Debra Kidd – författare

Our current education system is overloaded with amendments, additions and adjustments which have been designed to keep an outdated model in the air. But it is crashing. And as it comes down, we see the battle of blame begin. It is time to take our vocation back, to learn to trust ourselves and each other and, crucially, to take control of the direction of education and policy. We have allowed powerful institutions to manipulate the fear of parents and teachers to the extent that neither can see how to proceed without being told what to think. Covering education policy, PISA testing, Ofsted, exams, pedagogy and much more, this book explores how the so-called accountability and quality systems in our country have been used to straightjacket teachers into compliance, even when flying in the face of emerging knowledge and understanding about learning. This is a narrative of hope. Of how the system could be different. It offers tales from within the classroom of learning in spite, but without spite. Of hope, of laughter, of gentle subversion. This is a call to arms in a pedagogical revolution. Will you answer it?

Hywel Roberts and Debra Kidd''s Uncharted Territories: Adventures in learning is a book of prompts, provocations and possibilities designed to nourish creativity and generate ideas that will get teachers and pupils excited about learning. In this time of high-stakes testing, growing mental health issues among young people and increasing pressure on teachers to focus on rote repetition and practice papers, we have to step back and ask: "What is the purpose of education?" If you think it is to get children through tests, then this book is probably not for you. If, however, you think it is to develop wisdom in children - the capacity to think, to apply knowledge, to empathise, to weigh up evidence, to consider consequences and to make informed choices - then this book is most definitely for you. Rooted in practice and grounded in research, Uncharted Territories invites a reassessment of what curriculum coverage can look like and provides an abundance of hooks into exploratory learning that place learners - of whatever age - knee-deep in dilemma, so that they are thinking deeply, analytically and imaginatively. These are not knowledge organisers or schemes of work; rather they are inspirational forays into imagined contexts for learning which, as fantastical as they may appear, always have the real world as their destination. Signposted by story starters and inductive questions - not to mention the beautiful illustrations which are sure to fire children''s imaginations - Hywel and Debra''s innovative routes to learning will help teachers stray from the beaten track of the curriculum and instil in learners a sense of purpose as they discover, manipulate and apply knowledge and skills across a range of collaborative, cross-curricular problem-solving contexts. Each chapter focuses on a different place - such as a remote castle or a mysterious cave, where the learning will be applied and challenged - and is packed with starting points and "what ifs ...?" to establish rich landscapes for exploration and a wide range of opportunities for discussion and writing. To help map out the territory ahead, Hywel and Debra guide the teacher around the key learning landmarks linked to each context''s overarching concepts and lines of inquiry, and point out the many different curriculum areas to which the explorations naturally lend themselves to. The authors go further by offering transferable ideas which can be adjusted to work with whatever age group, as well as a variety of context-based tasks to enable the teacher to explore how elements of, for example, literacy and/or numeracy could be incorporated in order to save curriculum time. While Uncharted Territories is a rallying call to arms for the imagination, in each of its chapters Hywel and Debra also delve into the why in order to present the teacher with a comprehensive debrief of the learning processes and the theoretical and academic underpinning. Furthermore, the authors provide a helpful listing of drama techniques and relevant books and poems that can be incorporated into the learning journeys, as well as useful advice on how to assess and evidence their outcomes. Designed for use with learners of all ages, from early years to secondary.

Written by Debra Kidd, A Curriculum of Hope: As rich in humanity as in knowledge explores how good curriculum design can empower schools to build bridges between their pupils' learning and the world around them.A great many schools are wondering how they can build a curriculum model that meets the demands of government policy as well as the needs of the children and communities they serve. In A Curriculum of Hope, Debra illustrates how teachers can deliver learning experiences that genuinely link knowledge to life.Working on the premise that a strong curriculum is supported by five key pillars of practice coherence, credibility, creativity, compassion and community she presents a plethora of examples that demonstrate how schools, parents, pupils and the wider local community can learn together to build from within.Debra enquires into the ways in which schools can create units of work that are both knowledge- and humanity-rich, and challenges the view that the role of children is simply to listen and learn instead advocating their active engagement with local and global issues.She does so by delving into the role of pedagogy as a means of empowering children, and by exploring some of the more overlooked pedagogical tools that can have a great impact on children's learning and well-being story, movement and play as well as some of the recent research into memory and retention.Towards the back of the book you will find case studies demonstrating how teachers can work with both their own and other subject departments across the school to plan in ways that allow for pupil choice, autonomy and responsibility. Furthermore, there are some accompanying planning documents for these examples provided in the appendix (The Seed Catalogue) which you may find useful, and these documents are also available for download.Suitable for teachers and leaders in all schools.