More than English and maths - the importance of cross-curricular learning
The measure of almost every primary is based on the outcomes achieved in assessments in these two subjects. State primary schools live and die by their SATs and even the private sector, technically unburdened by them, often measure year group progress by reference to similar assessments.
It has long irked me that the need for successive governments to be able to ‘inspect what they expect’ has led us to the current state of play where we limit our focus to just two subjects and, even worse, teach and assess English within an evidential framework, that constrains, rather than guides and promotes good teaching.
Children are producing written work often copied from teachers as ‘their evidence for writing’ and we continue to treat grammar like supposed building blocks that must be learned prior to being able to write. Children learn to deploy grammar instinctively, they do not use it as such blocks to construct sentences. They do not need to know that they have used a conjunction or a frontal adverbial in order to apply them.
Similarly, although far less worrying, maths taught in isolated blocks can prove harder for some children to grasp. Relevancy, application and problem solving are at the heart of the best resources and are having an obvious effect on children’s ability to grasp and retain concepts.
The opportunity for schools not bound, therefore not inspected on, the national curriculum, is mouth watering. Cross curricular teaching has had proven successes in schools where previously results had been poor. It provides a chance for teachers to be genuinely creative, actually do things that children like doing, and be led by them and their sheer love of learning, rather than the need to provide evidence.
Cross curricular learning allows for the connecting two subjects together with a similar lesson focus, which then deepens the learning for children who might otherwise ask “When will I ever need this?” The purpose is to expand learning at all levels.
This approach seeks to apply the math knowledge to the science concept that is represented by the art project, English paper or history project. It is moving away from a prescribed curriculum to a collaborative one in which teachers work together to design a multi-layered lesson that incorporates more than one discipline.
This is why such teaching is at the heart of the home-schooling offering at The Prep School Online. Where the general progress and preparation of your child is paramount - nothing could be better. Indeed but for the reality of the 11 plus tests and grammar schools it would be the only thing we offered!