Teaching and Assessing Core Skills (FutureLearn)

Offered by British Council, UK Aid,
Teaching and Assessing Core Skills (FutureLearn)

Develop your ability to teach core skills and learn how to measure your students' core skills development. Help your students succeed by building their core skills. Employers are demanding higher-order cognitive skills from their workforces, so it’s crucial that young people have access to education that supports the development of core skills to help them succeed.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

This course will guide you through how to capture student achievement and plan progression in core skills. You’ll work through examples of how this can be carried out in the classroom with opportunities to practice these new techniques in your own context.

Understand how to break down teaching core skills
On this course, you’ll learn the Skills Builder approach which breaks down core skills into manageable steps. This approach will allow you to target and understand students’ progress over time.
You’ll also learn the six principles of building skills to give you a simple conceptual framework for building students’ key skills that you can put into practice in your school environment.

Develop an action plan for embedding progression in core skills
Once you’ve mastered the principles, you’ll build an effective project to support the progression of core skills in your own school. You’ll then share, review, and refine this project with other learners on the course and with support from the course educators.
Reflecting on common challenges and solutions is vital, so you’ll share what has worked well before creating an action plan for how you’ll continue to build the core skills of your students.

Learn from the experts at the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. They have created this course to give you the tools to help students build their core skills. Being able to develop cognitive skills such as leadership, critical thinking, and collaboration, will help them succeed in the future.

What topics will you cover?

  • Introducing the core skills and why they matter
  • Exploring the Skills Builder framework
  • The principles of teaching and assessing core skills
  • Developing an action plan to build the core skills of your students

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the core skills and why they matter
  • Develop a theoretical understanding of how core skills can be broken down to support progression
  • Explore the principles that underpin effective core skills teaching and how they can be applied in your school environment
  • Assess your students’ existing skills and plan next steps
  • Reflect on your students and school context to put together an action plan to support progression in core skills

Who is the course for?
This course is aimed at teachers and school leaders looking to build their students’ core skills. The course does not require any previous knowledge of core skills.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Preparing for PTE Academic (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
YouSTUDY International College

Preparing for PTE Academic (FutureLearn)

Develop confidence and prepare for success by understanding the structure and learning outcomes of the PTE Academic test. Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic is the world’s leading computer-based test of English for study abroad and immigration and is widely accepted by universities, colleges and governments around the world. All test takers should prepare for PTE Academic, even if English is your first language.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Preparing to Learn Online at University (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds

Preparing to Learn Online at University (FutureLearn)

Need advice on how to study online? Discover study techniques and skills for learning online as part of your university studies. Improve your online study skills and get academic online learning tips. Learning online is very different from learning in an on-campus classroom and often involves independent study. On this course, you will explore and learn about various different approaches to online learning.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Preparing for a PGCE (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The University of Warwick

Preparing for a PGCE (FutureLearn)

Introduce yourself to the PGCE programme and learn what the rewarding life of a teacher looks like. Get a headstart in the world of teaching with this introductory course. The PGCE is a postgraduate certificate in education that proves your credentials as a teacher in England, and can also allow you to teach abroad.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Innovative Teaching: Engaging Adult Learners with Active Learning (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Padova

Innovative Teaching: Engaging Adult Learners with Active Learning (FutureLearn)

Discover the power of active participation in adult learning, encouraging teamwork and collaboration among students. Explore the power of teaching and how interactive learning can aid the classroom. Active learning is the leading innovative teaching approach in education today. It encourages teachers to foster a more student-centred, interactive and participatory approach to learning.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Supporting Physical Development in Early Childhood (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
The Open University,Health Education England,Public Health England,Activematters

Supporting Physical Development in Early Childhood (FutureLearn)

Learn how to ensure young children do enough physical activity and how it improves child mental and physical health development. Discover the benefits of physical activity for children and babies. On this course, you’ll discover the importance of physical activity for young children’s overall development.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Teaching Entrepreneurial Thinking (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Queensland University of Technology

Teaching Entrepreneurial Thinking (FutureLearn)

Get an introduction to what entrepreneurial thinking is, and how and why we should teach it. We live in an uncertain and complex world, where the big problems of today and tomorrow are yet to be identified. Teaching young people the skills and resilience to live and thrive in such a world is the purpose of entrepreneurial thinking. This course will introduce you to what entrepreneurial thinking is, and why it’s an important skill for young people to learn.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Teaching the Holocaust: Innovative Approaches to the Challenges We Face (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University College London,Yad Vashem

Teaching the Holocaust: Innovative Approaches to the Challenges We Face (FutureLearn)

Explore history, delve into pedagogical challenges revealed by research, and find practical solutions for teaching the Holocaust. The Holocaust was the murder of approximately 6 million Jews perpetrated by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. That this atrocity proved possible raises many complex questions which remain relevant for young people today.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Professional Development for Early Career Teachers (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of East Anglia

Professional Development for Early Career Teachers (FutureLearn)

Find out how to develop and improve your teaching abilities as you start your career as a teacher. Improve your teaching practice and learn to manage your workload. The early stages of a career in teaching can be daunting. You’re regularly faced with new responsibilities and challenges. On this course you will get advice and support on improving your teaching skills as well as juggling your workload so you’re able to handle these challenges.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Teacher Training: Choosing the Right PGCE for You (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Coventry University

Teacher Training: Choosing the Right PGCE for You (FutureLearn)

Find the right path into teaching for you and get the chance to build the confidence and skills you need for working in teaching. Explore what it takes to become a teacher – and the skills you need to get there. This course aims to develop your understanding of the teaching sector and identify and improve upon the skills you need to become a great teacher.

Self Paced
2 Weeks
Transforming Education in Challenging Environments (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University College London,Centre for Lebanese Studies

Transforming Education in Challenging Environments (FutureLearn)

Discover practical ways teachers can transform the education of children and young people living in conflict-affected contexts. Build the knowledge needed to teach children affected by difficult contexts. Teachers play an important role in supporting vulnerable children affected by mass displacement, crisis, and conflict. Refugee children may also be victims of violence and other issues that impact their emotional wellbeing and ability to learn. Teachers need to be prepared to deal with these difficulties.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Supporting Successful Learning in Secondary School (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Reading

Supporting Successful Learning in Secondary School (FutureLearn)

Develop your understanding of learning and teaching and build your confidence in supporting students in secondary school. Improve the support you provide to students' learning in secondary school. Engaging young people in the classroom can be a challenge for teachers and teaching assistants. Secondary school students often learn differently to younger students. This can require a different teaching approach.

Self Paced
4 Weeks