Understand The Curriculum

Enforcing the belief that every student should set high standards in their school work is a must because the quality of their work is based off of their own standards. Effective and consistent communication of high expectation helps students develop a healthy self-concept (Rist, 1970). These expectations must be very clear in a classroom full of students from different cultures. A page on class work expectations should be included in the first day take home syllabus. It should explain how students should complete their work and the quality of it by using simple yet detailed words so every family can understand it. The most important part the teacher must do is be very clear and detailed on directions. If a student does not understand an assignment then the teacher most likely did not explain it well. This situation is commonly misinterpreted as if the student was just not paying attention. Clear directions will almost eliminate any confusion on an assignment due to cultural differences.

“Relationships are the foundation of the development and implementation of the curriculum for the infants and toddlers. Responsive caregiving and use of individual caregiving routines(for example, nappy changing, meals, sleep) provide the frame for curriculum implementation. Parents should be involved to take appropriate decision about the children’s learning and development”.

The review of the Australian Curriculum, undertaken by Kevin Donnelly and Ken Wiltshire recommended that students in Prep to Year 2 should focus on English, Math, History and Science and the arts content of the curriculum should be reduced. This means that the core content of the arts curriculum of music, visual arts, drama, dance and media arts would be not introduced until Year 3. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-13/the-conversation-expert-verdict-on-the-curriculum-review/5809706). There is evidence for both sides of the reduction of creative arts for the Australian curriculum and this essay will attempt to address possible issues and solutions to the reduction of the arts.

Eight years ago, when I was employed as a teacher at BYLC, it was only in its second year of operation. Therefore, I played and integral part in developing an alternative curriculum that would successfully engage our students and also enable us to receive full accreditation as a secondary school. Since the introduction of the Australian Curriculum (AC), I re-developed our programs and they have again been approved during an accreditation review.

Curriculum can be broken into three forms: intended curriculum, implemented curriculum and attained curriculum. Intended curriculum is the goals for instruction, that are set through: schools, school districts, states, and national organizations. The TIMSS illustrates intended curriculum through the school’s textbooks, curriculum guides, programs, and surveys of educational higher-ups. Implemented curriculum is the pursuit of desired goals within the classroom, and the teacher’s performance in the learning process. The TIMSS studies for implemented curriculum include videotapes and surveys from a teachers’ course. The surveys include the teachers instructional practices, beliefs on education, subject being taught, and other factors that influence the student’s test scores. Attained curriculum is the

16. Four Phases of Curriculum Process Design Phase Development Phase Implementation Phase Evaluation Phase Figure 1: Four Phases of Curriculum Process FEEDBACK LOOPS

The statement stated here is definitely a weak statement as it says that the curriculum for the students of the entire nation should be same until they enter college. Being judged on similar grounds will not be beneficial as stated by the author and my response strongly is against the statement.

How did the teacher monitor the students' understanding of the material being taught? Did the teacher engage students in higher order thinking?

The Utah Schools for the Blind consider the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) as part of the daily studies for students with vision impairments, however, they do not consider it to be an intensive need of the students, and therefore do not give adequate instruction to students.

There are many thoughts about curricula and its goals that it is supposed to accomplish. Looking back throughout history there are many changes that curriculum has gone through, from No Child Left Behind to the Common Core Curriculum. If you were to sit down with teachers, parents, community members, and even law makers I don’t think that you would get the same answer between any of them about what the general goals of curricula are. For me, it is a struggle to sit down and begin to think about what the goal of curricula. As a student and a teacher that has seen the changes in curricula my experiences have definitely influenced my thoughts about what the goals of curricula should be and the roles of the teacher, student, parent, and community are within those goals.

student succeed in school, the first need to be attentive. Teachers need to find a way to get the

Observing student’s performance and documenting both positive and negative points. Also, implementing student discipline measures and decreasing classroom disruptions. Instruct students under direction and guidance of teachers while working with students on an individual and small-group basis

Initially, prospective students believe that once they receive their diploma, core curriculums just disappear forever. Sadly, they’re wrong. These courses remain dormant throughout the summer post-graduation and then burden them for the next two years of their life. Luckily, Johns Hopkins takes an atypical approach. Once a student graduates, the idea of core curriculums flees due to the fact that you offer the opportunity for students to select courses they want.

Frequent communication with families which includes positive information makes school wide discipline effective (T.L.Musy, Personal communication, October 3rd, 2006). Consistency is an important element in school wide discipline. Rules applied consistently through out the school are easy for students to learn. An effective teacher learns school rules and procedures before the year begins. This would be helpful for the teacher to set up her/his own classroom discipline plan (Evertson, Emmer, and Worsham, 2006).

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.