The article that impacted me the most was David Squires, “Curriculum Alignment Research Suggests That Alignment Can Improve Student Achievement”. The curriculum issue I chose to focus my attention on was the vertical alignment of our English Language Arts curriculum between seventh and eighth-grade. A considerable misconception I made before conducting research on the topic was that vertical alignment is simple as it would involve matching the curriculum to the standards for each grade level. However, after performing research, I realized there are multiple components that impact alignment of curriculum. This article provided me more clarity in which I can utilize to continue to create an action plan to address this issue. As I have researched …show more content…
Alignment examples include alignment of written to taught curriculum, written curriculum to assessed (tested) curriculum, and alignment of taught to the tested curriculum. The early stages of vertical alignment begin with the written to the taught curriculum. As I reviewed our district’s written curriculum, I found that there were sections of the written curriculum that lacked student learning tasks and assessments utilized by teachers. This can certainly create a gap in how skill standards and content are taught to students yearly from seventh to eighth grade. For instance, this may create a situation in which students receive little explanation of why a topic is being studied and may result in disconnection or linkage between topics (Squires, 2012, p. 131). In order to have strong connections built across grade levels, our documented, written curriculum must correspond to how the curriculum is …show more content…
First, as I have seen with our fully developed curriculum units, multiple standards will need to be aligned to each activity. The standards are too broad and detailed to correlate tasks for each period and each individual standard. Learning tasks (taught curriculum) must identify primary standards that are strongly aligned as well as secondary standards that are moderately aligned but will be reinforced in later curriculum tasks. Secondly, the constituents of my school must ensure that the curriculum consists of learning tasks that include an objective and the demonstration of how the objective is achieved following instruction. Also, this concept is not for some teachers, but must be implemented by everyone (Squires, 2012, p. 134). By ensuring that all teachers are following the taught curriculum, we can aspire to create similar expectations between teachers and grade levels. Moreover, this proposal will assist teachers in collecting data of students meeting objectives by the end of a unit or grade. Finally, the curriculum will require assessment. Each course and grade level demand common assessments to demonstrate the curriculum was taught and evaluated. Through common assessments, teachers between grade
America’s children have found increasing difficulty with school. The curriculum in schools is claiming to be harder in higher levels, but the lack of focus and direction in the younger grades has made for decreased grade levels and lower mastery in several basic areas such as math, writing, and reading skills. Standardized test scores are at an all time low, as increasing amounts of children progress through the educational system having not at...
The Australian Curriculum is organised in a few different ways. There are two main design elements, Curriculum content (what the teacher is to teach) and Achievement standards (what the student is to learn). There is also Reporting Framework which incorporates elements of both areas. These elements were designed to provide guidelines as to what would be included in the Australian Curriculum. The Curriculum Content is organised into categories (strands), and are presented with descriptions to report and describe what is to be taught at each year level. Together, these descriptions form the scope and sequence across all covered years of schooling (Foundation to Year Ten). The areas of study covered in each year build upon the previou...
The development of a national curriculum for Australia is not a new endeavour (Marsh, 2010). The ideal is that national curriculum across Australia would mean that students are provided with a quality education that helps to shape the lives of the nations citizens and continue developing the productivity and quality of life within Australia. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] have the task of developing and implementing a nationwide curriculum. ACARA (n.d.-c) claims have addressed needs of young Australians while considering that changing ways in learning and challenges will continue to shape students education in the future. A look at what the Australian Curriculum is, its purpose, structure and scope, learning theories and teaching processes and whether the curriculum has the capacity to meet the needs of 21st century learners will show that the initial construction of a national curriculum appears to be successful. However, the effectiveness of the Australian Curriculum will only be able to be evaluated in the future after implementation across the country.
Different theories present own opinion of the most effective way through curriculum models. ‘Curriculum models are approaches or procedures for implementing a curriculum’. (Wilson, 2009: 522) Commonly curriculum are described as product, process and praxis. While curriculum as a product depends on the objectives as the learning goals and the measured means, a process model focuses on learning and relationship between learner and teacher. Chosen curriculum model depends on teaching and assessment strategies in some cases determinate by awarding bodies, organisational constrains, funding body and political initiatives. The dominant modes of describing and managing education are today couched in the productive form. Objectives are set, a plan drawn up, then applied, and the outcomes (products) measured. It is a way of thinking about education that has grown in influence in the United Kingdom since the late 1970s with the rise of ‘vocationalism’ and the concern of competencies. In the late 1980s and the 1990s many of the debates about the National Curriculum for schools did not so much concern how the curriculum was thought about as to what its objectives and content might be. (Wilson, 2009)
...m while having freedom to choose how to teach it. This allows the curriculum to become more personable. Teachers currently associate curriculum with government mandates. They believe that curriculum is what they are told to teach instead of what is desired to learn. Curriculum in the educational setting, according to Pinar, is intended to be used to teach us to think intellectually, sensitively, and with courage to prepare us to be individuals committed to other individuals.
Educators have to consider how to implement curriculum, instruction, management, and technology in the classroom. Educators also have to provide an environment where all children feel safe and nurtured. When creating a course of action, educators have to consider their role, as well as the role of the student, parent, and community. The first thing an educator has to consider is the curriculum students should be taught. Educators must use the common core standards for ELA and Math, as well as the Georgia Performance Standards for Science and Social Studies.
Cole, H., Hulley, K., & Quarles, P. (2009). Does assessment have to drive the curriculum?
“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, an anonymously written 14th century poem, describes the tale of a stranger who visits King Arthur’s court at a feast. He issues a challenge with any representative to hit him with his own axe, only if the challenger returns to him within precisely one year of the original blow. The anonymous poet uses 101 varying alliterative verse stanzas that conclude with a rhymed "bob.” This is organised within four fits which imbues every word with profound significance and creates nuanced interpretations of the poem. Within lines 842-874, it challenges the traditional social construct of masculinity and femininity prevalent within a mediaeval context and the poem’s entirety.
How do teachers enable all students of varying abilities to reach the same goals and standards established for their grade level? Instruction begins with a concept of treating each student as a unique learner whose strengths and weaknesses ha...
This standard expresses the importance of supporting students so they can meet higher standards. Teachers will support students by having knowledge of all of the different areas of teaching and with a strong curriculum that targets everyone. I understand how important it is to help my students meet their personal learning goals through my teachings. I will be organized and simple english and instructions in each and all of my lesson plans. I will also take into consideration the different backgrounds that my students will have and how that may impact the way they learn.
Since then, Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction has been a standard reference for anyone working with curriculum development. Although not a strict how-to guide, the book shows how educators can critically approach curriculum planning, studying progress and retooling when needed. Its four sections focus on setting objectives, selecting learning experiences, organizing instruction, and evaluating progress. Readers will come away with a firm understanding of how to formulate educational objectives and how to analyze and adjust their plans so that students meet the objectives. Tyler also explains that curriculum planning is a continuous, cyclical process, an instrument of education that needs to be fine-tuned.
Educational institutions today are increasing their emphasis on high standards as a crucial factor in improving the quality of education imparted to their students. They are, therefore, looking at new and better ways to develop such a curriculum that meets all the pre-decided standards. This calls for a change in the way schools are run and the methods of teaching in order to design, implement and evaluate curriculum effectively.
Curriculum is important being it’s the underlying factor that plays a role in determining ones growth, achievement and success. The majority of curriculum con...
Curriculum Differentiation One of the most urgent challenges teachers face today is creating a classroom environment where all students are simultaneously engaged in meaningful activities. Too many times students may either become lost as the teacher continues on with the lesson or the material may not be advanced enough, thus becoming boring for students. The implementation of curriculum differentiation is a sustainable solution to this prevalent dilemma. In some parts of the world, the teacher will come into the classroom, write the title of the lesson on the board, and ask one of the students to read aloud as the rest of the class listens. When the student finishes reading, the lesson is considered to be taught.
Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessments are steps teachers use to help them make sense of the concepts they teach and helps drive instruction. These steps can take on many different forms and drive a classroom in a plethora of ways. These steps, when developed properly, can help a teacher utilize each moment in the classroom and help students gain more insight to the standards they need to become proficient.