforspellingandgrammaticalerrorsexceptintheassessmentoflanguageswhicharetestinglanguageskills.
5 Assessment has a number of purposes that are essential to the educational process. These include assessment
for learning (providing feedback in support of the learning process), and summative assessment (determining a learner’s level of performance).Assessmentisanintegralcomponentofeachsubject’scurriculum.Pedagogyandassessmentareinseparableintheteachingandlearningprocess,asdevelopmentinonereciprocateschangeintheother.Assessmentforlearningpracticesareessentialteachingstrategiesthatinformteachersandlearnersaboutthecurrentlevelofunderstandingandskillacquisitionduringtheactualteachingphase,providingguidanceandfeedbackforsubsequentteaching.Summativeassessmentiscarriedoutattheendofaperiodoflearninganditspurposeistojudgewhatstandardthelearnerhasreached.ThefinalassessmentsinmanyCambridgequalificationsarehighstakesbecauseresultsinfluenceprogressionontothenextstageofeducationorhighereducation,andcanbeusedtomakeexternaljudgements(forexamplebyauniversity)ofthelearner’slevelofperformance.
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6 Clear and meaningful educational standards are essential to ensure accurate measurement of progress and
achievement and allow for international benchmarking and comparability.Educationalstandardsprovidethebasisfordefiningexpectationsforstudentlearning.Theycanalsobeusedtomonitortheprogressionofstudentlearningovertimeagainstadefinedsetofstandards.Educationalstandardsarereferencedtocriteriawhichrelatetotheobjectivesofstudents’learning–thisensuresthatstandardsareconsistentandcanbecomparedovertimeandlocation.Ourassessmentsinformschoolsandthelearnersthemselvesabouttheirdepthofunderstandingandtheiracquisitionofspecifiedsubjectskills.Assessmentofspecificandtransparenteducationalstandardsenablesthebenchmarkingoflearnerachievementonalocal(school),nationalandinternationalscale.Assessmentsareplannedanddesignedalongsidethecurriculumandwepayparticularattentiontoensurethatallassessmentsarevalid,reliable,fair,andoperatetothehighesttechnicalstandards.
7 The quality of teaching is a critical determining factor in learner development.
Teachersarethemostpowerfulinfluenceonstudentlearning.Theymakethecurriculumrealbytranslatinglearningandassessmentobjectives,syllabusaims,subjectcontentandschoolpolicyintomeaningfullearningexperiences.Inthefollowingchapter(Table2)thelearnerattributesapplytobothteachersandlearners,asteachersarerequiredtoexemplifytheprocessesandpracticesexpectedoflearners.
8 Reflective practice supported by professional development is an essential and continuous part of a teacher’s life.
Itfollowsthatsystematicteacherprofessionaldevelopment(PD)isoneofthemostimportantactivitiesinwhichschoolscanengagetoimprovestudentlearningandperformance.
WearecommittedtoprovidingarangeofPDopportunitiesandresources,reflectingthedifferentbackgroundsandlevelsofexperienceteachershave.ThesesupporttheteachingofCambridgeprogrammesandqualifications,thedevelopmentofpedagogicalskillsandhelping
teacherstobecomeconfident,responsible,reflective,innovativeandengaged.TherearealsonumerousotherexcellentPDoptionsthatteacherscanfollow.ProfessionaldevelopmentshouldnotbeconfinedtoCambridgeofferings,butdoesneedtobeconsistentwiththeprinciplesdescribedinthisguide.
OnepurposeofPDissupportingevidence-basedreflectivepracticeinday-to-dayteaching.Oneofthebestwaysofachievingthisisthroughteachersworkingcollaborativelyinprofessionallearningcommunities.Thesecommunitiescanbelocallybasedorcentredintheschoolandnetworksoflocalschools,buttheycanalsodrawonthewiderinternationalCambridgecommunity.TheCambridgecommunityisuniquelypowerfulinitsinclusionofdiverseschools,countriesandculturalcontexts,sharingthesameeducationalvaluesandprinciples.Digitalcommunicationssuchastheinternetletuseasily,efficientlyandeconomicallyshareexperiences,ideasandinitiativesacrossthecommunity,withourcommongoalofimprovingthequalityofteachingandlearning.
Providingopportunitiesforteacherstodeveloptheirprofessionalknowledgeandqualificationssignificantlybenefitstheteacherandtheschool,leadingtoimprovedstudentlearningandachievement.WewouldalsoencourageschoolleaderstosupportexperiencedandsuitableteachersinbecomingCambridgeteachertrainersandexaminers.Beinganexaminerortrainerisamosteffectivewayofdevelopingteachers’ownpractice,helpingtoimproveprofessionalpracticewithintheschoolaswellascontributingtotheinternationalCambridgecommunity.
9 The pedagogy required to enable learners to achieve their maximum performance using Cambridge curricula and
assessments is based on active learning. Goodteachingpracticeisnotsomethingthatcanbeuniversallyprescribed,andthereareimportantculturalandlocalinfluencesthatwillhelptodefinewhat‘good’means.Thereareawiderangeofstrategiesthatcanbeeffectiveintheclassroom,anditisdangerousandsimplistictoovergeneralise.Ontheotherhand,enablingstudentstodeveloptheactivelearningstylesdescribedinpoint2(page7)andexemplifiedin
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thelearnerattributes(Table2)requiresteacherstounderstand,acquire,developandincorporatesomeparticularpedagogicalstrategiesintotheirteachingpracticeaspartoftheirrepertoire.Theseareconsideredinthenextchapter.
10 Strong leadership is a necessary condition for school improvement and curriculum development.
Schoolleaderscontribute,inavarietyofways,tothedesignandsuccessfulimplementationoftheschoolcurriculum.Schoolsareacomplexwebofinterdependentparts,andresponsibilitiesofschoolleadershipincludegettingthebestoutofbothindividualsandthesystem,anddevelopingthesystemtobetterachievetheschool’smission.Excellentschoolleadershipinvolvescreatingtheconditionsnecessaryforteachers’potentialtoberealised.Teachersshouldthemselvesbeviewedasleaders.Theyleadintheclassroombymakingthecurriculumrealtolearnersandcreatingopportunitiesforstudentlearning.Teachers,asreflectivepractitioners,canalsoplayanimportantroleinschoolimprovementandbecomepositiveagentsofinstitutionalchange.
11 Curriculum development involves an ongoing process of evidence gathering and evaluation.
Schoolsasinstitutionsexistinaconstantstateofdevelopment,evolvingastheyrespondtochanginginternalneedsandexternallyimposedrequirements.Conductingregularreviewsoftheschoolcurriculum,andtheeffectivenessofitsimplementationanddelivery,shouldbeapriority.Suchreviewsarefundamentalelementsoftheannualschoolmanagementcycle–aprocessofgoalsetting,monitoring,evidencecollectingandevaluationleadingtoaffirmationorrefinementoftheschool’sstrategicplan.
11Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
2 Developing the Cambridge learner attributes
Thechallengesschoolsfaceinpreparingstudentsforthefuturearesignificant.InthewordsofAndreasSchleicher,OECDEducationDirectorate(2011):
“A generation ago, teachers could expect that what they taught would last their students a lifetime. Today, because of rapid economic and social change, schools have to prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, technologies that have not yet been invented and problems that we don’t yet know will arise.”
Aninternationalprojectconcernedwiththeassessmentandteachingof21stcenturyskills[Griffinetal2012]identifiesthechangesineducationalfocusneededtopreparelearnersforthemodernworld,underfourcategories:
• ways of thinking:includingcreativity,innovation,criticalthinking,problem-solving,decision-makingandlearninghowtolearn
• ways of working:includingnewformsofcollaborationandcommunication
• tools for working:includingdevelopinginformationliteracyandthecapacitytoharnessthepotentialofnewtechnologies
• skills for living in the world:involvingthedevelopmentoflocalandglobalawareness,andpersonalandsocialresponsibility.
Manyschoolswillwanttodeveloplearnerswhocombineadeepappreciationandunderstandingoftheirownculture,communityandnationwiththeattributesandskillsneededtobegloballearnerswho
caneffectivelyparticipateinthemoderninternationalworldandadapttouncertaintyandchange.Cambridgeintroducedthelearner/teacherattributes(Table2,page14),recognisingthatameaningfulcurriculumismorethanacollectionofdifferentsubjects.Learnersneedtodeveloptheacademicskills,lifeskillsandattitudesneededtobesuccessfulinhighereducationandintheworldofwork.Simplynamingdesirableattributeswillachievenothingifitdoesnotimpactonthecurriculumandhowitisdelivered.
The Cambridge teacherExcellentteachingisthemostsignificantcontributingfactorthatimpactsuponbothlearners’academicperformanceandthedevelopmentofthelearnerattributes.Successfulschoolsandsuccessfulschoolsystemsdevelopandnurturehighlyskilledteacherswhoareencouragedtobecreativeprofessionalsworkinginacollaborativeculture.
Itisimportanttostressthatthereisnosinglerecipeforexcellentteaching,andthatdifferentschools,operatingindifferentcountriesandcultures,willhavestrongtraditionsthatshouldberespected.Thereisagrowingconsensus,however,aboutsomeimportantpracticesandapproachesthatneedtobeadoptediflearnersaregoingtofulfiltheirpotentialandbepreparedformodernlife.
Understandingofanacademicdisciplinecannotbetransmittedfromonepersontoanother;itisalwaysconstructedinlearners’minds.Inordertodevelopalearner’sunderstandingofaconcepttheirexistingmental
Thischapterconsidersapproachesthatsupportthedevelopmentoflearnersandteacherswhoareconfident,responsible,reflective,innovativeandengaged.Cambridgesubjectcurriculaandassessmentspecificationsaredesignedwiththeseattributesinmind,buttheyneedtobesupportedbyteachersintheclassroom.Theyalsotranscendindividualsubjectsandneedtobedevelopedacrossthecurriculumandconsideredinrelationtothebroadercultureandenvironmentoftheschool.Thereisadangerthat,becausetheseattributesarenotassessedortaughtinthesamewayasdisciplinaryknowledgeandunderstanding,theyaregivenonlytacitrecognition.Itistheresponsibilityofschoolleadershiptoensurethatthisdoesnothappen.
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modelsmustbechallengedandextended.Teachershavetolistentothevoiceofthelearner,intheclassroomandasevidencedintheworktheyproduce,andengagewithittosupportlearningandhelpthelearnerdeveloptheirownunderstanding.Thisprocesshelpstodevelopindependentlearnersastheystarttomodeltheteacher’sapproach.Themosteffectivelearningenvironmentiscreatedwhenlearners’thinkingisbeingchallenged,andtheworkisextendingwhatthelearnerscouldachieveindependently–theroleoftheteacheristosupport(sometimesreferredtoas‘scaffold’)studentlearninginwhatVygotsky(1978)describedasthezoneofproximaldevelopment.
Asacollectionofpracticesandprinciplesthisapproachcouldbedescribedasactivelearning.ThedesignofCambridgesubjectcurriculaandassessmentsisbasedonthisunderstandingofthelearningprocesssothatlearners’abilitytocriticallyengagewiththematerialisexaminedthroughourassessments.
Teachersneedtoemployavarietyofteachingstrategiesintheclassroomandlistentothevoiceofthelearner.Assessmentforlearning,usinglearnerworktodiagnosepreciselytheircurrentlevelofunderstanding,becomescentraltotheteachingprocess.Formuchofthetimelearnersshouldbeactivelyengaged,whichinvolvesinteractionamonglearnersandwiththeteacher.Thiscanbeachievedthroughgroupworkandwhole-classinstruction,whichcanbeveryactiveifitinvolvesopendiscussionandlearnersrespondingandpresentingratherthantheteacherconstantlylecturing.Itisimportanttonotethatindividuallearningactivities,wherelearnershavetoworkinadisciplinedmannerontheirown,remaincritical,asdoesthelearningofrelevantfactualknowledgecontainedwithinsubjectcurricula.Activelearningrequiresteacherstousesubjectcontentinbroadways,creatingopportunitiesforlearnerstoenhancetheirownunderstandingandbuildingmeaningfullinksbetweenpriorandnewlyacquiredknowledgeandunderstanding.
Outstandingteachersareconfident,responsible,reflective,innovativeandengagedbecausethey:
1. Have mastery of their subject area.Theycanrelateconceptsandskillsinsuchawaythatstudentslearntounderstandandappreciatethenatureoftheacademicdisciplinetheyarestudying,andwhatconstitutesqualityandexcellenceforthedevelopmentalstagetheyareteaching.
2. Teach for understanding as well as coverage.Theyhavetheabilitytoengagewithlearners’ownmentalideasaboutthereallyimportantconcepts,andtakethemonajourneyofdiscovery.Theysupportthedevelopmentoflearners’understandingbyadoptingaspiralapproachinplanningactivitiestodevelopsubject-relatedskills.Thisapproachplansforlearnerstorevisitconceptsoveranextendedperiodoftimeandwithindifferentcontexts.Thisspirallingstrategyreinforceslearningandleadstodeeperlevelsofunderstanding.
3. Connect learning to the real world, other topics in the subject, other disciplines and the experience of learners.Learningismaderelevant.Teachersbuildconnectionsinlearnermindsbetweendifferentconceptsbothwithinthesubjectand,whererelevant,betweensubjects.
4. Scaffold learning.Buildinghigherlevelthoughtrequirespracticeandpatience.Teachersneedtoconstantlyworkintheproximalzoneofdevelopment.Theoptimallevelperformanceforalearneristhelevelthattheycanreachwhentheyreceiveexpertsupport,asdistinctfromthefunctionallevel,whichtheycanachieveindependently.Scaffoldinglearningsupportsclosingthisgap.Byconcentratingontheprocessesaswellastheproductsoflearning,studentsalsodevelopthecapabilityofraisingtheirownfunctionallevelandbecomemoreeffectiveatteachingthemselves.
5. Are able to model problem solving and consider themselves as mentors as much as teachers.Theyareconcernedwiththeholisticdevelopmentofthelearnerandunderstandthecriticalrole
13Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
2. Developing the Cambridge learner attributes
thatattitudes,emotionsandself-confidenceplayinlearning.Theycommunicatealoveoflearningandbelieveeverylearnercanachieve.
6. Understand, and can apply, assessment for different purposes. Theyhaveanexcellentgraspofsummativeassessmentpractices,buttheyalsounderstandhowtouseassessmenttosupportstudentlearning.Thisistheprocessofidentifyingwhatthelearnerhasorhasnotachievedinordertoplanthenextstepsinlearningandprovidescaffolding(point4above).
7. Use a variety of different teaching strategies and activities includingcollaborativegroupworkandcreativeassignmentsandactivities,aswellasoverseeingindividuallearning.
8. Are reflective and creative practitioners engaged in ongoing effective professional learning.
9. Are collaborative and supportive of their colleagues, the school and the school’s community.
Inpractice,teachinginvolvesconstantdecisionmakingaboutthebalancebetweendifferentapproachesandstrategies.Teachersconfrontedwithlargeclassesofusuallymixed-abilitylearnerswillneedtobalancewhole-classinstructionwithengagingeachlearneronanindividuallearningpath.Optimisingthisbalanceisnoteasyanddevelopswithexperience,supportedbyprofessionaldevelopment,andwillbeinfluencedbythecontextandcultureoftheschool.
14Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
2. Developing the Cambridge learner attributes
Cambridge learners Cambridge teachers
Confident inworkingwithinformationandideas–theirownandthose of others. Cambridgelearnersareconfident,secureintheirknowledge,unwillingtotakethingsforgrantedandreadytotakeintellectualrisks.Theyarekeentoexploreandevaluateideasandargumentsinastructured,criticalandanalyticalway.Theyareabletocommunicateanddefendviewsandopinionsaswellasrespectthoseofothers.
Confident inteachingtheirsubjectandengagingeachstudent inlearning.Cambridgeteachersknowtheirsubjectwellandknowhowtoteachit.Theyseektounderstandtheirlearnersandtheireducationalneeds.Theystrivetocommunicatealoveoflearningandtoencouragestudentstoengageactivelyintheirownlearning.
Responsible forthemselves,responsivetoandrespectful of others. Cambridgelearnerstakeownershipoftheirlearning,settargetsandinsistonintellectualintegrity.Theyarecollaborativeandsupportive.Theyunderstandthattheiractionshaveimpactsonothersandontheenvironment.Theyappreciatetheimportanceofculture,contextandcommunity.
Responsible forthemselves,responsivetoandrespectful of others.Cambridgeteachersarehighlyprofessionalintheirapproachtoteachingandtheyarecollaborativeandsupportive.Theyunderstandtheiractionswillhelpshapefuturegenerationsandtheyareconcernedabouttheholisticdevelopmentofeveryindividualtheyteach.
Reflective aslearners,developingtheirabilitytolearn.Cambridgelearnersunderstandthemselvesaslearners.Theyareconcernedwiththeprocessesaswellastheproductsoftheirlearninganddeveloptheawarenessandstrategiestobelifelonglearners.
Reflective aslearnersthemselves,developingtheirpractice.Cambridgeteachersarethemselveslearners,seekingtobuildonanddeveloptheirknowledgeandskillsthroughavirtuouscircleofreflectiononpractice–involvingresearch,evaluationandadaptation.Theysupportstudentstobecomeindependentandreflectivelearners.
Innovative andequippedfornewandfuturechallenges.Cambridgelearnerswelcomenewchallengesandmeetthemresourcefully,creativelyandimaginatively.Theyarecapableofapplyingtheirknowledgeandunderstandingtosolvenewandunfamiliarproblems.Theycanadaptflexiblytonewsituationsrequiringnewwaysofthinking.
Innovative andequippedfornewandfuturechallenges. Cambridgeteachersarecreative,experimentingwithnewideasandpursuinganenquiringapproachintheirteaching.Theyareopentonewchallenges,beingresourceful,imaginativeandflexible.Theyarealwaysreadytolearnandapplynewskillsandtechniques.
Engagedintellectuallyandsocially,readytomakeadifference.Cambridgelearnersarealivewithcuriosity,embodyaspiritofenquiryandwanttodigmoredeeply.Theyarekeentolearnnewskillsandarereceptivetonewideas.Theyworkwellindependentlybutalsowithothers.Theyareequippedtoparticipateconstructivelyinsocietyandtheeconomy–locally,nationally andglobally.
Engagedintellectually,professionallyandsocially,readytomake adifference. Cambridgeteachersarepassionateaboutlearningwithinandbeyondtheclassroom,sharingtheirknowledgeandskillswithteachersinthewidereducationalcommunity.
Table 2: The Cambridge learner and Cambridge teacher attributes
15Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
The Cambridge learnerThelearnerattributesareaspirationalandrepresentattitudes,backedbyskilledaction,whichbecomeeffectivehabitsinlearning.Asthesewerewrittenwiththegloballearnerinmind,theyareconsistentwithotherclassificationsoftheattributesof21stcenturylearnerswrittenindifferentcountriesbybotheducationauthoritiesandemployers,describingthecompetencieslearnersneedtodemonstratetobeeffectiveinthemodernworld.Theattributesarenotintendedtobeexhaustive.Schoolsmaywanttosupplementthemwithothersderivedfromtheschool’svision.Inorderforthelearnerattributestobecomemeaningful,oneoftherolesofschoolleaders(broadlydefined)istoengagethecommunitywiththem,helpingpeopleunderstandhowtheyrelatetothemissionoftheschoolandwhytheymatter.
Subjectcurriculaneedtobeviewedasmorethanjustasubsetofknowledgetobetaughtandassessedbyteachersandlearntbystudents.Thesubjectcurriculaarethebasisfortheteachingandlearningprogrammesfacilitatedbyteachers.Theseteachingprogrammescanbevehiclesthroughwhichthesewiderexpectationsforlearnersareexpressedanddelivered.Thecontentofthesubjectcurriculumisthemainsourcematerialfromwhichteacherscandeveloptheactivitiesthatmakeuptheirteachingprogrammes.Whenplanninglessons,teacherscanbuildinopportunitiesforstudentstoparticipateinlearningactivitiesandeventsthathelpgrowandadvancethedevelopmentoflearnerattributes–consistentwiththeactivelearningapproachdescribedintheprevioussection.
Thelearnerattributesapplyacrossthecurriculumandneedtobesupportedboththroughtheschool’scurriculumandco-curricularprogrammes.Itisimportant,whendesigningtheschoolcurriculum,toensureabreadthandbalanceofsubjectsandeducationalactivitiesthatcontributetocognitive,creativeandpsychomotordevelopment.Somesubjectslendthemselvesparticularlywelltocollaborativework,creativeexpressionanddevelopinglearnerresearchskills,whetherindividualorcollaborative(seeGlobalPerspectivessectiononpage18).Havingarichselectionofco-curricularactivitieswillprovidelearnerswithopportunitiestodeveloptheinter-andintra-personalskillsdescribedintheattributes.
Thevisionoftheschoolwillverymuchdeterminethefocusofthe co-curricularprogramme.
Theschool’senvironment,cultureandtheunacknowledgedlearningthatpermeatestheschool’scommunitybeyondtheclassroomwillalsohaveanimportantroleinnurturingtheseattributes,sotheyneedtobetheconcernofthewholeschoolcommunity.Whatisplannedandwhatactuallyhappens–theexperiencelearnersreceive–arenotalwaysthesame,andtherearelearningoutcomesandpracticesthatarenotacknowledged,butnonethelessexist,ineveryschool.Itisextremelyimportanttomonitorandevaluatetheexperiencedcurriculumtoseeifwhatlearnersactuallyexperiencecorrespondstowhatwasintended.Schoolevaluationproceduresinvolvinglearners,teachersandparentscanprovideinsightfulfeedback(seeChapter4).
Becoming a reflective learnerThereflectiveattributehighlightstheimportanceoflearnersunderstandingthemselvesaslearners.Theyareconcernedwiththeprocessesaswellastheproductsoftheirlearninganddeveloptheawarenessandstrategiestobelifelonglearners.
Whatarethecharacteristicsofreflectivelearners?They:
• constantlymonitorwhattheyaredoingandproduceappropriateresponses
• areeffectiveatplanningandmanagingtheirworkandperformanceandaccuratelyevaluatingtheirprogress
• understandthemselvesaslearnersandthenatureoftheknowledgetheyarelearning
• applytheirunderstandingtoperformance
• areabletothinkbothcriticallyandcreativelysoastoovercomebarrierstolearningandengagewithsubjectcontentdeeply
• learnfrommistakes
• areemotionallyresilientwhenconfrontedwithsetbacks
• areconfident,butnotarrogant,inworkingwithothersand sharingideas
2. Developing the Cambridge learner attributes
16Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
2. Developing the Cambridge learner attributes
• careaboutthelearningofothersandrealisethatlearningissocial andcollective
• takecalculatedrisks,understandingthatwelearnfrommistakes.
Becomingareflectivelearneralsorequiresbeingconfident,responsible,innovativeandengaged.Allthelearners’attributesareinterconnected.Whilemostschoolswouldagreethatlearninghowtobecomeareflectivelearneriscritical,manyassumethatlearnerswilldeveloptheseskillsautomatically,anditisnotconsideredpartofthecurriculum.Itisalsooftenthecasethatschools,schoolsystemsandteachersonlygivetacitrecognitiontothesemoregeneralcapabilitiesandthenconcentrateonwhattheyareheldaccountablefor.The‘backwash’effectfromwhatisassessedandwhatisprescribedinthecurriculummeansthatvitaleducationalaimscanremainunderdeveloped.Someschoolshavetriedtoteachlearning/reflective/studyskillsasanextracourse.Separateclassestendnottobeverysuccessfulbecauselearningskillsarebestdevelopedinthecontextofrealdisciplinarylearning.Allteachersshouldconsiderthemselvesasteachersandsupportersofthelearnerattributes.
Effectivelearnersunderstandthatlearningisanactiveprocessinvolvingquestioning,discoveryofbarriers,devisingstrategiestoovercomethebarriers,constantlyevaluatingprogressandchangingwhattheydoifitdoesnotwork.Lesseffectivelearnersoftenonlytakeapassiveapproach.Whentryingtorevise,forexample,theyreadandre-readbooksandtheirnotes,tryingtoabsorbthematerial.Thisisbasedonthefalseimagethatunderstandingcanbetransmittedfromatext(oraperson)tothememory.Activelearninghastobedeliberatelypractisedindifferentcontexts,andsupportedbytheschoolandindividualteacherswhounderstandandmodelthepracticesthemselves.Thiswillnothappenunlessitisemphasisedasacurriculumcompetenceandsupportedbystructuresandsystemsthatemphasise:
• makingtheprocessoflearninganobjectofreflectionforstudentsandteachersbyclearlyidentifyinglearningaimsandobjectivesineachsubjectthatsupportsitsdevelopment
• ongoingprofessionaldevelopmentforteachersandthecreationofprofessionallearningcommunitiesthatsupportteachingpractice
• thedevelopmentofconcepts(andthereforelanguage)thathelpindividualsunderstandanddescribethelearningprocesstheyaregoing through
• emphasisingaholisticunderstandingofeachacademicdiscipline,makingexplicitthehierarchyofasubject:Whatarethemostfundamentalconcepts?Howdotheyrelatetoeachother?
• assessingtheprocessesaswellastheproductsoflearning,andrequiringlearnerstodemonstratetheirunderstandingholisticallyinauthenticcontextsaswellasinexaminationsandtests
• focusingonassessmentforlearning,notjustassessmentoflearning,tohelpstudentsbecomeautonomous,abletoassessestheirownprogressandunderstandwhatconstitutesexcellenceinthatdiscipline
• encouraginglearnerstobereflective
• creatingaculturewherelearningisvaluedwithapositiveclassroomclimateandschoolenvironment
• supportiveco-curricularactivities.
Whilethelearnerattributesapplyacrossthecurriculum,itisalsotruethateachsubjecthassomethingimportanttosayabouteffectiveapproachestolearninginthecontextofthatdiscipline.Excellentteachershavealwaysunderstoodthisandhelpedlearnersdeveloptheirowngeneralcapabilitiesasscientists,historians,artists,mathematicians,andsoon.
Critical thinking, communication and collaborationEffectivelearnersneedtolearnhowtodealwiththevastrangeofinformationavailabletothem.Thisrequiresreflectingupon,andmakinginformedandreasonablejudgementsabout,theconcepts,ideas,evidenceandopinionsofothers.Criticalthinkingmayleadtolinesofenquiryinvolvingconceptualising,analysing,synthesising,applyingandevaluating.Itincludes:
• evaluatingoftenconflictinginformation
• testinginherentassumptions,thevalidityofargumentsorstandpoints
• givingwell-reasonedjudgements,conclusionsandsolutions.
17Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
2. Developing the Cambridge learner attributes
Studentsneedtolearntobecomegoodindependentandcollaborativecriticalthinkers.Cambridgeassessmentsaredesignedtotestdiscipline-basedhigherorderthinkingskills(dependingonthedevelopmentalstageofthelearner),socriticalthinkingisbuiltintosubjectcurriculaandassessmentsbydesign.Learnercollaborationduringclassworkisoftenassociatedwithproblem-solvingandcritical-thinkingactivities,andisaveryimportantteachingstrategy.Collaborationencourageslearnerstocontributetheirownideasandskills,andthereforepersonalisesthelearningexperience,makingitmoreinterestingandmorelikelytofullyengagethelearner.
Effectivecommunicationskillsmustworkcollaboratively.Communicationinvolvesbothverbalandwrittenforms,soopportunitiestodevelopbothshouldbebuiltintotheteachingandlearningprogramme.Classpresentationsareagoodwaytodevelopcommunicationskills,eitherindividuallyoraspartofasmallgroup.Theycanbeusedtosummarisefindingsfrominvestigationsorresearchprojects,andcanbringtogetheravarietyoflearningmaterials,resourcesandactivities.Presentationsandgroupactivitiesprovideopportunitiesforlearnerstogivefeedbacktoeachother.Gettinglearnerstoprovidefeedbackagainstsetcriteriacanhelptodevelophigh-levelcommunicationandreasoningskills,duetotheneedtojustifytheirdecisions,scoresorevaluations.
Information literacyBeingabletoeffectivelyuseICTresourcesisanotheressentialskillalllearnersneedtodevelop.Overthepastdecadetheuseofdigitaltechnologiesinclassroomshascontinuedtoexpand.Desktops,laptops,tabletsandsmartphonesarecommonlyusedforlearning,aseducatorsfindwaystoemploytoday’stechnologiesinschoolclassroomsacrossallsubjects.IncludingICT-basedresourcesandactivitiesinteachingprogrammescanbechallenging,butitisvitalfortoday’sgenerationoflearners–theyuseICTresourcestoaccess,process,evaluateandcommunicateinformationanddata.OurprogrammesandsubjectcriteriaencouragetheeffectiveuseofICTresourcestodeveloptheseessentialskills.WeofferprofessionalqualificationcoursesthatfocusontheuseofICTinclassrooms.Formoreinformationsee‘Workingwithus’,page44.
Holistic understanding and transferDesigningaschoolcurriculumisnormallyorganised,forgoodreason,aroundtheprovisionofabalanceofdifferentsubjectsappropriateforeachagegroup.Itisimportanttorealisethattherearemanyareasofoverlapbetweensubjects,andthattheschoolcurriculumshouldallowforstudentstodevelopamoreholisticunderstandingofthemselvesaslearners,andtoreflectonthesimilaritiesanddifferencesinherentindifferentsubjectapproaches.
Interdisciplinaryunderstandingisbestbuiltonadisciplinaryfoundation,otherwiseacademicrigourcanbecompromised.Learners,however,finditdifficulttoapplywhattheyhavelearntinonesubjectorsituationinschooltodifferentcontexts,bothacademicandpractical.Thisistheproblemoftransfer.Sincelearningtocopewithuncertaintyisso
18Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
2. Developing the Cambridge learner attributes
importantinthemodernworld,andmostofthechallengestheyouthoftodaywillfacewillrequireinterdisciplinaryunderstanding,itishighlydesirablethattheylearntoapplywhattheyhavelearnttonewcontexts.
Oneroleofteachersistohelplearnersmakeconnections,tohelpestablishlinksintheirmindsbetweenwhattheylearninonecontextandapplicationinanother.Theschoolcurriculumcanfacilitatethis.Thereisanimportantroleincurriculumplanningfortheprescriptionofactivities,coursesand/orqualificationsthatdrawonlearners’experiencesacrossthecurriculum,andrequirethemtoworkbothindividuallyandcollaborativelyonauthenticandsignificantquestions.Learnersneedtobechallenged,requiredtoproduceextendedwrittenworkandmakepresentationsontheirfindings,workingcollectivelyandindividuallyondifferentassignments.GlobalPerspectives(introducedbelow)isoneexampleofsuchaprogrammedeliberatelydesignedforthispurpose.
Someschoolsidentifyinterdisciplinarylinksinthecurriculum.Thismaybedoneinaninformalwaywithindividualteacherssharingtheirteachingplansinthestaffroom,orduringmeetingsscheduledforthispurpose.Onesimpleexampleofthiswouldbewherestudentshavelearnedsomestatisticalskillsinmathematics,andthegeographyteachermakesthemapplythisknowledgetotheirgeographycoursework,therebyreinforcingtheconcepts.Anotheroptionwhichcanraisetheprofileofinterdisciplinarylinksistousecurriculummappingsoftware(nowwidelyavailable)and/orhavecurriculumcoordinatorsexaminingthelearningacrossparticularagegroups,helpingtoidentifyandsupportmeaningfullinks.Thiscomplementstheworkofheadsofdepartmentwhoareresponsibleforverticalsubjectcurriculumcoherenceandconsistency.
Becauseoftheassessmentbackwasheffectreferredtoearlier,theseinterdisciplinaryactivitiesworkbestwhentheyarehighlyvaluedbyschoolsandeducationsystems,andsupportedbyteacherprofessionaldevelopment.Ideallythereneedstobeacurriculum‘space’builtaroundthem,whichallowstimeforstudentstopractiseandexplore,makemistakes,learnfromtheirteachermentorsandreflect.Toooftenthetendencyistomarginalisetheseactivitiesinasecondarycurriculumwhichisoverloadedwithcontent.
Cambridge Global PerspectivesCambridgeGlobalPerspectivesisaninterdisciplinaryprogramme,offeredatCambridgeIGCSE®,CambridgeInternationalASLevelandCambridgePre-Ulevels,whichfocusesonthenatureofargumentandevidence,encouragesunderstandingandrespectfortheperspectivesofothers,anddevelopsarangeofskillsneededtoparticipateeffectivelyinthemodernworld.
Studentslearntoappreciateavarietyofalternativeperspectivesonglobalissueswhereideasandinterestscompeteandtherearenoeasyanswers.Theylearnhowtoevaluatedifferentarguments,inparticulartheevidenceandreasoningusedtosupportthem,aswellasimprovethequalityoftheirownarguments.
Throughstudyingavarietyofauthenticandsignificantcasestudies,learnersbecomebetterinformedabouttheworldandbetterabletomakeinformedandsensitivejudgements.Theskillsofflexible,reflective,creativeandcriticalthinkingaredeveloped,andstudentslearnhowtoresearchissuesandarriveatwell-reasonedandevidenced-basedconclusions.Studentsalsolearntoworkcollaborativelywithothersandeffectivelycommunicateandcritiqueideassothattheybecome,insupportoftheCambridgelearnerattributes,moreconfident,responsible,reflective,innovativeandengaged.
GlobalPerspectivescanbetaughtasadiscretesubjectonitsown.OnealternativeoptionforschoolswhowouldreallyliketoemphasiseitssignificancewouldbetouseGlobalPerspectivesasthecurriculumcore.Thisplacesitattheheartoftheschoolcurriculumandemphasisesitsinterdisciplinarynature.Teachersofothersubjectswouldbemadeawareofitslearningandassessmentobjectivesand,whereapplicable,supportthemintheteachingoftheirownsubject.Learnerresearchandprojectworkwouldbecoordinated,withsubject-expertteachersactingasmentorsacrossthecurriculum.
®IGCSEistheregisteredtrademarkofCambridgeInternationalExaminations
19Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Cambridgeeducationalprogrammesandqualificationsaredeliberatelydesignedtobeflexiblesothattheycanbeusedbyschoolsandschoolsystemsinwaysthatbestmeetlocalneeds.
TheCambridgePrimaryandSecondary1programmesarestructuredcurriculumframeworksforanarrowrangeofsubjects(English,Englishasasecondlanguage,mathematicsandscience).Bytheirnaturetheyaredesignedtoprovidepartoftheschoolcurriculumanddeliberatelyrequireconsiderableteachercreativeinputtomakethemrelevanttothelocalcontext.CambridgeSecondary2buildsonthefoundationsof Secondary1andprovidesarangeofdifferentcoursesandqualificationsfromwhichschoolscanselect.Similarly,CambridgeAdvancedbuildsonSecondary2,offeringawidechoiceofcourses.ItispossibletoconstructtheentireschoolcurriculumaroundCambridgecoursesat Secondary1and2levelsifthisiswhataschooldecides.Alternatively,thesequalificationscanbecombinedwithotherlocalornationalonestoformablendedschoolcurriculum.Nomatterwhatoptiontheschooldecides,certaindesignprinciplesshouldberespected.
Balance Chapter1highlightedtheimportanceofderivingthecurriculumfromtheschool’smission,sothatitreflectsthevaluesandeducationalaimstheschoolwantstoachieve.Inonerespectcurriculumplanninginvolvesdesigninganeducationalprogrammebasedonaselectionofwhatthecommunitythattheschoolservesvaluesmost.Bydefinitionthisinvolves
prioritisationasthereareonlyalimitednumberofhoursintheschooldayanddaysintheschoolyear.
Itisalsoimportanttorecognisefromtheoutsetthatqualityisatleastasimportantasquantity.Schoolsareoftentemptedtoaddmoreandmorecontenttothecurriculumwiththenobleintentionofincludingasmuchvaluedlearningaspossible.Thedangerwiththisisthatthereisapotentialtrade-offbetweencoverageanddepthofunderstanding.Toomuchcoveragedoesnotallowtimefordepthofengagement.Thecurriculumalsoneedstoallowforabalanceofeducationalactivities.Chapter2exploredhowthelearnerattributescouldbenurturedthroughacurriculumwhichallowedteachersthespacetouseavarietyofteachingstrategiesdesignedtodeveloplearnerself-awareness,researchandenquiryskills.Thisrequirestime.
Allschoolswillhavetoengagewiththeissueofbalance,andthereisnosimpleanswertohowmuchorwhattoinclude.Societieshavedifferentexpectationsofschoolingandculturalnorms,sowhatmightbeconsideredanoverloadedcurriculuminonecontextwillnotbeinanother.Equally,whenaschoolchoosestocreateablendedcurriculum,combiningnationalcurriculawithCambridgequalifications,theywillneedtomaketheirowninformedjudgementabouttheoptimumbalanceandcurriculumload.
ThischapterfocusesonissuesthatneedtobeconsideredtosuccessfullydesignandimplementaschoolcurriculumusingCambridgeprogrammesandqualifications.ItisrelevantincaseswhereschoolsarebasingtheirwholeschoolcurriculumonCambridgecourses,andinthoseinstanceswhereschoolsarecombiningCambridgecourseswithothernationalorinternationalqualifications.ModelsofhowCambridgeprogrammescanbeusedtosupportthedevelopmentofbilingualismareintroduced.ThestructureofCambridgeprogrammesandqualificationsisreviewed.Thepracticalimplicationsofintroducingacurriculum,suchastimetabling,arebrieflyconsidered.
Designing the school curriculum3
20Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Coherence and consistencyThecurriculumshouldbemorethanthesumofitsparts.Itshouldfittogetherinawaythatmakessenseforthedevelopmentalstagethelearnerisat.Abalancedandcoherentcurriculumusuallyprovidesawiderangeofdifferentandcomplementarylearningexperiencesthatfitwelltogether,particularlyiftheaimistodevelopwell-roundedcitizens.Whiletheremayinevitablybeanarrowingofthecurriculumatthetopendofsecondaryschool,toallowforlearnerstogainthedepthofknowledgeandunderstandingneededforhighereducation,theschoolcurriculum(supportedbytheco-curriculum)shouldstillrecognisetheschool’sbroadermissionandeducationalaims.
Anexcellentschoolcurriculumfitstogetherinsuchawaythatthecontent,teachingapproaches,assessmentpracticesandthecultureinwhichitisembeddedareinharmonyandsupporteachother.Chapter2brieflyconsideredhowitispossibletoaligndisciplinaryteachinginawaythatcansupportinterdisciplinarytransferandunderstanding.Thisisonegoodexampleofcoherenceinpractice.
Consistencyisconcernedwithprogressionfromonestagetothenext.Dothedifferentstagesalign?Arelearnersappropriatelypreparedandchallengedateachstage?Itisreasonabletoexpectchangesinemphasisandapproachaslearnersbecomemoremature?Consistencydoesnotmeanthatthecurriculumwillstaythesame,butitisimportantthatthechangesareplannedratherthanunintentional.
Examiningtheschoolcurriculumhorizontallyandvertically,intermsofboththewrittencurriculumandevidenceofwhatstudentsactuallylearn,isanimportantpartoftheevaluationprocessconsideredinthenextchapter.ItalsoinformsondecisionsaboutwhichCambridgecoursestoincludeandwhetherornottocombinethemwithothers.
Combining Cambridge programmes with other national or international programmesIfaschooldecidestocombineCambridgequalificationswithotherlocalornationalonestoformablendedschoolcurriculum,issuesofbalance,coherenceandconsistencyareparticularlyimportanttoconsider.Ideally
theschoolcurriculumshouldformacomplementarywholeratherthantwoseparatecurriculaoperatingsidebyside.Wheretherearedifferencesinapproachtheseneedtobeunderstoodandplanned.Asfaraspossibleitisbetterforteachingandassessmentmethodologiesforbothsystemstobecompatibleandmutuallysupportive.
Runningadualprogrammecancreateperiodsofexcessiveworkloadandhighlevelsofstressforbothlearnersandteachers.Theleadershipteamshouldsupportteachersandlearnersbyconsideringthesefactorsinthecurriculumdesignandtimetablingprocess,andensurethattheprogrammesareappropriatelyresourced.
Curriculum models for bilingual and multilingual schoolsAsourassessmentsareinEnglish,itiscommonforschoolstouseCambridgeprogrammesandqualificationsfortheEnglish-medium(second-language)strandofabilingual(ortrilingual)educationprogramme,andtousetheirownnational(orregional)curriculumandqualificationsforthefirst-languagestrandoftheprogramme.
Therearemanywaysoforganisingbilingualeducation,dependingonindividualcontexts(e.g.resources,environment,languageskills,goals).Therecanbedifferentbalancesoffirstlanguageandsecondlanguageatdifferentstages,startingwiththefirstlanguage,orstartingwiththesecondlanguage,orstartingwithbothlanguagesasmediaofinstruction.Acurriculummodelisbasedonhowmanysubjectsaretaughtandlearntthrougheachlanguageandoverhowmuchtime.
Forexample,someschools:
• begininasmallwaybyteachingonemoduleorprojectinEnglish(shortterm,lowintensity)
• preparelearnersbyimmersingtheminEnglishforashortperiod– e.g.throughoverseasstudentexchanges,orbyteachingallcurriculumsubjectsinEnglishforoneschoolterm(shortterm,highintensity)
• teachoneortwocontentsubjectsinEnglishoverseveralyears(longterm,lowintensity)
• teachasubstantialpartofthecurriculuminEnglishoverseveralyears(longterm,highintensity).
3. Designing the school curriculum
21Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
3. Designing the school curriculum
FundamentaltoalltheseapproachesisdevelopingtheabilityofteacherstoteachtheircontentthroughthemediumofEnglish.Contentandlanguageintegratedlearning(CLIL)isarecommendedmethodologytosupportthisprocess,sothatstudentsaresupportedinlearningthelanguagetheyneedtoachieveintheirsubjects.Along-termtrainingstrategywouldalsoallowlocalteacherstobuilduptheirsecondlanguageskillstoenablethemtodeliverlessonsinEnglish.
LearnersalsoneedtodevelopsufficientEnglishlanguageskillsbeforetakinghigh-stakesCambridgeIGCSEandCambridgeInternationalALevelexaminationsintheCambridgeSecondary2andAdvancedprogrammes.TheCambridgePrimaryandSecondary1programmeshelppreparebilinguallearners,andenableteacherstoassesstheirprogressandgivefeedbackontheirstrengthsandweaknessesinthecoresubjectsofEnglish,mathsandscience.
Inaddition,bilingualeducationoftenhastomeettheneedsoftwocurricula–anational(orregional)curriculumandaninternationalcurriculum.Insuchcases,howwilllearningbeorganised?
Usingthisapproach,learnersstudysomesubjectsaspartofthenationalcurriculumandothersubjectsaspartofaninternationalcurriculum.Inthiswaytheproblemofdoubletimetablingisavoided.Thismodelisonlyfeasibleifequalofficialrecognitionisgiventothequalificationstakeninbothcurricula.
Usingthisapproach,learnersstudyselectedsubjectsinboththefirstlanguageandinEnglish,whichcouldleadtoawardingbothnationalandCambridgequalifications.Theremainingsubjectsarestudiedinthefirstlanguage.Thecommonsubjects(DEF)couldbetaughtusing:
• An integrated curriculum.BothnationalandCambridgecurriculaforasubjectaremappedtoidentifyareasofoverlapanddifference,andarethencovered:
– Inthesameclassbyabilingualteacherortwoteam-teachers.Thisway,thesameteachingandlearningcanenablelearnerstotaketwoqualifications:thenationalqualificationinthefirstlanguageandtheCambridgequalificationinEnglish.
– Byrotatingclasses/weeks/topics/terms/yearsbetweenthefirstlanguageandEnglish.Sometimes,thelearningisrotatedorsandwichedoverseveralyears.Inthisway,learningstartsintheearlyyearswiththenationalcurriculumthroughthefirstlanguage,thenswitchesforaperiodofyearstotheCambridgecurriculum,whenthis‘learninginEnglish’periodallowsstudentstoworktowardsinternationalqualifications,beforereturningtonationalcurriculumprioritiesinthefinalyears.
Anintegratedcurriculummeansthatthelearningisstreamlinedforthebenefitofthelearner–thelearnerjustgoestoonetimetabledclassforasubject.However,thisdoesrequirecurriculummapping,planningandteachercoordination.
Approach B: Shared subject curriculum
Approach A: Split curriculum
22Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
• Two separate curricula.ThenationalandCambridgecurriculaforasubjectarecoveredinseparateclassesandlanguages,withnomappingofareasofoverlap/difference.
Ifthecurriculaareseparate,thenthelearnerisprobablyawarethattheyaregoingtoanationalcurriculumclassandthentoaseparateCambridge(e.g.IGCSE)class.Also,someofthelearningmaybeduplicated.However,thismaybeeasierfortheschooltoorganiseifitishardtomapthetwocurricula,ifthereisnotsufficientcommonalitybetweenthetwocurricula,orifthereisalanguagebarrierwhichpreventsteacherscoordinatingtoproduceandteachasingle,integratedcurriculum.
LearnersinallCambridgeschoolsneedtobeabletocompletetheirstudiesandundertakeassessmentsinsubjectsthroughthemediumofEnglish.WhilethiscanpresentparticularchallengesforlearnerswithEnglishasasecondlanguage,thereareeducationaladvantagesinsupportinglanguagedevelopmentandbilingualism.Notonlyarelearnersbetterpreparedforparticipationinthemodernglobalworld,bilingualismalsohelpssupportindividualcognitivedevelopment.Evenifyouarenotrunningabilingualeducationprogramme,thereareotherwaysofdeveloping‘languageawareness’ininternationalEnglish-mediumschoolsinordertohelpsupportbi/multilingualism.
Aneffectivelanguagepolicycanhelptoachievethis.Wearecommittedtosupportingschoolstodevelopandimplementstrategiestosuccessfullysupportstudentsinmultilingualsettings,andtouseCLIL(seeourwebsitewww.cie.org.uk/bilingualforfurtherinformation).WearealsocommittedtoensuringthatourassessmentsarefairtolearnerswhodonothaveEnglishasafirstlanguage.
The English language componentForlearnershopingtogainentryintouniversitiesinEnglish-speakingcountries,theEnglishlanguagecomponentoftheirlearningprogrammeisreallyimportant.Universitiessettheirownadmissioncriteriaforcourses,whichareusuallyavailableontheirwebsites.FormanyuniversitiesagoodgradeinaCambridgeIGCSEEnglishcoursesatisfiestheiradmissioncriteria.
WeofferanumberofEnglishlanguagecoursesthroughourinternationalprogrammes.Whendecidingwhichcoursetoincludeinyourcurriculum,makesureyouunderstandtherequirementsofthesecourses,includingtheassessmenttasksforeachoptionandanyexaminationrestrictionsorlimitationsthatmayapply.ThisinformationisavailableintherelevantsyllabusesandintheguidancematerialswesendtoCambridge examsofficers.
Cambridge English language qualifications
WeprovidetwopossiblewaysforlearnerstoachievetheEnglishlanguageadmissionrequirementsforuniversitiesandotherhigherlearninginstitutions.
Cambridge English language routeLearnerswhohavehigherEnglishspeakingandwritingcapabilitiescanachievetheirEnglishqualificationsthroughoneofseveralpossiblepathways(seediagramonthenextpage).YoucanalsooffertheCambridgeSecondary1EnglishcoursetoprepareyourlearnersforoneoftheEnglishoptions.ThecourseisassessedthroughtheCambridgeCheckpointtests.
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23Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
3. Designing the school curriculum
Cambridge Secondary 1
Cambridge Secondary 2 Cambridge Advanced
Cambridge Checkpoint
Cambridge IGCSE courses (2 options) Cambridge International AS Level courses (3 options) International A Level course (1 option)
English
Cambridge English Language Assessment
Cambridge English: Preliminary for Schools (PET for Schools)
English as a second language
0500/0522 English First Language
and/or
0486 English Literature 9695 Literature in English
8693 English Language
8695 Language & Literature in English
9695 Literature in English
Main progression pathways
Cambridge Primary
English
English as a second language
Cambridge Checkpoint
Cambridge English Language Assessment
Cambridge English: Key for Schools (KET for Schools)
Cambridge English Language Assessment routeOursisterorganisation,CambridgeEnglishLanguageAssessment(formerlyknownasCambridgeESOL),offersqualificationsacceptedbymanyuniversities,employersandgovernments,suchasCambridge English: Advanced (CAE). These qualificationsareinternationallyacceptedasanin-depthtestofEnglishlanguage.IncombinationwiththeCambridgeSecondary1EnglishasasecondlanguagecourseyoucandeliverafullprogrammeofEnglishlanguagelearningwithintheschoolcurriculum.Makesureyouarefullyawareoftheadmissionrequirementsfortheuniversitiesandinstitutionsyourlearnersmaywanttoattend.
Alternative progression pathways
Cambridge Secondary 1
Cambridge Secondary 2 Cambridge Advanced
Cambridge IGCSE courses (2 options) Cambridge International AS Level courses (3 options)
English
Cambridge English Language Assessment
Cambridge English: Preliminary for Schools (PET for Schools)
English as a second language
and/or
0500/0522 English First Language
0486 English Literature 8693 English Language
9695 Literature in English
8695 Language & Literature in English
Cambridge Primary
English
English as a second language
Cambridge Checkpoint
Cambridge Checkpoint
Cambridge English Language Assessment
Cambridge English: Key for Schools (KET)
24Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
*Agerangesareforguidanceonly
Other subjects with alternative coursesApartfromEnglishlanguage,wehaveanumberofotherCambridgeSecondary2subjectsthathavealternativecourses(detailedattheendofthedocumentonpage58).Thisflexibilityhelpsyouidentifyandselectspecificcoursestomeetyourteachingrequirements.
Someofouralternativesubjectcourseshaveparticularrestrictions(barredcombinations)whenitcomestotheexams.Forexample,learnerscannottakeCambridgeIGCSEMathematicsandCambridgeIGCSEInternationalMathematicsinthesameexamseries.Theserestrictionsdonotmeanyoucannotofferbothcourses;onlythatyourlearnerscannotundertaketheexamsorassociatedassessmentsofthe‘barredcombinations’inthesameexaminationseries.
Cambridge programmes and qualificationsThissectionprovidesanoverviewofthestructureandnatureofCambridgeprogrammesandqualifications.Youcanfindmorespecificinformation,includingalistofallthecoursesavailableateachstage,inthe Cambridge Prospectusavailableonourwebsitewww.cie.org.uk
Cambridgeprogrammesandqualificationshavefourstages,whichleadseamlesslyfromprimarythroughtosecondaryandpre-universityyears.
Theprogrammescanbeimplementedtogetherorseparately,i.e.as‘stand-alone’programmes.Collectively,theyaredesignedtoprovideasequentialprogrammeoflearningfromprimarythroughtotheendofsecondaryeducation.Eachprogrammebuildsupontheprevious,andpreparesforthenext,revealingaprogressiveandstagedapproachtodevelopingknowledge,conceptualunderstanding,skillsandattitudes.
AnotherdesignfeatureofallCambridgeprogrammesisthattheyareintendedtobeadaptedtothelocalcontext.Teacherswillcreateauniqueprogrammeofstudywhichisbasedonourprogrammesandadapted,wheremeaningful,toincludelocalcontentandcasestudies.Thiswillenhancethequalityofteachingandlearning,andensurethatthecurriculumreflectsnationalcultureandheritage.ThereforeitisimportanttodistinguishthewrittenCambridgeprogrammes,definedinourdocumentationandsyllabuses,fromthetaughtcurriculumintheschool,representingthelocalexpressionofourprogrammes.
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25Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
3. Designing the school curriculum
Cambridge programme Subjects Assessment
Cambridge Primary
Typicallyfor5to11yearolds,itisstructuredthroughcurriculumframeworksandorganisedintosixstages.Thecurriculumframeworksreflecttheteachingtargetsforeachyeargroupandprovidecomprehensivelearningobjectives.Thelearningobjectivesprovideastructureforteachingandlearningandareferenceagainstwhichlearners’abilityandunderstandingcanbechecked.
Nopartofthecurriculumiscompulsory,soschoolscanselecttheelementsthatarerightfortheirlearners.
Developstheskills,knowledgeandunderstandingthatwillpreparelearnersforasmoothtransitiontoCambridgeSecondary1.
Asix-stageprogrammethatprovidescurriculumframeworksandassessmentforeachofthefollowingsubjects:
• English
• Englishasasecondlanguage
• mathematics
• science.
Eachstagereflectstheteachingtargetsforayeargroup.
Thecurriculumframeworksaredividedintocontentareascalled‘strands’.Mathematicsforexamplehasfivestrands:
• Number
• Geometry
• Measure
• Handlingdata
• Problemsolving.
Anoptionaltestingstructurewithassessmentsthatprovideaninternationalbenchmarkenablingteachersto:
• identifylearnerstrengthsandweaknesseswithinindividualsandclassgroups
• developfurtherteachingandlearningsupportusingtheinformationfrom the test results
• providelearnerswithastatementofachievement(iftheychoosetodoCambridgePrimaryCheckpoint)attheendoftheirprimaryschooling.
Cambridge Primary Progression Tests:Fromstage3ofthecurriculum.Canbegivenwhentheteacherfeelstheclassisready.Markedbytheteachersinschool.
Cambridge Progress Checker:AnanalysistoolfortheCambridgePrimaryProgressionTests.Thisallowsyoutocomparealearner’sresultsagainsttheirclass,schoolorotherschoolsaroundtheworldteachingCambridgePrimary.
Cambridge Primary Checkpoint:DiagnostictestsforEnglish,mathematicsandscience,takenattheendoftheprogramme.Providescomprehensivefeedbackonthestrengthsandweaknessesofeachlearner.
Table 3: Cambridge programmes (Note: More detail, including every subject syllabus, can be found on our website www.cie.org.uk)
Continuedonnextpage.
26Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
3. Designing the school curriculum
Typicallyfor11to14yearolds,itisstructuredthroughcurriculumframeworksandorganisedintothreestages.Thecurriculumframeworksreflecttheteachingtargetsforeachyeargroupandprovidecomprehensivelearningobjectives.Thelearningobjectivesprovideastructureforteachingandlearningandareferenceagainstwhichlearners’abilityandunderstandingcanbechecked.
Nopartofthecurriculumiscompulsory,soschoolscanselecttheelementsthatarerightfortheirlearners.
Developstheskills,knowledgeandunderstandingthatwillpreparelearnersforasmoothtransitiontoCambridgeSecondary2.
Athree-stageprogrammewhichprovidescurriculumframeworksandassessmentforeachofthefollowingsubjects:
• English
• Englishasasecondlanguage
• mathematics
• science.
Eachstagereflectstheteachingtargetsforayeargroup.
Thecurriculumframeworksaredividedintocontentareascalled‘strands’.Mathematicsforexamplehasfourstrands:
• Number
• Algebra
• Geometryandmeasure
• Handlingdata.
Anoptionaltestingstructurewithassessmentsthatprovideaninternationalbenchmarkenablingteachersto:
• identifylearnerstrengthsandweaknesseswithinindividualsandclassgroups
• developfurtherteachingandlearningsupportusingtheinformationfromthetestresults
• providelearnerswithastatementofachievement(iftheychoosetodoCambridgeCheckpoint)attheendoftheirlowersecondaryschooling.
Cambridge Secondary 1 Progression Tests:Foreachstageofthecurriculumframeworks.Canbegivenwhentheteacherfeelstheclassisready.Markedbytheteachersinschool.
Cambridge Progress Checker:AnanalysistoolfortheCambridgeProgressionTests.Thisallowsyoutocomparealearner’sresultsagainsttheirclass,schoolorotherschoolsaroundtheworldteachingCambridgeSecondary1.
Cambridge Checkpoint:DiagnostictestsforEnglish,mathematicsandsciencetakenattheendoftheprogramme.Providescomprehensivefeedbackonthestrengthsandweaknessesofeachlearner.
Cambridge Secondary 2
Typicallyforlearnersaged14to16,itbuildsonthefoundationsofCambridgeSecondary1.Thesyllabusesforqualificationswithinthisprogrammeuselearner-centredandenquiry-basedapproachestolearning.Theydescribetheknowledge,understandingandskillslearnerswilldevelopandexplainhowthesewillbeassessed.
CambridgeSecondary2providesexcellentprogressiontothenextstageofaCambridgeinternationaleducation–CambridgeAdvancedfor16to19years–aswellasotherprogressionroutes.
Aone-ortwo-yearprogrammeofferingover70subjectsforCambridgeIGCSE,includingmorethan30languagecourses,andmorethan40subjectsforCambridgeOLevel.
Schoolscanofferanycombinationofsubjects.Eachsubjectiscertificatedseparately.
Cambridge IGCSE:Assessmenttakesplaceattheendofthecourse.Thereisarangeofassessmentoptions,includingwritten,oral,courseworkandpracticalassessment.Manysubjectsofferatieredstructurefordifferentabilitylevels.Gradesarebenchmarkedusingeightinternationallyrecognisedgrades,whichhaveclearguidelinestoexplainthestandardofachievement.
Cambridge O Level:Assessmentstakeplaceattheendofthecourse.Thereisarangeofassessmentoptions,includingwritten,practicalandoralassessment.Gradesarebenchmarkedusingsixinternationallyrecognisedgrades.
CambridgeOLevelsarenolongeravailabletoschoolsinadministrativezones1,2and6.Formoreinformationonadministrativezones,gotowww.cie.org.uk/helpandtype‘administrativezone’intothesearchfield.
Cambridge programme Subjects Assessment
Cambridge Secondary 1
Continuedonnextpage.
27Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Cambridge Primary and Cambridge Secondary 1BothCambridgePrimaryandCambridgeSecondary1programmesprovideacorecurriculumofthreesubjectareas,leavingplentyofsubjectchoicestofurtherbroadenthecurriculum.Studyingallofthesubjectsisnotcompulsoryandtheycanbeintegratedintoalocalornationalcurriculum.Theassessmentstructureforeachprogrammeisalsooptional,givingyoutheflexibilitytodecidehowandwhenyouwanttoassessyourlearners.Weproduceateacherguideforeachsubjectcurriculumarea,whichbringstogetherschemesofwork,samplelessonplans,planningandimplementationguidance.Therearealsodetailedschemesofworkwithsuggestionsforactivities,resourcesandtimingsforeachlearningobjectivewithinthecurriculumframeworks.
ForCambridgePrimaryandCambridgeSecondary1,theemphasisofassessmentisonsupportingstudentlearningandbenchmarking.CambridgePrimaryCheckpointandCambridgeCheckpoint–diagnostictestsattheendofbothprogrammes–arealsorecordedbystatementsofachievementanddetailedfeedbackreportsforboththelearnerand the school.
Cambridge Secondary 2TheCambridgeSecondary2programmehasanextensiverangeofsubjectsavailableatCambridgeIGCSEorCambridgeOLevel,allowingyoutodesignabroadandbalancedcurriculum,oramorespecialisedone,dependingonyoureducationalaims.Someschoolsoptforaspecialisedprogrammewithanumberofcompulsorysubjectsandonly
3. Designing the school curriculum
Typicallyfor16to19yearolds,ithelpslearnerstodevelopdeepunderstanding,andindependentlearningandcriticalthinkingskills,whichuniversitiesvaluehighly.ItbuildsonthefoundationsofCambridgeSecondary2andleadstoentrytouniversitiesworldwide.
Offersachoiceofover80differentsubjects:55forCambridgeInternationalALeveland28forCambridgePre-U.
Schoolscanofferalmostanycombinationofthewidechoiceofsubjectsavailable.
Learnersreceiveacertificatedgradeforeachsubjecttheytake.
Cambridge International AS and A Levels:Usearangeofassessmentoptions,includingastagedassessmentroute.Thereareawiderangeofoptionsincludingformalwrittenexaminations,orals,practicals,projectsandcoursework.Gradesarebenchmarkedusingsixinternationallyrecognisedgrades.
Cambridge Pre-U:AssessmentofCambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjectsisattheendofthetwo-yearcourse.Thereisarangeofninegrades,includinganextendedgraderangeatthetoptorecogniseoutstandingachievement.ThereistheoptiontoqualifyfortheCambridgePre-UDiplomaforlearnerstakingthreePrincipalSubjectsandCambridgePre-UGlobalPerspectivesandResearch.CambridgePre-UShortCoursesareavailableinsomesubjects.Thesearetypicallyone-yearcourses,withexamstakenattheend.
CambridgePre-UGlobalPerspectivesandResearchhelpsdevelopindependentthinking,researchandcommunicationskills.Itisexaminedthroughanexternallyassessedwrittenpaper,essay andpresentation.
AtthemomentschoolsoutsidetheUKneedourapprovalbeforetheycanofferCambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjects.
Cambridge programme Subjects Assessment
Cambridge Advanced
28Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
3. Designing the school curriculum
afew(orevenno)learnerelectives.Othersgivelearnersmorechoice.Decisionsaboutofferingchoiceneedtobebalancedagainstthecostofresourcingthecurriculum.Thenumberofstaffneededtoteachtheschoolcurriculum,andthenumberandtypeofnecessaryspecialistfacilities,arelikelytobegreaterthemorecoursesareoffered.
CambridgeIGCSEandCambridgeOLevelcanbestudiedoveroneortwoyears.Inmostschoolslearnersstudyupto10subjects,andveryoccasionallymore,overaperiodoftwoyears.Inothers,learnersstudyareducednumberofsubjects,typicallyaboutsix,overasingleyear.ReducingtheCambridgeSecondary2programmetoaone-yearperiodhasadirectinfluenceonthebalanceofthecurriculum,asthecurriculumwillbenarrowerforanyindividuallearnerstudyingfewersubjects.Someschoolsallowveryablelearnerstostudyforexamsinselectedsubjectsayearearlier.
SomeCambridgeIGCSEsubjectsoffertwostudyoptions.Thesearereferredtoas‘core’and‘supplement’curriculumoptions.Thesupplementarycurriculumcanbestudiedinadditiontothecorecurriculum.Thisprovidesanopportunitytostudythesubjectinmoredepthandexperiencewidercoverageofthecontentwithinadditionallearningcontexts.
What is a Cambridge IGCSE?IGCSEstandsforInternationalGeneralCertificateofSecondaryEducation.Over70subjectsareavailable,includingmorethan30languagecourses,offeringavarietyofroutesforlearnersofdifferentabilities.Schoolscanofferanycombinationofsubjectsandeachsubjectiscertificatedseparately.
• ACambridgeIGCSEistheformalrecognitionofalearner’sachievementattheendofaparticularsubjectcourse.Thecontentofthecourseisbasedonaninternationalcurriculumdevelopedfor14to16yearolds(althoughitcanbestudiedbyyoungerorolderlearners).
• Thecontentofeachcourseiscreatedtosuitawidevarietyofschoolsandavoidculturalbias.Itencourageslearner-centredandenquiry-basedapproachestolearning.Ithelpstodevelopcreativethinking,enquiryandproblem-solvingskills.
• Eachqualificationismadeupofanumberofassessments(calledcomponents),themajorityofwhichtakeplaceattheendofthecourse.Themethodsofassessmentincludewrittenpapers,orals,courseworkandpracticals.
• Learnershavetopassaparticularcombinationoftheseassessmentstoachievethequalification.Themajorityofsyllabusesofferlearnersandteachersdifferentassessmentoptionsthroughwhichtoachievethequalification.Thisbroadensopportunitiesforstudentstodemonstratetheirlearning,particularlywhentheirfirstlanguageis not English.
• IntheUKCambridgeIGCSEisacceptedasanequivalenttotheGCSE.
• CambridgeIGCSEassessmentstandardsarealignedtothoseoftheUKGCSEandareequivalentonasubject-for-subject,grade-for-gradebasis.ThegradesawardedareA*toG,withA*beingthehighest,andaredesignedtocoverawideabilityrange.
• ThemaindifferencesbetweenCambridgeIGCSEandGCSEsareinthesyllabuscontentandmethodsofassessment:
29Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
• MostIGCSEsubjectshaveanoptionalcourseworkelement,whereaswithmanyGCSEsubjectsitiscompulsory.
• ThecontentofIGCSEsubjectsistailoredtothemulticultural,multilingualaudiencetheyserve,inawaytheGCSEisnot.
• CambridgeIGCSEsubjectsarelinear.Subjectunderstandingofthewholecourseisassessed;itisnotbrokendownintomodules.
What is a Cambridge O Level?OLevelstandsforOrdinaryLevel,andisaninternationallyrecognisedqualificationequivalenttotheUKGeneralCertificateofSecondaryEducation(GCSE)andCambridgeIGCSE.Over50subjectsareavailabletoschools,exceptthoseinadministrativezones1,2and6.
• ACambridgeOLevelistheformalrecognitionofalearner’sachievementattheendofaparticularsubjectcourse.Thecontentofthecourseisbasedonaninternationalcurriculumdevelopedfor14to16yearolds(althoughitcanbestudiedbyyoungerorolderlearners).
• Thequalificationsweredevelopedfromtheacademicallyfocused OLevelintroducedintheUKinthe1950sandeventuallyreplacedby theGCSE.
• ThecontentofeachCambridgeOLevelsyllabusisdesignedespeciallyforaninternationalmarket,andissensitivetotheneedsofdifferent countries.
• Eachqualificationismadeupofanumberofassessments(calledcomponents),themajorityofwhichtakeplaceattheendofthecourse.Themethodsofassessmentincludewrittenpapers,orals andpracticals.
• Learnershavetopassaparticularcombinationoftheseassessmentstoachievethequalification.Someofthesyllabusesofferlearnersandteachersdifferentassessmentoptionsthroughwhichtoachievethequalification.Thisbroadensopportunitiesforstudentstodemonstratetheirlearning,particularlywhentheirfirstlanguageisnotEnglish.
• IntheUK,CambridgeOLevelisacceptedasanequivalentto theGCSE.
• CambridgeOLevelassessmentstandardsarealignedtothoseoftheGCSE,andareequivalentonasubject-for-subject,grade-for-gradebasis.ThegradesawardedareA*toE,withA*beingthehighest.
ThemaindifferencebetweenCambridgeOLevelandGCSEandCambridgeIGCSEisthegraderange:OLevelsaregradedonanA*toEscale,whileCambridgeIGCSEsareonanA*toGscale,soprovidingforaslightlywiderabilityrange.SyllabuscontentandassessmentsaregenerallyverysimilarforCambridgeOLevelandCambridgeIGCSE,althoughinmanysubjectstheassessmentmodelatCambridgeIGCSEadditionallyincludescourseworkoptions.
Cambridge AdvancedBythetimelearnersbeginstudyingtheCambridgeAdvancedprogrammetheyarelikelytowanttoaccessmorespecialisedprogrammesofstudydependingupontheircurrentinterests,ambitionsforhigherlearningandpotentialcareerpaths.However,itisstillpossibletostudyawiderangeofdifferentsubjectsatthislevel,creatingabroadprogrammeofstudy,andtheco-curricularprogrammecanaddbreathandbalancetotheeducationalexperience.
What are Cambridge International AS and A Level?• ALevelstandsforAdvancedLevelandASLevelstandsforAdvanced
Subsidiary.AnASLevelcontainshalfthecontentofthecorrespondingALevelandcanbecompletedinoneyear.Thisallowsforflexibility,aslearnerscancompleteASLevelsasqualificationsintheirownrightorasthefirsthalfofanALevel,forwhichtheyareallowedtocarryforwardtheirASresult.Somelearnerstakealltheassessmentsfortheirfull ALevelattheendofthesecondyear(seethefollowingsection,‘PlanningaCambridgeInternationalASandALevelprogramme’).
• CambridgeInternationalASandALevelarethenamesofthequalificationsthatformallyrecognisealearner’sachievementattheendofaparticularsubjectcourse.Thecontentofthecourseismorein-depththanCambridgeIGCSEorOLevel.Itisbasedonaninternationalcurriculumdevelopedfor16to19yearoldspreparingforhighereducation.
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30Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
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• TheassessmentstandardsofCambridgeInternationalALevelsarealignedtothoseofUKALevelsandareequivalentonasubject-for-subject,grade-for-gradebasis.ThegradesawardedareA*toE,withA*beingthehighest.ThereisnoA*gradinginthecertificationofCambridgeInternationalASLevels.CambridgeInternationalAandASLevelsare,therefore,viewedasequivalenttoASandALevelqualificationstakenbylearnersintheUK.
• ThemaindifferencesbetweenCambridgeInternationalASand ALevelqualificationsandtheUKASandALevelqualificationsexist inthesyllabuscontentandmethodsofassessment:
– CambridgeInternationalALevelsaredifferentinstructurefromUKALevels.WhereasUKALevelsaremodularandlearnerscanretakeindividualcomponents(assessments),theCambridgeInternationalALevelshavealinearstructurewhichencouragesamoreintegratedstudyoftheentiresubject.
– Thecontextorexamplesusedinthesyllabusesandassessmentsaredesignedtobeculturallysensitiveandtoprovideaninternationalcontext.
– ThereisawiderrangeofsubjectsavailableatCambridgeInternationalALevel,forexamplethewiderangeof languagesoffered.
What is Cambridge Pre-U?• CambridgePre-Uisanewqualificationdesignedtohelpschools
equiplearnerswiththeskillstheyneedtosucceedatuniversity.Thequalificationformallyrecognisesalearner’sachievementattheendofaparticularsubjectcourse.Itisbasedonacurriculumthatpromotesdeepunderstandingofsubjectsthroughspecialisation.
• LearnerscantakeCambridgePre-Uqualificationsseparately,andreceivegradesforeachone,orchoosethreePrincipalSubjectstoachievetheCambridgePre-UDiploma.ToachievetheDiplomatheyalsoneedtocompleteGlobalPerspectivesandResearch,aqualificationthatgiveslearnersthechancetodevelopindependentthinking,researchandcommunicationskills.
• CambridgePre-Ushortcoursesarealsoavailableinsomesubjects.Thesearetypicallyone-yearcourseswithexamstakenattheend.
• CambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjectsareassessedattheendofthetwo-yearcourse.
• CambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjectsarerecognisedbyUKuniversitiesasequivalenttoALevels.
• CambridgePre-Uqualificationshaveanextendedgraderangeatthetoptorecogniseoutstandingachievement.Thegradesawardedarereportedonanine-gradescale,reflectingthreebroadbandsofachievement:Distinction,MeritandPass.Eachbandissub-dividedintothreegrades:Distinction1,2,3(D1,D2,D3),Merit1,2,3(M1,M2,M3)andPass1,2,3(P1,P2,P3).EachsubjectalearnertakesatCambridgePre-Ureceivesaseparategrade,forexample,D3.
SchoolsoutsidetheUKneedourapprovalbeforetheyofferCambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjects.IfyouareinterestedinofferingCambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjectsoutsidetheUK,pleasecontactusatinfo@cie.org.uk
Planning a Cambridge International AS and A Level programmeTherearethreedifferentapproachesforplanningandschedulingCambridgeInternationalALevel(seeTable4).Eachapproachwillhaveadifferenteffectonthestructureoftheschoolcurriculumandtheschooltimetable.Forexample,Approach2allows‘multi-levelling’wherelearnersmaybestudyingbothCambridgeInternationalASandALevelcoursesinthesameyear.Asaconsequence,anASBiologyclassmayhavelearnersfromthetwofinalschoolyearsstudyingfortheCambridgeInternationalASLevelqualification.Approach3hasthepotentialtoprovidethebroadestandmostbalancedcurriculumbutthecompromiseislessspecialisation.Thisneedstobeconsideredinlightofhighereducationentryrequirements.InmanycountriesASLevelstandardsareacceptedbutinotherstheyarenot.
31Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
3. Designing the school curriculum
InthisexamplethelearnerhasselectedaprogrammethatwillresultinthreeCambridgeInternationalALevelsinHistory,GeographyandFrenchandoneASLevelinGlobalPerspectives.
Approach 1 Approach 2 Approach 3
A‘non-staged’assessmentroute.LearnerstakeallpapersoftheCambridgeInternationalALevelcourseinthesameexaminationseries,usuallyattheendofthesecondyearofstudy.
A‘staged’assessmentroute.LearnerstaketheCambridgeInternationalASLevelinYear1and/orYear2andcompletethefinalCambridgeInternationalALevelinthe second series.
CambridgeInternationalASLevelonly.LearnerstaketheCambridgeInternationalASLevelexamsonly.ThesyllabuscontentforCambridgeInternationalASLevelishalfofaCambridgeInternationalALevelprogramme.
Alearnerwhosuccessfullycompletesthenon-stagedoptionwillnormallyhavestudiedthreeorfourCambridgeInternationalALevelcourses.
Alearnerwhosuccessfullycompletesthestagedassessmentoptionmighthaveoutcomesthatinclude:• threeCambridgeInternationalALevelsand
oneASLevel(firstexamplebelow)• twoCambridgeInternationalALevelsand
fourASLevels(secondexamplebelow)• threeCambridgeInternationalALevelsand
twoASLevels(thirdexamplebelow).
AlearnerwhosuccessfullycompletestheCambridgeInternational ASLevelonlyassessmentoptionmighthavestudiedeightCambridgeInternationalASLevelcourses,completingfourineachyear.Thiscouldrepresentabroadandbalancedcurriculumbutwithlessspecialisationanddepth.
Table 4: Cambridge International AS and A Level assessment options
Curriculum level Subjects selected for study
Firstyear ASLevelGlobalPerspectives ASLevelHistory ASLevelGeography ASLevelFrench
Secondyear ALevelHistory ALevelGeography ALevelFrench
InthefollowingexamplealearnerhasselectedaprogrammethatwillresultintwoCambridgeInternationalALevelsinMathematicsandEconomics.TheyhavebroadenedtheirprogrammebyselectinganadditionaltwoASLevelsubjectsinthefinalyear.TogetherwiththeirfirstyearASLevelsubjectstheywillachievefourCambridgeInternationalASLevelqualifications:EnglishLiterature,Biology,ArtandDesignandGlobalPerspectives.
Curriculum level Subjects selected for study
Firstyear ASLevelLiterature–English ASLevelMathematics ASLevelBiology ASLevelEconomics
Secondyear ASLevelArt&Design ALevelMathematics ASLevelGlobalPerspectives ALevelEconomics
32Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Timetabling the curriculumWhileitisimportanttostartthecurriculumplanningprocessbydesigningaschoolcurriculumthatdeliverstheschool’smission,therearealsopracticaltimetablingissuesthatwillneedtobeconsideredfromtheoutset.Thesearelargelydeterminedbyschoolcontext,locallawsandpractices,andthescaleoftheschoolbudgettosupportresourcing.Thissectionaimstobrieflyhighlightsomeofthese.
Yourschoolvision,missionandeducationalaimswillinfluenceanumberoftimetablingdecisionsincluding:
• Howmuchflexibilityyoubuildintothecurriculumtoallowlearnerstoselectoptionsand,whereapplicable,optionswithinsubjects.
• Theextent,natureofco-curricularactivitiesandexpectationsorrequirementsforlearnerparticipationinthese.
• Theinclusionofanyadditionalcoursesorprogrammesyouwanttoofferthatdonotendinsomeformofexternalassessment,suchasreligiouseducation,valueseducation,culturalorheritagecourses,studentleadershipandcareerexperienceprogrammes.Decisionsaboutwhetherornotthesearecompulsory.
• Whetheryouintroducemulti-levellingsothatlearnersindifferentyeargroupscanbescheduledinthesameclassdependingontheirneeds.
• Thelengthoftheschoolday,numberofdays’schoolingaweekandlengthoftheschoolyear.
Thetimetablehastobedevelopedwithintheresourceconstraintsofyourschool.Theseconstraintsinclude:
• numberofteachingandsupportstaff
• staffcontractsstipulatingconditionsandexpectations
• subjectexpertiseandexperienceoftheteachingstaff
• availabilityofclassroomsandspecialistrooms–forexample,sciencelaboratoriesandtechnologyrooms
• availableresourcesforlanguagesupport,specialeducationalneedsandgiftedlearningprogrammes.
Factorsinfluencingtimetabledecisionscanalsobeconsideredintermsofinternalandexternaldrivers.
3. Designing the school curriculum
Intheexamplebelowthelearnerfollowsamorespecialisedprogramme,resultinginthreeCambridgeInternationalALevelssupportedbytwoCambridgeInternationalASLevelawards.InthiscaseCambridgeInternationalASLevelBusinessStudiesreinforcesthemathematics–economicscombination,withapossiblecareerinthefinancialworldinmind.Ontheotherhandthiscouldbecriticisedasbeingoverspecialised,anditmightbepreferableforthelearnertoselectadifferentsortofdiscipline,forexampleartorglobalperspectives.
Curriculum level Subjects selected for study
Firstyear ASLevelLiterature–English ASLevelMathematics ASLevelBiology ASLevelEconomics
Secondyear ALevelLiterature–English ALevelMathematics ASLevelBusinessStudies ALevelEconomics
Learnersneedguidancetoensurethattheirintendedcourseofstudyprovidesthelearningandqualificationstheyneed,eitherforadmissionintohigherlevelstudiesorforpursuingaparticularcareer.Consideringadmissionrequirements,forbothnationalandinternationaluniversitiesandotherhigherlearninginstitutions,isimportantwhenconstructingyourcurriculumandqualificationpathways.
33Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Whenconstructingthetimetableyouhavetodecidehowmuchteachingtimetoallocatetoeachsubject.Thiscanbeexpressedinhoursaweekbut,becauseschoolsoperatedifferentannualcalendars,itisoftenbettercalculatedashoursperyear.Thisequatestothenumberofperiodsperweekmultipliedbythedurationoftheseallocatedperiodsandthenumberofweeksintheschoolyear.Someschoolsoperatetimetablesona10-day(two-weekly)cycleorsomeothersystemofrotation,forexampleaneight-daycycle.Thiscancreateflexibility.
Werecommendthefollowingguidedlearninghourallocationsforourinternationalprogrammes:
3. Designing the school curriculum
Internal influences External influences
Organisationstructure Cambridgeprogrammerequirements
Resourcesincludingstaffandfacilities Cambridgequalificationrequirements
Compulsorysubjectsoroptions(degreeoflearnerchoice)
Recommendedhoursaweekfor eachsubject
Englishlanguagecapabilityoflearners Nationalcurriculumandqualificationrequirements
Multi-levellingorfixedschoolyears Externalagencyrequirements,forexample,ministryofeducation
Co-curriculum.Additionalcoursesandactivitiesoutsidecorecurriculum
Universityadmissionscriteria
Employmentcontracts RequirementtotakeexamsinEnglish
Corevssupplementary subjectoptions
Table 5: Factors influencing timetable decisions
Programme Recommended weekly teaching time
CambridgeSecondary1 Approximatelythreetofourhourspersubject perweek.
CambridgeSecondary2 About130hours*persubjectcompletedinoneyear(ifscheduledforoneyear)or,morenormally,spreadoutovertwoyearswithlearnersdoingmoresubjects.
CambridgeAdvanced • Stagedoption: 180hours*persubjectforeachCambridgeInternationalASLevelcourse.
• Non-stagedoption: 360hours*persubjectoverthe two-yearcourse.
*Includesteachingtimeanddirectedstudy.Doesnotaccountfortheindependentstudythelearnerisexpectedtocarryout.WerecommendthatlearnersaregivenopportunitiesforindependentstudyoutsideofnormaltimetabledlessonsforCambridgeSecondary2andCambridgeAdvancedcourses.
34Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Therearealargevarietyofmodelsyoucanfollowforstructuringlearninghoursintothetimetable.ThefollowingexampleisbasedonpracticeinoneCambridgeschoolandisintendedtobeillustrativeofonemodel.Detailedconsiderationofdifferenttimetableoptionsisbeyondthescopeof this guide.
Inthistimetablethedayisdividedintonineteachingperiodsof40minutes’duration.FortheYear8level,mostperiodsaresingleperiodsof40minutesinlength.Periodscanbecombinedtoformdoubleperiodswhichallowanextendedperiodoftimeforparticularsubjectsoractivities.Forexample,thedoubleperiodforsciencegivesthetimeneededtocarryoutpracticalexperiments,andphysicaleducationforsportsandthetimeneededforchanging.
InYear12(higher)levelssubjectsaremostlyscheduledwithdoubleperiods,providing80minutesforlessons.Eachsubjecthasequalamountsofallocatedteachingtime,withthreedoubleperiodsandonesingleperiodthroughouttheweek,equatingtofourhoursand40minutespersubjectperweek.Becauseofthegreaterdegreeofspecialisationatthislevel,itispossiblefortheschooltoschedulesubjectstobetaughtatthesametime(forexamplemathsAandmathsB(periods3and4)andchemistry,historyandgeography(period7)basedonthefactthatnolearners,orasfewaspossible,wanttostudymorethanoneofthecombinationsofsubjectstimetabledtogether).
Someschoolshavelongerschooldaysforolderlearnerssothatmoretimeisavailable.Thiscouldbeeveryschooldayoronspecificdays.Extendingthedaytoaccommodatethecurriculumisawaytoincreasetheamountofteachingtimeforsubjects,ortoincreasethenumberofsubjectsonoffer.Dependingonalearner’schoiceofsubjectstheymayhavestudyperiodsallocatedintheschooldaytoworkonprojectsorinthelibrary.Thisisconsistentwiththeaimofcreatingindependentandresponsiblelearnersbutwillalsodependontheschool’sabilitytoprovidethefacilitieslearnersneedandtheirattitudetolearnershavingtimetomanageontheirown.
Thelengthoftimetabledperiodscanhaveanimpactonthetypesofpedagogyusedinclassrooms.Teacherswilloftenadapttheirteachingstyleandthetypesofactivitiestheycreatetofittheavailablelessonduration.Thereisatendencyforshorterperiodstobecomedominatedbyteacher-ledlearningwithlimiteduseofactivelearningactivities.Inthesameway,longerlessonscanbecomewastefulifteachershavenotplannedandpreparedenoughworktofilltheentirelesson.Aspartoftheschool’squalityassuranceprogrammeyouneedtomakesureteachershavetherightamountoftimeforengagingandeffectivelessons.Ideally,thereshouldbeenoughtimefortheteachertorunseveraldifferentactivities,includingactivelearningandskilldevelopmentopportunities,whichcollectivelyfulfiltheprescribedrequirementsofthesyllabus or curriculum.
3. Designing the school curriculum
Period Time of day Year 8 class Year 12 class
1 8.00–8.40 English ArtBusiness StudiesIT2 8.40–9.20 Arabic
Break
3 9.40–10.20 Religious Studies Mathematics AMathematics B4 10.20–11.00 Mathematics
5 11.00–11.40Science English
6 11.40–12.20
Lunch
7 13.00–13.40Physical Education
Chemistry/History Geography
8 13.40–14.20 Second Language (French, Mandarin, Spanish)9 14.20–15.00 Geography
Example A: Monday’s timetable for Years 8 and 12 Example: Monday’s timetable for Years 8 and 12
35Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
3. Designing the school curriculum
Facilities to support the curriculumInadditiontoeffectiveteachers,schoolsneedtoprovidesuitablelearningenvironmentssupportiveofthecurriculum.Schoolswillhaveverydifferentresourcingbudgetsbut,ataminimum,learningspacesshouldsupportyourteachersindeliveringinteractiveandstimulatinglessons.Eachlearningspaceshouldbesuitableforthenumberofstudentsandthetypeofactivitiesthatwilltakeplaceinthem.Thingstothinkabouthere include:
• Activitiesthatwilltakeplaceforparticularcourseworkcomponents.
• Subjectsthatrequireparticularequipment,resourcesanddifferentiatedlearningspaces,suchasart,physicaleducation,musicanddance.
• Sciencelaboratoriesandthenecessarysafetyrequirements.YoucanfindoutmoreaboutourrequirementsinourPlanning for Practical Sciencedocumentavailableatwww.cie.org.uk/help
• Anyculturalissuesthatmayimpactthewayyousetupyourlearningenvironments.
Libraries,oftencalledmediaorlearningresourcecentres,provideareasforlearnerstoworkwiththeirteachersonresearchprojectsorindividualassignmentsduringscheduledclasses.Learnerscanalsousethesefacilitiesduringscheduledstudyperiods,iftheyhavethem,duringbreaktimesandbeforeandafterschool.Someschoolslinkwithlocalcommunityfacilitiestoprovidethisresource.Usuallytheseareasarealsoequippedwithcomputersandotherelectronicresourcesconnectedtotheschool’sinternalnetworkorintranet,andtotheinternet.Ideallyschoollibraries(orsomeotherlocation)willhavededicatedresourcestosupporttheprofessionaldevelopmentofteachingstaff,forexample:
• professionaldevelopmentbooksandmagazines
• electronicjournals
• accesstoprofessionalteachersitesandforums
• accesstosubjectwebsites
• writtenreferencematerials.
ApartfromtheICTresourceslocatedinthelibrary,teacherswilloftenhaveaccesstoboththeschool’sintranetandtheinternetintheirclassroomsandworkspaces.Manytraditionalteachingresourcesarebeingreplacedorsupplementedbyonlineresourcesandcommerciallypurchased,orfree-to-download,softwareresources.
Learnersoftenhaveaccesstocomputersandtheinternetintheclassroom.Thiscanenhancetheteachingprogrammebyprovidingopportunitiesfordifferentiatedlearningapproachesthattargettheindividuallearningneedsofeachstudent.Computersinclassroomscanalsoprovideadditionalopportunitiesforextensionworkformorecapablelearners,aswellasprovidingaccesstoadditionalsupportorresourcesforlearnerswithparticularneeds.Forthesereasons,someschoolsprovidelearnerswithlaptopsortabletsforuseatschool.
Toofferourexaminationsyoumustmakesureyourfacilitiesandprocessesmeetourregulations.TheseregulationsarepublishedintheCambridge Handbook.Wesendahardcopyofthehandbooktoexamsofficersinourregisteredschoolseachyear.Itisalsoavailableonourwebsiteatwww.cie.org.uk/examsofficers
Oneofourrequirementsisthateachschoolhassecureprocessesandstoragefacilitiesforreceivingandstoringexaminationquestionpapersandotherexaminationmaterials,includingcompletedanswerscripts.WerecommendthatyoureadtherelevantsectionsoftheCambridge Handbooktohelpyouplantheintroductionofyournewcurriculum.
36Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Leadership
Schoolsofferingourprogrammesoperateusingmanydifferentadministrativestructures.Manyarestatefundedwhileothersareindependent.Someschoolsareproprietaryandcommercialwhileothersarerunbyschoolboardsandarenotforprofit.Relevantinthecontextofthisguidearetheprinciplesandpracticesofleadershipthataremostlikelytosupportthedevelopmentofanoutstandingcurriculum.Thesecanbemadetoworkinavarietyofdifferentstructures.Thischapterprovidesanoverviewofsomeimportantprinciplesandpracticesrelatingtoleadershipofcurriculum,evaluationandprofessionaldevelopment.
Withinthesenioradministrativeteamofaschooldifferentmanagementresponsibilitieswillbeassignedtodifferentindividuals.Leadership,however,shouldbeidentifiedasacollectiveresponsibilityirrespectiveofhowtheadministrativehierarchyoftheschoolisstructured.Leadershipinthiscontextisaprocessratherthanapositionofauthority.Itinvolvescreating,implementing,monitoring,reviewingandrefiningpracticesandsystemssothatstudentlearningisimproved.Strongleadershipisnecessaryforthedesignanddevelopmentofaneffectivecurriculumandoveralleducationalexcellenceinaschool.
Leadershipandmanagementfunctionsrelatingtothecurriculuminclude:
1. Curriculumplanningandevaluation.2. Instructionalleadership.3. Teacherrecruitmentandevaluation.4. Professionaldevelopment(PD).5. Developmentandimplementationofqualityassurancepoliciesand
procedures.6. Managingchange.7. Involvementwiththeschoolandlocalcommunity.8. Managementoftheassessmentprocessandrelationshipswith
Cambridge(examsofficer).9. Timetable(consideredinthepreviouschapter).10.Studentadmissions,progressionthroughtheschoolandguidanceon
tohighereducation.
Curriculum planning and evaluationPlanningthecurriculumhasbeenconsideredinearlierchapters.Periodiccurriculumevaluation,definedhereasevidenced-based judgement with a view to improving practice,isacriticalprocessthatsupportsongoingimprovement.Arigorousevaluationprocess,togetherwithsoundqualityassurancesupportedbyatargetedprofessionaldevelopmentprogramme,willhelpensurethatthecurriculumisaccomplishingitspurpose.Evaluationprocesseswillgenerateimportantfeedbackonwhathasbeenachievedtodateandidentifywhatneedsmorework.SomeofthekeyquestionsthatevaluationsshouldaddressareidentifiedinTable6,althoughthisisbynomeansacompletelist.
Thischapterbrieflyconsiderstheimportantroleplayedbyleadership,evaluationofthecurriculum,evaluationofteacherslinkedtoprofessionaldevelopmentandthedevelopmentofspecificschoolpoliciesandpractices.Theseareallimportanttohelpensurethatthecurriculumlearnersactuallyexperienceisascloseaspossibletothecurriculumtheschoolintendsthemtoexperience.
Leadership, curriculum evaluation and building school capacity4
1 Curriculumplanningandevaluation.
2 Instructionalleadership.
3 Teacherrecruitmentandevaluation.
4 Professionaldevelopment(PD).
5 Developmentandimplementationofqualityassurancepoliciesandprocedures.
6 Managingchange.
7 Involvementwiththeschoolandlocalcommunity.
8 ManagementoftheassessmentprocessandrelationshipswithCambridge(examsofficer).
9 Timetable(consideredinthepreviouschapter).
10 Studentadmissions,progressionthroughtheschoolandguidanceontohighereducation.
37Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Manyschoolsusearecognisedevaluation/accreditationframeworktosupporttheprocessofcurriculumandwhole-schoolevaluation.Thesewillprovidetheirownlistofquestions,processesandcriteria.Often
theseareexternal,providedbynationalorinternationalauthorities.Whatisimportantisthattheyleadtoschoolimprovementandthatthewholeschoolcommunityisinvolvedinrelevantevaluationanddevelopmentactivitiessothateveryonetakesownershipoftheprocess.
4. Leadership, curriculum evaluation and building school capacity
Area for review Examples of questions
Curriculum planning Doestheschool’scurriculum:
• deliverthemostappropriateprogrammeofstudytosupporttheschool’smissionandeducationalaims?
• deliverabalanced,coherentandconsistentprogrammeoflearningwithclearandsmoothprogressionroutesdesignedfortheneedsoflearners?
• appropriatelychallengeallabilitylevels?
• recognisethelanguagebackgroundoflearnersandprovidethemwiththesupporttheyneedtoaccessthecurriculum?
• providesufficientopportunityforlearnerchoice?
• providepathwaysthatenablelearnerstoachievetheentranceoradmissionrequirementsforuniversity,highereducationcoursesandemployment?
• provideaco-curricularprogrammethatsupportstheschool’smission?
Quality assurance policies and practices
• Areyourqualityassurancepoliciesandpracticesfitforpurpose,clearintheirintentandeasilyunderstood?
• Howdoyouknowthattheschool’squalityassurancepoliciesarebeingadheredto?
• Whatareasneedadditionalqualityassurancepoliciesandpractices?
Teacher evaluation
Fulfilling Cambridge (and other qualification) subject requirements
Effective delivery of learning and meeting learner needs
• Arethestatedaimsofthecurriculumbeingaddressedwithintheteachingprogramme?
• Areteachersteachingtothesyllabuscorrectly,coveringalltheprescribedcontentandskills?
• Isthereevidencethatteachersareusingavarietyofappropriateteachingstrategiesandlearningactivities?
• Aretheassessmentobjectivesandmethodologyforassessmentbeingrespected?
• Arecourseworkcomponentsbeingcorrectlyimplementedandsupported?
• Isthereevidencethatteachersareusingformativeassessmentappropriatelytoinformtheirteachingpractice?
• Isthereevidencethatteachersaredifferentiatingtheirpracticetotheneedsofindividuallearners?
• Dolearningactivitiesprovideopportunitiesforthedevelopmentofthedesiredskillsandlearnerattributes?
• Howaretheviewsoflearnerstakenintoaccount?
• Isthereaprocessoflessonobservationwithsupportivefeedbacktoeffectimprovementsinteachingandlearning?
• Arelessonssupportedwithsufficientresources,suitableforthelevelofstudy?
• Dolessonsincludetopicsofnationalrelevancebystructuringanddeliveringcontentinlocalcontexts?
Table 6: Curriculum planning and evaluation: Some essential questions
Continuedonnextpage.
38Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
4. Leadership, curriculum evaluation and building school capacity
Professional development • Areallteachersengaginginsuitableprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiestoensuresuccessfulimplementationofthedesiredcurriculum?
• Isyourprofessionaldevelopmentprogrammemeetingthespecificneedsofteachersandtherequirementsofthestrategicplan?
• Isthebalancebetweeninternalandexternalprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesappropriate?
• Whatevidencedoyouhavethattheprofessionaldevelopmentprogrammeispositivelyinfluencingclassroompractice orlearnerachievement?
Resources and facilities • Arefacilitiesandadministrativeresourcesappropriatetosupportteachingprogrammes?
• Dolearnersandteachershaveaccesstoappropriatelibrary/mediacentreandITresources?
• Areappropriatestudentwelfareandlearningsupportservicesprovided?
• Doyouhaveappropriatefacilitiesforthesecurityofexaminationmaterial?
Formal examinations and qualifications
• DoyouhaveanexamsofficertomanagetheadministrationofanyCambridgeexamsyouoffer?
• IsthereaprocessinplacetomakesuretheexamsofficercarriesouttheirdutiesinlinewithCambridgerequirements?
• AretheCambridge(andnational)examinationrequirementsandproceduresbeingstrictlyadheredto?
• Arethemechanismsforcheckingaccuracyin,andcompletenessof,learnerdatasufficient?
• Arethepoliciesregardingauthenticityoflearners’workbeingfollowed?
• Arethesystemsforentering,storingandexchanginglearnerrecordssecure,withappropriateback-upand retrievalsafeguards?
Communication and evaluation methodology
• Howcanyouimproveyourevaluationprocedurestogetmoremeaningfuloraccurateinformation?
• Howisthisinformationsharedordisseminatedtootherstakeholders?
• Howcantheschoolbecomemoreeffectiveinmakinguseofthisinformationtorefineandfurtherdevelop thecurriculum?
• Isthereeffectivecommunicationandexchangeofinformationwithexternalagencies,forexample,Cambridge,otherqualificationorganisations,ministriesandothergovernmentalagencies?
• Arelearnerandteacherschedules(timetables)andcalendarsofeventsaccurate,clearandinformative?
39Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Largerscaleschool-wideevaluations,iftheyaretobedonethoroughly,areverytimeconsuming.Forthisreasontheyareconductedonlyoccasionally.Itisimportantthatsmallerevaluationcyclesarebuiltintotheregularoperationsoftheschoolsothatevaluationanddevelopmentareseenasacyclicalandongoingprocess.Figure1providesoneexampleofabasicprocessmodelthatfocusesontheareaoftheevaluationanddevelopmentofassessmentandpedagogicalpracticeslinkingthesetoprofessionaldevelopment.
4. Leadership, curriculum evaluation and building school capacity
Figure 3: A process model for pedagogy and assessment development
8 Monitoring of practice and review of impact on learner
achievement7 Implement pedagogy and
assessment strategies and practices
1Research and familiarisation with best practice (use of local,
Cambridge and international resources)
2 Collective agreement on what are the appropriate pedagogy
and assessment practices9 Reinforce appropriate current
practice 6 Formulate new ‘best practice’ policies and methodologies
3 Review current pedagogy and assessment policies and
practices including evidence about what is happening in teaching as well as what is prescribed
4 Identify and decide upon professional development needs 5 Identify appropriate professional
development support (provided by Cambridge or another source)
Instructional leadershipInaschooltheprimaryroleofleadershipinvolvesmaintainingaclearfocusonlearningasanactivity.Thisincludescreatingfavourableconditionsandencouragingadialogueaboutlearningtodevelopasharedsenseofleadershipthroughouttheschool,andasharedsenseofaccountability.Thishelpstocreatealearningculturewithclearlyacceptedandunderstoodobjectivesaswellashighexpectationsforbothteachersandlearners.Leadershavetheresponsibilityofbuildingschool
capacityinawaythatcreatestheconditionsnecessaryforteachers’potentialtobefullyrealised.
Atleastsomeofthesenioradministratorsintheschoolshouldbeactivelyinvolvedwithteachers,observingteachingandlearning,andengaginginaprofessionaldiscussionwithteachersaboutwhatishappeningintheclassroom.Thisprofessionallinkcanbecomeavery
Figure 1: A process model for pedagogy and assessment development
40Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
4. Leadership, curriculum evaluation and building school capacity
powerfulmotivationalforceforteachingprofessionals,andcriticalforsenioradministratorsindevelopingadeepappreciationofwhatisactuallyhappeningintheschool.Thelearnervoiceisalsoveryimportantinunderstandingtheirperspectiveonthecurriculumandthequalityofitsimplementation.
Administratorsneedtosupportteacherssothattheycanconcentrateonstudentlearningandplanningteaching.Therightstructureandtheappropriatenumberofstafftosuccessfullyimplementthecurriculumneedtoberesourced.Rolesandresponsibilitiesneedtobewelldefinedandclearlycommunicated.Ideallyplanningtimeshouldbebuiltintoteachers’schedulessothattheycanworkcollaborativelyinteams(inacademicdepartmentsoryeargroups)ondevelopinglearningactivities.Wherepossibleandpracticalteachersshouldbeencouragedtovisiteachother’sclassandprovidepeersupporttotheircolleagues.Thisisparticularlyimportantindevelopinglessexperiencedteachersandaverycost-effectiveformofprofessionaldevelopment.
Teachersplayaleadershiproleinthattheyareinvolvedincreating,implementing,monitoring,reviewingandrefiningpracticesandsystemssothatstudentlearningisimproved.Nurturingandusingteachertalentinthiswaycreatesavirtuouscircleofmotivation,desiretolearnmore,commitmentandenhancedpractice.Workingcollaborativelytoresolvecollectivechallengescanalsocreateasharedsenseofpurposeandapowerfulinstrumentofchange.
Teacher recruitment and evaluationBecausegoodteachingissuchapowerfulinfluenceonstudentlearningnothingismoreimportantthanensuringteachingisasconsistentlyexcellentasitcanpossiblybe.Teachersshouldberecruitedwhosharetheschool’svisionand,asfaraspossible,displayandsupporttheteacher/learnerattributes.Thoughtful,well-designedteacherevaluationandprofessionaldevelopment,inaculturewhereitisvaluedandunderstood,isthebestwaytoimproveteachingpractice.
Teacherevaluationisaveryimportantqualityassuranceprocess.Schoolswilloperatedifferentsystems,oftenprescribedbynationalauthorities.Whilethesummativeelementofjudgementorappraisalisimportant,the
formativeaspectisevenmoreso.Inourexperiencethemosteffectiveformsofevaluationinvolveteachersinatleastanelementofreflectionagainstclearlydefinedcriteria.Thesecriteriaincludethelearner/teacherattributesaswellastheirperformanceintermsoflearnerresultsandvalueaddedtostudentlearning.Reflectivepractice,oneofthekeyconceptsinthelearner/teacherattributes,isreinforcedwhenevaluationrequiresit.
Manyschoolsalsoinvolvelearnersinprovidingfeedbacktoteachers,whetherformallyorinformally.Learnerevaluationsoftheirclasses,whentheyarecarefullydesignedandnon-threatening,areapowerfulpracticethatprovidesvaluableformativefeedbacktoteachers.
Teacherevaluationshouldbelinkedtotheschool’sprofessionaldevelopmentprogramme.Thisensuresthatareasidentifiedfordevelopmentduringtheevaluationaresupportedbyprofessionaldevelopment.
Professional development Professionaldevelopment(PD)includesawiderangeofactivitiesandpracticesthatsupportongoingandevidenced-basedreflectivepractice(seeFigure2:Thereflectivecycle).Thisinvolvesparticipantsin:
• reflectingoncurrentpracticethroughtheteacherevaluationprocess,whichwillidentifyPDpriorities
• workingwithpeerstoshareideasandtoobserve,recordandgivefeedbackonclassroomexperiences
• reviewingrelevantresourcestointroduceandbecomefamiliarwithnewconcepts
• accessingrecognisedlocalorinternationaleducationalexpertisetoenhanceunderstanding
• planning,trialling,evaluatingandmodifyingnewpractices andresources
• usingcollaborativesupportstructuresandprocesses,includingpeercritiquingandonlineservices.
41Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
4. Leadership, curriculum evaluation and building school capacity
PDneedsarelikelytospanthefollowingareas:
• subjectandresourcesupport,includingfamiliarisationwithsubjectcontent,learningactivitiesandskillacquisitionanddevelopment
• enhancingtheirunderstandingofpedagogicandassessmentpracticesandtheirplanningandintegrationintoteachingprogrammes
• buildingprofessionalcapacitythroughcollaborationwithotherteachingprofessionalsintheschoolandthroughinter-schoolsubjectclustergroupsornetworking
• opportunitiestoupgradeprofessionalqualifications,withthepotentialtobecometeacher-trainersorexaminers,ortocontributeinotherwaysthatadvancetheintroductionofthecurriculumandtheuptakeoftheassociatednewpedagogyandassessmentmethodology.
PDneedswillbesituational.Teachersnewtotheprofessionand/ortoCambridgeprogrammeswillneedtobecloselysupportedbyexperiencedcolleaguesandattendappropriatelytargetedtraining.ExperiencedteacherswillwanttoimprovetheirprofessionalpracticebycompletingmoreadvancedPDprogrammes,possiblyqualifications,andbecomeinvolvedinprofessionalcommunitiesofpractice.Inthiswayparticipantsreflectontheirexperienceofworkingwithinaschoolenvironmentthroughstimulusfromresources,coursesandprofessionalcollaboration.Thisgivesparticipantsmaterial(bothexperimentalandtheoretical)onwhichtheycanreflectandevaluatetheircurrentpractice.ReflectivePDencouragesindividualstodevelopactionplansandexperimentwithnewstrategies.Thisexperimentationgivesthemadditionalexperiencesonwhichtheycanreflect,andconsequentlymoreopportunitiesforprofessionalgrowth.
PDopportunitiesshouldnotjustbeforteachers.Theschoolleadershipteamandteachingsupportstaffwillalsocontributetothesuccessfulimplementationofthecurriculumandwillthereforebenefitfromrelevantandconstructiveprofessionaldevelopment.
Formoreinformationaboutourprofessionaldevelopmentservicesseethe‘Workingwithus’sectiononpage44andourwebsite.
Developing and implementing quality assurance policies and proceduresPolicies,supportedbyclearprocedures,shouldprovideteachersandlearners(andwhereappropriate,parents)withcleardirectionandguidancederivedfromtheschool’smissionandaims.Theyneedtobeunderstoodbytheschoolcommunityandenforcedthroughqualityassurancepractices,includingteacherevaluation.Partofcurriculumevaluationwillbethereviewanddevelopmentofthesepoliciesaspartofthecurriculumplanningprocess.
Figure 2: The reflective cycle
42Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
4. Leadership, curriculum evaluation and building school capacity
Inadditiontoteacherevaluationintroducedintheprevioussection,thosethatrelatetothecurriculumusuallyinclude:
1. Language Policy:Everyschoolwillhaveitsownlanguageprofilesoitisimportantthatthisisreflectedinapolicythatrecognisesthelanguageneedsofdifferentgroupsoflearnersandteachers.Itwillconsiderthesolutiontoquestionsincluding:HowwillEnglishasasecondlanguagebesupported?Howwilllearnersbeencouragedtodeveloptheirfirstorbestlanguage?Whatresponsibilitiesdoteachershavetosupportlanguagelearning?
2. Assessment Policy:Howoftenareinternalsummativegradingandreportingconducted?WhatarethegradingproceduresandhowdoesthisrelatetothecriterionsystemusedbyCambridgeand/orotherqualificationstaughtintheschool?Howisassessmentforlearningsupported?Whatcanlearnersandparentsexpectfromteachersintermsofreportinganddetailedfeedbackonspecificassignmentsandoverspecifiedlengthsoftime?
3. Homework Policy:Whataretheexpectations?Howisthisorganisedtoensurethatclassroomlearningissupportedinawaythatisbalanced?
4. Special Educational Needs and Gifted and Talented Policy:Whataretheexpectationsforteacherstodifferentiatesothatalllearnersareappropriatelychallenged?Howdoestheschoolsupportlearnerswithspecificneeds?
5. Co-curricular expectations:Whatdoestheschoolprovideforlearnersbeyondregularclasses?Howdoesthisfitinwithteachercontractsandexpectations?Howdoestheschoolworkwiththelocalcommunitytosupportlearnerparticipationinactivitiesthatitcannotprovideitself,orarebetterprovidedoutsidetheschool?
6. Discipline Policy:Whatisthecodeofconductforteachersandthecodeofconductforlearners?Howisthecodeofconductsupportedandenforced?Whatsupportisprovidedtolearnerswhodisplaydisciplineproblems?
Managing changeIntroducingCambridgecurriculaforthefirsttimewillpresentchallenges,particularlyifteachingstaffarenotfamiliarwiththeprogrammesordonothaveabackgroundofrelevantexperience.Thehighvalueplacedonteachersbecomingcreativeprofessionals,whodeveloptheirownschemesofworkandapplythesyllabustotheneedsoftheirlearnersinthecontextoftheschool,meansthatpreparationisvital.Toalesserextentthisisalsotrueforexperiencedstaffwhowillalsoneedtimetoplanandrefreshtheirlessonplans,recognisingthateveryclassoflearnersisunique.
TeachersnewtoCambridgewillbeinvolvedin:
• becomingfamiliarwithsubjectrequirements,includingassessments,andplanninghowtosatisfythoserequirements
• writingorrewritingschemesofworkandproducingnew teachingmaterial
• accessingandevaluatingsubjectresources,forexample,textbooks,websites,workbooks
• planningandtriallingteachingstrategiesandassessmentpractices.
Schooladministratorsneedtobeawarethatsupportingteachers,sothattheyhaveenoughtimetoprepareproperlyandhaveaccesstoprofessionaldevelopment,willsupportsuccessfulimplementation.Onewayofmanagingteachers’workloadistoimplementthecurriculuminstages.Apreimplementationyearcouldbeusedbeforefullimplementationtogiveteacherstheopportunitytoreview,discuss,prepareandevaluatethenewmaterialandlearningapproaches.Theopportunitytotrialunitsofworkandpractiseassessmenttaskswillhelptobuildteachers’confidenceanddevelopasenseofpurposetowardsthenewcurriculum.
Anotherstrategytohelpmanagecurriculumchangeanddevelopmentismentoringandteamteaching.Experiencedteachershaveanimportantroleinsupportinglessexperiencedcolleaguesandcanalsoleadprofessionaldevelopmentactivitieswithintheschool.Teamteachingisalsoanexcellentwayofsharingexpertise,providingprofessionalsupportandlearningnewskills.Whilethecontentindifferentacademic
43Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
4. Leadership, curriculum evaluation and building school capacity
disciplinesisdifferent,manyoftheteachingandassessmentprinciplesandpracticesareoftensimilar,sointer-departmentalcollaborationcanalsobeveryproductive.
WorkingwithanotherschoolwithexperienceofCambridgeisanadditionalwaytosupportteachersduringwhatcanfeellikeanunsettlingandisolatingtime.Thisapproachcanbeparticularlyusefulinsmallerschoolswheretheremayonlybeonesubjectteacherateach schoollevel.
Involving the local communityParents,aswellaslearners,needtounderstandthecurriculum,itsrationaleandthechoicesthatlearnersarerequiredtomakeatdifferentstages.Parentinformationsessionswithquestionandanswersessionscansupportschoolpublicationsinthisprocessofcommunication.
Parentsalsoneedtosupportthedevelopmentoflearnerattributesathome.Schoolscanhighlightthisbysendingthesetoparentswithanexplanationoftheirsignificanceandusingtheschoolreportingprocess
tocommentonlearners’progressagainstthesebroaderlearningobjectives.Inthesamewaythatitcanbebeneficialforstaffevaluationtoincludeself-reflection,learnerswillalsobenefitfromanelementofself-evaluationinreporting.
Globalunderstandingisgroundedinadeepappreciationoflocalcontextandculture.Apartfromenrichingthecurriculum,communityresourcesandparticipationincommunityactivitiesmaybenefitstudentlearninginotherways.Forexample,creatinglinkswithlocalbusinessesandserviceorganisationsgiveslearnersaninsightintopotentialcareeroptions.Broadeninglearners’awarenessofpost-schoolopportunitiescaninfluencetherangeofsubjectstheywanttostudy,helpingthemtakeresponsibilityfortheirnextstepsinlearning.Itcanalsoincreasemotivationlevelsandencouragegreaterparticipationinclassroomactivities.Communityservicecansupportthedevelopmentofthelearnerattributesandhelpnurtureasenseofsocialresponsibility.
Student admissions, progression through the school and guidance on to higher educationAtCambridgewearecommittedtoensuringthatourqualificationsareinternationallyrecognisedandhelplearnersgainadmissiontothewholerangeofcollegesanduniversitiesaroundtheworld.
OurRecognitionteam,basedinCambridgeandkeylocationsaroundtheworld,strivestoensurethatuniversitiesarefullyfamiliarwithCambridgequalifications,sothatlearnerscangaintheplacesandacademiccredittheydeserve.
Formoreinformationpleasevisitthe‘Universities’areaofourwebsitewhereyoucansearchourdatabasetofindoutwhichuniversitiesacceptourqualifications.
Administering our assessments (exams officer)Theexamsofficeris‘thepersonappointedbytheHeadofCentretoactonbehalfoftheschool,withspecificresponsibilityforadministeringCambridgeexams’.Weprovidedetailedsupportandtrainingforexamsofficersmanagingourassessmentprocesses.Formoreinformationpleasevisit www.cie.org.uk/examsofficers
44Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Tohelpyourteachingteamunderstandandeffectivelydeliverourprogrammes,andtomeettheirprofessionaldevelopmentneeds,weofferarangeofsupportmaterialsandservices.TeacherscanaccessthissupportwhetheryourwholeschoolcurriculumisbuiltonCambridgecoursesorwhetheryoucombineCambridgecourseswithothernationalorinternationalqualifications.
Wecanprovidethreemajorareasofsupport:
• curriculummaterialsandresourcestosupportteachersinthedeliveryofsubjectcurricula
• professionaldevelopment
• localadvisoryanddevelopmentservices.
Curriculum materials and resourcesSecure online support
Teacher SupportAnonlineresourcebankandcommunityforumwhereteacherscanaccessthousandsofCambridgesupportresources,exchangelessonideasandmaterials,andjoinsubject-specificdiscussionforums.
Assessment toolsWeprovidededicatedonlinesupporttoschoolsregisteredtoofferCambridgePrimaryandCambridgeSecondary1.Teacherscan downloadprogressiontestsanduseresultsanalysistoolstomonitorlearners’progress.
Ask the Examiner seminarsThesesessionstakeplaceonTeacherSupportafterexamresultshavebeenreleased,givingteachersanopportunitytoaskexaminersanyquestionstheyhaveabouttheseries.
Formoreinformationgotowww.cie.org.uk/teachers
Working with us5Thischapterhighlightstherangeofsupportservicesandresourcesweoffertoschoolsworkingwithus.Itwillgiveyouanoverviewofdifferenttypesofsupportavailableandpointsyoutowhereyoucanfinddetailedinformation.TheendofthechapterdetailswhattodonextifyouarethinkingofbecomingaCambridgeschoolorexpandingtherangeofCambridgequalificationsorprogrammesyoualreadyoffer.
45Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Teaching resourcesSyllabus (or curriculum framework) Themostimportantdocumentsteacherswilluse.Theydescribewhatlearnersneedtoknow,whattheymustbeabletodo,andhowtheywillbeassessed.WeprovidecurriculumframeworksforCambridgePrimaryandSecondary1subjectsandthensyllabusesforCambridgeSecondary2andCambridgeAdvancedsubjects.
Schemes of workAmedium-termplanthatgivesideasonhowteachersmightdeliver the course.
Teacher guidesSomesubjectshaveteacherguideswhichprovideextraguidanceonplanningandteaching.
Textbooks and publisher resourcesWepublishlistsofresourcestosupportteaching,includingtextbooksandwebsites.SomeoftheseresourcesareendorsedbyCambridgeInternationalExaminations,whichmeanswehavequalitycheckedthemandjudgethemtomatchthesyllabuswell.
Example candidate responses (standards booklets)Realcandidateanswersareshownalongsideexaminercommentssoteacherscanseethelevelofperformanceneededtoachieveeachgrade.
Exam preparation materialsPast question papersWepublishpastpapersforeachsubject.Greatforgivinglearnerspracticeatansweringdifferenttypesofquestion.
Examiner reportsOurprincipalexaminerswritedetailedreportsdescribinglearners’overallperformanceoneachpartofthequestion.Thereportsgiveinsightintocommonmisconceptionsshownbylearners,whichteacherscanaddressin lessons.
Grade thresholdsTheseshowtheminimumnumberofmarkslearnersneededtoachieveinordertobeawardedaparticulargrade.
Mark schemesThesehelpteachersunderstandhowmarksareawardedforeachquestionandwhatexaminerslookforwhentheymark.
Formoreinformationgotowww.cie.org.uk/teachers
5. Working with us
Teacher GuideEnglish
Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education 0580 Mathematics June 2012
Principal Examiner Report for Teachers
© 2012
MATHEMATICS
Paper 0580/11 Paper 11 (Core)
Key Message To succeed in this paper candidates need to have completed full syllabus coverage, remember necessary formulae, show all necessary working clearly and use a suitable level of accuracy. General comments Many candidates made a good attempt at answering this paper. As in previous years, this paper was fairly straightforward with many part questions worth only 1 mark. With those parts that carried more marks, workings needed to be shown in order to access the method marks if the final answer given was incorrect. Along with this request for workings to be shown, candidates must check their work for sense and accuracy. Candidates must take notice that, if a question asks for the answer to a fraction calculation as a mixed number then a vulgar fraction is not correct. On this paper there were two questions that had answers as sums of money. Money should be given to the nearest cent if not a whole dollar amount. Candidates should be made aware of what kind of answer needs to be rounded and which should be left unrounded, for example 87.5% (Question 1) and 2.25 (Question 8) should be left unrounded as they are exact values. The answer to Question 10 should be given as 23.2(cm) not as 23 as many did. The number from the calculator in Question 4, 495.3648008…, is not exact so needs rounding. Moreover, as this is money it should be rounded to 495.36 (euros) The questions that presented least difficulty were 2(a), 5, 8, 9(a), 17(a) and 18(c). The questions that proved to be the most difficult were 3, 6, 7(a), 9(b), 18(a), 20(b) and 20(c). The greatest number of part questions that were left blank were all in Question 20. Time does not appear to have been an issue over the whole paper as blank responses were scattered, in much lower numbers throughout the paper. These blank responses point to areas of the syllabus where candidates have difficulty. Apart from Question 20, the part questions over the whole paper that were the most often omitted were 9(b), 15(b), 17(c) and 18(a). Comments on specific questions Question 1 Often candidates who found the required 87.5% rounded this to 87% or 88%. A common wrong answer was
80.64 from the erroneous calculation 1009684×
. Also seen were 0.875 (the decimal form) and 84 (from the question). Answer: 87.5 Question 2 The occasional answer of ‘equal triangle’ was not given credit. The number of lines of symmetry was given as 1 or 2 with the majority of candidates giving the correct answer of 3 lines. Some candidates matched their answer to part (a) of isosceles with 1 line of symmetry but this was not awarded credit as the question stated the triangle had 3 equal sides. Answers: (a) Equilateral (b) 3
1
46Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Professional development
Weofferawell-establishedandcoherentprogrammeofprofessionaldevelopment(PD)forteachersinCambridgeschools,designedtomeettheneedsofteacherswhohavedifferentlevelsofexperience.PDofferingsincludecoursesandresourcesaimedatdevelopingtheknowledgeandskillsteachersneedtodeliverspecificprogrammesandqualifications,andothersthataremoregeneral,aimedatdevelopingteachingstrategies,skillsandreflectivepractice(seeFigure3).
Weoffercourses,seminarsandeventsfacetoface,onlineandviawebinartechnology.OuronlinecoursesaredeliveredviaourvirtuallearningenvironmentandhelpteacherstobuildlinksandexchangeideaswithotherCambridgeschoolsinternationally.
Teaching Cambridge programmes and qualificationsWeofferprogramme-andqualification-specificPDontwolevels:
Stage 1CoursesprovideanintroductiontoCambridgesyllabusesandkeydocuments.TeacherswilllearnthestandardsrequiredintheassessmentofCambridgesyllabusesandbegivenpracticalactivitiestohelp withmarking.
Stage 2Tutor-ledcoursesfocusinmoredepthonteachingstrategiesandassessmentissues,withmorepracticalmarkingexperiencedevelopingadeeperlevelofunderstandingaboutstandards.Stage2coursesaredesignedforteacherswhohavebeenworkingwithCambridgeforatleastoneyear.
Foralistofforthcomingcoursesanddetailsofhowtoenrol,goto www.cie.org.uk/events
Professional development qualificationsTeacherscanalsotakeaCambridgeProfessionalDevelopmentqualificationatcertificateand/ordiplomaleveltodemonstratetheirgrowingexpertisethroughapractice-basedassignment.Thequalificationsaredesignedtoenableteacherstoapplytheirprofessionallearningintheirday-to-dayteaching,andleadtoqualitativeimprovementsfortheindividualteacherandtheirinstitution.
Forfulldetailsofourprofessionaldevelopmentprovision,goto www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/teachers
5. Working with us
Advanced course
zz Intermediate course
zz Introductory
zz Launch
Teaching Cambridge programmes
and qualifications
Plan Reflect
Do
Analyse
Improving professional practice
Professional development qualifications
Cambridge Teachers’ Conference
Ongoing professional development
Leading inCambridge schools
School leadership
Administering examinations
Coursework assessment
Examining and training for CambridgeBecoming a Cambridge examiner
Becoming a Cambridge trainer
Figure 3: Our professional development cycle
47Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Local supportWecanprovidelocalsupportandguidanceforteachersandschoolleadersinvolvedinimplementingtheCambridgecurriculum.Byworkingwithyouwewillbeabletorespondtoyourspecificneedsbyprovidingamorepersonalisedexperience.Wecanalsohelpidentifysolutionsorprocessestoaddressanyproblemsorchallengesyoumayexperience.Ifyouneedlongertermsupportwecanworkwithyoutodevelopandimplementamoreformalisedprogramme.
Ifyouareinterestedinlocalsupportpleasecontactusat info@cie.org.uk with‘Localcurriculumsupportrequest’intheemailsubjectline.
Becoming a Cambridge school or expanding your Cambridge offerIfyouwouldliketotakeonadditionalCambridgequalificationsandprogrammes,andyouarealreadyaCambridgeschool,pleasecontactususingthedetailsbelow.IfyouarenotaCambridgeschool,youneedtoregisterfirst.Registeringwithusissimpleandwewillguideyouthrougheachstep.
CambridgeInternationalExaminations1HillsRoad,CambridgeCB12EU,UnitedKingdom
Tel:+441223553554Fax:+441223553558Email:info@cie.org.uk
5. Working with us
Youcanfindmoreinformationonourwebsitewww.cie.org.uk/startcambridge
48Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Griffin,P.,McGaw,B.andCare,E.(Eds.).(2012). Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills. London,UK:Springer.Seealsowww.atc21s.org
Schleicher,A.(2011).Thecasefor21stcenturylearning. OECD Education Directorate.Accessed11thNovember2012.www.oecd.org/general/thecasefor21st-centurylearning.htm
Vygotsky,L.S.(1978). Mind and society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge:MA:HarvardUniversityPress.USA.
References
49Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Curriculum planningEnglish, F. (2010). Deciding what to teach and test: Developing, aligning and auditing the curriculum. 3rd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Addressesthefundamentalsofcurriculumdesigninthecontextofastandards-basedenvironment,withguidanceandusefultools,e.g.forcurriculummappingfromaUnitedStatesperspective.
Flinders, D. and Thornton, S. (2009). The Curriculum Studies Reader. 3rd Ed. Abingdon: Routledge.
Acomprehensivesurveyofhistoricalandcontemporarykeynotewritingonthecurriculum,balancedwithconcreteexamplesofinnovativecurriculumandanexaminationofcontemporarytopics,e.g.globalisation.
Kelly, A. V. (2009). The Curriculum: Theory and Practice. 6th Ed. London: SAGE.
Summarisesandexplainsthemainaspectsofcurriculumtheory,andshowshowthese
canandshouldbetranslatedintopractice,inordertocreateaneducationalanddemocraticcurriculumforallschoolsatalllevels.
Law, E. and Nieveen, N. (Eds.) (2010). Schools as curriculum agencies: Asian and European perspectives on school-based curriculum development. Rotterdam: Sense.
Contemporaryconceptsofschool-basedcurriculumdevelopmentandcasestudiesofpracticeinarangeofAsianandEuropeannations,exploringcommonalitiesanddifferences.
McCormick, R. and Paechter, C. (Eds.) (1999). Learning and Knowledge. London: SAGE.
Learningasknowledgeconstructionandtheimplicationsofthisforthenatureofknowledgeandforthewayitisacquired,e.g.learningwithindomainsanddifferentsubjectperspectives.
Thisguidehaspresentedanoverviewoftheissuesandquestionsthatyouwillneedtoconsiderindevelopingyourcurriculum.Inthissectionweidentifyafewtextsandotherresourcesandlinksforschoolsinterestedinexploringideasfurther.Werecommendthesebecausetheyarerelevant,research-based,obtainableandreasonablypriced.Theyaregoodstartingpoints,fromwhichyoucanfollowyourparticularinterests,butrepresentonlyafewofthewiderangeavailable.WeencourageschoolstoshareanyliteratureandresourcematerialtheyhavefoundusefulthroughtheTeacherSupportcommunity.
Annotated bibliography and other resources
Marsh, C. J. (2009). Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum. 4th Ed. Abingdon: Routledge.
Anevaluationofmajorinternationalcurriculumconceptsandpracticesincludingplanning,developmentandmanagement,teachingperspectives,collaborativedesignandinvolvement,andideology.
Westbury, I. and Milburn, G. (2007). Rethinking Schooling. Abingdon: Routledge.
AcriticalselectionofseminalarticlesfromtheJournal of Curriculum Studiesbyinternationalexperts.Themesincludeclassroomsandteaching,pedagogy,scienceandhistoryeducation,schoolandcurriculumdevelopment,andstudents’livesinschools.
Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. 2nd Ed. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Adesignprocessinwhichthecurriculumplannerstartsbyidentifyingclearlearningoutcomesandrelevantfacetsofunderstanding,
50Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Annotated bibliography and other resources
andmakesexplicittheessentialquestionstobeexplored.
Effective schoolingBrighouse, T. and Woods, D. (1999). How to improve your school. Abingdon: Routledge.
Focusesonhowideasandintentionscanbeturnedintodirectactionsthatwillhelpaschoolimproveitsperformanceandeffectiveness,lookingateffectiveschoolsandhowtheyhaveachievedtheirgoals,leadershipwithinschools,teachingandlearningeffectively,makingcriticalinterventionstosecureimprovementandhowschoolsinvolveotherstosupportimprovement.
Brighouse, T. and Woods, D. (2008). What makes a good school now? London: Continuum.
Drawsuponextensiveworkonschoolimprovementoverthelast15years,andissetintherealcontextofthemanychangesandnewagendasthatareafeatureof schoolstoday.
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating To Achievement. Oxford: Routledge.
Hattieandcolleagueshaveresearchedthemostpowerfulinfluencesonachievementinschools.Thisbookpresentsasynthesisofover800meta-analysesandisoneofthelargestcollectionsofevidenceaboutwhatworksinschoolstoimprovelearning.
MacBeath, J. and Mortimore, P. (Ed.) (2004). Improving School Effectiveness. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Reviewsfindingsfromseminalinternationalworktoanalyseschooleffectiveness,itsmeasurement,andimpactforteachers,parentsandpupils.
Measures of Effective Teaching project (MET) www.metproject.org/reports.php
Anumberofresourcesareavailableonthewebsite,primarilyfocusedonmeasuringteachingeffectiveness.ResearchbaseentirelyintheUSA.
Mercer, N. and Hogkinson, S. (Ed.) (2010). Exploring Talk in School. London: SAGE.
Classroomtalkisessentialforguidingthedevelopmentofunderstandingandforlearnerstounderstandtheirteachersandtheirpeersinconstructingknowledge.Thisbookconsidersthepracticalstepsteacherscantaketodevelopeffectiveclassroominteraction,lookingat:classroomcommunicationandmanagingsocialrelations;talkinscienceclassrooms;usingcriticalconversationsinstudyingliterature;exploratorytalkandthinkingskills;talkingtolearnandlearningtotalkinthemathematicsclassroom;the‘emergingpedagogy’ofthespokenword.
Rudduck, J. and Flutter, J. (2004). How to Improve Your School. London: Continuum.
Focusesonthosewhoaremostaffectedbychangesineducationpolicyandsystems–thelearners.Baseduponanddistillingempiricalevidencefromanumberofresearchprojects,thisisanaccountofcontemporaryschoolingfromthelearners’perspective.Theresearchindicatesthatweneedtoseepupilsdifferently,tore-assesstheircapabilitiesandreflectonwhattheyarecapableofbeinganddoing.
Bilingualism and learningBaker, C. (2011). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 5th Ed. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Acomprehensiveintroductiontobilingualismandbilingualeducation,coveringallthecrucialissuesinbilingualismatindividual,groupandnationallevels.
Chadwick, T. (2012). Language Awareness in Teaching: A Toolkit for Content and Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge International Examinations and Cambridge University Press.
AimedprimarilyatthosewhoteachlearnersforwhomEnglishisnottheirfirstlanguage,thisToolkithelpsteacherstodeveloplanguageawarenessandsupportthroughclassroomapproachesandcoordinationwithotherteachers.
51Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Annotated bibliography and other resources
Coyle, D., Hood, P. and Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ThisisacomprehensiveoverviewofCLIL,fromtheorytopractice,forbothlanguageandcontent-subjectteachers,providingguidanceonthedevelopmentoflearningactivitiesandmaterials,teachingapproaches,assessmentandevaluation.
Cummins, J. and Early, M. (2011). Identity Texts: The Collaborative Creation of Power in Multilingual Schools. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.
Identitytextsdescribesavarietyofcreativeworkbychildren,ledbyclassroomteachers:collaborativeinquiry,literarynarratives,dramaticandmultimodalperformances.Thisbookshowshowidentitytextshaveprovedtobeaneffectiveandinspirationalwayofengaginglearnersinmultilingualschoolsaroundtheworld.
García, O. (2009). Bilingual Education in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Providesanoverviewofbilingualeducationtheoriesandpracticesthroughouttheworld,andextendstraditionalconceptionsofbilingualismandbilingualeducationtoincludeglobalandlocalconcernsinthe21stcentury.Garcíaquestionsassumptionsregardinglanguage,bilingualismandbilingualeducation,andproposesanewtheoreticalframeworkand
alternativeviewsofteachingandassessmentpractices.
Mehisto, P. (2012). Excellence in Bilingual Education: A Guide for School Principals. Cambridge: Cambridge International Examinations and Cambridge University Press.
Thefirstguideavailabletofocusonthedevelopmentandorganisationofabilingualeducationprogrammefromtheperspectiveoftheschoolleader,providinginternationalperspectivesonplanningandpartners,leadership,learners,teachersandparents.Thisisapracticalguidetosupportimplementation,andevaluationandimprovementofpractice.
Mehisto, P., Marsh, D. and Frigols, M.-J. (2008). Uncovering CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning in Bilingual and Multilingual Education. Oxford: Macmillan.
ThishandbookgivesmanypracticalinsightsintoCLIL,ateachstageinthecycleofreflectivepractice,helpingteacherstoknowwhyandhowtofacilitateCLIL.
Leadership for learningFullan, M. (2007). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Howleadersinalltypesoforganisationscanaccomplishtheirgoalsandbecomeexceptional
leaders.Drawsonthemostcurrentideasaboutandtheoriesofeffectiveleadership,withcaseexamplesofchange,andanalysesfivecorecompetenciesforsuccessfulleadershipofcomplexchange:attendingtoabroadermoralpurpose;keepingontopofthechangeprocess;cultivatingrelationships;sharingknowledge,andsettingavisionandcontextforcreatingcoherenceinorganisations.
Macbeath, J. and Cheng, Y. C. (Eds.) (2008). Leadership for Learning: International Perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Considerstheimpactofglobalisationonschoolleadershipandtheimportanceofdistributedleadershipmakingschoolsintolearningorganisations.Examplesaretakenfrom12countriesindifferentpartsoftheworld.
MacBeath, J. and Dempster, N. (2009). Connecting Leadership and Learning: Principles for Practice. Abingdon: Routledge.
Fivekeyprinciplesforpractice,testedbyteachers,schoolleadersandlearners,acrossculturalandlanguageboundaries,areexploredinschoolandclassroompractice:afocusoflearning;anenvironmentforlearning;alearningdialogue;sharedleadership;internalandexternalaccountability.
Wise, C., Bradshaw, P. and Cartwright, M. (Eds.) (2013). Leading Professional Practice in Education. London: Open University with SAGE.
52Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Annotated bibliography and other resources
Focusesonleadinglearningandlearnerleadership,changeprocessesanddistributedleadership,andleadingprofessionaldevelopment,exploringtheapplicationoftheoryinauthenticpracticeinarangeof schoolcontexts.
Assessment and assessment for learningBlack, P. et al. (2003). Assessment for Learning: Putting it into Practice. Maidenhead: Open University and McGraw-Hill.
Basedonatwo-yearresearchprojectinvolving36teachersinUKschoolsinMedwayandOxfordshire,thespecificassessmentforlearningpracticesthatteachersfoundfruitfularedescribed.Theunderlyingideasaboutlearningillustratedbythesedevelopmentsareexplored.Theproblemsthatteachersencounteredwhenimplementingthenewpracticesintheirclassroomarediscussed,withguidanceforschoolmanagementaboutpromotingandsupportingsuchchanges.
Gardner, J. (Ed.) (2006). Assessment and Learning. London: SAGE.
Acomprehensiveoverviewofassessmenttosupportlearning,practice-basedtheoryonassessmentforlearning,andformativeassessmenttosupportindividualdevelopmentandmotivatelearners.Research-informed
insightsandpracticalexamplescomefromawidevarietyofinternationalcontexts.
Harlen, W. (2007). Assessment of Learning. London: SAGE.
Acriticalreviewofhowlearners’achievementsareassessedforarangeofpurposes,fromreportingprogresstoselectionandqualification.Itconsiderstherelationshipbetweenlearningoutcomesandassessment,theuseofassessmentfortargetsettingandevaluation,andtheroleofteachers’judgements.
James, M. et al. (2007). Improving Learning How to Learn. Abingdon: Routledge.
Focusesontheconditionswithinschools,andacrossnetworksofschools,thatareconducivetothepromotion,inclassrooms,oflearninghowtolearnasanextensionofassessmentforlearning.
Swaffield, S. (Ed.) (2008). Unlocking Assessment. Abingdon: Routledge.
Thisbookexploresthevalues,principles,researchandtheoriesthatunderpinourunderstandingandpracticeofassessment.Itprovidespracticalsuggestionsandexamples,andaddresseskeypointsaboutthefuturedevelopmentofassessment.Complexbutcrucialideasandissuesaremadeaccessible,sothatteacherscanbemoreconfidentand
proactiveinshapingassessmentintheirclassrooms,inwaysthatsupportlearningandavoidunintentionalharmfulconsequences.
Weeden, P., Winter, J. and Broadfoot, P. (2002). Assessment: What’s in it for Schools? Abingdon: Routledge.
Showshowtheorycanbestbeputintopractice,usingaslittlejargonaspossible.Issuesdiscussedinclude:howskillsofreflection,self-evaluationandpersonaltargetsettingcanimpactonlearning;howfarlearnersareabletoevaluatetheirownperformanceandwhatschoolscandointheshort,mediumandlongtermtopromotemore effectivelearning.
Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded formative assessment. Bloomington: Solution Tree.
Wiliamoutlinesfivekeystrategiesofformativeassessment:clarifying,sharingandunderstandinglearningintentionsandcriteriaforsuccess;engineeringeffectiveclassroomdiscussions,activitiesandlearningtasksthatelicitevidenceoflearning;providingfeedbackthatmoveslearnersforward;activatinglearners’instructionalresourcesforoneanother;activatinglearnersastheownersoftheirlearning.Throughasummaryoftheresearchevidenceheshowstheimpactofeachoftheabovestrategies,andoffersmanypracticaltechniquesthatteacherscanusetoincorporatethestrategiesintotheir classroompractice.
53Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Annotated bibliography and other resources
Wylie, E. G. et al. (2012). Improving formative assessment practice to empower student learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin SAGE.
Thispracticalguidecanbeusedbyindividualteachersorcollaborativelyasastudyguideinaprofessionallearningcommunity.Casestudiesprovideexamplesofformativeassessmentinpractice,alongwithexamplesofteachersimplementingchangesintheirpractice.Readersareencouragedtoselectaspecificaspectofformativeassessmenttoinvestigate,explorerelevantpersonalpracticerelevanttothataspect,implementnecessarychanges,reflectonthosechanges,andcontinuethechangeprocess.
School evaluationHopkins, D. (1989). Evaluation for School Development. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Providesapractice-focusedguidetoschoolevaluation,itsmethods,approaches andimpact.
MacBeath, J. and McGlynn, A. (2002). Self-Evaluation: What’s in it for Schools? London: Routledge Farmer.
Makesschoolself-evaluationaccessible,andthroughcasestudieshelpsschoolsandteacherstodevelopself-confidenceinworkingwithevaluationtools.Discussestheconcernsandissuesofschoolstodaytoproposechallengingideasforthefuture.
Ofsted (2012). School Inspection Handbook (UK). www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/school-inspection-handbook (page23ff).
InPart2,theevaluationschedule,gradedescriptorsforeachofthekeyareas:theachievementofpupilsattheschool,thequalityofteachingintheschool,thebehaviourandsafetyofpupilsattheschool,thequalityofleadershipin,andmanagementof,theschoolaregiven.Thismightformthebasisfromwhichaschoolcoulddevelopitsownself-evaluationschedule. Professional developmentCraft, A. (2002). Continuing Professional Development: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Schools. 2nd Ed. London: Routledge Farmer
Forteachersandschoolleaderstodevelopunderstandingofprofessionalandinstitutionaldevelopmentandoftheprinciplesofappraisalandreview;toreviewtheirownprofessionaldevelopment;developandapplycriteriaforevaluatingthequalityandvalueofprofessionaldevelopment;andidentifyappropriateareasforfuturedevelopment.
Hargreaves, A. and Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School. New York: Teachers College Press.
Presentsactionguidelinesforclassroomteachersandschoolleaderstotransformthecultureofteachingandteacherdevelopment.
Moon, J. (2004). A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning. Abingdon: Routledge Farmer.
Guidetounderstandingandusingreflectiveandexperientiallearning,withpracticalideas,tools,activitiesandphotocopiableresourcesforclassroompractice.
Pollard, A. et al. (2008). Reflective Teaching. London: Continuum.
Thetextbookforreflectiveclassroomprofessionalism,summarisinglatestresearch,analysingkeytopicsandprinciples,andprovidingresourcesforcontinuingprofessionaldevelopment.
Pollard, A. (Ed.) (2002). Readings for Reflective Teaching. London: Continuum.
Thisbookisa‘portablelibrary’of120essentialreadingsforthereflectivepractitioner,concerningteachingandlearning.
54Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Glossary
Active learningLearningwhichengagesstudentsandchallengestheirthinking,usingavarietyofactivities.
Assessment for learningEssentialteachingstrategiesduringlearningtohelpteachersandstudentsevaluateprogressintermsofunderstandingandskillacquisition,providingguidanceandfeedbackforsubsequentteachingandlearning.
Backwash effectTheimpactofanexaminationonteachingandlearning,byinfluencingthedesignofthelearningprogrammeandactivities.
Balanced curriculumAschoolcurriculumwithacomplementaryrange,combinationandweightingofsubjects.Thisnormallyincludesmathematics,languages,sciences,technology,humanities,creativeartsandphysicaleducation.
BenchmarkingMeasuringperformanceagainstanestablishedstandard.
Bilingual educationTeachingandlearningintwoormorelanguages,developingbothsubjectandlanguageknowledgeandskills.
Broad curriculumEverystudentexperiencesawiderangeofdifferentsubjectsandlearningactivities.
Cambridge communitySchoolsusingCambridgeeducationalprogrammes[currentlyabout9,000schoolsworldwide,locatedinapproximately160countries].
Cambridge HandbookTheofficialdocumentdetailingtheregulationsforrunningCambridgeexaminationsandassessments.ItdetailstheresponsibilitiesofCentres
andformspartofthecustomers’contractwithCambridge.
Co-curriculum Valuededucationalactivitiesthatsupportlearningbeyondtheschoolcurriculum,whichtheschoolencouragesandsupports.
ComponentAcomponentisanassessablepartofasubjectexamination,notcertificatedasaseparateentity,e.g.awrittenpaperorapractical.
Content and language integrated learning (CLIL)InaCLILapproachtobilingualeducation,studentsdeveloptheirsubjectknowledgeandlanguageskillsatthesametimeusingspecificteachingandlearningstrategies.
Core subjectPAsubjectwhichisanessentialpartofthecurriculum,typicallyEnglish,MathematicsandScience.
Analternativemeaningisasubject[likeglobalperspectives]whichbecomesafocusoflearninginothersubjectsenhancedbyinterdisciplinaryapproachesandconnectionswithothersubjects.
CourseworkClassroomassignmentsundertakenbylearnersasprescribedinthesyllabus.Normallyassessedbythelearner’steacheraccordingtocriteriasetbyCambridge.TheworkismoderatedwithintheschoolandthenbyCambridge.
Creative developmentEnablinglearnerstodeveloptheirimaginationandoriginalthinkinginsolvingproblemsandproducingideas,images,artefacts,performancesandactionswhichhavevaluetothemselvesandothers.
Critical thinkingTheability,underlyingallrationaldiscourseandenquiry,toassessandevaluateanalyticallyparticularassertionsorconceptsinthelightofeitherevidenceorwidercontexts.
55Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Glossary
CurriculumAnoveralldescriptionoftheaims,content,organisation,methodsandevaluationofthelearningprogrammeandthefactorsinfluencingthequalityoflearning.
The term curriculum is often used in different contexts and different ways [pleaseseepage3forexamples].
Curriculum frameworkThesystematicstructureofthecurriculumassetoutindocument(s)specifyingthewayinwhichlearningandassessmentistobeorganised.
Curriculum mappingDocumentsalltheinterrelationshipswithinthecurriculum,e.g.whatistobelearned,howandwhen.
Differentiated learningAdaptingone’steachingtosuittheneedsofdifferentlearnersfortheircurrentlevelofunderstandingandperformance.,byprovidingappropriatelearningactivities,support,andassessment,sothatallstudentsinthegroupcanlearneffectively.(see‘Scaffoldinglearning’)
Directed studyLearninginwhichtheteacherasexpertauthoritysetsoutandtransmitstheknowledgetobelearned.
Dual qualificationsCambridgeandnationalqualifications.
Educational aimsStatementsofthebroadpurposesorintentionsofthecurriculumorlearningprogramme.
E-learningLearningthattakesplaceusingelectronicmedia,forexampleonline.
ESOLEnglishforspeakersofotherlanguages.
Exams officerThepersonappointedbytheprincipaltoactonbehalfoftheschoolwithresponsibilityfortheday-to-dayadministrationofitsCambridgeexaminationcycle.
Experienced curriculum Whatstudentsactuallylearnfromtheirwholeeducationalexperience,includingbothplannedandunintendedoutcomes,asaresultofalltheiractivitiesinthelearningenvironment.
First languageThelanguagethatthelearnerorteacherusesmainly,fromchildhoodandathome.
Formal assessmentPlannedandstructuredmeasurementoflearning.
Formative assessment Providesstudentswithdevelopmentalfeedbackontheirprogressduringthelearningprogrammeandinformsthedesignoftheirnextstepsinlearning.
Guided learning hours Theaverageamountofteacher-learnercontacttimeaschooltypicallyneedstoallocateforstudentstobewell-preparedforaqualification.
Higher educationCoursesinuniversitiesandcollegesbeyonduppersecondaryschool,e.g.degrees.
Interpersonal skillsSkillsusedtointeracteffectivelywithpeopleonadaytodaybasis,e.g.communication,empathy.
56Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Glossary
Intrapersonal skillsSkillsusedtoreflecton,manageanddevelopyourownthinking,behaviourandprogress.
Management cycleAniterativeprocessinwhichschoolleaderssetgoals,implementactions,monitorandevaluateprogressandoutcomesinrelationtotheschool’sstrategicplan.
Mission statementAformalstatementoftheeducationpurposeoftheschool.
Moderation Theprocessofcheckingthatassessmentstandardshavebeenappliedcorrectly,consistentlyandfairly,andmakingadjustmentsifnecessarytoensurethatallassessmentsarealignedtothestandards.
Multi-levellingAssessmentsspecificallytargetedatdifferentlevelsofability.
Multilingual curriculum SpecifiessubjectsthatwillbetaughtineitherEnglishofthenativelanguage(s).
Non-staged assessmentAlltheassessmentcomponentsaretakeninoneexaminationsession.
Partnership in learningActiveandsustainedcooperationbetweenindividualsandbetweeninstitutionstoachieveclearsharedaimsandobjectives.
Pedagogy Thetheoryandpracticeofteachingandlearning.
Pre-university qualificationsProvidethepreparationandrecognitionforentryintohighereducation,e.g.CambridgeInternationalAlevels.
Professional development (PD)Teacherscontinuouslyandsystematicallyreflectonandimprovetheirprofessionalthinkingandpractice,engaginginappropriatelearningopportunitiestoimproveandupgradetheirknowledgeandskills.
Programme of studyAplannedscheduleofteachingandlearningactivities,relatingtothecurriculumframeworkandqualification.
Progression routeMovementofthestudentfromonestageoflearningtoanotherinasystematicandplannedsequence.
Psychomotor developmentLearninganddevelopingskillsincorporatingphysicalmovementandcoordination.
Qualification Theformalcertificatedrecognitionofastudent’sachievementatendofaparticularcourse,basedonsuccessfulperformancedemonstratedthroughassessedevidence.
Reflective practiceTheprocessthroughwhichtheteachercontinuouslylearnsfromtheexperienceofplanning,practice,assessmentandevaluationandcanimprovethequalityofteachingandlearningovertime.
Scaffold learning Theteacherprovidesappropriateguidanceandsupporttoenablestudentstobuildontheircurrentlevelofunderstandingprogressivelytoacquireconfidenceandindependenceinusingnewknowledgeorskill.
Scheme of assessmentThesetofexaminationcomponentsthroughwhichalearner’sachievementinrelationtoaparticularqualificationisdetermined.
57Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Scheme of workAsetofplannedunitsoflearningrelatingtoatopic,subjectorstage.
School curriculum Referstothecombinationofsubjectsstudiedwithinaschoolyearandinsequentialyearsasthelearnermovesthroughtheeducationalsystemprovidedbytheschool.
Second languageAlanguageotherthanthenationalorofficiallanguageofacountry.
Shared subject curriculumStudentsstudyselectedsubjectsinboththefirstlanguageandinEnglishwhichcouldleadtotheawardingofbothnationalandCambridgequalifications.
Spiral approachAreasoflearningarerevisitedsystematicallywithinaplannedcurriculumsothatthelearnercanengageinmoredepthanddetailandacquirerelatedknowledgeandskills.
Split curriculumStudentsstudytwocurricula,somesubjectsarestudiedaspartofthenationalcurriculumandothersaspartofaninternationalcurriculum.
Staged assessmentAssessmentsarearrangedthroughouttheperiodoflearning.
Student-centred learning Indesigningthelearningactivities,theteacherfocusesontheneeds,abilitiesandinterestsofthelearnerinrelationtothelearningoutcomes.
Subject curriculum Thecontentandskillscontainedwithinasyllabusappliedacrosssequentialstagesofstudentlearning.Thesestagesnormallyrefertoschoolyearlevels,andthereforeaparticularageoflearner.
Summative assessment Typicallyend-of-learningassessmenttaskssuchasexaminationsandtests,tomeasureandrecordtheleveloflearningachieved,forprogressiontothenextlevelorforcertification.
Supplementary subjectAsubjectcoursechosentoprovidebreadthandbalanceinthecurriculuminsupportofthecoresubjects.
SyllabusAcompletedescriptionofthecontent,assessmentarrangementsandperformancerequirementsforaqualification.Acourseleadingtoanawardorcertificateisbasedonasubjectsyllabus.
Teacher SupportTheframeworkofcourses,resourcesandguidancethatCambridgeprovidestohelpteachersdeveloptheirunderstandingofandpracticewithCambridgeprogrammes.
TimetableAschedulelistingthetimesanddurationsoflessonsacrossaspecificperiodoftime,oftenaweek.Thisissometimesreferredtoastheteachingschedule.
VisionTheschool’svisionisacompellingsenseofthefuturedirectionoftheschoolthatshouldbewidelysharedandinspirecommitment.
Zone of proximal developmentThedifferencebetweenwhatalearnercanachievewhentheyreceiveexpertsupportandwhattheycanachieveindependently.
Glossary
58Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Age UK school year system
Malaysia school year system
New Zealand school year system
Pakistan grade system US grade system
0–4 Nursery/Pre-school Pre-school playgroup Early childhood education Pre-school Pre-kindergarten 3-4
4–5 Reception Kindergarten Early childhood education Pre-school Pre-kindergarten 4-5
5–6 Year 1 Kindergarten Year 1 Grade 1 Kindergarten
6–7 Year 2 Standard 1 Year 2 Grade 2 Grade 1
7–8 Year 3 Standard 2 Year 3 Grade 3 Grade 2
8–9 Year 4 Standard 3 Year 4 Grade 4 Grade 3
9–10 Year 5 Standard 4 Year 5 Grade 5 Grade 4
10–11 Year 6 Standard 5 Year 6 Grade 6 Grade 5
11–12 Year 7 Standard 6 Year 7 Grade 7 Grade 6
12–13 Year 8 Form 1 Year 8 Grade 8 Grade 7
13–14 Year 9 Form 2 Year 9 Grade 8 Grade 8
14–15 Year 10 Form 3 Year 10 Grade 9 Grade 9
15–16 Year 11 Form 4 Year 11 Grade 10 Grade 10
16–17 Year 12 Form 5 Year 12 Grade 11 Grade 11
17–18 Year 13 Form 6 Year 13 Grade 12 Grade 12
Inthisguidewerefertoschoolyears.Thetablebelowgivesyouanideaofhowtheseschoolyearscorrespondtolearneragesfromasampleofschoolsystemsindifferentcountries.
School years and age ranges
59Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders
Cambridge Secondary 2 subjects with alternative courses
Thelistbelowdetailsthesubjectsweofferwithanumberofalternativecourses.Forexample,inmathematicsweofferaCambridgeIGCSEwithcourseworkandonewithoutcoursework.Thisflexibilitymeansyoucanselectthecoursethatbestmeetsyourlearners’needs.Someofouralternativesubjectcourseshaveparticularrestrictions(barredcombinations)whenitcomestotheexams(seepage24formoreinformation).
ForafullllistthesubjectsweofferacrossourprogrammesandqualificationspleaseseethelatestCambridgeprospectus,availablefromourwebsitewww.cie.org.uk
Cambridge IGCSE science courses
CambridgeIGCSECombinedScience
CambridgeIGCSECo-ordinatedSciences(DoubleAward)
CambridgeIGCSEBiology
CambridgeIGCSEChemistry
CambridgeIGCSEPhysics
CambridgeIGCSEPhysicalScience
CambridgeIGCSETwenty-FirstCenturyScience
CambridgeIGCSEAgriculture
CambridgeIGCSEEnvironmentalManagement
CambridgeIGCSEFoodandNutritionCambridge IGCSE computing courses
CambridgeIGCSEComputerStudies
CambridgeIGCSEInformation&CommunicationTechnology
Cambridge O Level computing courses
CambridgeOLevelComputerStudies
Cambridge O Level science courses
CambridgeOLevelPhysics
CambridgeOLevelChemistry
CambridgeOLevelBiology
CambridgeOLevelHumanandSocialBiology
CambridgeOLevelScience(Physics,Chemistry)
CambridgeOLevelScience(Physics,Biology)
CambridgeOLevelScience(Chemistry,Biology)
CambridgeOLevelCombinedScience
CambridgeOLevelAdditionalCombinedScience
CambridgeOLevelAgriculture
CambridgeOLevelFoodandNutrition
CambridgeOLevelHumanandSocialBiology
Cambridge IGCSE mathematics courses
CambridgeIGCSEMathematics
CambridgeIGCSEMathematicswithcoursework
CambridgeIGCSEMathematics–Additional
CambridgeIGCSEInternationalMathematics
Cambridge O Level mathematics courses
CambridgeOLevelMathematics–Additional
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