Curriculum Course Reflection #3

How has your definition of curriculum been shaped by the course readings and discussions? How and why has your definition of curriculum changed?


I don't feel like I can say that my definition of curriculum has changed, but I have a broader idea of what curriculum can be because of this course. Having been trained as a Social Studies teacher, I was mostly familiar with the content needed for teaching the social sciences. I completed my undergraduate work in California where at the time Social Studies was not a tested subject and completed my graduate and licensure in Nevada where Social Studies is also not a tested subject. In both states, there were content standards, but when I thought of curriculum in the past, I can't say that the standards felt like curriculum to me. When I started teaching in Virginia, a few of the Social Studies courses are tested and do require a more specific curriculum. This was all very new to me, but I relied on my content knowledge and my instructional tools I had stashed away and using the Enhanced Scope and Sequence for the subjects I was teaching, I forged ahead. I would have to say that my definition of curriculum started to grow because of the standards of learning and their supporting documents, because they were more specific and actually included ideas for teaching the topics. 
In 2006 my colleague and I had to submit our "curriculum" to the college board for our AP course and the document we turned in was a very detailed syllabus, but that syllabus became the basis of our curriculum for the year, that same year I began teaching AP Government online and used the same syllabus, my curriculum was unchanged, however the methods were very different. Which is where my definition of curriculum again changed. I began to see the content as the jumping off point, but the instructional tools and methods used were also a part of the curriculum. 
Last year (2009-2010), I participated in a year long project to re-write the curriculum in my school division. We were led by an expert on Understanding by Design and began creating units and curriculum maps. At the same time I was completing my master's degree and was able to take two independent study courses that let me focus on curriculum. I enhanced the curriculum for my own courses during this time and used my experiences to help the teachers I work with as a Technology Integration Specialist. Because I am no longer in the face to face classroom (I still teach one class online) and work with teachers in a professional development setting, I began to translate my knowledge of curriculum into modeling best practices for the professional development session I lead. 
Fast forward to January 2011, when I started the Curriculum course, I felt pretty sure of my self in the area of curriculum but am also always interested in learning more, mainly because I think curriculum is my secret passion in education, I would like to do more with it in the future. 
This course has opened my thoughts to the types of curriculum out there, I have been able to see how curriculum can be altered for different circumstances all while continuing to provide students with the knowledge they need to have. This course has helped me to see curriculum through various lenses, through the lens of technology integration, through the 21st century learner, through the special education student and even through the eyes of a mathematics teacher (a place I have always been a bit nervous to be). 
I can now clearly see that while curriculum may come in many different shapes and sizes, the most important piece of it all is the relationship between the written, taught and tested curriculum.

Reflection #2

• As a school administrator and instructional leader, what instructional technology would you expect to see in the written, taught, and tested curriculum of a school or school district striving to meet the needs of 21st century learners?

In today's classroom, I would absolutely expect that teachers and students would be using technology to enhance the instruction that is happening in the room. I would expect this weather or not technology was part of the written or tested curriculum. I have a hard time describing "what technology" I would expect to see because every classroom is different, but in a science classroom, if a lesson was to look at seismic activity around the world, I would expect the teacher would be using a source such a Google earth to help student visualize the events. In a World History course, I would expect the written curriculum would ask the students to take a virtual field trip to the Egyptian Pyramids. I would hope that the tested curriculum in our schools begins to catch up with the technology and perhaps asks students to create a Webquest as proof they understand what they have learned. It is important that we show students technology is not a separate piece instead a part of our every day lives that makes life just a little more efficient, fun and dynamic. We are doing a disservice to our future generations if we continue to teach them in separate classrooms, separate subjects and walk them down to a computer lab. We need technology to not be a specific "extra" thing we do, but instead use it whenever it will enhance the curriculum and make the lesson that much better. 

• What instructional technology would you promote to differentiate instruction for all learners?

There are a lot of technologies that can differentiate instruction, WebQuests, the use of a learning management system, wikis, interactive tablets/white boards and so many more. Technology actually makes differentiation so much easier to manage for a teacher. A teacher can find various articles on the same topic and use those to differentiate for the students reading levels. Students can participate in online discussions using an LMS or wiki and participate using their strong skills and not have to be nervous about being called on in class if they are uncomfortable, instead they can prepare their presentation and have the back up of the technology to help them feel confident in their project. 

As an administrator, I hope to be directly involved with instructional technology and intend to help teacher see how valuable it can be in the classroom when used efficiently. I hope to model best practices through meetings, co-teaching, and interactions with the school community.