Introduction
The low percentage of high school students, who successfully transition to college without requiring developmental courses, supports the rationale for action research on K through 12 curriculum development ability to produce college ready students. The Pennsylvania Common Core clearly notes that curriculum standards should align college and work expectation. Unfortunately, the inability to meet the demands continue at the forefront. As a result, I chose to approach this research from Problem Based Learning Theory (PBL). PBL focuses on the investigation and resolution of messy, real-world problems – Curriculum Development (http://www.learning-theories.com/problem-based-learning-pbl.html). Comparison data from the K
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Who teaches the newly mapped curriculum to your staff? “We have a Teacher Leadership Council, formally a Curriculum Council, whose job it is to lead department colleagues in the writing, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum and assessment. All committees require one administrator” (Minnich). In a similar manner, higher education and K through 12 both have procedures in place through DACUM facilitators and Leadership Council members. The level of development differs between institutions due to the level of education and training obtained by those leading and planning invigorating ideas that support change.
Is there an articulation between grade levels? “Yes, we have vertical collaboration meetings between grade levels on a regular basis. This includes meetings between the same subject areas in other buildings to ensure that the curriculum is aligned from one level to the next” (Minnich). However, higher education maps specifically for one major verses foundational matriculation that requires retention and transferable skills throughout their learning experience. In addition, the mapping process is initially reviewed for rigor by the department chair, library liaison, and curriculum compliance/catalog editor – Erika Steenland, (title). Followed by, the Associate Provost, Academic Council, and Academic House/Faculty Senate for approval.
How much is the actual curriculum based on the written curriculum? “We
In many instances, that answer will vary from school district to school district. In my district, the superintendent and curriculum coordinator will pass on their expectations and goals regarding any particular curriculum to each individual principal. During this process, the principal will also have the opportunity to share their goals and expectations for their respective schools. If either the school or district have more than one curriculum in which they’re looking at, the principals will then take those recommendations to their respective schools. There they’ll seek collaboration from the school’s leadership team to determine possibilities and implementation strategies. However, if there is just one curriculum which they’re interested in, the superintendent may choose to skip the last step, as long as everyone is in agreeance. Once all parties are satisfied, the superintendent, along with the curriculum coordinator will then take their recommendations to the school board for approval. With regards to public schools, this type of process seems to be the norm. In a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, which asked principals who they believed had the most influence in curriculum decisions, they reported that, “about half of these principals also reported themselves, teachers, and school boards to have ‘a great deal’ of influence.” (para.
The purpose of the Comprehensive Curriculum Project (CCP) is to analyze the myriad of issues that have arisen over the last few years revolving around curricula and its use in the classroom, school, and district. With the 2010 state adoption of the Common Core, educators experienced many different transitional issues and developmental issues revolving around the curricula. In order to develop a deeper understanding of these issues it is important to conduct interviews, look at the Teacher Working Conditions survey, and to analyze local organizational models that might affect the transition to the new standards.
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
Brighton High School needs to incorporate core subjects in classrooms other than those tested on core subjects. In order to ensure school-wide student achievement, Brighton High School will incorporate literacy and math in Career Technical Education (CTE) classes beginning the 2015-2016 school year. To ensure higher rates of success and accountability to the students, the mastery learning model would give teachers the necessary framework to articulate their understanding across the curriculum through the literacy and math integration (Henson, 2015). By using Leadership Team, aligned curriculum, and curriculum maps, teachers will be empowered to make the literacy and math integration successful. Previously, there has not been a
Brady and Kennedy (2010) define the term curriculum as ‘the means by which young people and adults gain the essential knowledge, skills and attributes they need to be productive and informed citizens in a democratic society.’ However the term has many varied definitions, it can be described as being the subject matter, the overall plan for teaching or the outcome of what is taught (Wiles, 2005). Marsh and Willis (cited in Marsh, 2009, p. 3) break curriculum down into three individual areas of ‘planned curriculum’, the objectives and aims, ‘enacted curriculum’, how the objectives are
The leadership team discussed specific outcomes that they want accomplish, taking into consideration the issues they want to address. After careful deliberation, they decided that they wanted to create a process of implementation with a feedback loop in which teachers and staff discuss each lesson. Documentation would be written down of what worked and what did not work and modifications could be done for the upcoming lessons. This could be accomplished by setting time for staff to meet and discuss lesson implementation, areas of strength and weakness. After discussion the staff would discuss and change the lesson plans to meet the needs of classroom. By crating this process of implementation staff can course correct
Participate as an educational leader, an equal partner, and a change agent in the curriculum development process at both the campus and district levels.
I am part of the Research and Planning Department. I am an Educational Technology Support Specialist in the office of Learning Technology. My job is to create professional development that empowers teachers to leverage technology to create student-centered learning environment. I absolutely love my job. I feel that it places me in a position to facilitate real change in educational environments. I am pursuing the Instructional Leadership certificate so that I may learn more about curriculum development and the in and outs of school administration. I am looking forward to this class and others and am curious about what lies
Once I determined Napavine needed a better process for curriculum adoption, I researched our board policies and then worked closely with our librarian to develop a guide for future curriculum adoptions. It was important that we created a document that would allow all department members the opportunity to research and compare various curricular offerings so that their voices would be heard. In addition, the librarian and I determined we needed to develop a document that could be used by all departments and not just specific subject areas. In addition, we wanted to create a document that could be easily condensed and read by individuals who were not teachers or who were not experts in specific subject areas. We also wanted a document that any administrator, regardless of subject area knowledge, could present to a department and guide that department in the curriculum
There are a significant number of goals that are essential for a college curriculum. In order to be a successful student in college, a college curriculum gives individuals an opportunity to explore themselves and the people around them, and it also shows them how to be independent so that they can be able to cope and successfully accomplish these goals to prepare themselves for their future lives. For example, skills, such as discipline, creative skills, confidence, accountability, perseverance, responsibility, flexibility, and independence will very much help one to be able to successfully work at a job. As a result, the person will make money to provide for his
Curriculum development refers to a process of critical questioning used in framing the activities of teaching and learning in schools. The process of developing a curriculum translates broader statements of intent in actual plans and actions. Curriculum development involves designing and developing integrated plans for teaching and learning, implementation, and the evaluation of the plants if they achieve learning objectives. Accordingly, the intention of curriculum development is to align the planned, delivered, and experienced curriculums. On November 3, I contacted Rachel Yurk to provide some insights on the curriculum development process of Cedarburg School District. Yurk is the Instructional Technology Specialist for Cedarburg School District. As demonstrated by the Cedarburg school district curriculum development process, the primary purpose of curriculum development is to guarantee integrated and coherent learning experiences to enhance personal, academic, and professional development of students.
My ideal college curriculum would have hands-on experience integrated into classroom lectures and teaching. I believe mind and body involvement into the college experience is necessary to obtain the most out of a college education, specifically with my interest in the medical community, in which experience volunteering and time spent in a hospital setting are crucial for the individuals truly motivated to pursue a medical profession. College's core purpose is to allow for a setting where students can make educated decisions on what career is the best fit for their personality, passions, and what they want from life, and incorporating hands-on experiences of a particular career could influence profession centred questions. I would also want
As a principal, I will be a curriculum leader on my campuses, especially classroom instruction. I will spend a high percent of my time walking the hallways, devoting the majority of my efforts to evaluate, and coaching and supporting my teachers in doing their job. I will serve as an expert in curriculum and exercise my expertise by providing professional development, providing specific feedback, and modeling lesson in the classrooms. I believe I have a strong background in curriculum, and I will continue professionally developing my curriculum
According to Blaise and Nuttall (2011), to understand curriculum, we must first understand what is meant by the term curriculum. Within curriculum there are five key concepts, they are the intended curriculum The Intended curriculum is the curriculum that the teachers want the children to experience in order to develop particular knowledge, skills, and attitudes. (Blaise & Nuttall, 2011, p. 82). The enacted curriculum is what teachers want students to experience. important reason why the intended curriculum is enacted differently from teacher to teacher, from classroom to classroom, is that a key part of a teachers work is to interpret the official curriculum, taking into account a wide range of variables that are specific to their classroom and school setting.