Sunday, September 13, 2009

Task One: Curriculum Design Question #1

Why do we need to consider curriculum?
For someone who struggles to follow a sequential order with anything.  I appreciate the value of curriculum.  Curriculum serves as a "check" so to speak to ensure that as educators we are teaching our students the MOST important things that they will learn given their grade level.  Curriculum maps have become a major staple in the learning process in my district.  We have met as departments to discuss exactly what it is that we should be teaching as well as a timeline for teaching it.  Strategies and ideas may change over time but the guiding principles as to what to teach are solid on their own foundation with generations of learners.  Curriculum is what we are supposed to be teaching to our students and what we are accountable for.  It is the very bread and butter of our job!  There is a lot to be taught in thirteen years and it is vital that we have a plan so to speak as to what is the most important.  In Wiggins article it was mentioned that although we have this time to prep our students for the future we will not teach them everything.  However if we leave them with a desire to learn as well as a way to absorb and retain information then they will be a generation of lifetime learners.  

4 comments:

  1. Great start but I need to see more of your personal thoughts here- dive deeper here - what have you found in your classroom that relate to curriculum- how to you feel as a teacher trying to cover curriculum? How did you feel as a student? I agree that it is the bread and butter of our jobs and therefore wonder why we are not more actively engaged in curriculum design. What experience have you had with curriculum design in the past? What model of curiculum do you think your school most operates under?

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  2. Dr. Clarke,

    Sorry I think I was confused. Let me say that as a teacher in the classroom following curriculum is very difficult for me to achieve. As a special education resource English teacher I am not "certified" to teach English. However I do try my best to meet the needs of my students and follow their IEP's. With that being said, I feel as though I am very lucky in the fact that I do have another highly skilled special education teacher and her experience as a teacher helps me immensely follow the 9th grade english curriculum. The main importance of my job is modifying the curriculum so that the students in my classroom are still receiving the curriculum just at their level of understanding. I feel that BCHS operates This being my 3rd year teaching I have had very little involvement in the overall design of curriculum in my school.

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  3. Sorry.. still new to this blog thing. Thought I could edit the post but I haven't figured that one out yet!

    I feel that my school operates under the fused model of curriculum. As a school we are very conscious of connecting core content across the board. On a bi-weekly basis the whole school participates in Stop, Drop and Write. We take 30 minutes out of one block and spend that time writing an on-demand prompt. Each department is required to submit a prompt and the entire school participates in the prompt. The main purpose is to allow the students the opportunity to see how all the curriculum used is meaningful and has a purpose. The goal is to teach them that everything they have learned will most likely come their way again.

    As a teacher in the english department servicing special education students I make a diligent effort to spend two planning blocks a week observing english teachers in the freshman academy and modeling their curriculum. Being in charge of the resource classroom we have not been provided the same curriculum maps as the rest of the department.

    As a student I felt that I was engaged and was expected to seek knowledge. I feel that this is why I would be on board for a more modern approach to curriculum. I was an AP student in high school and my teachers encouraged individual inquiries and ownership. I would like to think that eventually my students will gain some ownership to their learning and be able to seek answers and not just accept what is presented to them.

    I would love to have the opportunity to be more involved with curriculum in my district. Due to budget cuts I have not been able to attend additional trainings on curriculum development that has been offered at the state level. My goal would be to have more of a voice for the special education students regarding curriculum designed and the structure of future classes.

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  4. Nice thinking here and now I see that you have posted a response for each question- wow- no need to do that next time- one will be fine (trying to not make too much work for you). I do like your practical examples and perspective from many different angles- I think this really adds to the overall conversation.

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