Creating a Well Sequenced and Coherent Curriculum

When I first learnt to teach the emphasis was on delivering a great lesson, however a great lesson taught in silo can fail to develop a student. To truly develop a student, we need a good understanding of where we want to go, where they are now and the steps to get there. It all starts with a well sequenced and coherent curriculum. Creating a well-sequenced curriculum is essential for ensuring that students can develop a deep understanding of the subject matter. A well-sequenced curriculum provides students with a clear pathway through the material, enabling them to build on prior knowledge and understand the connections between different concepts. In this post, we will discuss some of the key elements that can support us to effectively create a well-sequenced curriculum.

Identify the Key Concepts: The first step in creating a well-sequenced curriculum is to identify the key concepts that students need to understand in depth in order to thrive in life. Working towards understanding key concepts in greater depth will help you to establish a clear learning progression and ensure that students are building on their prior knowledge. A powerful method to achieving this is to explore the big ideas of your curriculum and identify the strands or collections of knowledge, skills and values you want your students to gain throughout their journey with you. The best place to start is often the end, focusing on the meaningful outcomes that will build positive futures for your students. What are the meaningful outcomes? What do your students need to live the life they want? Obtain a job they want? Contribute to society in a way that is meaningful and beneficial to them?

There’s an exciting debate on what the big themes of education are. Mary Myatt is one key figure exploring the big themes within specific subjects with school leaders and teachers. She writes and shares ideas at Myatt and Co and her book ‘The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence’ is a core read for anyone wanting to understand curriculum development. I’ll leave you with a much more concise point made by Mary who suggests there is strength in doing “fewer things at greater depth” providing they are the right things of course; I would suggest discussing with your school community what you feel these are together.

Determine the Order of Instruction: Once you have identified the key concepts, you need to determine the order of instruction. This involves sequencing the concepts in a logical and progressive manner, so that students can build on their understanding as they progress through the material. What does this mean? It means thinking about a student’s journey in your setting and the steps required to gain skills and knowledge towards an outcome at each developmental stage. Let’s take a PE lesson where students are developing the skill to skip, we don’t instantly gain the knowledge to skip, for many students there are a few steps that take place first: running, hopping, balancing, standing, sitting up, being able to turn their body, these are all developmental steps towards a seemingly simple goal. When a school and it’s teachers have a strong understanding of development they can take the learning to a new level, ensuring students have the prior knowledge to achieve. There is a huge benefit in exploring the development of key concepts with your community and involving your students and teachers so that misconceptions and ideas can be discovered together. In a SEND setting the positive impact of a secure understanding of development can often be greater as an informed teacher who understands the different starting points of their students can enable activities where they can all achieve and work towards their next step.  

Thankfully a lot of people have done some legwork for you and developed progression maps in most subject areas to break down the development of knowledge and skills. However not all are perfect or the best fit for each setting. One example of an effective sequenced, well-ordered and mostly free curriculum is White Rose Maths, a group of teachers and mathematicians, dedicated to developing maths education for everyone. At White Rose they break down the developmental steps of learning mathematics, exploring the development of knowledge and skills within each key strand.

So, you have a good understanding of the order of instruction, how do you make sure it translates to your students? Let’s look at one more example and focus on the language of algebra, the national curriculum doesn’t introduce the language of algebra until upper key stage 2. So where does the prior knowledge come from? Algebra starts fundamentally with the understanding of missing number, so what opportunities can be developed to support students learning in missing number and are these being provided before the developmental level of upper key stage 2. The concept of solving missing number problems, for example setting up for a party and solving the problem of a few missing plates, could be introduced before students are at the developmental stage for the language of algebra. This way students will arrive equipped with prior knowledge and skills required to understand the concept in greater depth. Also offering students the important opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills towards algebraic understanding in real life and meaningful depth, which leads us on to our third key element.

Consider the Developmental Level: When considering the developmental level of each concept in your curriculum, it’s important to remember that students need a strong foundation of knowledge to build upon. Starting with the early concepts will allow students to become familiar with the basic concepts and develop their confidence before moving on to more complex ideas. Sequencing your curriculum in this way will also allow students to develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter. When students have a solid understanding of the basics, they are better equipped to tackle more complex concepts.

An approach to teaching that supports in depth learning of key concepts is known as teaching for mastery. Teaching for mastery involves breaking down complex concepts into smaller, more manageable parts, allowing students to master each part before moving on to the next. This approach encourages students to develop a deep understanding of the subject matter, rather than just memorizing facts. The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) has a guide of teaching for mastery.

Teaching for mastery also emphasizes the importance of formative assessment, which allows teachers to monitor student progress and adjust instruction accordingly. By regularly assessing student understanding, teachers can identify areas where students may have misconceptions and provide additional support as needed. In addition, teaching for mastery encourages a growth mindset, which emphasizes the idea that intelligence and ability can be developed through hard work and dedication.

Make Connections: When students make connections between different concepts, it helps them to develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter. A well-sequenced curriculum can facilitate this by providing opportunities to link concepts together and help students see how they are related. Additional activities can also support students to make connections, including through whole school events, extracurricular activities, and learning in the wider community. Whole school events, such as celebration days can provide opportunities for students to explore different aspects of a subject and see how they are interconnected. For example, planning and delivering a whole school celebration meal might support the application of mathematics and DT knowledge and skills allowing students to see how these different disciplines are related. Extracurricular activities can also be used to support student learning and help them make connections between different concepts. For example, a robotics club might provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge of physics and programming, while a dungeons and dragons club might help students develop critical thinking skills and see how different political and social issues are interconnected. It’s important to take time to think about the connections and links that you want to support your pupils to discover and check that the activities you plan are supporting them to find these connections.

Events in the community can also be used to support student learning and help them make connections between different concepts. For example, a school might organize a community service project that allows students to apply their knowledge of science and social studies to real-world problems. In addition, teaching politics and advocacy in lessons can be complemented by a school council that enables students to have impact and make decisions about their school. This approach can teach democracy in greater depth by giving students a voice in the decisions that affect their education. By participating in the school council, students can learn about the democratic process and develop the skills needed to advocate for their ideas and beliefs. It’s important to consider who is on your school council and support students to advocate by considering their differences, Talking Mats are a good example of an inspiring approach on using visuals to support advocacy.

Review, Revise and Listen: The world is constantly changing, and this means that education must also change in order to remain relevant and effective. A curriculum that was effective a decade ago may no longer be appropriate for today’s students. Therefore, it is important to regularly review and revise the curriculum to ensure that it remains up-to-date and meets the needs of current students. Students need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to succeed in the future. For example, the rise of artificial intelligence and automation means that many jobs that exist today may not exist in the future. Another reason why it is important to review and revise the curriculum is that students themselves are constantly changing. As they grow and develop, their needs, interests and aspirations may change. Therefore, the curriculum needs to be flexible enough to adapt to these changes and provide students with the support they need to reach their full potential.

Ultimately, true education is about developing individuals towards the best outcomes for them, it’s not a one size fits all approach. This means focusing on building positive futures for students and equipping them with outcomes that support meaningful and bright destinations. By regularly reviewing and revising the curriculum, educators can ensure that they are providing students with the best possible education, one that meets their current strengths and needs whilst preparing them for the future. By soliciting feedback from students, colleagues and parents, educators can gain valuable insights into what is working well and what needs to be improved, and make changes as necessary to ensure that the curriculum remains effective and relevant.

Creating a well-sequenced curriculum is a critical component of effective teaching. By identifying key concepts, sequencing them in a logical order, considering difficulty level, making connections and regularly reviewing and revising, you can create a curriculum that helps students develop a deep understanding of the subject matter. These five points go some way in supporting you to develop a coherent and sequence curriculum. Although be prepared to constantly explore where you are before evolving your curriculum. The Education Endowment Foundation provides a good overview of the foundations for good implementation. Evolution rather than revolution has the potential to stick better, so take some time. Take time to listen, listen to people’s stories, listen to their ideas and take them on the journey with you. Ultimately a powerful curriculum is developed with people.