TASK 1: Curriculum Design

Task 1: Curriculum Design

Why do we need to consider curriculum?
From my experiences and what I read I feel that curriculum is designed so we are able to test our students based on a system that all students should be learning from. It is easier to compare scores and rank schools. Curriculum should be considered to provide a general learning path. There was a passage in Wiggins article where he describes modern curriculum. He states that, “successful curriculum and instruction is when priorities are clear, can be found in students ability to anticipate the final examination in its entirety and provide accurate self-assessments of their finished work.” A question this raises is why should students show what they know and can do in the same standardized way? Doing this takes away from our students’ creativity and sense of accomplishment. We are expected to create meaningful and engaging lessons and understand our student’s various learning styles only to have every student demonstrate knowledge in the same manner. Curriculum is helpful in the fact that is guides education however, teachers, students, and administration should not let that curriculum over run optimal student learning.

What model of curriculum do you feel best fits your current role? What model are you most attracted to? What would be your preference?
Applebee’s article has definitely interested me in Constructivism in Education Theory and Practice. In his article he discusses how the construction of curriculum turns into the construction of conversation. Students are not interested in content that is not relevant to them. They rarely like pencil paper tasks to practice content skills they need to learn for the standardized tests. What all students like is conversation. They do it all the time in our classroom, which leads to us getting frustrated. Why not use that and construct a conversational domain in which we can communicate skills and content that is under the curriculum. Not to mention the cultural aspect of understand others during these conversations. Again, I am really intrigued with this model and plan to further understand its entirety.

Wiggins talks about the need for a “modern” curriculum- what could this like? Do you buy that we need a new approach to curriculum? Why or why not?
Wiggins states that modern curriculum should thus:
a.) Equip student with the ability to further their superficial knowledge through careful questioning
b.) Enable them to turn those questions into warranted, systematic knowledge
c.) Develop in students high standards of craftsmanship in their work irrespective of how much or how little they “know”
d.) Engage students so thoroughly in important questions that they learn to take pleasure in seeking important knowledge.

I feel that if “modern” curriculum could look like this than I am sold. Allowing students to take meaning in their learning and guide the learning process will in turn result in a higher level of motivation to learn. Teachers should be there to foster those questions, and guide students in the direction of the curriculum however allowing them to demonstrate understanding in the students’ individual way. Connecting content to our students is what makes them want to learn.