There are wonderful things going on in our school at the moment.

Half of the current S2 are in the games hall as I type.  Today they are involved in a Wind Power project.  Over the last few weeks they have been learning about the design, cost and benefits of building wind farms to create energy.  They came together this morning and got some input from industry and were set a series of tasks which ranged from designing a wind tower to to calculating the carbon footprint of the construction.  This afternoon the groups are presenting their findings in a new challenge which will test just exactly much they have learned about the environmental impact of renewable energy sources in a wider context.

Last week I went to a coffee afternoon run by S1 after school one day.  They had been learning about fair trade and slavery in social subjects and testing fair trade produce in home economics.  The local Co-op kindly donated the essentials for baking and every pupil transformed them into muffins, fairy cakes and biscuits.

Our school is not alone.  I know that I don’t have to look far for other fantastic examples of cross curricular, inclusive projects which are fulfilling the four capacities of our new curriculum.

What does this mean to me as a classroom teacher as I forge forward to implement CfE?  I have an overwhelming feeling that I need to expand learning outwith my classroom.  I have to create a whole school project which involves as many faculties as possible to enable the lifelong, relevant learning which I am now required to deliver.  This is because all of the examples of good practice to which I have been exposed follow this model.  Now this sends me running for cover to the nearest maths text book with accompanying worksheets. 

Anyone who has been brave enough to embark on one of these ideas has my utmost admiration for surviving the organisation and logistics of it.

So for the last 3 years, since I first encountered CfE on my first day at teacher training, I have been wondering what my role is in delivering the many, many outcomes and experiences and doing little, until recently, about developing my own teaching methods to fit the bill.

Uh-oh, it starts in August!  Thankfully the reality has become embedded in my own thoughts in time for the changeover.  That reality to me is that, whilst there is most certainly a place in every school for rich task projects, they do not form the foundations of Curriculum for Excellence.  The four capacities must be developed through every day learning and teaching and I can start this in my own classroom.  It makes sense to create links between subjects and many of these can form organically from a simple sharing of courses.  Communication between departments would be paramount but connections can be made without changing course aims.  Pupils should be given opportunities to work independently, in pairs and in larger groups as a routine form of learning and assessment.  Success should be celebrated at every stage and should be as important in each classroom as it appears in a whole year competition.

In general terms and my own opinion I think it is important to remember that the capacities are designed to be embedded into all educational practice and are every teacher’s responsibility.  We should not rely on large scale, end of term projects to instill the fundamental principles of our new curriculum but start finding the little things that we can change to make every day count as well as every child.

Perhaps one day I’ll be brave enough to try arranging one of these remarkable events but for now I’m happy to move forward by taking smaller steps.