Curriculum in an Era of Standards and Accountability NOTE: To change the image on this slide, select the picture and delete it. Then click the Pictures icon in the placeholder to insert your own image. EDUC 1010- Chapter 11

Different Definitions of Curriculum The subject matter taught to students A course of study, or a systematic arrangement of courses The planned educational experiences offered by a school The experiences students have under the guidance of the school The process teachers go through in selecting and organizing learning experiences for their students

4 Different Dimensions of the Curriculum The explicit curriculum (formal curriculum) pg 322 Integrated curriculum (interdisciplinary) The implicit curriculum “un-intended or hidden,” pg 325 The null curriculum (what is left out) Extracurriculum (clubs sports plays field trips)

The Explicit Curriculum at Different Grade Levels The current elementary curriculum emphasizes language arts and math, and de-emphasizes science, social studies, art, and music. The Jr. high and high school curriculum focuses on specialized & separate content courses.

Where do teachers find information about the Explicit Curriculum? https://www.uen.org/core/ https://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/main http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/co urses/descriptions/index.html https://www.schools.utah.gov/cte http://www.nctm.org/ http://www.ncte.org/

The Implicit Curriculum Includes the types of learning children acquire from the nature and organization of the classroom as well as the attitudes and actions of the teacher. Curriculum presentation Classroom management Treatment of students Influences the attitudes and values students take away from school. Teachers and their actions exert the strongest influence on the implicit curriculum. What are some things you have learned in school that were part of the Implicit Curriculum?

The Null Curriculum Includes topics left out of the explicit curriculum Often includes controversial topics or ones that teachers don’t know about or feel uncomfortable teaching Currently is strongly influenced by standards and their corresponding high- stakes tests What has been the effect of the Null Curriculum on your education?

The Extracurriculum Consists of learning experiences that extend beyond the core of students’ formal studies Includes clubs, sports, school plays, and other activities that don’t earn academic credit Low-ability students, members of cultural minorities, and students placed at-risk are less likely to participate in extracurricular activities.

The Extracurriculum Students who participate in extracurricular activities have: higher academic performance and attainment reduced dropout rates lower rates of substance abuse less sexual activity among girls better psychological adjustment, including higher self-esteem and reduced feelings of social isolation reduced rates of delinquent behavior

Extracurricular Participation and Student Engagement  Percentage of public school seniors reporting selected indicators of school success by participation and nonparticipation in extracurricular activities What extracurricular activities were/are you involved in and how did/does it impact your education?

Forces That Influence the Curriculum Standards and accountability NCLB Utah Comprehensive Accountability System (UCAS) Professional organizations The federal government (see next slide) Textbooks The professional teacher—perhaps more than any of the others

Controversial Issues in the curriculum 21st century skills Communication Promptness Deadlines Civic literacy Critical thinking Professional skills (interview, dress, etc.)

Controversial Issues in the curriculum Moral and Character Education Character education stresses, teaches, and rewards moral values and positive character traits such as honesty and citizenship. Moral education emphasizes student decision making and moral reasoning. Compliments Project There is general public consensus about the teaching of these values: Honesty Democracy Acceptance of diverse peoples Caring for friends and family members

Controversial Issues in the curriculum Service Learning – a part of character education Combines service to the community with content-learning objectives to promote ethical and moral development Becoming more popular, with 25% of high school students participating Courts have upheld the legality of required service learning courses.

Controversial Issues in the curriculum 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.

Women and Minorities in the Curriculum Critics contend the explicit curriculum over-emphasizes the contributions of white males and has ignored or failed to adequately represent the contributions of women/cultural minorities. Efforts are being made to include more literary works by women and cultural minorities in the curriculum as well as their contributions to history. Also know as postmodernism.