Curriculum Planning Modules
Activity 1.4 Drivers for student learning
Overall advice for Activity 1.4 Drivers for student learning
Resources and notes
Outcomes
Identification of curriculum drivers that will structure learning for our
students.
Presentation & facilitator notes (PPT - )
Key questions to be explored
Which curriculum drivers will:
• reflect the intent of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards
• engage students in their learning
• support students to develop deeper, transferable and enduring
understanding?
Module 1: Whole school curriculum planning to
suit our students slides 41 – 54
Suggested time
2 hours (minimum)
Prior to the session
 make copies or download electronic copies of Templates 1.4A
Selection of drivers for student learning and 1.4B Summary of
drivers, for all participants
 make copies of completed master copy of Templates 1.2C
Summary of data analysis and 1.3B Victorian Essential Learning
Standards, for all participants
 provide copies of any student and parent data on perspectives
on learning (from Activity 1.2 School context)
 you may choose to collect some further data from students
using the question: What topics/subjects do you want to learn
about?
 download copies of Templates 1.4A Selection of drivers for
student learning and 1.4B Summary of drivers
 provide sticky notes and blank A3 paper
Office of Learning and Teaching, DE&T.
(www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/studen
t/curric_plan_module_pres.ppt)
Templates and handouts
Template 1.4A Identification of drivers for
student learning
(www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/studen
t/module_1.4A_template.doc)
Template 1.4B Summary of drivers
(www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/studen
t/module_1.4B_template.doc)
Support materials for this activity
Victorian Essential Learning Standards
(http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/)
Delving deeper
Throughlines
(http://learnweb.harvard.edu/ALPS/tfu/info3b.cfm)
provides an explanation of the concept of
‘throughlines’ as a starting point for curriculum
planning. This is part of the Teaching for
Understanding Framework developed by Howard
Gardner, David Perkins and Vito Perrone of
Harvard University.
School
samples
and stories
These will be
developed as
we share
knowledge
and work
with schools.
Curriculum Planning Modules
Activity 1.4 Drivers for student learning
SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITY
STEP 1 – Exploring the idea of curriculum drivers
Slides 41 – 44 provide a context for considering curriculum drivers and
explain a way of thinking about drivers and the ideas that they may
reflect.
Slides 45 – 48 provide an opportunity to focus thinking and discussion
about curriculum drivers on the intention of the Victorian Essential
Learning Standards, future learning needs of students and the
development of deeper, transferable and enduring understanding.
STEP 2 – Process for identifying curriculum drivers
Slides 49 – 54 outline four steps for identifying and selecting curriculum
drivers. They are:
1. Brainstorm possible ideas that could become curriculum drivers
2. Bundle ideas into groups
3. Label groups as curriculum drivers
4. Select curriculum drivers for the whole school and cohorts of
students
SUMMARY
The summary for this activity needs to be completed with the whole
staff, although refinement of the drivers for each of the cohorts could
be discussed in professional learning teams. It may be more
appropriate for this activity to be conducted over two sessions enabling
staff to have time to reflect on the curriculum drivers presented before
making a commitment.
Office of Learning and Teaching, DE&T.
A summary of the Teaching for Understanding
project by Noel Entwistle
(www.ed.ac.uk/etl/docs/TfUsummary.pdf).
Kath Murdoch of The University of Melbourne
further explores the notions of ‘big ideas’ that
connect across curriculum areas in What makes
a good inquiry unit?
(www.curriculum.edu.au/eq/autumn2004/article2.html)