Using the 7 Principles of Curriculum Design to improve

skills development

Personalisation and choice

Relevance
Coherence
Challenge and enjoyment
Breadth
Depth
Progression

All of the curriculum design principles contain useful ideas for improving the
development of skills. Some principles such as depth, progression in skills
(see Section 7 of this guide), challenge and relevance are emphasised in
sections of this guide
Key features of each of the design principles are set out in the second table
below. More advice on the principles specific to your stage/setting is provided
on pages30-40 of Building the Curriculum 3.
Use the key features to discuss how you would use each principle to
improve your own practice in developing skills and what success will
look like for your learners
Record your key ideas in the blank table below. Try to give specific
examples of existing good practice, what you will change and what the
change will look like for your learners

The 7 Principles of Curriculum Design

Selected Design Principle ________________________
Give examples of this principle in your
current practice.

How could you use this principle to

improve practice in developing skills?

What would this improvement in

practice look like for learners?

The 7 Principles for Curriculum Design

In our setting we can improve the way that we will support skill development for our learners by
Personalisation & Choice
Some starters to consider how you could
improve the development of learners
skills focusing on personalisation
and choice:

Dialogue focused around the skills

learners use in their wider lives

Making reference to learners skills

and interests during day to day
dialogue

Using knowledge of how they learn in

different ways

Dialogue focused on assessing their

understanding and providing
feedback on their next steps and
progress

Listening to learners questions and

ideas

Providing support tailored to their

differing needs

Coherence
Some starters to consider how you
could improve the development of
learners skills using coherence:

Relevance
Some starters to consider how you could
improve the development of learners
skills in relation to relevance:

Making clear links between the

skills used within and across
curriculum areas and in
interdisciplinary studies

Selecting contexts for skills which

relate to the learners experience,
needs and interests in and beyond
school

Highlighting the similarities and

differences between different skills
and the use of a skill in different
contexts

Emphasising skills for learning, life

and work, making connections with
the use of skills in learning, in the
home, in the local community, the
world of work, travel or interests in
leisure, sport or the media.

Promoting a shared understanding

of skills and involving learners in
understanding and reflecting on
their own development of skills

Challenge & Enjoyment

Challenging our learners to

think hard and develop their
skills to the full
Thinking about what is needed
to take learners to the next
stage in developing and
applying skills

Breadth

Progression

Using the full breadth of

skills in the experiences and

outcomes

Making better links with

skills in literacy, numeracy
and heath and wellbeing

Giving more emphasis to

skills that are transferable
across curriculum areas

Developing secure learning

of subject-specific skills

Being aware of prior

learning in skills
Moving learners through
challenging activities to
new learning or
consolidating skills by
practice
Providing opportunities
for application of skills in
new contexts
Encouraging learners to
reflect on their own
learning and how secure
their learning is

Depth

Increasing the depth of

learning of skills by going
beyond acquiring knowledge
to emphasise learners
understanding

Encouraging learners to sho

their understanding in differe
ways so that we are more
aware of their understanding
misunderstanding

Emphasising the application

of skills in different contexts