Why might we want to know what has and hasn't been taught?
The most important thing about the curriculum is how well the pupils have learned the things we try to teach them. Assessment, used skilfully, will help us to identify that.
What they is the value of tracking what has been taught, if that doesn't tell us what pupils have learned? There are a few reasons:
- It is very unlikely they will learn something that they haven't been taught. Yes, there will be some individuals who will learn things on their own or who are privileged to have input from parents or others, but that's not the majority.
- We have limited time to teach the curriculum. In an ideal world, we might make time the variable in learning and give pupils as long as they need to learn everything on the planned curriculum. The reality is that we have to make decisions and prioritise content in many cases. Having a realistic picture of what we have taught compared to the time available is helpful.
- Pupils should have equitable experiences and opportunities. Knowing how one class is progressing through the taught curriculum compared to another is a key piece of information for teachers and subject leaders.
There are other reasons, but I think these are enough to suggest that some way of tracking the taught curriculum is worthwhile. Of course there are many ways this can be done. Spreadsheets, Word documents, on the wall of the department office, post-it notes on the head of department's door. The problem is it can be another admin job, adding to workload. We might think collecting the data is worthwhile, but there is an opportunity cost. Making the process as efficient as possible should be the aim.
That's what Curriculum Tracker does and why it exists. It solves the problem of tracking the taught curriculum, while minimising friction and workload for teachers.
Contact us for a demo or a conversation about how Curriculum Tracker can help you.