Mary Myatt: Unleashing Curriculum Secret

“Privilege thinking over task completion.”-Mary Myatt

Mary Myatt, esteemed British educator and author of High Challenge, Low Threat, was hosted by Dulwich International High School Suzhou during the November 11-12 EARCOS Conference. Educators from Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Suzhou joined Mary to consider the most effective, practical, and successful features of high-quality curriculum.   

The conference offered the opportunity for professional collaboration through Mary’s extensive experience as a master teacher, leader, and researcher.

Mary’s curriculum workshop offered five sessions grounded in the following principles:

1. “Humans First”: What is needed for students and teachers to do their best work?

2. “Curriculum Philosophy”: What are the principles of curriculum that encourage criticality, creativity, and care for teachers and learners beyond exams?

3. “Curriculum Practices”: What are most effective approaches to teach the curriculum?

4. “Adaptive teaching”: How do we know students are learning? How do they know? 

5. “The Power of Story”: How can we create access and challenge for every learner across the curriculum?

Teams of educators reflecting on the curriculum and sharing best practices sparked valuable new ideas and professional relationships. Tony Qureshi, DHSZ Head of EAL, noted: “Her message to make the implicit explicit and provide clarity to reframe what we do instead of another bolt-on resonated with me.” 

Mrs. Myatt spent an additional day with our DHSZ Department Heads. Louise Martin, DHSZ Deputy Head, coordinated with Mary to help academic leaders craft the vision for enhancing the curriculum and embedding successful high threat, low stakes practices into the classrooms for all DHSZ students. “Mary’s authenticity and wisdom inspired us to see the curriculum as an organic design, guiding students from learning to doing, transforming studying into thinking,” said Anthony Mulson, DHSZ Assistant Head.

The power of Mary’s workshop was not only in the expert science or advanced methods of her research, but in her principled approach to quality teaching and passion for pupils and colleagues. Teachers came away with a renewed sense of making the complex simple, honoring the traditions of powerful words and rich texts, and offering every child a high challenge, low threat, completely supportive learning environment.