Each year teachers ask which students are on the class rosters. Class size and individual students can alter how a teacher manages the class and what can be taught. Activities and projects depend upon this factor. The established curriculum is then manipulated to fit the teacher’s needs. A new teacher scrambles to build lessons while the “old timers” are on cruise control. Curriculum’s purpose here is to establish classroom management and prepare for testing. Creativity is based off the teacher’s energy levels.
Now there is a shift to have a more engaging curriculum, have the focus shift on learned standards instead of learned material. Teachers now have to alter their strategy to focus on particular questioning to get students involved instead of this is it and learn it. The articles of Childe and Wiggins help illustrate how the curriculum can be altered so the teachers have a more diverse role. A teacher can facilitate, coach, or directly teach a lesson. Plus, ILT meetings can establish the backward design for the curriculum to be evolved.
In the past, teachers had little control over the curriculum. State and board officials mandated the curriculum. Teachers would design lessons off this and allow for department peers to help with used lesson plans and worksheets. If a teacher is creative then she has a huge control over the curriculum. Problem is student abilities are an ever changing factor that forces a teacher and school to be weary. Growing use of more essential questioning, creative lessons, and ILT input can equal the balance of the enigma that is the student achievement.
With Ryle implementing the ILT, the curriculum is slowly evolving. We are finding standards to focus on, establish essential questions, and formulating a common assessment. Now the teachers have the ability to teach off this blueprint. The creative nature should take over, but focus still needs to engage the students.
It seems easy to formulate a theory of curriculum, but what I read today it seems easier to implement a new plan. Teachers have to stay willing to be a student and learn new ways to improve. So many times students get bored because the teacher is stale with ideas. Possibly the backwards design can help along with Schwartz’s rehearsal curriculum. I have felt the classroom is a good place to perform, entertain the students. However, the show must be managed to allow for complete learning not fun.
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I like what you said at the beginning of your post about energy level. I think this is a great realistic way to look at curriculum. I guess the fact that a curriculum guide is given to us allows us to focus our energy on taking that curriculum and translating it into classroom practice. I have been commenting on blogs about how we should be involved in the curriculum process but you reminded me that as teachers we only have so much energy --and that having a set curriculum allows us to then focus on the other stuff. I know that when I was in the classroom (the one with kids) I never felt like I had time to devote to much of anything other than getting through the day. But I do think considering curriculum is important- maybe we should come up with ways to use our energy to more evenly distribute it to consider both curriculum and daily instruction.
ReplyDeleteWe have some teachers that are enthusiastic and creative and strive to differentiate lessons for all students. We have other teachers that are exhausted and have been using the same lesson plans for years. Even though all these teachers adhere to the district curriculum, the teaching methods give some students an advantage in deeper learning.
ReplyDeleteYou made a great point citing the change from learned material to learned standards. I wonder if this change will be good or bad in a long term outlook? I'd like to think that differentiating your class instruction based on the curriculum the students have or have not mastered is a good thing. However, we must remember that we will be held accountable for all the standards...even if our classroom growth is substantial without them. : )
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