Core Knowledge UK

Core Knowledge UK provides British teachers, parents, grandparents and home educators with the educational resources to help children succeed. Gradually developed and refined by teachers and educational specialists, the Core Knowledge Sequence UK is a year-by-year outline of the specific and shared content and skills to be taught in Years 1 to 6. The Core Knowledge Sequence UK is the backbone of the Core Knowledge UK curriculum, a springboard for learning that provides the foundation for a sound, well-rounded education in the arts, humanities and sciences. Core Knowledge UK resource books provide guidance, support, and concrete activities for teachers, parents, grandparents and home educators to use with children to develop their strong foundation of knowledge.

Origins of Core Knowledge UK

In order to thrive in a free and democratic society, children must secure a shared, foundational knowledge necessary to exercise effective citizenship. The Core Knowledge Foundation has provided effective and practical solutions to pervasive inequalities in schooling since 1986. The American Core Knowledge curriculum[1] was piloted in Three Oaks Elementary School in Florida in 1990. Today it is used in hundreds of schools across America[2] and Civitas is adapting the American Core Knowledge Sequence and pioneering the use of Core Knowledge UK resources in British schools.[3] Alongside research on UK domestic policy, Civitas runs several supplementary education projects, including supplementary Civitas Schools[4] and the Civitas EU Project[5] that supplies over 700 schools with resources to enrich A-level students' education on EU issues and arranges for speakers to debate EU matters at host schools.

Resources for Teachers

By explicitly identifying what children should learn in each academic year, the Core Knowledge Sequence UK ensures a coherent approach to the Core Knowledge UK curriculum that develops students' cumulative knowledge across all school years, making the most efficient and effective use of teaching time. Over the past 20 years, the Core Knowledge Foundation has developed and refined the Core Knowledge Sequence in partnership with schools implementing the curriculum.[6] Civitas's 2011 edition of the anglicised Core Knowledge Sequence UK reflects these practical insights gained by real teachers and real pupils in real classrooms. When schools implement Core Knowledge UK, the core of a school's curriculum is coherent within and across school year groups. The Core Knowledge UK curriculum facilitates pupils' sequenced learning from grade to grade so that teachers know what knowledge and skills their pupils bring to the class at the beginning of the year. Core Knowledge UK teachers have clear expectations of what to cover with their class, and they understand its significance for following years. Civitas is currently pioneering Core Knowledge UK, and it has already proven to be effective in the US.[7][8][9] Core Knowledge UK offers pupils a solid foundation of learning that encourages steady academic growth as they construct their knowledge, develop their cultural literacy[10] and deepen their critical thinking skills year after year.

The Core Knowledge Sequence UK gives guidance on what to teach but is non-prescriptive in implementation. Therefore, educators have the freedom to use their professional judgement to decide how to make the Core Knowledge UK curriculum come alive in their individual classrooms while using a variety of instructional methods. The Core Knowledge UK curriculum can be used alongside the National Curriculum (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or as the sole backbone of a school's curriculum. It is not meant to outline the whole of the school curriculum; rather, it offers specific guidelines to teach knowledge that can reasonably be expected to make up about half of any school's curriculum, leaving ample room for local requirements and emphases.

Resources for Parents and Grandparents

Core Knowledge UK helps parents and grandparents learn how best to support children's learning at home and give them a world of new opportunities by exploring the Core Knowledge UK resource books and taking part in enriching, low-cost activities together. What Your Year 1 Child Needs to Know and subsequent titles, one for each year group, provide beautifully illustrated, engaging introductions to the essential knowledge that should be shared by all in society. These books can be used independently of a child's school curriculum to establish a coherent, knowledge-rich foundation for their education. Using these books will assure parents that they are supporting their child's learning while participating in engaging and fun educational activities during their quality time together. Each book contains suggested activities for parents and children, along with advice on further resources to enrich learning at home. Many grandparents and other family members have also found using Core Knowledge UK resource books helpful, and fun![11][12]

Resources for Home Educators

Core Knowledge UK provides a solution for homeschooling families looking for a springboard that provides direction for their child's education. The Core Knowledge UK curriculum can be used as the sole backbone of a home education curriculum or used to complement the National Curriculum. The Core Knowledge UK curriculum is not prescriptive in implementation, so home educators can tailor it to the specific needs of their child(ren).[13]

Publications

Resource Books

Articles about Core Knowledge UK

Education Research

Notes

  1. ↑ American Core Knowledge curriculum http://www.coreknowledge.org/about-the-curriculum
  2. ↑ Core Knowledge US Schools http://www.coreknowledge.org/core-knowledge-schools
  3. ↑ Core Knowledge in the UK http://www.coreknowledge.org.uk/ckuk.php
  4. ↑ Civitas Schools http://www.civitasschools.org.uk/
  5. ↑ Civitas EU Project http://www.civitas.org.uk/schools/euSchools.php/
  6. ↑ American Core Knowledge Sequence http://www.coreknowledge.org/sequence
  7. ↑ Core Knowledge Curriculum and School Performance: A National Study (Sept., 2004) http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/documents/31/CK_National_Study_2004.pdf/
  8. ↑ Three-Year National Study Confirms Effectiveness of Core Knowledge Sequence (Winter, 1999) http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/documents/39/JHUSummary_1999.pdf
  9. ↑ Walberg study: The Effects of Core Knowledge on State Test Achievement in North Carolina (April 2004) http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/documents/28/Walberg_phase3.pdf
  10. ↑ Cultural Literacy http://www.coreknowledge.org.uk/culturalliteracy.php
  11. ↑ Core Knowledge UK Testimonies http://www.coreknowledge.org.uk/testimoniesp.php
  12. ↑ Amazon.co.uk Customer Reviews http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Your-Year-Child-Needs/dp/1906837236/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
  13. ↑ Home Educators http://www.coreknowledge.org.uk/homeeducators.php

External links

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