Knowledge Curriculum

1. Knowledge Curriculum

2. Some epiphanies…

4. Tom Bennett Dan Willingham E.D. Hirsch Doug Lemov Siegfried Engelmann Daisy Christodoulou John Hattie

6. Threekey ideas… • Knowledge • Memory • Forms of instruction

7. Knowledge

8. E.D. Hirsh Expertise

9. ‘Higher-order thinking is knowledge-based: the almost universal feature of reliable higher-order thinking about any subject or problem is the possession of a broad, well-integrated base of background knowledge relevant to the subject’. ​E D Hirsch

10. ‘What we call civilization – the accumulation of knowledge which has come down to us from our forefathers – is the fruit of thousands of years of human thought and toil. It is not the result of the labour of the ancestors of any separate class of people who exist today, and therefore it is, by right, the common heritage of all. Every little child that is born into the world, no matter whether he is clever or dull, whether he is physically perfect or lame, or blind; no matter how much he may excel or fall short of his fellows in other respects, in one thing at least he is their equal – he is one of the heirs of all the ages that have gone before.’Robert Tressell, ‘The Ragged-Trousers Philanthropist’ pub.1914

11. ‘Only a cohesive, cumulative, carefully-sequenced knowledge curriculum will close the 10 000 word gap between the poorest and wealthier pupils aged 11, narrow the 28% gap in GCSE attainment between poorest and wealthier pupils aged 16, and reduce the 80% gap between the poorest and private school pupils attending university aged 18. The reason we want all pupils to have secure subject knowledge is because we think it is the best route to social justice’ Joe Kirby, Pragmatic Reform

12. Knowledge Curriculum… A knowledge curriculum specifies, in meticulous detail, the exact facts, dates, events, characters, concepts and precise definitions that all pupils are expected to master in long-term memory. 

13. The 5 Year Curriculum (and 5 year revision plan) Eg For a student to be able to converse or write confidently in French. Eg For Y7s by the end of autumn term to be able to conjugate regular, verbs in order to have simple conversations. Eg For Y7s to know the monarchs and Prime Ministers (and dates) off by heart by the end of the year. Eg By the end of Y8 for students to know the names and symbols of the chemical elements. GCSE Criteria Eg For Y7s to know times tables off by heart; in Science to now the Greek and Latin prefixes – thermos and endo. Eg By the start of Y10, all pupils to have read 60 books and 9 Classics What does a student need to have committed to their long-termmemory from the domain in order to attain a level of mastery/expertiseby the end of Y11? Interleaving 5 Years

14. Knowledge Organiser

15. Knowledge Organiser • For a unit of study (eg 4-6 weeks), what are the 40-50quizablekey facts students need to have acquired in their long term memory to be able to master the topic. • (Note: It is not a revision pack) Remembered through testing with frequent, low stakes quizzing

16. Primary Knowledge Organiser

19. The sheer volume of retrieval practice required for pupils to master all their subject knowledge in long-term memory is huge and often the time it takes to learn it is seriously underestimated. Engelmann says, ‘…the amount of practice required is five times what teachers expect’

20. Memory

24. Short term and long term Only retains a little knowledge at any one time (6-7 facts) This can retain a HUGE amount of facts and information Long term memory Short term memory

26. Regular low stakes quizzing for memory (Not testing)

27. Assessment Memory of topic 1 Memory of topic 1 Memory of topic 2 Memory of topic 2

28. Assessment Memory of topic 1 Memory of topic 1 Memory of topic 2 Memory of topic 2

29. Synoptic assessment Each section of the course is continually revisited in order to build long term memory Memory of topic 1 Memory of topic 2

30. Synoptic assessment in practice…. • Supports the 5 Year Curriculum we’re developing • (It’s a 5 year revision programme). • All Assessments will also draw upon all previous topics. • Multiple-choice KnowledgeTests will draw on all the topics studied so far • Once the multiple-choice questions have been set up, they can also be used for homeworks (self-marking) and cover.

31. A curriculum for memory Interweaving: • Curriculum design – interleaving • Knowledge Organisers • Low stakes quizzing • A Synoptic Assessment programme

32. Forms of instruction

35. John Hattie – Effect Size Equivalent to a one grade leap at GCSE An effect size above 0.4 is above average Equivalent to a two grade leap at GCSE

37. Traditional Teacher as expert, guiding students Teacher as ‘Sage on the stage’ Effect sizes • Feedback (egInterrogative Questioning, checking for understanding, formative feedback etc) 1.13 • Instructional quality (Teaching quality) 1.00 • Direct instruction* (Teacher led) 0.82

38. Progressive Effect sizes Cooperative learning (Group work) 0.41 Inquiry based teaching (Independent learning) 0.31 Web based learning 0.18 Problem based learning (Independent learning) 0.15 • Child centred learning • Teacher as ‘Guide on the side’

39. Siegfried Engelmann – Direct Instruction

40. “So let me get this straight: we’re behind the rest of our class and we’re going to catch up to them by going slower than they are?”- Bart Simpson

41. Direct Instruction Siegfried Engelmann

42. Direct Instruction • An expertly designed curriculum • Combining precise example sequences • High-pace questioning • Continuous instant feedback • Extended practice drills • Rapid corrections of misconceptions ….. direct instruction is one of the most effective teaching methods.

43. Curriculum design is the difference between failure and success ‘Instructional sequences have the capacity to make students smart or not… The curriculum will largely determine the extent to which students are smart.’

44. Also inthemix… • No excuses discipline • Boot Camp • No lesson observations (But lots of coaching) • Teacher autonomy • Minimal marking (But lots of feedback) • Weekly CPD time

45. Impact on…. • Results ( 2 years worth of GCSE results – Progress 8 - 2016 0.38, 2017 0.51) • Styles of lesson • Curriculum ambition and stretch • Behaviour • Staff work Load

47. For more information and resources on a Primary Knowledge Curriculum www.coreknowledge.org.uk Jon Brunskill @jon_brunskill https://pedfed.wordpress.com

48. Direct Instruction Siegfried Engelmann www.mheonline.com/directinstruction www.thinkingreading.net

49. https://pragmaticreform.wordpress.com

50. Some tweeters and bloggers Some tweeters you may want to follow Someblogs…. http://pragmaticreform.wordpress.com http://teachingbattleground.wordpress.com http://community.tes.co.uk/tom_bennett/b/weblog/default.aspx http://thewingtoheaven.wordpress.com • @tombennett71 • @oldandrewuk • @daisychristo • @dylanwiliam • @StuartLock • @TheEchoChamber2 • @Doug_Lemov • @joe_kirby • @websofsubstance • @DTWillingham • @marymyatt • @goodbyemrhunter • @ProfCoe • @learningspy