Making curriculum links with homes and communities

3c Key Issues in Management

Student teachers on placement

Some curriculum links will already be in place in the school and should be noted. If student teachers wish to introduce others they should first consider the school climate, its attitudes to parents and the community, and its perceived adaptability to change.

Many of the strategies and activities suggested for making curriculum links, especially those designed to create ‘third spaces’, may involve departures from ordinary school practice and the adoption of some degree of informality in some situations. Student teachers should consider whether they, and the school, are ready for this. Including some informal approaches in an otherwise traditional repertoire of strategies requires very good planning, good classroom control and good timing. Moving from a formal to an informal speaking style requires an understanding of when it is appropriate to use a “public” voice, and when a “private” one. It is risky, for example, for a student teacher to use an informal style when speaking to the whole class.

In considering change, student teachers need first to ensure that what they do is compatible with the year, class or department planning and the appropriate National Curriculum and/or National Primary Strategy requirements. They also need to establish who is going to be responsible for short term planning during their placement and the potential for innovation. They should consult the school and/or department’s teaching and learning and English policies for guidance on aspects of provision (for example, informal speaking and listening opportunities, use of Standard English and regional dialects, provision for EAL learners, group work, emotional literacy and PSHE, the roles played by classroom assistants) as these are likely to be especially relevant to the making of curriculum links.