{"id":1201,"date":"2024-12-18T23:59:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T23:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/?page_id=1201"},"modified":"2025-05-29T08:07:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T07:07:04","slug":"terminology","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/terminology\/","title":{"rendered":"Terminology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Language Matters!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The OECD (2021) recommended that Scotland should be clear about the key terminology around curriculum and education reform. The Curriculum and Assessment Board has asked that \u201ca piece of focused work is carried out at pace to explore and clearly define the language associated with curriculum reform. This will include key terminology identified by the OECD (2021) including \u201cknowledge\u201d, \u201cskills\u201d, \u201cattributes\u201d, \u201ccapacities\u201d, and \u201ccompetencies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As work progresses with the CIC it is important that we all have a clear understanding of what we mean when we use certain terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We have published a paper called Language Matters<\/a>. It is a glossary which sets out a short list of terms to help strengthen a shared understanding when we talk about the Curriculum Improvement Cycle. The list of terms has a direct relevance for where the CIC work is now and you will start to see these definitions being used in our work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We will add to the glossary as work progresses, and draw on existing sources and definitions where these are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Key Term<\/th>Working Definition(s)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
attribute(s)<\/td>An attribute<\/strong> is a characteristic or quality that someone has. Scotland\u2019s Curriculum articulates the attributes (alongside skills) that are relevant for each of the Four Capacities. Examples include:

\u2022 respect for others
\u2022 openness to new thinking and ideas
\u2022 secure values and beliefs
\u2022 resilience<\/td><\/tr>
Big Idea(s)<\/td>A Big Idea<\/strong> captures the core understanding children and young people will develop in a particular area of the curriculum from early years onwards. It will set out overarching ideas and concepts and have relevance and meaning for learners. It will support progression and guide the selection of content.<\/td><\/tr>
capacity(ies)<\/td>A capacity<\/strong> is the ability to know, do or be something in particular. The purposes (the \u2018why\u2019) for Scotland\u2019s Curriculum are set out in four fundamental capacities.\u00a0 The curriculum should enable all children and young people to be: Confident Individuals, Responsible Citizens, Effective Contributors and Successful Learners.\u00a0 Each of the capacities articulate related attributes and capabilities.\u00a0
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0
There is significant overlap between the terms \u2018capacity\u2019 and \u2018competency\u2019 and how they are used in practice in curriculum design.<\/td><\/tr>
concept<\/td>A concept<\/strong> is a main idea or sequence of ideas that help to shape understanding. It clarifies meaning and is underpinned by knowledge. Concepts can be grouped or sequenced to develop schema that, for example, allow for the building of relationships in an area such as science.<\/td><\/tr>
curriculum<\/td>Curriculum <\/strong>in Scotland is defined as the totality of all that is planned and enacted for children and young people from early learning and childcare, through school and beyond. That totality is shaped by the purpose (the \u2019why\u2019) set out in the four capacities and a set of entitlements and can be planned for and experienced by learners across four contexts ( the \u2018what\u2019): opportunities for personal achievement; the ethos and life of the school\/setting as a community (and with its community); curriculum areas and subjects and interdisciplinary learning. <\/td><\/tr>
curriculum making<\/td>Curriculum making<\/strong> \u2013 the development of practices, processes and policies \u2013 happens across different parts of the education system. Place based curriculum making which happens, for example, in early learning and community learning settings and schools involves work such as curriculum design and the development of pedagogical practices.<\/td><\/tr>
Inclusion<\/td>Inclusion<\/strong> means taking positive action and intervening in order to enable achievement for all by building and fulfilling the potential of every child, young person and adult.   

Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equalities Professional Learning Framework<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/td><\/tr>
inter-disciplinary learning (IDL)<\/td>Interdisciplinary Learning<\/strong> is a planned experience that brings two or more disciplines together in one coherent programme or project. These disciplines might fall within one curricular area or between several curricular areas. IDL enables children and young people to 

\u2022 learn new knowledge or skills, and develop new understanding of concepts; 
\u2022 draw on prior knowledge, understanding and skills; 
\u2022 transfer and apply that collective knowledge to new problems or other areas of learning.           
                                                                         
Interdisciplinary Learning: ambitious learning for an increasingly complex world<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/td><\/tr>
knowledge<\/td>Knowledge<\/strong> refers to things that an individual can know. In curriculum it includes substantive knowledge (knowing that) and procedural knowledge (knowing how). Substantive knowledge refers to the understanding of concepts that explain the world (eg. democracy) and also to individual facts. Procedural knowledge is the knowledge of how to do something (eg. balance an equation). <\/td><\/tr>
learner profile<\/td>A learner profile <\/strong>is an <\/strong>artefact \u2013 usually digital \u2013 that showcases a child \/ young person\u2019s learning, achievements and evolving strengths, and supports them to articulate their story of who they are and what they can do across all four capacities.<\/td><\/tr>
pedagogy<\/td>Pedagogy<\/strong> is curriculum enacted and manifested in and through the interactions, experiences and spaces and times of teaching, learning and assessment.<\/td><\/tr>
profiling<\/td>Profiling<\/strong> describes the actions taken by a child or young person with the support of adults to understand and be able to articulate their evolving strengths.  This includes the capturing of evidence, memories of achievements and meaningful learning, as well as opportunities to talk about and reflect on the knowledge, skills and attributes they are developing. <\/td><\/tr>
Scotland\u2019s Curriculum Framework<\/td>The narrative for Scotland\u2019s Curriculum Framework<\/strong> was refreshed in 2019 and hosted on a dedicated microsite. It re-states the purpose (\u2018why?\u2019) in the four capacities and the relevance of the four contexts to enable the \u2018what\u2019. The key elements for curriculum making were  identified in a new section to support the \u2018how\u2019.  

www.scotlandscurriculum.scot<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Service design<\/td>Service design <\/strong>supports curriculum design.  <\/strong>It offers a way to explore a problem or challenge openly, collaboratively and with users, before a solution or service is decided. 

Increasingly, schools and educational settings are using the Scottish Approach to Service Design<\/a> to strengthen curriculum design and to co-create their curriculum offer with the communities they serve. <\/td><\/tr>
Skill(s)<\/td>Skills<\/strong> is an overarching term used to describe a wide variety of behaviours and practices that can be acquired, developed and improved with guidance, reflection and practice. A variety of skills frameworks are used across Scotland to develop children and young people\u2019s understanding of their skills. <\/td><\/tr>
technical framework<\/td>The technical framework<\/strong> for a curriculum is the set of guidance documents which educators use in order to plan learning for children, young people and adult learners. 
 
In Scotland, for children and young people, this would include guidance such as the experiences and outcomes (Es&Os), benchmarks and progression frameworks, as well as approaches to moderation. This framework is designed to support educators in developing and implementing a curriculum which fully captures the skills, knowledge and learning which every learner should experience and attain. In Scotland, the technical framework sits alongside the statutory framework, policy framework and qualifications framework.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Language Matters! The OECD (2021) recommended that Scotland should be clear about the key terminology around curriculum and education reform. The Curriculum and Assessment Board has asked that \u201ca piece of focused work is carried out at pace to explore and clearly define the language associated with curriculum reform. This will include key terminology identified […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58310,"featured_media":1331,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1201","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1201"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1729,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1201\/revisions\/1729"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/glowblogs\/cices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}