CHAPTER 9:The School Curriculum in an Era of Standards Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional 5th Edition Don P. Kauchak and Paul D. Eggen

Curriculum and Instruction You want your students to be able to use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling in their writing, so you display two paragraphs, one with correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and the other with a number of mistakes in it. You have your students compare the paragraphs, and, with your guidance, they identify the errors. You then give them a third paragraph, and have them correct the grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Identify one curriculum decision you made, and identify three instructional decisions that you made. Wanting your students to use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling was a curriculum decision. The decision resulted in you teaching your students these skills, and curriculum is what is taught in schools. Your instructional decisions were: Displaying the two paragraphs, one with errors and one without errors. Having your students compare the paragraphs to identify the errors. Giving them a third paragraph with errors to correct. Notice that you could have decided to help them reach your goal with a different approach, such as simply explaining the rules.

Types of Curriculum Explicit curriculum (formal curriculum) The stated curriculum found in textbooks, curriculum guides, and standards, as well as other planned formal educational experiences. Implicit curriculum (informal or hidden curriculum) The unstated and sometimes unintended aspects of the curriculum. Strongly influenced by your attitudes and actions, the hidden messages you and your school send as children participate in school activities. Null Curriculum Topics left out of the course of study. Extracurriculum Learning experiences that extend beyond the core of students’ formal studies, such as clubs, sports, school plays, and other activities that don’t earn academic credit.

Explicit, Implicit, and Null Curricula Imagine that you’re teaching a math lesson, and you want your students to understand percent increase and percent decrease, such as: A sweater originally priced at $59.95 is marked down to $38.95. What is the percent decrease of the markdown? You have them make an estimate before they answer because you’ve concluded that you haven’t put enough emphasis on “sense making” in math in the past. You also believe that making mistakes and being uncertain is an important part of learning, so you prompt your students whenever they’re unable to answer. Identify an example of the explicit, implicit, and null curricula in the vignette above. Wanting your students to understand percent increase and percent decrease is part of the explicit curriculum. Neglecting to emphasize “sense making” as strongly as you should have in the past is an instance of the null curriculum. Prompting your students, with the goal of having them realize that making mistakes and being uncertain is an important part of learning illustrates the implicit curriculum.

Curriculum in Elementary Schools

Forces that Influence the Curriculum Forces the Influence the Curriculum

The Teacher’s Influence on Curriculum Which of the following goals do you believe is most important? To thoroughly understand traditional content, such as important concepts and ideas from literature, science, history, and advanced mathematics To develop basic skills, such as the ability to read fluently, write effectively, and complete mathematical tasks To develop workplace skills, such as the ability to work with others and solve societal problems To develop learner motivation that will lead to students becoming self-regulated, life-long learners What is the framework, or foundation, that determines what goals you—and all teachers—believe are most important? Your philosophy of education is the framework for determining what goals you believe are most important.

Teacher Philosophy and the Explicit Curriculum Identify the educational philosophy most closely related to each of the following goals. 1. To thoroughly understand traditional content, such as important concepts and ideas from literature, science, history, and advanced mathematics 2. To develop basic skills, such as the ability to read fluently, write effectively, and complete mathematical tasks 3. To develop workplace skills, such as the ability to work with others and solve societal problems 4. To develop learner motivation that will lead to students becoming self-regulated, life-long learners 1. Understanding traditional content is most closely related to perennialism. 2. Developing basic skills is a direct application of essentialism. 3. Working with others, and particularly working to solve the problems of society is related to social reconstructionism. 4. A focus on learner motivation is an application of progressivism.

Making Curriculum Decisions Look at the two examples [I and II] below. What are they, and what do they have to do with curriculum? I. Students analyze the effects of the Industrial Revolution in England, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States. 1. Analyze why England was the first country to industrialize. II. The student understands and uses the tools of data analysis for managing information. (MA.E.1.1) 1. Displays solutions to problems by generating, collecting, organizing, and analyzing data using simple graphs and charts. They are both standards—statements describing what students should know or be able to do after a specified period of study. Because standards prescribe what students should know, they influence what is taught, and what is taught is the curriculum.

Standards, Accountability, and High-Stakes Tests Define each of the following: standards, accountability, and high-stakes tests. Why are high-stakes tests described as “high stakes”? Standards are statements describing what students should know or be able to do after a prescribed period of study. Accountability is the process of requiring students to demonstrate understanding of the topics they study as measured by high-stakes tests. High-stakes tests are standardized tests used to determine whether or not students have met standards. High-stakes tests are described as “high-stakes” because they are often used to make decisions about whether or not students are promoted from one grade level to another, or in some cases, graduate from high school. So, for students the stakes are “high.”

The Federal Government’s Influence on the Curriculum The National Defense Education Act (1958) Following Russia’s launching of Sputnik in 1957, it made math and science curriculum priorities. Civil Rights Act (1964) Prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin, and gave members of cultural minorities access to the curriculum. Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965) Created Title 1, designed to improve disadvantaged pre-school children’s readiness for school. Title IX (1972) Gave girls greater access to the curriculum—and particularly to sports—in schools.

The Federal Government’s Influence on the Curriculum Continued Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (1975) Increased the participation of learners with exceptionalities in the regular curriculum. No Child Left Behind Act (2001) The signature piece of educational legislation during the George W. Bush administration, it required states to create standards and develop measures for holding teachers and students accountable for meeting the standards. Race to the Top (2009) Legislation passed during the Obama administration designed to spur reforms in state and local district P-12 education. These are some of the most significant examples of the federal government’s influence on the curriculum. Additional examples are in Table 9.3 on page 291 of your text.

Using Textbooks Wisely Why should you be selective in using the textbooks mandated by your school? Scope: To appeal to a wide market, textbook publishers include many more topics than can be covered in depth during a school year. Experts suggest that you should emphasize depth of understanding rather than the number of topics covered. Student needs: The topics presented in textbooks may not be consistent with your state’s standards, or the specific needs of your students, school, or district. Quality: Textbooks are sometimes poorly written, lack adequate examples, cover topics superficially, or even contain errors of fact. Experts suggest that you: 1) cover some topics as written in the textbook; 2) modify others, and 3) eliminate a number of topics completely.

Controversial Issues in the Curriculum 1. Should sex education be part of the school curriculum? Why are why not? 2. Should you be teaching your students values and morals, or should they be taught in the home? 3. Should intelligent design be taught in science classes in addition to evolution? What does the scientific community have to say about intelligent design and whether it should be a part of the school curriculum? 4. Should some books, such as books containing gay or lesbian themes, be banned from the curriculum?

Research and Statistics Related to Curriculum Controversies Sex Education: By their 19th birthday, 7 of 10 teenagers of both sexes have had sexual intercourse. Teens in the United States and European have similar levels of sexual activity, but those in Europe are more likely to use effective contraception, so the rates of pregnancy in Europe are substantially lower. The teen pregnancy rate in our country is one of the highest in the developed world and more than twice as high as in Canada and Sweden. More than 9 of 10 parents in our country favor including sex education in the curriculum.

Research and Statistics Related to Curriculum Controversies Moral and Character Learning: Most educators and parents believe that moral education should be part of the curriculum. Evidence suggests that it’s impossible for us—as teachers—to avoid communicating our values to our students. [They are part of the implicit curriculum.] Intelligent Design: Some polls indicate that as many as 4 of 10 people in our country believe that God created humans in their present form within the past 10,000 years. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences states that intelligent design is not science because it can’t be tested by experiment and doesn’t generate any predictions or propose new hypotheses on its own. A court decision (Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District, 2005) ruled that requiring schools to teach intelligent design violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment. Curriculum Censorship: Courts in our country have generally ruled against curriculum censorship.

Discussion Questions 1-4 1. Which has the greater influence on students’ learning, curriculum or instruction? Why do you think so? 2. Think back to your own experiences in schools, and then consider what you’ve read in this chapter. Which has changed more over time, the curriculum or instruction? Why do you think so? 3. Some critics argue that the implicit curriculum has more impact on students’ overall education than does the explicit curriculum. Do you agree or disagree with this argument? Defend your position with a concrete example. 4. During financial crises, some schools have reduced their extracurricular offerings. To what extent does this detract from students’ overall education? Defend your position with a concrete example.

Discussion Questions 5-8 5. Which of the factors that influence the curriculum do you believe will most influence your teaching? Why do you think so? 6. Is our current curriculum balanced in terms of attention to the contributions of women and cultural minorities? Why or why not? Should we be doing more in this area? Why or why not? 7. Do you believe that moral development should be promoted in schools, or do you think that morals should be taught primarily in the home or in churches? Why do you believe as you do? 8. Is a national common core of standards a good idea? Will it lead to a national curriculum? What are the advantages and disadvantages to a national curriculum?