Comprehensive Curriculum Paper

The origins of the word curriculum date back to ancient times and in fact the work comes from the Latin word of currere: a course or race or to run (Smith, 1996,2000). Over many decades, people have argued over the various definitions. Tanner (1980) defined it as “the planned and guided learning experiences and intended outcomes”, whilst Pratt (1980) defined it as a written document describing goals planned, objectives, content and evaluation. So s it a course of study? Or can it be defined as content or a product( Marsh, 2008). Marsh (2008) goes on to include that at a variety of learning sites are a set of objectives for student learning. We can also relate this to Tyler’s objective curriculum model being that the first step to curriculum is always to set the objective. The Model of Taba from 1962, is the same model at Tyler’s but includes interaction and flow between all four stages, so we do not always need the objective before we start writing the content to the curriculum.

Adopted by forty-two out states in 2010, the Common Core State Standard Initiative strives to provide an educational structure which details what English language arts and mathematics should be taught from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The initiative is the federal government’s attempt to ensure all students who graduate from high school are adequately prepared to enter a two or four year college or the workforce. Despite their intentions, the Common Core has caused much controversy in the education community. The thought behind Common Core is very valid and has the potential to help students, however changes must be made to unrealistic standards and wordy statements. Common Core must first be rewritten so that the language is clear and can be easily understood by the general public. Next ask experts on childhood development and elementary school teachers to review the standards and rewrite standards they see as unneeded or irrelevant as well as unrealistic.

Common Core, a set of standards that are built for student from kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts/literacy and mathematics. Throughout the country, about 43 states have implemented CC standards, which are designed to make sure that high school graduates are prepare to enter colleges and onto the workforce. Common Core is not a curriculum. It is guidelines for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level in math and English language arts. However, The CC standards currently only have skills associated with English/language arts and mathematics, while there are no skills that consisted with other subjects, such as science or social studies. This would means that it’s up to the individual in order to develop their own set of standards and assessments for these topics. This will also cause problems with children, being that “The CC standards will require younger students to learn more at a quicker pace than they ever have before” (Cody, 2013). With the increased in higher level thinking skills, student’s learning will become more rigid. With the CC standards only limited to certain subjects, the ones that are most needed for students will not be provided, which means that students will have less ways to be able express their creativity, learn how to think outside the box, or finding new ways to learn and understand.

On a brighter note, I can imagine school districts hiring curriculum specialists in the to help create classroom lessons and tests that align with the standards. Curriculum specialists have a harder role in trying to help teachers determine appropriate curriculum to teach in their classrooms. They have to find common ground and what is best for everyone.

The impact that CCSS has on public schools is the focus and need for massive professional development in our school systems. This change in system will require teachers to take training programs to get them on board with the new academic standers the state is requiring. Common Core will also affect children with disabilities. Efforts will

2. What is Curriculum? Any document or plan that exists in a school or school system that defines the work of teachers, at least to the extent of identifying the content to be taught student and the methods to be used in the process (English, 2000). The educative experiences learners have in an educational program. The purpose of which is to achieve broad goals and related specific objectives that have been developed within a framework of theory and research, past and present professional practice, and the changing needs of society (Parkay, 2006).

The term ‘curriculum’ is used in a variety of ways when used in a teaching and schooling context (Churchill, 2013, pg. 186). Typically, the word curriculum refers to the knowledge and skills that a student needs to learn (Abbott, 2013). The Australian Curriculum is used in all Australian states and territories and it outlines the learning standards or objectives that the students are expected to meet. It includes the learning areas of the curriculum, the general capabilities that the students will need to learn the content of the curriculum and the cross-curriculum priorities that engage and support modern learning (Australiancurriculum.edu.au, 2015).

The Common Core debate has been discussed through the years through policy makers, politicians, and even TV talk show hosts on whether or not it will hurt or help a child’s education. It has been shown in data taken by others on this issue that people have much anxiety and unanswered questions. Some questions that come up are How do we train the teacher? as well as How do we help students handle the new content? Despite how people feel about the common core curriculum. I believe ultimately this idea is good for students and the education. There are three reasons why common core is a good idea.

Book Center: Books that show both the numbers written out and the number itself. Numbers by Mercer Mayer, Puppy’s Quest:

The objective 1(c)1.(i) was met in this course by the Inquiry and Integrated research papers that were written. The Inquiry paper assisted in meeting this objective by addressing specific theories that helped aid in proof about inquiry teaching. The inquiry paper also assisted in meeting this objective because it discussed different tools of inquiry that researchers discovered teachers would benefit from using inside of the classroom. The Integrated research paper assisted in meeting objective 1(c)1.(i) by discussing how academic disciplines can be connected through a specific lesson. Integrated curriculum was discussed in depth in the research paper and talked about the importance of facts and central concept principles.

Illinois’s State Board of Education, ISBE, has been enforcing teachers to assess students from first grade up to high school using the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, which assess students in subject areas: Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy.

A free and appropriate education is the right of all children in this country. The purpose of education is to provide students with the skills that they need to become productive members in society. Classrooms today are more diverse than ever, they are multi- cultural, multi- lingual, and multi- ethnic. In addition, students come into schools with different ability levels and make progress through the curriculum differently. School personnel must set goals standards and expectations for the performance of its students and provide multiple levels of support to be successful in attaining the common core standards as established by state and federal regulations. The task of school personnel and administrators is to create a curriculum with pre-determined competencies and standards in order to help students succeed. This curriculum most also be successful in incorporating the common core standards as required by the state and federal regulations. Although curricula may vary from district to district, they should be appropriate for most students at a given age or grade level (Salvia, Ysseldyke, Bolt 216).

Good afternoon. I am writing to you regarding a concern I have within the current curriculum that is being taught in the University Studies/ University 1010 class. I am currently enrolled as a traditional student with prescribed courses, therefore I must take the University 1010 class. Once I was enrolled in this class and attended, I realized how juvenile the material being taught actually was. As a freshman student, I do not feel the need to learn about sexual education and the value of education in our life. These are things I already know, and I don’t feel the need for them. Below are a few suggestions I have thought and considered.

Curriculum development refers to a process of critical questioning used in framing the activities of teaching and learning in schools. The process of developing a curriculum translates broader statements of intent in actual plans and actions. Curriculum development involves designing and developing integrated plans for teaching and learning, implementation, and the evaluation of the plants if they achieve learning objectives. Accordingly, the intention of curriculum development is to align the planned, delivered, and experienced curriculums. On November 3, I contacted Rachel Yurk to provide some insights on the curriculum development process of Cedarburg School District. Yurk is the Instructional Technology Specialist for Cedarburg School District. As demonstrated by the Cedarburg school district curriculum development process, the primary purpose of curriculum development is to guarantee integrated and coherent learning experiences to enhance personal, academic, and professional development of students.

According to Blaise and Nuttall (2011), to understand curriculum, we must first understand what is meant by the term curriculum. Within curriculum there are five key concepts, they are the intended curriculum The Intended curriculum is the curriculum that the teachers want the children to experience in order to develop particular knowledge, skills, and attitudes. (Blaise & Nuttall, 2011, p. 82). The enacted curriculum is what teachers want students to experience. important reason why the intended curriculum is enacted differently from teacher to teacher, from classroom to classroom, is that a key part of a teachers work is to interpret the official curriculum, taking into account a wide range of variables that are specific to their classroom and school setting.