Making the most of your time
Curriculum for Excellence declutters the curriculum significantly, particularly in key areas of primary, to free up more time for children to achieve and to allow teachers the freedom to exercise judgement on appropriate learning for children.
The level spanning pre-school and primary is being designed to provide time and space for children to experience a wide range of learning opportunities at an appropriate pace and in sufficient depth to provide challenge and to meet their intellectual needs.
For effective active learning, children need sufficient time to engage with ideas, resources, peers and adults. This requires staff to plan routines as far as possible to create time slots that are uninterrupted. Children consolidate their learning when they have time to engage in activities in depth. It can be good practice for children to revisit a piece of work again and again to learn more deeply.
The child’s day should provide a suitable mix of opportunities for work with the class, in a group or individually. Staff can plan their time to interact with identified children, support learning through sensitive intervention, work with smaller groups and also have whole class activities as and when appropriate.
Staff also need time to observe children, in order to learn about their understanding and approach to learning. They can then plan appropriate next steps and gauge the level of support or challenge required.
Reflective questions
- How do you make time to observe children’s learning?
- How do you plan time for children to engage in new experiences and talk through ideas?
- How can you ensure sufficient time for children to explore, to research and engage in learning contexts and areas of interest?
- How do you encourage children to take time to persevere with their enquiries?
- How do you build in time to allow children to continue a project over several days or re-explore the same experience?
- How do you plan time for children to work with a supportive adult to complete a task?