Scheme of Work

Schemes of Work Schemes of Work (SoW) refer to guidelines designed to make the teaching of subjects more manageable. They provide supporting information about planning and teaching the subjects and form important documentary evidence about course delivery. However, SoW are also extremely flexible teaching guides that can be moulded to take account of local teaching needs and resources. There is no set method for developing schemes. Colleges that responded to requests for information whilst researching this article approached SoW in their own way. All were agreed on the importance of accurate schemes to guide subject delivery. One respondent compared SoW to a ?road map of a journey?. Many colleges incorporate the need to develop and make widely available SoW into their strategic planning processes.
SoW can be used to plan for any subject and at any level.
Why use Schemes of Work?
SoW allow teaching staff to organise their work so that course delivery remains on target and in accordance with the syllabus content. It is quite easy to see SoW as an unnecessary administrative burden, in addition to all the other paperwork that staff have to complete. However, this view, which underestimates the importance of SoW, is mistaken for two reasons. First, in the long run, lecturers who adhere to SoW are more likely to achieve the aims and objectives of the syllabus being taught. As planning tools, SoW can also be seen as time management tools. The time spent on developing a scheme at the start of a course is small compared to the time saved for delivering the course in accordance with it. Unplanned course delivery adds to workloads. Second, many colleges are now geographically dispersed around many locations. It is therefore important, to maintain consistent standards, that staff who teach a particular syllabus follow the same plan. This is also important if the teacher changes during the course. Any disruption caused by this can be minimised where SoW are available to guide

References: Remarks