Connections Between Various Curriculum Philosophies Essay

As schools were faced with these daunting expectations to meet standards, state agencies, school boards, and administration all had to re-evaluate current practices, not only in the form of what should be taught, but how it should be taught (Performance Evaluation Advisory Council, n.d.). In more appropriate terms,

Brady and Kennedy (2007) explain the stakeholders that influence the curriculum are classified into two specific groups. Individuals which consist of students, parents and teachers and their concerns with the curriculum and groups consisting of government, community groups, business community and Universities all of which garner their own interest to ensure society continues to be shaped by the correct curriculum (Brady & Kennedy, 2007). This highlights the need for a diverse level of input into the curriculum. Brady and Kennedy (2007) convey that everyone in the community has a role to play to shape the curriculum and as a society we look to give the young people and adults the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes to be productive and informed citizens. All individuals and groups help form and improve the curriculum and are an integral part of the future learning of

Today’s education system is challenged with creating and incorporating the most effective and meaningful methodological and conceptual curriculum designs to date. One of the key challenges is to design curriculums that facilitate understanding, retention, and generalization (Bulgren, Deshler, & Lenz, 2007, p. 121-122). However, there is no single way to overcome these challenges due to the variances and complexities within each content area. These, along with the demands of meeting high stakes testing, and the endless revolving door of performance standards, places teachers in a constant state of turmoil as they seek to create coexistence between student achievement and rigorous and challenging standards. One strategy being implemented

Being able to develop a culture of collaboration and high student achievement requires rigorous curriculum development at the school and district levels. Curriculum and instruction work together to enhance student learning. Curriculum revolves around what is taught in school and instruction centers around how something is taught. (Sorenson, 2011, p. 32-35) To be more specific instruction can be defined as, “the strategies, techniques, materials, media, and place where the curriculum is implemented in schools.” If instruction, or the how, of a teacher does not match up to the curriculum, or the what, then student achievement will suffer. Vertically and horizontally aligning curriculum with the instruction that is happening within the classroom and school will in the end lead to greater student achievement which will be reflected on student assessments. (Sorenson, 2011, p.

An educational philosophy is a personal statement of a teacher’s goals or belief. A teacher comes to the classroom with a distinctive set of principles and ideals that affect how a student learns and expand the child’s potential in his or her venture into knowledge. I believe that education should be active, and focus on the whole child, rather than just the content or the teacher. The three (3) principles I believe that work harmoniously with my educational philosophy are the teacher acting as a facilitator to foster critical thinking, allowing the child’s natural curiosity to steer his or her learning for personal development, and

In today’s standardized public education, pacing guides are becoming the backbone of teachers’ professional lives. According to Bauml (2015), “the notion that schools should provide teachers with curriculum materials to inform instruction has been around for centuries”. In this curriculum leadership platform I will discuss how these circumstances limit teachers’ autonomy and how do I, as a curriculum leader, “enable faculty and staff to work as a system focused on student learning”.

Curriculum, as stated by Glickman (2014) “is the what of instruction”. Additionally, Ornstein and Hunkins, (as cited by Glickman, Gordon and Ross-Gordon, 2014) have listed the elements of the curriculum and they “are sequence and continuity, scope and balance”. The mastery with which a teacher can incorporate the elements of the curriculum in instruction is categorized by levels. The levels of teacher involvement in curriculum implementation are described and exemplfied

I teach in an eighth grade classroom that is set in a Jr-Sr. High school. It is located in the Jr. High hallway, near the rear of our high school. I have thirty-two student desks situated in rows and two small tables at the front of my room used for paper pick up. I painted my room a turquoise beach blue and it is decorated with various beach themed paraphernalia. I also have many inspirational quote posters up around my room, hoping to engage my students into deeper thinking. The students all have their own Chromebooks and I have a desktop computer as well as a Samsung Tablet. Many computer applications suited for 1:1 schools are used in our building. We begin our day at 7:40am with a zero period for professional development and meetings. The students have seven, forty-five minute periods beginning at 8:20am and continuing until 3:15pm. My classes include four “regular” English classes, one “Honors” class, an Essential Skills class that rotates every week with two other teachers, and a prep period. My duties throughout the year consist of sponsoring the Jr. High Student Council as well as parking lot duty for two weeks during second semester. We adhere closely to the Indiana State Standards and use the ISTEP and NWEA mandated assessments. We, as teachers, are given free rein to teach how we see fit; however, we were asked to submit curriculum mapping outlining the content/topics, key terms, sources/resources, assessments

There are many approaches that can be taken in order to develop a school’s curriculum, or the material that the students will learn. If there were no federal regulation of curriculum, then it would not be possible to compare student achievement across districts or even states. The federal program, Common Core State Standards, assists in equaling education across the nation. The Common Core has reinvented the perception of student learning which, in turn, has caused American education to become a corporate institution. As a result, there has been a threat to states’ rights for education as more rigorous content has been implemented into classrooms by the government, which ultimately changes the role of the teacher.

Philosophers of education have been pursuing the ideal curriculum for as long as formal education has been implemented. In that span, it has likely been captured many times; however, given current dropout rates, it can be reasonably stated that the United States has yet to do so. While it is easy to discern where education is lacking, defining what it is to successfully educate is a complex endeavor encumbered by the many conflicting notions of what personal success is. In my experience, these many arguments can be divided into two parties: those who believe the primary contributor to success is economic, and those who believe success is dependent on an individual sense of happiness. The first party often argues that happiness is too intangible

Relationship to Teacher-Proof Curriculum: Holt believes teachers need to have some say in their curriculum including what they teach, “if they don’t buy-in, and you shove it down their throat, it’s not successful (May 4, 2017).” The teachers that have buy-in, and understand why the school chose the curriculum they did generally don’t have problems and they run with it. Holt doesn’t expect teachers to have a script and teach exactly how the curriculum is written, but interject their own personality. Students learn best, when the teacher adapts the curriculum to fit their personality, is flexible, and willing to give to reach schoolwide growth. Holt said that if you have open discussions with your people, they are more likely to be onboard in developing lessons to improve. If a teacher knows what their teaching, and they feel comfortable because they have the resources, and they feel like they can make it their own, without going out on a limb to where they are not following any curriculum, they will be successful. “When teachers are provided a base curriculum, then add their own flavor to it, they want to use it (May 4, 2017).” It's critical for a teacher to adapt the curriculum when the students are below grade level in order to create opportunities for student success. Holt attributes their success to the built in Tier 2 and 3 intervention into the regular class schedule. Students don’t even know if they are getting retaught or pre taught because the interventions are

Now, with the recent implementation of the Common Core Program, more pressure has fallen on teachers to follow the guidelines with exactness. “Today, teachers are being forced to follow a script. They teach to the tests and fear job loss if they don’t see the expected results. The result of this test giving, job loss fearing style of teaching, is written all over the faces of the little kids caught in the transition” (Hurley). This new and improved “script” holds

Like a good business plan, every teacher should have a personal educational philosophy in place. Witcher, Sewall, Arnold, and Travers in Teaching, leading and learning: It’s all about philosophy (2001) say that a

Amongst the many topics debated in education circles, it is easy to forget the choice of what we teach and why is of paramount importance. Critical reflection on the relevance of educational philosophers, both past and present, is essential to understanding curriculum choices. With regard to these statements, I wish to apply to this program as a result of a strong professional and personal interest in philosophers of education. More specifically, gaining a deeper understanding of behavioral and functional psychology in education can enhance my current work in many ways. The theories of philosopher’s such as William James have direct implications in my work. For example, by considering the role of acquisition and association of ideas in teaching and learning, I would be broadening my overall knowledge. Additionally, understanding the impact of interest, attention and memory on learning are key components that would enhance my teaching abilities and benefit my students.

Curriculum is a term often highlighted during discourse about education and most commonly understood as a policy with overt leaning outcomes for teachers to apply and achieve. Ornstein and Hunkins (1998), as cited by Selvaraj (2010), defined curriculum based on two lenses; micro and macro, which identify the term as both policy towards certain goals and what students experience with consideration for relevant theories and principles central to its development and implementation. However, Wilson (n.d.) argued that curriculum is not restricted to certain individuals, subjects and environments, since teaching and learning can also occur beyond the scope of official curriculum (Ebert & Culyer, as cited in Marsh, Clarke & Pittaway, 2014). I believe this interpretation is the closest to the true nature of curriculum, or education, as there are more complex layers to curriculum than just a written guideline. For example, not one curriculum is similar to another because it is subjected to influences from continuum number of factors, such as politics and economy. Hence, it is wise to conclude that curriculum could not be defined based on a singular perspective due to its dependability on context.