Curriculum: It’s More Than Just Learning Results

1. Curriculum: It’s More Than Just Learning Results Presented by: Kelly Gilbert and Stacey Holman July 30, 2008 “More important than the curriculum is the question of the methods of teaching in the spirit in which the teaching is given.” Bertrand Russell

2. Curriculum is defined as the courses or programs offered by an educational institution.(Jargonbuster: Univerity of Reading) “Curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow and mature in becoming adults.” (Wikipedia.org)

3. Why is curriculum important? It acts as a map for teachers to benchmark their students against. We teach the curriculum to our students to meet the state’s requirements of what they feel students need to know.

4. Why do we teach the curriculum? The reality of curriculum is that it is what we teach. We have K-12 guides to keep teachers doing things sequentially. We feel the curriculum needs to be reviewed more frequently. • Grade level team meetings • Curriculum committee meetings • Late arrival Wednesdays • Vertical Teaming

5. John Dewey's Philosophy on Curriculum • learning needed to be hands-on • Education is a life long process and philosophy was everyday life • Teachers are to present real-life problems • Hands-on experiences provided to solve real-life problems Retrieved from: www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/dewey.html In Noddings (2007), Dewey stated,“Teaching could not be described in so many steps for all students and all subjects. Teachers must begin with the purposes of their students, steer them into potentially rich experiences, and watch carefully for signs of growth,”

6. Socrates, Plato, Dewey and Rousseau believed education should be tailored to the child and all children were to be given opportunities to use their abilities. • Equal opportunity to learn curriculum • Student developmental level considered for effective planning. Plato Rousseau Socrates

7. James Popham's Philosophy on Curriculum James Popham's focus was on a learner centered curriculum. He believed in using a needs assessment procedure to determine goals for students to achieve the intended curriculum. He used the following four step model: 1. Identify goals for the student to attain. 2. Determine percent of students who should achieve each goal. 3. Identify students who have met the intended goal. 4. Determine action plan for those not meeting the goal. • Our Building: • S.M.A.R.T (Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely) Goals

8. Nonfiction Smart Goal 1: At least 85 % of students will be able to read and comprehend informational text. Conclusion As a team, we were very proud to see 90% of our students either met or partially met the assessment we gave. In looking back at our assessment, results and what our students have done throughout the school year, we have decided that this assessment does not truly show how much our students have learned about nonfiction. Next year we will create an assessment that will focus more on the use of nonfiction features and using them in the text to answer questions.

9. Herbert M. Kliebard's Philosophy on Curriculum • Kliebard wanted the focus to be on the nature of the school. • The knowledge that is the most important, may not be the knowledge that educators • can present in a school setting. • The culture and climate of schools effects a teachers teaching and a students learning. We feel Klieabard makes a good point when he talks about curriculum makers needing to temper the questions of what is most important to know with the questions of what schools can accomplish. If this isn't considered then achievement in curriculum will not be attained to its highest level.

10. Upon reflection of our research we have categorized five levels of curriculum. • Intended Curriculum • What is planned to teach students • Curriculum guides • The tasks and methods of teaching the curriculum • Received Curriculum • The experience of the learners • What they take away from the lessons Hidden Curriculum What isn't written down, but comes up in everyday life • Observed Curriculum • Activities in the classroom • Teacher involvement within the curriculum • Hands-on experiences with curriculum • Life-Long Curriculum • The information the student has taken with them to apply to real -life • Instill in students the need for education and the love for learning throughout their lives

11. Our model of Curriculum: Teaching and Learning “Instead of a national curriculum for education, what is really needed is an individual curriculum for every child.” Charles Handy

12. Curriculum: It's more than just learning results.What is the teacher's role in curriculum? Gatekeeper Counselor Mediator Parent Translator Nurse Decision maker Negotiator Critic

13. Our District...An interview with Kathy Richard our building principal Q. How do you feel about the curriculum in our district? A. I feel at the K-5 level we are pretty solid. We have revisited the revised MLR's and have adjusted our curriculum where need be. At the 6-8 level, they are continuelly workng on it as well. I do not know if they have realigned their curriculum to the revised MLR's yet. At 9-12 level, they are good in science, social studies and language areas. I am not sure about the math area though. Q. Do you think what we are intending to do is really happening? A. I do believe that what we have written for HAOs is being taught. - We have established grade level benchmarks for reading which is helping a great deal. - By pre/post testing in math, we can see where the instruction needs to go and what has been achieved. - Our writing rubric is a key element to help us know where students are on the continuum. I cannot really speak to the 6-12 levels. Q. Where are we at? What changes need to be made to make it better? A. - I think that we need to look vertically at available student data; looking for gaps in learning and then to examine the teaching provided. - We need to look at the teaching personnel that we have including ed. techs., specialists, how can we integrate the curriculum in these areas to make it easier for students to make connections in learning. - We need to concentrate on constructed response questions across the curriculum K-12. - We need to continue the focus on non-fiction at the elementary level and literacy throughout the district. - We also need to make sure that projects, assignments include higher order thinking from students.

14. Questions to Ponder... 1. What are the constraints/barriers that affect curriculum in your individual buildings? 3. Do teachers in your school have a voice? 2. Who makes the decisions on curriculum content? 4. Are you dictated on how to present the curriculum? 5. What do you see as some strengths in your schools curriculum? 6. What improvements do you feel need to be made to enrich your curriculum?

15. Values and beliefs of the learnerintegrated within the curriculum. 1. Children learn best when... 2. The pupils I like best are those who... 3. It is important that children... 4. When I think about the children I teach... 5. The children I worry most about are... 6. What I want my pupils to acquire is... 7. What children really need is... 8. The curriculum should include the knowledge, skills and values that... 9. Curriculum to students means... 10. What we should really be emphasizing in the curriculum is...

16. Two Views of Curriculum “I shall take the term curriculum to comprise most of what children learn in school, including what is sometimes called the hidden curriculum, that is, the values and patterns of behavior that are acquired, often incidentally...I should not want such an elastic definition to be stretched to include absolutely everything that happens within the boundaries of a school...” Wragg E (The Cubic Curriculum, Routledge, 1997, p. 1) “The curriculum is a holistic life experience the journey of becoming a self-aware subject capable of shaping his or her life path. As a perpetual struggle, the curriculum is never a finished product that can be finally mastered and passed along to an awaiting new generation.” Kincheloe J L (Pinar's Currere and Identity in Hyper reality, in Pinar W, Curriculum: Towards New Identities, garland, 1998, p.130)

17. We leave you with this thought taken from Educational Leadership Magazine (May 2008, Vol.65 No.8 p.7) “Microsoft Chair Bill Gates, champion of global technology and small schools, also criticizes high schools for failing to challenge young minds. He makes a good case that the traditional curriculum neglects to engage a generation immersed in digital culture, making learning irrelevant to those who must become the workers and citizens of a global society.

18. Bibliography Curriculum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. . Retrieved July 23, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curriculum. curriculum theory and practice. . Retrieved July 23, 2008, from http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-curric.htm. Ediger, M. Needs Assessment and Objectives of the Curriculum. . Retrieved from sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/33/3300320.pdf . Flinders, D., & Thornton, S. (2004). The Curriculum Studies Reader (p. 355). New York, NY: RoutledgeFalmer. Noddings, N. (2007). Philosophy of Education (Second Edition., p. 270). Boulder, Calorado: Westview Press. Scherer, M. (2008, May). The High School Scene. Educational Leadership, 65(8), 7.