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Curriculum
When we look at curriculum, we must keep instruction in mind. Instruction is the way curriculum is taught. Curriculum focuses on learning goals, (Outcomes, Standards, Benchmarks) while instruction focuses on the “how”, or the way teachers will help students meet these goals. Let’s take a look at curriculum first.
Definitions of Curriculum
- Subject matter taught
- The planned education experiences offered
- Course of study, or systematic arrangement of courses
- “What teachers teach and what students are expected to learn.”
Four Types of Curriculum
Explicit Curriculum (Formal)
- Material found in textbooks, teacher’s guides
- Everything that teachers are expected to teach, students are expected to learn and what schools will be held accountable for; material we assess
- Elementary curriculum heavy in language arts and math
- Middle school curriculum content places equal time on all subjects
- Junior High/High School content becomes more compartmentalize
Implicit Curriculum (Informal)
- The “hidden” information
- What children learn from the nature and organization of the school and classrooms and from the attitudes and behaviors of teachers and administrators
- Tolerance
- Study Skills
- Respect
- Organization
- Team Work
- Values
- These are learned from the way classrooms are set up, the practices used, behaviors modeled, the way material is presented, values and priorities that may be unstated, but are evident
Null Curriculum
- Topics left out of a course of study
- Sometimes what we don’t say or don’t teach, carries as strong, or stronger message than what we do teach
- BE CAREFUL!
Extra-Curricular
- Learning beyond formal studies
- No academic credit
- Extra-curricular activities are part of an effective school
- Need to reach everyone; high and low achievers; all income levels
- May be sports or clubs, organizations
Influences on Curriculum
- Education philosophies
- Textbooks
- Federal/State Government
- Local School District/School Board
- Standards and Testing
Standards: pre-determined statement of what students should know and skills they should have upon completion of an area of study. In Michigan, our standards are based on the Common Core Standards.
In 2010, Michigan adopted the “Common Core Standards”. These are the standards that must be met for each grade level and subject matter. You can find these at the Michigan Department of Education’s website. This is the curriculum teachers must follow. They are required to present these concepts and skills to their students. However, the way in which they present and teach this information is entirely up to them. This is where instruction comes into play. A teacher has the Academic Freedom to structure his/her classroom and learning activities in the manner they feel best in order to present curriculum to their students and help them master it.
We know every student is different and we need to try and “reach” every student. The choice of teaching methods you use will depend on