What’s Your Style?

1 2 3 4

0%

9%13%

78%1. Linear2. Holistic3. Laissez-Faire4. Critical

What’s Your Style?Linear• Efficient education • Specific content• Following routines, values procedure

Holistic• Interest drives learning experience• Wants students to become masters of own education

Laissez-Faire• Student centered education based on interest and passions• Learning through play• Aligned with Piaget

Critical Theorists• Focused on pursuit of social justice• Prepares for student leadership

CurriculumMax Ames, Brian Cole, Lyza ReicheltEDUC 385 Section 4

Definitions of Curriculum

1. A curriculum is the subjects comprising a course of study in school• dictionary

2. “Curriculum design is more than just content. It must ensure youngsters are offered learning opportunities which allow ambition and challenge through higher order thinking”.• Ken Robertson, British Educationalist

3. All of the experiences students are presented with, regardless of the planned intention

National Middle School Association (p. 165 of Kellough and Kellough)

“Curriculum is all that is intentionally designed to accomplish a school’s mission”

Core subjectsAs defined by No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

• English• Reading/language arts• Mathematics• Science• Foreign languages• Civics and government• Economics• Arts• History• Geography

Curriculum Standards

National curriculum standards did not exist until 1989.

“A definition of what students need to know (content) and be able to do (process and performance)”

Steps to Curriculum Planning

1. Examine National Standards2. Examine State Standards and

Framework3. Examine District frameworks4. Courses of study and materials5. Available resources and materials

What makes Good Curriculum?

• Will focus on the needs of the learner• Relates to the learner’s interest and

connects with prior knowledge• Flexible•Modifications•Adaptations

• Measurable outcomesCurriculum Coordinator interview

Integrated Curriculum

What is integrated curriculum?

• A way of teaching, organizing, and planning in which the different disciplines of subject matter are related to one another.

• Shifts away from the idea that each subject area has a knowledge base that is only specific to that area

• Connects experience to learning and establishes bridges between school and life

• Research has shown much higher success with students using an integrated curriculum.

Video

Pros and Cons• Teaches problem solving,

critical thinking, and effective communication

• Implies unity and collaborative learning

• Matches the developmental needs of the students

• Helps connect learning in ways that are meaningful to current and past experiences

• Lack of planning time• Have to create a new

curriculum• Lack of flexibility in

planning curriculum• Sometimes hard to

find a connection between subjects; students may be confused by lesson if little correlation between information

5 Levels of Integrated Curriculum• Level 1: subject specific, no student collaboration,

teacher solo, student input in decision making is low

• Level 2: subject specific, minimal student input, teacher solo or in teams

• Level 3: teacher solo or in teams, student input in decision making is high

• Level 4: considerable student input in planning and choosing themes, teacher solo or in teams.

• Level 5: maximum student and teacher collaboration, teacher solo or in teams, student input in decision making is very high

Multidisciplinary (Level 3)

• Focuses on separate disciplines that are presenting the same theme• Teachers do some of the planning• Little or no overlap within the

different subject areas• Teachers work individually in

separate classrooms

Multidisciplinary (Level 3)

Australia

Interdisciplinary (Level 4)

• Focuses on the shared content and skills of a particular theme

• Teachers plan together• Boundaries of subjects overlap• The teachers understand that the content,

skills and attitudes among subjects areas overlap

• Student input is selecting the themes and planning is strongly encouraged

Interdisciplinary (Level 4)

Cultural Differences between Australia and

the United States

Transdiciplinary (Level 5+)

• Teachers choose a theme of issue that is relevant or important to the students• Teachers work with one another• The students ha very high input when

it comes to developing the curriculum• Students must use their prior

knowledge – significant learning experience

Transdisciplinary (Level 5)

Boston School Forest

Works Cited

Kellough,Richard D, and Kellough, Noreen G. Teaching Young Adolescents: A Guide to Methods and Resources. 4th ed. Sacramento: U of California P, 2003.

Workshop

Content Area• Goal: make a plan for a week long Integrated

Curriculum• Topic: Australia

• What can students learn about Australia in your content area?

• Process• Environment• Content• Product

Middle Schools• Topic: Australia

• Combine Ideas to make a single project for your grade

To think about…Make a list of broad goals for students to come out

with after the semesterThink about hidden curriculum and everything else

on the chart!

Example of final idea