Curriculum Delivery
There are two main ways in which to deliver the curriculum, one being the subject approach and the other the cross-curricular approach. The children at St. Matthias and Dr. Bell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School will experience both approaches as each has something valuable to contribute towards their education.
The cross-curricular approach, however, teaches a number of subjects using a theme or topic as a central core. For example, a topic on Autumn may include some scientific investigations, various types of writing (English), mathematical surveys, collage (art), etc. The cross-curricular approach enables the teacher to provide a vehicle through which children can apply the skills and concepts gained from subject teaching. Furthermore, the children become aware of how to use, develop and extend the many skills they are gaining, they see a purpose and value in having those skills, and the topic usually produces an end result whereas subject teaching tends to be on-going.
To reinforce the understanding that skills and knowledge gained through subject teaching are the 'tools' people use to solve problems, make discoveries, communicate with others etc., the children will be made aware of which type of skills they are using when undertaking topic work, i.e. mathematical, scientific, etc. All topic work is carefully planned to ensure it is complementary to the levels of subject teaching.
Indeed, children as young as four can very quickly learn to transfer and apply skills, provided the framework is there for them to do so. From the start of a child's education at St. Matthias and Dr. Bell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School he/she is given a carefully structured and balanced education using whatever methods and groupings are required to ensure success in learning.
Teaching methods
Throughout your child's schooling various teaching methods will be used such as the whole class approach, small group work and individual learning. Each has its place in a balanced and well developed curriculum.
In any class of 30 children of the same age there will be a range of abilities including those who need extra support generally, those to whom everything comes easily and those who struggle or excel in perhaps just one curriculum area. Grouping children mainly according to their levels of understanding allows the teacher to focus very closely on the next stage in their learning. Each group of children, no matter what their level, will be able to move forward at a pace which is appropriate for them. Grouping children in the core subjects of Maths, English and Science can be particularly beneficial.
Groups will be operated in a variety of ways.
A group of children will at times be engaged on a single task with each child performing a different but distinct element of that task, i.e. co-operative group work (team work) with the end product being something to which all group members have contributed. A scientific investigation will often be conducted in this manner.
A teacher may introduce a new idea or concept to the whole group, give a thorough explanation and then instruct the children to work individually so that they can consolidate and extend their new understanding. The children, though grouped at a common level, work quite independently of each other. Maths and English will often be taught in this way.
Class teaching still has an important part to play in a child's education. Throughout the course of each week, various activities will be undertaken as a whole class including such things as P.E., story time, music/singing and certain elements of the core curriculum areas. The decision as to which approach to adopt for any given lesson will be determined by what is seen to be the most appropriate way to achieve the intended degree of learning. Issues and decisions regarding different teaching methods are addressed in the teacher's detailed planning files.