We’ve taken your views about the current educational challenges and developed
Building Blocks, so that you have more time to spend on the important part of teaching and learning and less time away from the children.
‘Building Blocks is the tool that gives me confidence as Headteacher that my teachers are being effectively supported whilst planning. As planning and assessment are easily linked together using the portal, so much teacher time is saved, allowing teachers to use their time to it’s best. As an outcome, teaching and learning is more creative and far better tailored to the needs and interests of classes. It enables consistency between teachers and is a real support in our journey towards realising the ambition of our New Curriculum for Wales. For us, Building Blocks is integral to our Curriculum offer. Diolch TLP! Absolute Genius!’ Janet Hayward Executive Headteacher Cadoxton & Oak Field Primary Schools
When children are engaged in learning and loving it, as teachers we know that success and progress will follow. It’s easy to say, but the hard part is making sure that it happens in our classrooms each and everyday.
Building Blocks® is a pedagogical approach to teaching and learning that allows schools to plan, monitor, assess and report on their curriculum offering in line with the philosophy of leading educational systems, those of Welsh Government’s Curriculum for Wales 2022 and that of England with the philosophy of Intent, Implementation and Impact
Key Components of 21st Century Learning
Globally, there is a shift in what are deemed to be the important elements of learning.
•Deeper conceptual understanding
•Connected and coherent knowledge
•Authentic knowledge in context
•Creativity and problem solving
•Learning in collaboration and to collaborate
•Ethics and values
•Personal agency
A move away from what students should be learning, towards what they should become. (Priestley and Biesta 2014)
Building Blocks allows teachers to:
•Plan teaching and learning experiences that promote Attitudes and Dispositions
•Integrate Assessment for Learning strategies for pupils’ understanding
•Ensure breadth and depth to learning by monitoring, mapping and gapping
•Incorporate Rich Tasks into their curriculum offering, allowing pupils to apply skills in engaging and authentic experiences that reflect pedagogical principles
•Plan personalised learning for individuals and groups of children ensuring that pupil voice is recognised and acted upon
•Formatively assess pupils learning through on-going evaluation and reflection at the point of learning
•Reduce workload in line with Government recommendations
Building Blocks allows teachers and senior leaders to:
•Monitor curriculum coverage by class, year group and key stage
•Evaluate the curriculum offer and quality of learning and teaching
•Analyse children’s progress using traceable data for individuals and groups of children linking planning to the Formative Loop
•Analyse pupils’ progress using Point In Time Assessment (PITA) selecting a variety of dates term by term, year by year.
•Identify areas for further improvement
•Produce reports from teacher’s planning
•Produce end of year reports for parents
•Reduce bureaucracy
•Allows schools to deliver their curriculum offering in line with their philosophy and pedagogy yet being accountable to LEA’s and government
