The curriculum defines the key areas in which a student should gain knowledge as well as the competencies he or she should acquire. Transitions in the curriculum are a necessary part of education since they allow to reflect changes that take part at the societal and school level and aim to adapt pupils to these changes successfully. Transitions in the curriculum serve to provide logical connections between disciplines for better mastering of subjects and minimizing time intervals between the study of related disciplines, which can lead to a deterioration of knowledge gained by students. The impact of transitions on teaching will result in a more balanced approach with an emphasis on an interdisciplinary and applied character of studies as well as individualistic approach to every student.
Transitions in the curriculum reflect the interrelated character of many subjects. Hence, the teaching process should be built with the aim of showing dependencies and correlations between subjects so that students have a notion of how different subjects contribute to the overall picture. Moreover, transitions in the curriculum provide a teacher with a unique opportunity to build on the subjects that students studied earlier, thus creating a sense of continuation, which helps pupils to adapt quickly to new subjects and new environment.
Some students are quicker to adapt, while for others transitions in the curriculum can be challenging; that is why an individualistic approach should be taken in the process of teaching. To introduce students to high-level study skills, a teacher should sometimes share his or her own learning journey (Raven, 2021). It creates a sense of unity and helps students visualize the difficulties they may experience as transitionary, adding to the sense of achievement. Finally, a teacher should show that higher-level skills allow students to solve a wider range of tasks, thus motivating children to do their best in the new studying environment.
Reference
Raven, N. (2021). Teaching and transitions: understanding classroom practices that support higher education progression in England. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 26(2), 189-211.