“When school politics get rough, as they often do, I go back to the origin of my mission--to make a difference in the lives of kids; thereby, helping to make the world a better place for all of us.” (Hurst & Reding, 1999) Chapter 9 The School Curriculum

Chapter Objectives Curriculum and Instruction Types of curriculum The relationship between textbooks and the curriculum The influence of the Federal Government on the curriculum Controversies surrounding the curriculum

This I Believe Survey

Relationship Between Curriculum and Instruction Curriculum is WHAT students will be able to….. Instruction is the WAY children LEARN the curriculum or the ways in which it is taught. Curriculum focuses on learning goals and the reasons the goals have been selected; Instruction is the way teachers help students reach the goals. Learning Styles??? www2.ed is the reauthorization of NCLB

The Explicit Curriculum The first is the explicit curriculum, which is the curriculum found in textbooks. The explicit curriculum includes what teachers are expected to teach, what learners are expected to learn, and what schools are held accountable for.

Curriculum in Elementary Schools Teachers strongly emphasize: Language Arts, Math and Reading Recess the de-emphasis is on Science, Social Studies, and the Arts is likely to be similar.

Integrated Curriculum Concepts and skills across disciplines (Math, S.S. Sc.) are combined and related. For example, teachers might have students read about a science topic and then have them conduct an experiment related to the topic or interview someone who has expertise in the area. Relevance Motivation Collaborative planning

Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Visualize yourself as a mountain climber

Building 21st Century Skills

Understanding of 21st Century Skills and Outcomes

Program Profile Mission and goals Introduce students to the teaching profession by providing them with a quality educational experience Recruit a diverse population to Teacher Education Programs Retain students Provide high-quality programs that parallel Idaho college and university undergraduate curricula Collaborate with K-12 and college/university colleagues

The Implicit Curriculum Represents its unstated and sometimes unintended aspects, is called the implicit curriculum: “ hidden curriculum.” Expert teachers create orderly classrooms in which learners accept responsibility for their own behavior. Learning is communicated by the way the teacher interacts with students.

Extracurricular Learning experiences that extend beyond the core of students’ formal studies Part of an effective school Motivate students to get higher grades. Reduced dropout rates Lower substance abuse Higher academic performance

“Numbered Heads Together” In a group of four discuss: What aspects of curriculum do professional teachers need to consider? (think of last discussion) How important are the textbooks to first year teachers? Explain the phrase: “What gets tested, gets taught; what’s taught, gets tested.

Curriculum and the Professional Teacher While a number of factors influence what is taught and learned, you, the teacher, are at the center of the process. Factors include: understanding how to represent information so students can understand it, what students need and how they learn. See next chart

Academic disciplines tend to artificially “compartmentalize” what students learn. Students complain that traditional subjects are irrelevant. Research indicates that expertise and problem-solving ability depend on knowledge.* Schools and teachers are being held accountable, and accountability depends on discipline-based tests. Academic disciplines Society’s needs change rapidly, often making curriculum obsolete. Learners may be steered into career choices too early, limiting long-range opportunities. Students learn to integrate information from a variety of sources. Curriculum is relevant, contributing to learner motivation. Needs of society Efforts to respond to the special needs of each individual are virtually impossible. Students may not be the best judges of their long-range needs, opting for shallow learning experiences. Concern for individuals is placed at the heart of curriculum development. Learner motivation is promoted. Needs of individuals DisadvantagesAdvantages Basis for Curriculum ©2005 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Textbooks and First Yr-Teachers If you’re a typical first-year teacher, you will reach for a textbook, the book you’ll be using for the content area you’re teaching (ex. Math). Research indicates that teachers depend heavily on them. In some of your university teacher-education classes, you may be encouraged to set textbooks aside or at least not depend heavily on them. edHelper.com

Textbooks: NCLB Some experts believe that textbooks are the most powerful influence on all curriculum decisions (Morrison, 1993). While textbooks will strongly influence your curriculum decisions, you shouldn’t depend on them completely. Don’t be afraid to de-emphasize, or even eliminate, topics and chapters in the text, and include other topics that aren’t in it. (ex. Reading First Program and phonics)

Testing: NCLB Reading, Writing, and Math are the content areas for which students are most commonly held accountable; they are the most frequently tested. “What gets tested, gets taught” “What’s taught, gets tested” standardized test Vocabulary:  Standards  Accountability  High Stakes Tests  Assessment

Outcomes-based Education Outcomes-based education (OBE) attempts to describe curriculum in terms of objectives or results. If we want students to attain certain knowledge or skills, we should specify exactly what these are, teach them, and test for them. ObjectiveOutcome

Federal Government’s Influence Established a list of goals American education was to reach by the year Goals 2000: Educate America Stimulated the modern environmental-education movement Environmental Education Act Increased participation of learners with exceptionalities in the regular curriculum Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Increased girls’ participation in physical education and sports Title IX Provided for teaching the curriculum in students’ native languages as they gradually learned English Bilingual Education Act Created Title I, designed to help disadvantaged children acquire basic skills Elementary and Secondary Education Act Prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Intended to provide all students with equal access to the curriculum Civil Rights Act Increased emphasis on vocational training and teaching marketable skills Economic Opportunity Made math, science, and foreign language high curriculum priorities National Defense Education Impact on CurriculumDate Acts ©2005 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved This overview of curriculum is not on the test.

Professional Organizations Educators’ professional organizations have influenced curriculum: Through curriculum standards (National Standards for Public Education Teachers). National Science Education Standards. Both lists of standards are designed to achieve the goal of scientific literacy for all students. TEACH: IEA

Pros & Cons of a National Curriculum Advocates Provide coherence and stability across states Create uniform standards across states Opponents Create a massive and unwieldy federal bureaucracy Not be responsive to local needs and student diversity Science Physical education (PE) Music History Geography English Design and technology Mathematics Art and design

Sex education & District-wide Policies 69 % of public school districts have district-wide policies in place to teach sex education. As one option: teach abstinence Preferred option: teach abstinence Only option: teach abstinence as the only option outside of marriage. Why?

Character and Moral Education Character education, values (characteristics) such as honesty and citizenship, and the translation of these values into behavior. Patriotism, Respect for others, Courtesy, and Compassion.

Moral Reasoning & Problem Solving Moral education uses moral dilemmas and classroom discussions to teach problem solving and to bring about changes in the way learners think with respect to moral issues. emphasizes the transmission of right/wrong The moral of the story is (fables)…..?

Service Learning Curriculum Involves students in voluntary social-service projects to make students more socially responsible.

Intelligent Design Our universe is the product of an intelligent cause or being VS. random, undirected causes such as natural selection. Opponents of intelligent design argue that it is little more than creationism, a religious view that the universe was created by God as described in the Bible. The courts have held that formally teaching intelligent design as an alternative to evolution violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Censorship The following books have been banned from the public school curriculum at various times: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman Courts have generally sided against censorship as a parental right, ruling that schools and teachers have a right to expose students to different ideas and points of view. BANNED

Women & Minorities in the Curriculum Efforts are being made to include more literary works by women and cultural minorities in the curriculum as well as their contributions to history. Teachers play a major role in including these topics in the curriculum.

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