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Teachers, Try This – A Video Series on Innovative Ideas for Educators

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A place where teachers can find ideas and inspiration from fellow educators.

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

The benefits of movement in the classroom aren't limited to younger students. Pairing new words and concepts with gestures or dance moves locks in understanding-and active brain breaks prime students to learn even more.

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A free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education.

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TeachThought – A Critical Thinking Classroom

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TeachThought promotes critical thinking and innovation in K-12 classrooms

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Learning That Engages, Empowers, and Works In Any Environment

As we move into an era of learning that will continue to happen in a variety of environments, Adaptable provides a framework to create a curriculum that works in our ever-changing world and learning experiences that engage and empower our students regardless of where they are learning.

Packed with practical strategies, the WSJ and USA Today Bestselling book Adaptable will connect the research and theory to the everyday practices we can use as teachers, coaches, and leaders working in education.

You can also check out my other books below!

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As we move into an era of learning that will continue to happen in a variety of environments, Adaptable provides a framework to create a curriculum that works in our ever-changing world and learning experiences that engage and empower our students regardless of where they are learning.

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Education Week - K-12 education news and information

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At Education Week, we believe that all children deserve a high-quality education.

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3 rules to spark learning | Ramsey Musallam

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These strategies can help you increase student engagement with learning activities, build their confidence in their community of learning, and increase their comprehension of the course material.

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Strategies for Promoting Student Engagement in the Classroom | Edu Engagement

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Explore 12 strategies to boost student engagement, fostering a positive, inclusive learning environment for effective education outcomes.

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These resources are designed to support the many Maths Clubs that schools run across the country. Each activity is fully resourced and accessible to all 11-16 students at different levels. They should take around 30 minutes to work through, with extension activities to develop the ideas further according to the students' engagement and interest. Of course, they could be used as enrichment activities in lessons or as activities for enrichment days. These activities will be added to over time, so do keep an eye out for new titles.

Maths Week England

These resources were designed as part of the AMSP's support for Maths Week England.

Number tricks

These resources were designed as part of the AMSP's support for Maths Week England.

Card tricks

You will need a pack of playing cards for these activities.

Origami

Different Geometries

These activities explore geometries beyond those studied in school maths. Although they are standalone activities, it is recommended that you do the Hypercubes activity before the Hyperspheres activity.

Mathematical drawing

Permutations and Combinations

Skip to content

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These resources are designed to support the many Maths Clubs that schools run across the country. Each activity is fully resourced and accessible to all 11-16 students at different levels. They should take around 30 minutes to work through, with extension activities to develop the ideas further according to the students' engagement and interest.

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Passion-based Learning Download PDF version

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In a passion-driven classroom, learners develop the critical and creative thinking skills, autonomy, and intrinsic motivation necessary to be agile candidates in the job market and successful in whatever pursuit they may follow.

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Alphabetical list

Airport Security: The old lady has a misconception about conditional probability [Topic(s): probability]

Algebraic Product: Finding the value of the expression is easier than you think! [Topic(s): Algebra]

Angle Thinking: Find the range of possible angles, x, for which tan x > cos x > sin x [Topic(s): Trigonometry Inequalities]

Average Cycling Speed: Work out the average speed of two journeys. The obvious answer is not the correct answer. [Topic(s): Average speed]

Back To The Factory: Find all the numbers below 1000 which have exactly 20 factors [Topic(s): Factors, Possibilities, Prime, Number]

Barmy BIDMAS: A misleading way of stating the answer to a simple calculation. [Topic(s): BIDMAS Factorial]

Bertrand's Box Paradox: Bertrand's box paradox is a paradox of elementary probability theory, first posed by Joseph Bertrand in 1889 [Topic(s): Conditional probability]

Best Dice: Which of the unusual dice would you choose to give you the best chance of winning the prize? [Topic(s): Probability]

Biased Coin: Use a biased coin to obtain a fair result [Topic(s): Probability]

Car Inequalities: Solve three simultaneous inequalities to find how many cars I own. [Topic(s): Inequality, Inequalities, natural numbers]

Catering for a Function: Find f(x) given f(x-1). [Topic(s): Functions]

Charging Rhinos: Find the easy way to solve this kinematics problem involving a fly and two rhinos. [Topic(s): Speed Distance Time]

Cheryl's Birthday: Use a process of elimination to work out the correct date from the clues given. [Topic(s): Logic]

Coordinate Distance: Find k given that(-2,k) is 13 units away from (10,9) [Topic(s): Coordinate Geometry, Quadratics, Coordinates]

Cos 10 Equals p: Find the trigonometric values in terms of the given value, p. [Topic(s): Trigonometry]

Cuboid: Find the dimensions of a cuboid matching the description given [Topic(s): Measures]

Curved Angles: How many right angles are there in a semicircle? [Topic(s): Angles]

Difference Cipher: Find the mathematical word from the cipher [Topic(s): code, cipher, number]

Divisible by 11: Can you prove that a three digit number whose first and third digits add up to the value of the second digit must be divisible by eleven? [Topic(s): Algebra, Place Value]

Double or Half?: At ten percent change per day is doubling achieved faster than halving? [Topic(s): Percentages]

Eight to the Unknown: Solve the equation using the laws of indices [Topic(s): Indices]

Exceeds by 99: Find the number whose double exceeds its half by exactly 99. [Topic(s): Algebra]

Exponential Trigonometry: Find, in degrees, all eight of the solutions to the given exponential, trigonometric equation [Topic(s): Exponents, Trigonometry, Angles]

Fence Optimisation: Find the length of a rectangle enclosing the largest possible area. [Topic(s): Differentiation Calculus Optimisation]

Fermi Problem: The classic Fermi problem using standard estimation techniques [Topic(s): Fermi, Estimate, Standard Form]

Find The Radius: Find the radius of the circle from the small amount of information provided. [Topic(s): Geometry Trigonometry Algebra]

Four Fraction Division: Explain why the answer to a series of fraction divisions is a whole number. [Topic(s): Fractions]

GDC Challenge: Produce the given graph on a graphic display calculator [Topic(s): Graph]

Geometry Snack: Find the value of the marked angle in this diagram from the book Geometry Snacks [Topic(s): Angles, Geometry]

Grandmother: How far would grandma have travelled after a suitably large number of days given her walking regime? [Topic(s): Sequences and series]

Hands Together: The hands of a clock are together at midnight. At what time are they next together? [Topic(s): Angles, Speed]

HCF and LCM given: If given the HCF, LCM can you find the numbers? [Topic(s): HCF, LCM, Factor, Multiple]

How Many Left Handers?: Work out the number of members if the probability of left-handed members being randomly selected is given. [Topic(s): Probability]

Hundred and Fifty Percent: Divide 110 into two parts so that the larger part is 150% of the smaller part. [Topic(s): Percentages Ratio]

Index Equation: Solve x squared equals sixteen to the power of x [Topic(s): Indices]

Is it a Number?: A mathematical object is a number if it ... [Topic(s): Number]

Key Eleven: Prove that a four digit number constructed in a certain way will be a multiple of eleven. [Topic(s): Number, Proof, Algebra]

Log Perfection: Determine whether the given statements containing logarithms are true or false [Topic(s): Logarithms, Logs]

Logarithm Equation: Solve an equation containing logarithms with different bases [Topic(s): Logarithms, Logs]

Maximum Product: Two numbers add up to 10. What's the largest possible product they could have? [Topic(s): Optimise Differentiate Calculus]

Multiple of sum of digits: What number is six times the sum of its digits? [Topic(s): Number]

Nine Digit Numbers: How many different nine digit numbers are their that contain each of the digits from one to nine? [Topic(s): Number]

Other Child's Gender: What is the probability that the other child is also a boy? [Topic(s): Probability]

Paper Ratio: Calculate the ratio of the sides of an A4 sheet of paper without any measuring. [Topic(s): Ratio]

Paper Surprising Perimeter: Find the perimeter of a folded sheet of A4 paper as described in this short video. [Topic(s): Perimeter, Surds, Ratio]

Parallel Graphs: Determine from their equations which of the straight line graphs are parallel and perpendicular. [Topic(s): Graphs, Coordinate Geometry]

Penny Bags: Can you place 63 pennies in bags in such a way that you can give away any amount of money (from 1p to 63p) by giving a selection of these prepacked bags? [Topic(s): Puzzle, Binary]

Perennial Rivals: Which football team will be first to win four games? [Topic(s): Probability]

Permutable Functions: Find pairs of functions that are commutative under composition. [Topic(s): functions]

Piece of String: Find where a piece of string should be cut to form a circle and a square of equal areas. [Topic(s): Equations, Problem Solving]

Pizza Slice: A problem which can be solved by considering the areas of a triangle and a sector of a circle. [Topic(s): Mensuration, Area, Trigonometry]

Product of Indices: Find the product of the unknown indices that feature in two equations [Topic(s): Indices, Logarithms]

Quad Midpoints: What shape is created when the midpoints of the sides of a quadrilateral are joined together? [Topic(s): Geometry, Proof, Vectors]

Restrained Flea: How many different places could the flea find itself after 8 foot-long jumps either north, south, east or west? [Topic(s): Loci, Combinations]

Reverse Connection: Find a general rule for the difference between a two digit number and that same number with the digits reversed. [Topic(s): Algebra, Place Value]

Rice on a Chess Board: How many grains of rice are on a chess board if each square has twice the number of grains as the previous square. [Topic(s): Sequences and series]

Rich or Poor?: An interesting outcome of percentage increase and decrease [Topic(s): Percentages]

Road Connections: Design roads to connect four houses that are on the corners of a square, side of length one mile, to minimise the total length of the roads. [Topic(s): Calculus Trigonometry]

Rope Around The World: Imagine a long rope wrapped around Earth's equator - One metre longer than it needs to be. [Topic(s): Circles]

Same Series Sum: Find an arithmetic series and a geometric series that have the same sum of the first five terms. [Topic(s): Sequences and series]

Same Three Digits: Find ex pressions which contain indices and evaluate to numbers containing the same digits. [Topic(s): Puzzle, Indices, Problem Solving]

Seventeen Camels: Explain the mathematics of the classic ninteenth century fraction sharing story. [Topic(s): Fractions]

Simplify: Simplify an algebraic fraction [Topic(s): Indices]

Single Fraction: Simplify an expression involving fractions, exponents and a square root. [Topic(s): Fractions, Indices, Roots]

Speed Circles: Find the diameters of the circles in the corners of the square. [Topic(s): Mensuration Circles]

Sphere Hole: Find the volume of the remaining part of a sphere after a 10cm cylindrical hole has been drilled through it. [Topic(s): Volume, Mensuration]

Square in Rectangle: Find the area of a square drawn under the diagonal of a rectangle [Topic(s): Algebra, area, similar triangles]

Square Root of 1%: What is the square root of one percent? [Topic(s): Root, Percentage]

Tan 22.5: Find an exact value for tan 22.5° without using a calculator. [Topic(s): Trigonometry]

Tansum: Find the sum of the tangents of angles on a straight line. [Topic(s): Trigonometry]

Temperature Sum: Can you explain why 0 oC + 0 oC does not equal 64 o F [Topic(s): Addition, Scales, Proportional]

Test Scores: Explore the misconception that when adding fractions you add both the numerators and the denominators [Topic(s): Fractions]

Three Right Triangles: Calculate the lengths of the unlabelled sides of these right-angled triangles. [Topic(s): Similarity]

Transum Tonic: What is the largest number of bottles that it is not possible to buy if they come in packs of 6, 9, and 20? [Topic(s): Multiples]

Tri-Junction: A real life situation that can be analysed with the use of a tree diagram. [Topic(s): Tree diagrams, probability]

Triangle or Quadrilateral: Can a quadrilateral have a straight angle? [Topic(s): Shape Angle]

Trig Blot: Find all the measurements of the given triangle. [Topic(s): Trigonometry]

Two Equals One: What is wrong with the algebraic reasoning that shows that 2 = 1 ? [Topic(s): Equations Algebra]

Two Pots: Use tree diagrams to find the surprising result that probabilities of different situations are the same. [Topic(s): Probability Tree Diagrams]

Two real numbers: The sum of the reciprocals of two real numbers is -1, and the sum of their cubes is 4. What are they? [Topic(s): Simultaneous Equations]

Unfinished Game: Share the prize in a fair ratio according to the probability of each player winning. [Topic(s): Ratio, Probability]

Unlucky Seven Eleven: Follow the instructions to multiply a chosen number then explain the result you get. [Topic(s): Number, Place Value]

Venn Graphs: Type the equation of a graph into each section of the Venn diagram. [Topic(s): Graphs, Functions, Venn Diagram]

Victorian Times Comparison: Is 10! larger or smaller than the number of seconds in six weeks? [Topic(s): Product, factors, factorial]

Vowel Code: How many ways can you create a code for the vowels by assigning to each vowel a different vowel? [Topic(s): Codes, Permutations]

Weather Reports: Which five different integers multiply together to give 12? [Topic(s): Prime Factors, Negative numbers]

What Question?: Write down all the possible questions that could have been asked if this was the Venn diagram provided in a mathematics exam. [Topic(s): Probability]

X Divided by 2Y: Why do different calculators not agree on the order of operations? [Topic(s): BIDMAS Substitution Calculator]

Zero Even: Prove that zero is an even number. [Topic(s): Proof]

89 Advanced Starters

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maths numeracy starter mathematics math topics teacher

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Advanced Lesson Starters and Online Activities

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A list of advanced Maths lesson starter activities and interactive exercises for students.

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Because imaginative thinking hones creativity and improves students' social and emotional skills, it's something that teachers and schools should fold into their planning. Ostroff identified several strategies teachers can adopt to encourage older students to activate their dormant imaginations.

Give students more control. Loosening the classroom structure and allowing students more power over their work can activate their curiosity. Ostroff encourages teachers to "flip the system," so that students understand that the learning is for them, and not the teachers. As a practical matter, this might mean assigning essays and allowing the students to determine their length, or telling kids to turn the papers in when they're done rather than on a particular day, or simply offering a free-write period, where students write what they please for their eyes only. Teachers also can invite students to decide for themselves how a paper or assignment is assessed, and to encourage kids to reflect on and evaluate their own work. "They start to crack open when they feel like they're in charge," Ostroff said.

Have students track their Google searches. Internet search engines can seem to provide all the answers, blocking students from thinking expansively. For Ostroff, "Google is the beginning of the learning, not the end." She recommends the following assignment: Ask students to Google something that they find intensely interesting. Then, suggest that they click the hyperlink that's most appealing, and then the one after that. They should keep track of what interested them in each link, so they develop an awareness of their own process. A student might start by searching "Mayans," then move to "jewelry they wore," then "precious metals," then to "mining." The point is to understand that learning is not simply finding an answer; it's going deeper to figure out the next question. The first Google search should be the start of a larger inquiry. "Learning is about letting yourself get carried away," Ostroff said.

Tell collaborative stories. Reading and telling stories is an effective way to learn. To spark imagination, the teacher might start by writing the first few lines of a story or poem on a piece of paper. She then passes the paper to a student, who adds more to the story. Every student receives the paper in turn, but reads only the written contribution of the student before her. (The paper should be folded to conceal all but the most recent addition.) This kind of impromptu storytelling, with its unpredictable outcome, keeps students engaged and thinking creatively.

Try improv. Once the domain of jazz musicians and comedians, improvisation has found its way into businesses and schools. Improv is the practice of telling stories, or playing music, without scripts. One person begins the story with a few lines, and turns to the person next to her to continue it, and so on, until everyone in the group has contributed. The inviolate rule of improv is "yes, and"-meaning every contribution is accepted, regardless of its randomness, and woven into the story. Improv sparks creativity and spontaneity, and its nonjudgmental tone frees up the introverted or fearful. Because improv tends toward playfulness, it also allows some lightness into the classroom, and to learning.

Introduce real-life experiences whenever possible. What might seem bloodless or irrelevant in the classroom can come alive if students see the subject play out before them. To bring energy to science and math, for example, a teacher might take her class to a Maker Faire, where kids (and sometimes adults) use their imaginations and minds to create new things. Ostroff suggests something as simple as taking a walk in pursuit of objects that can be used to build sculptures; or, if a manufacturer is nearby, asking for their remnants to build machines. Another interesting project for teenagers is building a " box city," in which students construct their own buildings and work to combine them into a model city. Done right, the box city will take into account economics, geography, history and culture, and give children hands-on experience with design and urban planning.

Encourage doodling. Drawing pictures or coloring while listening is both common and useful: it enables the doodler to stay focused and heightens intellectual arousal. Teachers can capitalize on that benefit by including doodling in class work. For example, students can be given notebooks to doodle in when listening, and asked to do a "doodle content analysis" of their scribbles. As well, teachers might ask students to select one or more drawings to modify for an art project, or to combine several doodles into a mural. The point is to be mindful of the value of doodling-how it enhances imagination and improves focus-and to invite students to continue the practice.

Imagine a classroom "creative council." The council is an imaginary body of visionaries and experts that the students could "create" and then look to for answers to problems. A teacher might ask students to recommend people from the past or present who could "sit" on this council and serve as sources of wisdom. Ostroff writes, "We can tap into their knowledge virtually, by imagining and researching their potential responses and actions." If students selected Marie Curie, for example, they would speculate about how she would respond to a particular issue. How would she approach the problem? What would she say we're forgetting? This kind of made-up collective compels students to better understand how another thinks and even provides a kind of "imaginary mentorship."

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8 Ways to Help Older Kids Develop a Sense of Imagination | KQED

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As kids get older, the activities that cultivate imagination often get sidelined by the demands of academics. Professor Wendy Ostroff explains why imagination is so important and has suggestions for bringing back the spark.

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8 Ways to Ignite Passion in Your Students - Open Colleges

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Discover 8 effective ways for educators to ignite passion-based learning in students. Learn how to foster a love for learning and inspire academic success.

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Passion-based learning in the 21st century: An interview with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach

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“We live in a connected world, with the Internet and powerful digital technologies literally at our fingertips, so it would be foolish not to integrate those things into the learning experience. But when I talk about the shift to 21st century teaching and learning, I am not talking primarily about changing the tools we use. Iâ€™m talking about transforming the way most teachers teach today â€“ either because they were taught to teach that way or because the accountability system makes them believe they have to teach that way.”

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The "Passion-Based Learning" training programme by Learnlife aims at transforming traditional classrooms into student-centred learning environments that prioritise individual interests and passions. The programme empowers teachers to guide students in exploring their passions, fostering creativity and autonomy. This training initiative significantly impacts both educators and students, enabling an authentic shift towards more personalised and engaging learning experiences.

Imagine a classroom where students of different ages work in the same maker lab, focused on their own personal projects. There are prototypes, sketches, half-finished models and scraps of fabric on the tables. Students organise themselves using Kanban Boards and document their processes in Google Drive folders.

The atmosphere is relaxed and collaborative, and students give each other feedback and advice. The teacher guides the students by asking questions so that they find their own solutions. If we talk to the students, we would see that they are aware of their challenges and areas for improvement, and we could look at the rubrics assessment that they have co-created with the teachers. This is the classroom of the 21st century.

This scenario and type of learning environment speaks to the specific needs and skills of the modern world. However, while it may be easy to envision, it can be notably more difficult to put into practice, to take down the walls, so to speak, and rebuild a learning environment, perhaps both physically and metaphorically.

Under the umbrella of the Impuls Digital project designed by the Catalan Education Department and EU Next Gen funds, Learnlife has created an exciting and impactful training programme: "Passion-Based Learning: L'interès personal com a motor de l'aprenentatge" to train 90 teachers at 10 schools across Catalunya.

Passion-based learning is an approach to education that emphasises the importance of following students' interests and passions in the learning process. It's based on the idea that students are more motivated and involved in their learning when they can explore and delve into topics that they are passionate about.

"This public-funded course is the continuation of the work we have been developing since 2021, supporting teams of educators adopting new practices to enhance learning in their schools. The training has three main goals: to boost the educator's digital competence, to implement passion-based learning in the classrooms, and to weave a network between 10 schools. I'm particularly enthusiastic about this last point because of how powerful it is," explains training leader Joan Urgell.

"When we designed the training, our vision was to establish a network of support between educators and schools, bringing together a community of practitioners that support each other to achieve a common goal: Implement passion-based learning. It's very fulfilling to see we are heading in the right direction and bringing value to our trainees, the learners, and their communities."

Through this kind of work, Learnlife hopes to transform the educational world beyond its own hubs. To support other schools wishing to become more adapted to student's interests and passions, and to create a programme, which meets the EU Educator's Digital Competence at a B1 level, to help schools adopt this methodology. Moreover, the training allows the work to happen on the schools' terms, adapted to their unique needs, physical limitations, and personal goals.

Live Training Kick-off: Workshops and Hackathon

On 5th October, we hosted the live training kick-off event of the project, which brought together teachers and leaders from the 10 schools to meet, collaborate and exchange ideas.

Through workshops and a hackathon, teachers engaged with the concept of passion-based learning, and explored tools used in the Learnlife Urban Hub, such as 3D printing, woodworking, and video and photo editing.

In the hackathon, they were given a challenge which they used as a prompt to envision a solution, create a prototype, and present it to their colleagues. The training is designed to boost teacher empathy towards their learners. Thus, the participants take the same steps their learners will go through once they implement the projects in the classroom. Through this experience, they were able to take control of their own learning as their learners will do.

"We can see how it works from the students' perspective. It helps us remember what it's like to be a student, how they learn, how they experiment. It's very interesting because it offers students a lot of opportunities for creativity and exploration," says Constanza Burton, a teacher at the American School of Barcelona.

Building a Community of Passionate Learners

Learnlife's training model serves to meet the schools where they are and accompany them during their transition to a personal learning, human-centred model that empowers students and teachers alike. The schools working with Learnlife this year will be supported throughout the implementation of their Passion Projects in both online and in-person sessions.

Following the maker philosophy of 'Studios' or 'Labs', each school will set up and run thematic Labs, so that their students can channel their interests using different tools and materials.

Each term, the students will work in a different Lab, guided by their interests and developing skills to lead projects. In this model, the teacher assumes the role of facilitator rather than lecturer or instructor.

They work with students to identify their interests and help them develop projects (Passion Projects) that align with those interests. This approach allows students to take control of their learning and encourages them to be more independent and autonomous.

Building on Success: Acesco School Case Study

This training programme is not the first that Learnlife has led. During the 2021-2022 academic year, Learnlife accompanied the team from the Acesco, a school located in Parets del Vallès, to implement Passion Projects.

That year, the school impacted 96 students, from first to third ESO, creating a project with technological roots that they called 'Know Pro'. Know Pro was a subject block of two hours per week in which the students became the protagonists of their own learning processes, and where motivation was born from their own interests and passions.

During this block, students created a variety of products such as project managing, organising and marketing school events, producing video games, and creating a fashion garment. This kind of project is exactly what Impuls hopes to achieve with this new cohort of schools.

Conclusion: A Vision for Autonomy and Empowerment

We are excited to see how passion projects take root and flourish in the ten schools involved in the "Passion-Based Learning: L'interès personal com a motor d'aprenentatge" programme.

The training will have an impact on 90 teachers and has the potential to impact many more learners, helping both groups to achieve a sense of autonomy, self-growth, and pride in new skill sets and new understandings.

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"Empowering Education: Making an Impact through Training in Passion-Based Learning"

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Learnlife's "Passion-Based Learning" training program, part of the Impuls Digital project, aims to create a network of empowered educators in Catalonia. This program focuses on transforming traditional classrooms into student-centered, passion-driven learning environments. Through hands-on training, teachers learn to guide students in exploring their interests, fostering creativity, and enhancing their autonomy.

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Early career educators and those further along in the classroom are always looking for new ways of connecting with and meeting the needs of their students, as well as tackling the many responsibilities that come with their roles. Here, we share some tips and tricks from teachers, for teachers on a number of different topics that can make the job of teaching just a little easier.

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Teachers, Try This - A Video Series on Innovative Ideas for Educators

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A place where teachers can find ideas and inspiration from fellow educators.

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The way to maximise learning is to provide stretch challenges that extend individual students. ©Air Images/Shutterstock

The New South Wales Curriculum Review Interim Report - 'Nurturing Wonder and Igniting Passion: Designs for a future school curriculum' proposes 15 broad directions for reform. During the initial consultation period with teachers, leaders, professional associations and a range of education stakeholders, lead reviewer Professor Geoff Masters - CEO of the Australian Council for Educational Research - said the 'strong and consistent' message received was that change is required.
In a two-part series, Teacher is taking a closer look at some of the proposals. Our first article focused on curriculum content and deep learning. This final instalment explores curriculum flexibility and integrated learning.

To ensure the New South Wales K-12 curriculum properly prepares students for the challenges and opportunities they will face beyond school, reducing the amount of mandated content is only part of the solution, the report notes. The Review is also proposing changes to the structure of the curriculum.

The current curriculum's lack of flexibility was a recurring theme during consultations with teachers, school leaders, professional associations, parents and the wider community. 'There was concern that the curriculum was inflexible in the sense that it told teachers what to teach, when to teach it, and how long to spend teaching it. This often constrained teachers' abilities to make decisions in the best interests of individual students.'

The report says research shows successful learning depends on teachers' professional judgements about how to adapt and tailor their teaching according to individuals' prior knowledge, needs and interests.

In its Review submission, the Mathematical Association of New South Wales says its members want more flexibility. 'Currently teachers feel tied into teaching content to particular year levels regardless of the background knowledge of their students. If, for example, a teacher felt that there was a need to spend time reviewing content from previous years to better prepare their students for new learning then they should not feel under pressure to keep moving on.'

Reform Direction 5: Commit to the development of a more flexible school curriculum that does not specify when teachers should teach specific content and how long they should spend teaching it, but instead provides a framework that enables teachers to establish the points students have reached in their learning and to identify appropriate next steps in teaching and learning.

In many classrooms, the most advanced 10 per cent of students are typically five to six years ahead of the least advanced. However, the report says asking teachers to deliver a 'lock-step' curriculum to mixed ability classes - Year 4 content for all Year 4 students, and so on - is particularly damaging to those at either end of the achievement scale. When assessed against year-level expectations, less advanced students may be labelled 'D' students year after year even though they may be making progress in their learning, while the most advanced students may receive high grades while cruising and making little progress.

Meeting individual learners where they are

There were concerns that the current curriculum structure fails to recognise students' varying backgrounds, prior knowledge, experiences, starting points and individual needs. 'One teacher simply said, "many kids are not ready for what we are trying to teach them" ... [and another] "we have kids in Kindergarten who can easily do Year 3 maths ... are we giving them that opportunity?".

The report says research shows the way to maximise learning is to provide stretch challenges that extend individual students. This would require teachers having the flexibility to make those professional judgements.

An alternative curriculum structure is likened to grading in music or proficiency levels in swimming. It would be a map of long-term progress in knowledge, understanding and skills in a subject - a learning continuum with levels of increasing proficiency - not tied to age or year level. Teachers would use it as a frame of reference to establish where individual students are and the next steps.

Reform Direction 6: In each Key Learning Area, reorganise the K-10 curriculum into a sequence of syllabuses ('attainment levels') that are not tied to years of school but represent increasing levels of disciplinary knowledge, understanding and skill.

Would this proposal require a move to mixed-age classes? 'Importantly, this proposal relates to the structure of the curriculum, not the structure of schooling; it is assumed that most students will continue to be grouped by age.'

An inclusive curriculum design

Creating an inclusive and supportive environment in which students' strengths and starting points are recognised and celebrated has been found to play an important role in successful learning. The report says, in recognising individual students are at different points in their learning and require different levels and kinds of support, the same curriculum should apply to all.

'An inclusive curriculum is accessible to all students. In particular, it does not limit some students' access to learning on the basis of cultural or language background, disability, learning difficulties or current level of attainment. An inclusive curriculum is designed to minimise the likelihood of some students being locked into narrow courses, low expectations or restricted pathways to high achievement.'

During consultations, Indigenous groups described the current NSW curriculum as providing learning opportunities 'targeted for children growing up in a Western culture'. In its submission, the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group says: 'Universal educational theory tells us that knowledge development is best achieved through teaching that allows students to build on prior knowledge, such as that learnt from one's family and community, prior to and outside of formal schooling. Before starting their schooling and outside of their school hours Aboriginal children are learning their Aboriginal languages, they are learning Aboriginal English and they are being immersed in, engaging with and learning through the oldest continuous culture in humanity. But, when they step onto Australian school grounds, they are subjected to a significant cultural shift where all too often there is little or no value placed on speaking Aboriginal Languages, Aboriginal English and practising and learning through Aboriginal culture.'

The report says having an inclusive curriculum requires an understanding of individual learners' varying backgrounds and starting points. Assumptions about cultural or linguistic starting points, for example, can make it less accessible for some students. 'An inclusive curriculum not only will avoid barriers of these kinds, but also will facilitate access by attempting to build connections to student backgrounds to encourage a sense of belonging within the curriculum. This is important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, but it also is important for students from a range of cultural backgrounds.'

It adds separate curricula for groups of students, such as those with disabilities or learning difficulties, may be introduced with the best of intentions but can have unintended consequences, including 'lowered expectations and restrict access to higher levels of learning and attainment'. The Review argues a better approach would be to recognise the same curriculum can serve all students, recognising individuals are at different points in their learning and supporting teachers to establish where students are and how to provide targeted stretch challenges so that every student can make good progress.

Preparation for life after school

Discussing integrated learning, the report suggests every school subject should contribute to a students' broad education. Instead of a narrow focus on skills for a particular occupation, post-school study pathway, all subjects should combine theory and application, and develop personal attributes alongside subject knowledge, understandings and skills in applying learning.

'Rather than giving these skills labels such as "general capabilities", "key competencies" or "21st century skills", thereby making them seem separate and perhaps in competition with disciplinary learning, an integrated view of the curriculum sees skills in applying knowledge as an essential part of disciplinary learning and a requirement for high levels of competence in every subject.'

In the senior years, some subjects would see an increased focus on practical skills and application, while others would increase the focus on the theory underpinning the practical application of knowledge and skills. This kind of integrated learning would mean parity for academic and vocational subjects.

' ... a curriculum for the final years of school that was less focused on meeting the specified requirements of post-school destinations and more focused on providing every student with a broad education that prepared them for ongoing learning, life and work. In such a curriculum, there would be no place for dichotomies that separate academic from vocational learning, theory from application, and knowledge from skills.'

The proposal is to reduce the number of subjects available to senior years students. It's suggested many of these would be modifications of existing HSC (NSW Higher School Certificate) subjects.

'Reform Direction 11: Commit to a long-term agenda to develop a more integrated approach to learning in the senior years of school through the development of a limited set of rigorous, high-quality 'advanced courses', each of which incorporates both theory and application and is designed to develop knowledge, understandings, skills and attributes for further learning, life and work.'

As a starting point, the Review suggests nine senior years learning areas (subject groupings): Humanities, Society and Social and Community Services; English and Languages; Mathematics and Science; Personal Development, Health and Physical Education; Visual and Performing Arts and Entertainment; Engineering, Construction and Manufacturing; Information Technology and Computer Science; Business, Economics and Financial Services; and, Agricultural Science and Food Technologies.

'Each new learning area is envisaged as a focal point for collaboration between schools, universities, vocational education providers and industries within that area. Teachers and other school staff associated with a learning area could play a direct role in building such partnerships, providing career advice within the area, connecting students with advances in the field, and providing guidance on relevant post-school courses and pathways.'

Introducing a major project

As part of any curriculum redesign, the Review proposes a new standalone component of the NSW senior certificate that would give all students - whatever their chosen program of learning - an opportunity to develop and demonstrate a range of essential skills to help prepare them for life after school, whether that be further study, training or employment.

Reform Direction 13: Introduce a major project that every student is to undertake in the senior years of school, usually as part of a project team and in a learning area of their choosing (the specifications for the project should require the application of learning to a complex problem or challenge that requires a range of knowledge and skills).

It gives several examples of major projects already in use. The South Australian Research Project requires all Year 12 students in the state to choose an area of interest to them and achieve a grade of C- or better in their project to gain the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE).

'The Research Project represents about 10 per cent of a student's work for the year and is described as an opportunity for students to develop and demonstrate skills that will prepare them for further education, training and work. [It] is designed to develop and recognise skills in planning, research, synthesis, evaluation, and project management.'

Another example is the Victorian Extended Investigation (part of the Victorian Certificate of Education), which affords students the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills 'including constructing and deconstructing arguments, recognising the influence of cognitive biases, and critiquing propositions and arguments'.

Where to from here?

Head to the NSW Curriculum Review website to access a copy of the Interim Report, which has been based on conversations in forums and meetings held across the state, and more than 2100 Review submissions. The next stage of consultation is on the Interim Report. A series of consultation resources have been produced, including four short videos, a workbook and conversation cards. To access all the resources and have your say on the proposals, visit www.nswcurriculumreview.nesa.nsw.edu.au. Consultation closes on Friday, 13 December 2019.
References
NSW Education Standards Authority (2019) Nurturing Wonder and Igniting Passion, designs for a future school curriculum: NSW Curriculum Review Interim Report. Retrieved from https://www.nswcurriculumreview.nesa.nsw.edu.au

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Education reform: Curriculum flexibility and integrated learning

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In a two-part series, Teacher is taking a closer look at some of the proposed reform directions in the New South Wales Curriculum Review Interim Report.

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Would you like support to drive change in your community? | IB Global Youth Action Fund

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How-To Guide for Research Projects for High School Students | Pioneer

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Empower High School Students with a How-To Guide for Research Projects. Unlock valuable insights on initiating research endeavors on our official news page.

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Promoting Student Agency: Nurturing Tomorrow’s Independent Thinkers

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Unlock the power of student agency in education! Discover its benefits, practical strategies, and how it transforms learners into confident thinkers.

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It was my first trip after a year and a half of isolation, and my first time flying in the post-2020 era. I braved the tension at the airport and had an uneventful flight. I jumped in my rental car and was all set to trek to where I was staying, a rural address about two hours outside of the city. As I pulled away from the airport, I realized I had just one problem: I wasn't getting a cell signal, so GPS wasn't going to be any help.

Determined, I followed the big green road signs and made my way through traffic on a Sunday night. There were 14 lanes of cars and trucks, an ocean of tail lights with each pair going their unique way. Admittedly, it had been a while since I'd been on a trip like this without GPS. As I continued on, I was pretty sure I was heading to the right place, but not entirely certain. I had to trust myself, even as I got more and more frustrated by the gridlock around me. The route wasn't working for me, and I wanted options, but I chose to stay in the traffic jam-feeling powerless-because I wasn't sure if there were any alternate routes.

For too many students, this is what learning is like: a tedious slog on an unfamiliar path toward an unclear destination. Too often, we create situations where they don't have enough options or choice in how their own educational journeys go, leaving them in learning traffic that doesn't let them move as fast.

Agency is partially about having choice, and partially about knowing what to do with that choice. It's about developing and holding onto the sense that one can set achievable goals, persevere, solve problems, overcome obstacles, and find success. When we don't have agency, it leads to a lack of purpose, confusion, indecision, or feeling like there aren't any choices. On that Sunday night stuck in traffic in an unfamiliar city, I didn't have my phone to offer up options, or to lead me back if I went too far astray.

Agency is partially about having choice, and partially about knowing what to do with that choice.

When we shepherd students through curriculum without involving them-that is, when we act as learner managers instead of learner empowerers -we miss the opportunity to let them find their own way. When we act as road signs, we miss the chance to be their GPS. Student agency is critical to effective learning and one of the most important skills we can offer them on the road to adulthood.

What we get right

The good news is that teachers today are already doing a tremendous amount of work to support student agency and give their learners opportunities to "take an active role in shaping their future," as Larry Ferlazzo noted in a 2019 opinion piece in EdWeek. Consider how much has improved since we were in school! Teachers are now creating learning systems that are increasingly personalized for each student. They're leveraging rigorous content standards, adopting research-informed practices, and considering their students' social and emotional learning needs.

We see teachers having powerful goal-setting conversations with their students and using data to identify next steps together. We see them giving effective feedback to their learners that helps them better understand their own needs. We're shifting from thinking of learning as a thing that happens through statements to instead understanding it as a process that happens better through questions. Even in the pandemic era, we see teachers working within distance limitations to put their students in the driver's seat. Still: more must be done.

What do we mean by "student agency"?

If we're going to have a systemic effect on building and improving student agency, it's important to pause to define what we mean.

When we shepherd students through curriculum without involving them-that is, when we act as learner managers instead of learner empowerers-we miss the opportunity to let them find their own way.

Let's start with the idea that student agency is "giving children the power to act in their own learning." That means that we need to give students both the option to make choices to direct their own learning and the information they need to make strong choices. (The term "voice and choice" comes up a lot around student agency, and I'd update that to "voice and informed choice.")

The term "student agency" often overlaps with language around assessments because many of us use assessment data as a foundation to help build student voice and choice. John Hattie's work shows us that when students have agency and efficacy within their learning and understand their growth and mastery of academic content, they are assessment-capable learners. My colleague Erin Beard has written extensively about how we can leverage student agency to promote assessment empowerment here in Teach. Learn. Grow.

These are fantastic entry points to understanding student agency, and we must also position student agency as an idea that permeates all student learning interactions.

Getting started: 5 quick tips for building student agency

Creating student agency doesn't happen overnight, but there are simple practices you can adopt to refine your approach.

1. Set clear expectations for autonomy and how you'll check in with students. Teacher clarity is key, and it's easier for students to engage when they know what is and isn't going to work. For example, if you've got a reading program where students can pick their own books, let them know what choices they'll need to make and when you'll connect with them to be sure the book aligns with their needs.

2. Make sure students understand why they're learning what they're learning. "Because it's going to be on the test" is the wrong answer here! Consider how you're presenting big ideas in your lesson planning. Do your students know how it will connect to their daily lives? Are they clear on where the learning path is going?

3. Build community through culturally responsive practices. Consider your current learning unit. How are you connecting it to your students' cultures? By adapting culturally responsive teaching practices, you create an inclusive environment for learners that helps them connect with the material. One easy way to get started: bring a story problem from a school text to your students, and ask them which parts they relate to the most. Then, ask them: How can we rewrite this question so it makes more sense in our current context?

4. Use formative conversation starters to build student agency within content areas. Too often in mathematics classrooms, ELA classrooms, and other disciplines where the amount of content to cover and master is steep, we just push students to plow through the content. When we do this, we miss critical opportunities to engage and ignite a sense of open-ended possibility that is at the heart of the important content we teach. For example, developing a question-and-answer strategy in your classroom that is primarily used to reveal students' thinking about a topic or concept, with the purpose of guiding your next instructional moves, will help you and your students move agency and understanding forward dramatically.

5. Share what works for you with your colleagues. I can't stress this enough, and Hattie's meta-analyses couldn't be more clear: collective teacher efficacy is a game changer in learning. Said plainly, when we share our practice with our colleagues, when we calibrate and plan intentionally to maximize the impact of our lessons, units, and daily teaching practices, student growth and mastery move in big ways. This is even more critical when it comes to developing student agency; when we align-when we, as teachers, lean in together to set the conditions, practices, and protocols for student agency-students have a more coherent learning experience that reinforces the types of agency, efficacy, and empowerment that every student needs and deserves.

Where do we go from here?

Building student agency will be a lifelong endeavor for all of us, and the results are crucial and worthwhile. When we empower students to drive their own learning-when we show them the destinations, let them chart their own courses, and help them reroute on the way-they build their sense of self-efficacy. They develop not only the skills and knowledge required, but also the confidence from knowing they found success themselves.

If you're interested in learning more, I invite you to listen to the latest season of our podcast, The Continuing Educator. In each hour-long episode, we talk with teachers, school leaders, researchers, and other experts on the most pressing issues facing them today and how they're making powerful ideas like student agency real.

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How to build student agency in your classroom

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Student agency is critical to effective learning and one of the most important skills we can offer kids on the road to adulthood. Try these five things.

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As educators, we aspire that students will leave our classrooms fully equipped with the skills they need to be successful, independent, life-long learners. To achieve this goal, our instructional techniques, curriculum, and assessments should be built in ways that give our students freedom, choice, and ownership of their learning. We call this student agency.

Giving my students more freedom and authority was nerve-racking at first. I felt safest in a controlled teaching environment and tried everything possible to avoid anything that would deviate from my so-called structured lesson plans.

But one day, it hit me that my natural preference may lead to a cookie-cutter approach to education. Many of my instructional methods minimized student choice and freedom instead of empowering students to unleash their curiosity and embrace their differences. Having been too focused on baking perfectly shaped cookies, I decided to let go of control. I threw away my perfectly planned seating chart and let them choose their seats. Instead of aiming for a perfect grade, students set their own goals and track their progress. I created different ways for students to show their learning through multimodal projects instead of multiple-choice assessments.

As a result, my students' level of creativity, ownership, and motivation skyrocketed. Here are some activity ideas I've found work well to promote student agency.

Pick Your Best Learning Spot

Flexible seating gives students ownership and control of their physical environments. It gives them autonomy and fosters internal motivation to stay engaged and focused. As a class, brainstorm where and how they learn best and encourage them to reflect on why certain environments benefit or distract them. You can then have students sign a flexible seating contract.
Make a copy of this Google Jamboard activity template.
Student Interest Survey

Students' learning progress should not be only measured by taking benchmark tests. Give out surveys throughout the year to track students' attitudes towards learning and elevate student voice and ownership in choosing what to read. Reading habits or interest surveys promote student agency and provide insight into students' reading progress.
Make a copy of the Google Form reading interest survey.
My Independent Work Stamina Chart

To promote student agency and help students own their learning, they need to set goals and track their progress. A simple way to do this is to use a stamina chart. A stamina chart is a visualization tool to track the amount of time spent on independent work or reading. Students time themselves when they start working on a task independently and then stop when they find themselves distracted or lose focus. Then, they can record the number of minutes they were working. Students can set daily goals and color the chart to see their growth over time.

Make a copy of this Stamina Chart template.

Daily Self-Assessment

Students need opportunities to self-monitor their thinking process and understanding of content. Feature number 13 of the SIOP model emphasizes the importance of providing ample opportunities for students to use these metacognitive, cognitive, and affective learning strategies (e.g. summarizing, evaluating, questioning, self-monitoring, etc). Daily self-assessment is a great and simple way to build these skills. I usually set aside time at the end of each day to help students reflect on the use of these learning strategies. Develop a scaffolded self and peer-assessment routine with sentence frames, stems, and rubrics. Here are a few example questions for end-of-the-day reflection:

What is one thing I did well today?

What is one thing I could do better tomorrow?

What learning strategy did I use today when I got stuck? Describe what you did.

What learning strategy would you like to try using tomorrow?

On a scale of 1-10, how well did your group collaborate? How well did you show respect towards one another?

Did I meet my learning goal today?

What was the most important thing I learned today?

Choice Boards

Not everyone learns in the same way, and not everyone shows their learning in the same way. You've probably heard of choice boards and the incredible benefits they bring to the level of motivation and creativity but many teachers find creating choice boards time-consuming. Here's how I simplify the process. Consider your learning outcome and design 3-4 tasks that would allow students to show they've achieved the outcome using a variety of learning outputs. For example, consider assigning a video response for verbal and interpersonal learners, a comic strip or infographic for visual learners, and music or rap-writing for musical learners.
Make a copy of this Google Slide Choice Board template.
Remember, building learner agency isn't only for our students. Taking time to read this blog post on top of your busy days of teaching and leading shows that you are in charge of your learning. I encourage you to continue learning, reflect on your practice, set new goals, take risks, and share your insights with the learning community around you!

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5 Activities to Promote Student Agency in the Classroom

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As educators, we aspire that students will leave our classrooms fully equipped with the skills they need to be successful, independent, life-long learners.

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The Festival of Hope is more than an event–it’s a community for young people, educators, global thinkers, artists, government leaders, and everyone else who feels the urge to be the change. It’s a supportive space for talking big ideas, exchanging diverse views, and inspiring action.

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ACTING AGAINST POLLUTION

This year, we are focusing on reducing litter, waste, and invisible pollutants by encouraging responsible consumption (and production) and taking a more circular economy approach to the way our homes, schools, businesses and communities work. And we are doing this with Litter Less Plus! Everyone is welcome and can get involved in the different activities we have planned throughout 2023!

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Giving our environment a voice. Youth-led environmental journalism

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Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC

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Gapminder Worldview Upgrader - Get rid of your misconceptions about global development!