Written by Debra Kidd, A Curriculum of Hope: As rich in humanity as in knowledge explores how good curriculum design can empower schools to build bridges between their pupils' learning and the world around them.
A great many schools are wondering how they can build a curriculum model that meets the demands of government policy as well as the needs of the children and communities they serve. In A Curriculum of Hope, Debra illustrates how teachers can deliver learning experiences that genuinely link knowledge to life.
Working on the premise that a strong curriculum is supported by five key pillars of practice coherence, credibility, creativity, compassion and community she presents a plethora of examples that demonstrate how schools, parents, pupils and the wider local community can learn together to build from within.
Debra enquires into the ways in which schools can create units of work that are both knowledge- and humanity-rich, and challenges the view that the role of children is simply to listen and learn instead advocating their active engagement with local and global issues.
She does so by delving into the role of pedagogy as a means of empowering children, and by exploring some of the more overlooked pedagogical tools that can have a great impact on children's learning and well-being story, movement and play as well as some of the recent research into memory and retention.
Towards the back of the book you will find case studies demonstrating how teachers can work with both their own and other subject departments across the school to plan in ways that allow for pupil choice, autonomy and responsibility. Furthermore, there are some accompanying planning documents for these examples provided in the appendix (The Seed Catalogue) which you may find useful, and these documents are also available for download.
Suitable for teachers and leaders in all schools.
Professor Samantha Twiselton, Director, Sheffield Institute of Education, and Vice President (external), The Chartered College of Teaching
9th December 2019
From the opening garden analogy onwards, A Curriculum of Hope is a delightfully written and intellectually rigorous attempt to do something that is so badly needed in current educational discourse. This is to consciously challenge unhelpful binary polarisation and find the much-needed middle-ground narrative that embraces the messiness' of learning and the innovative and creative practice that flows from it. A Curriculum of Hope is both a great addition to the debate and an excellent read!?
Ross Morrison McGill @TeacherToolkit the UK's most followed educator on social media, who writes at TeacherToolkit.co.uk
9th December 2019
?None will argue that our teachers must be coherent in curriculum intent, leading at the forefront of their subject's implementation and design yet, credible and creative methods for teaching are the first casualties when external forces unpick the hard work a teacher spends years developing, in order to become qualified and knowledgeable.
?Once qualified, a teacher's curriculum thinking should be honed by regular and a professional dialogue with their colleagues and their peers in other schools and should be supported by curriculum models, examination boards, resources and school funding, each made difficult if a lack of quality professional development gives our teachers insufficient long-term support to implement those plans.
?The credibility of our national curriculum depends on the expertise of our teachers in A Curriculum of Hope, Debra Kidd provides much-needed professional guidance. She motivates educators to seek empowerment and articulates a coherent strategy for teachers and school leaders to bring the curriculum to life in their classrooms and schools.
Mick Waters, Professor of Education, University of Wolverhampton
9th December 2019
?Reading A Curriculum of Hope is like having a conversation with a fellow teacher. It features stories of real events in real classrooms, references to broader thinking and research, and humbling examples of what can be done to open up learning opportunities for our pupils.
This is a good book, full of concern for the best interests of all children. It explains how to help them learn and how we should decide what they should learn. That's what the most professional of teachers do. Debra is one of those teachers and a superb writer.
Melissa Benn, writer and author of Life Lessons: The Case for a National Education Service
9th December 2019
I love Debra Kidd's writing. She takes on the orthodoxies of the current educational establishment with wit, wisdom and a shining belief in the myriad, rich possibilities of education and our children.?
Mary Myatt, author of High Challenge, Low Threat and The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence
9th December 2019
A Curriculum of Hope provides a considerable contribution to the debate surrounding curriculum. With razor sharp clarity, Debra Kidd identifies a number of problems with some wide-ranging umbrella' topics in the primary phase and proposes a clear rationale for developing content and concepts thoughtfully through threads. Debra makes the case that we need to ensure knowledge is utilised in ways that make learning effective for more than simply passing tests. She also provides some excellent examples for thinking about coherence across subjects in secondary schools.
Beautifully crafted and packed with insights, A Curriculum of Hope adds another dimension to the discussion about what it means to create a connected, compelling curriculum. ?
Hywel Roberts, teacher, author and storyteller
9th December 2019
In this brilliant book, Debra Kidd manages to set out a curriculum concept rooted in reality, experience, joy and compassion. The structures, ideas and possibilities she shares will be invaluable to teachers, curriculum planners and leaders who desire to provide children with rich learning experiences that will have a powerful impact on their lives.
A Curriculum of Hope is an important book written by someone with a wealth of experience across the spectrum of education. It should be read, respected and acted upon. What a treat!
