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Knowledge Organisers - for the attention of parents and students
Thamesview Curriculum Intent and Implementation
As a community we have the highest aspirations for all our students, regardless of their background, and are ambitious in the breadth and depth of knowledge we want our students to gain in their subjects.
Our Curriculum has been designed using a Trivium framework encouraging students to Know Well, Think Well and Communicate Well. Students need to develop rich foundational knowledge, be able to think and deepen their understanding through questioning, discussion and debate. Be able to communicate and express their learning in a variety of forms.
As Tom Sherrington states in The Learning Rainforest, “Knowledge is key in a curriculum but so too is the ability to develop capacity to question and challenge, to engage in dialect of the trivium*, to contribute to debate and conversation.”
Thamesview seeks to go beyond a curriculum based on knowledge alone, to a curriculum that builds thought, expression and character.
The Trivium as outlined by Martin Robinson has three parts for students;
Knowledge (AKA Grammar):
Learning involves connecting new information with what is stored in our long-term memory. Therefore, limited prior learning can limit our future learning. Development of a rich knowledge base essentially makes us more intelligent by creating more branches for new learning and ideas to connect with. Without much foundational knowledge of a topic it is difficult for learners to form their own ideas and to work independently. Teachers have a vital part to play in leading the learning process to ensure that conceptual understanding progressively builds over time. The curriculum must be coherently constructed and sequenced across subject disciplines to achieve this. The development of a broad vocabulary is also a key part of this pillar. Thamesview places high importance on every subject area having a coherent and strong approach to successfully improving and strengthening disciplinary literacy within our school. This work is based on the research of the EEF and Alex Quigley.
Elements of Teaching & Learning related to Knowledge:
- Clarity through explanations & modelling
- Responsive teaching strategies
- Repetition & spaced retrieval practice
- Regular low level stakes assessment to identify and close gaps & address misconceptions.
- Disciplinary Literacy strategies to secure and cement knowledge for learners.
- Relevant Rosenshine principles of effective implementation – Thamesview School expects all staff to know and implement Rosenshine principles in curriculum implementation.
Exploration (AKA Dialectic):
Simply knowing things is insufficient. Encouraging our students to think, debate and consider alternative views is a vital part of the education we provide. Knowing things without the skill to explore knowledge further is of limited value to our students in the wider world. We encourage our students at Thamesview to be respectful of others, to be resilience when learning or when ideas are challenging, to be ambitious for themselves, seeking to take knowledge beyond the just knowing and retaining of facts.
Elements of Teaching and Learning related to Exploration:
- Real world experience, challenges and experimentation
- Debate, critical thinking & deep questioning
- Problem solving & reflection
- Character Education
- Relevant Rosenshine principles of effective implementation – Thamesview School expects all staff to know and implement Rosenshine principles in curriculum implementation.
Communication (AKA Rhetoric):
We want our students to leave Thamesview confident communicators. Explaining ideas publicly strengthens knowledge. This pillar is not, however, limited to public speaking. Any performance involves communication, whether it be a Sporting or creative performance, essay, speech or exhibition of work. These performances help to develop a range of qualities that prepare our learners well for their future lives. Ensuring all our learners can communicate in a clear, articulate and convincing manner, in a variety of ways, is vital.
Elements of Teaching & Learning related to Communication:
- Public performance & extended writing
- Presentations, exhibitions and displays.
- Demonstrating Thamesview Character values.
- Relevant Rosenshine principles of effective implementation – Thamesview School expects all staff to know and implement Rosenshine principles in curriculum implementation. At Thamesview we aim to build our curriculum around five key principles.
- A curriculum that has Coherence for students – explaining to them what they are learning and when and why.
- A curriculum that provides all students with a wide and deep range of Experience(s).
- A curriculum that equips students with Knowledge and the ability to use it, develop it and be inspired by it.
- A curriculum that Expands horizons for students.
- A curriculum that represents all creating a sense of Belonging
Subject Curriculum Intent and Implementation
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Curriculum Intent for Dance The Performing Arts Faculty endeavour to provide a robust basic skills package across all our subjects. At KS3 this skills package includes Dance, Drama and Music. Providing this solid grounding in a broad array of subjects allows learners to make informed decisions about their pathways in KS4 and beyond while at the same time ensuring they have the skills knowledge needed to succeed. In Year 7, students learn about the basic actions and basic composition skills from the 4 elements of dance. In Year 8, students continue this but also learn about safe practice and contact work. In Year 9, students look at appreciating dance and learn professional repertoire in preparation for KS4. In Year 10 and 11, students develop their vocabulary through discussions about Physical, Interpretive, Composition and Personal Management Skills, as well as learning Contemporary and Jazz technique and set pieces from professional works. In Year 12 and 13, students continue to develop skills and techniques, investigate practitioners work and create a group performance piece. At KS4 learners specialise in their chosen subjects which may include Dance, Drama or Music within the Performing Arts Faculty. All Performing Arts programmes endeavour to build on the skills knowledge developed at KS3 to create knowledgeable, resilient and respectful students that can achieve not only their academic potential but also become active and productive members of the community. |
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Links to Whole School Intent. The Performing Arts curriculum will promote a love of performing arts exploring the different disciplines through doing. Learners will not only experience a variety of practices within each discipline but will hone both subject specific technical skills and transferable personal management skills. The aim of all lessons will be to increase and embed the appropriate skills and increase awareness of professional practitioners to ensure all students are performing to the best of their ability. |
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Curriculum Implementation for Dance. Lessons across the Faculty are characterised by:
All subjects provide a variety of learning opportunities that could include investigation and problem solving, research and finding out, self‐directed learning, group/pair/whole class collaborative work, independent work, asking and answering questions, multi‐sensory activities, listening, use of multimedia, building on personal experience, creative activities, design & making things, first‐hand experience/fieldwork/visits, debates, role‐plays and oral presentations, participation in athletic or physical activity, structured play, performance, challenge and extension should be evident in all lessons and in all learning. |
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Links to Whole School Implementation. Rosenshine Principles are embedded into the teaching of the Performing Arts Faculty through the use of questioning, reviewing and modelling. We follow the School Assessment policy by ensuring we assess students every 6 lessons and whole class feedback is given to address misconceptions. Subject knowledge and pedagogy is developed within the team by sharing good practice and consistency across all three disciplines. |
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How Impact is measured within the department In the Performing Arts department at Thamesview, we evaluate our effectiveness regularly. We use the data from assessments for gap analysis and to address misconceptions to ensure students are making progress. Departmental monitoring is in place in the form of learning walks to ensure all staff know the Intent and that Implementation is being met well in all lessons. |
Schemes of work
Subject Core Knowledge Maps
Literacy
Literacy Examples Within Performing Arts
In Key Stage 3, Performing Arts subjects are delivered through practical based lessons. Reading is covered in term 2 through a variety of ways. Subject specific vocabulary is used by teachers within lessons by defining the key words and ensuring students understand what they mean and can use these too within their vocabulary. Think, pair, share and say it better again are used within lessons to ensure students have time to voice their opinions and do this through using subject terminology. Students are encouraged to use key vocabulary when giving feedback to peers and setting targets for themselves. Video clips are used as demonstrations and then questioning is used after the video clips to check understanding like a comprehension.
In Key Stage 4, literacy is continued to become embedded within the students by focusing on more key vocabulary within each subject. Writing frames are used to support students with their writing to help them structure their work and ensure they have included all key information. Students watch more practical work at a much deeper level by not just focusing on skills that are being demonstrated but by analysing the purpose, stimulus and contextual influences of the piece. Students are expected to use key vocabulary when setting SMART targets for themselves to allow them to be specific about an area they need to improve on.
Contacts for the department
| Megan Burdett | m.burdett@thamesview.kent.sch.uk |