Curriculum Theory and Curriculum Application course compilations
Due to the deeply inter-related nature of the Curriculum Theory and Curriculum Application courses, I have decided to document my work for these courses together.
Course descriptions:
The Curriculum Theory course provides the student with an understanding of the historical and contemporary theories that form the basis of curriculum development, an appreciation for the forces that impact the creation of curricula, knowledge of state and national standards for elementary school education and insights into the process of creating a curriculum. Course activities include the study of textbooks, contemporary articles that demonstrate thought leadership in curriculum development and field experience. The student will demonstrate the understanding acquired by defining a curriculum and a lesson plan within it.
The Curriculum Application course provides the student with an understanding of the forces that impact the creation of curricula, knowledge of state and national standards for elementary school education and insights into the process of creating a curriculum. Course activities include field experience that exposes the student to curricula being used in practice and the process of going from curriculum development to teaching based on it. The student will also explore contemporary articles that demonstrate thought leadership in the field. The student will demonstrate the understanding acquired by defining a curriculum, a thematic unit and a lesson plan within it that meets state and national standards, makes learning meaningful to learners, can be adapted for individual learning needs and accounts for environmental and cultural diversity.
Quarter: July 21 – Oct 6, 2008, 11 weeks
Mentor: Ann Pelo, Author, Teacher Educator and Early childhood educator in Reggio Emilia schools for over 16 years
Assignments:
Comparison of Curriculum Ideologies and Practical applications: An analysis of 4 dominant curriculum ideologies and their application to 3 contemporary Seattle schools.
Curriculum Ideology to match my education philosophy: A short report based on the framework of 4 dominant curriculum ideologies studied that aims at defining the curriculum ideology that would most align with my philosophy of education.
Field Experience on Curriculum Theory: As my first field experience related to the Curriculum Theory course, I
chose to study the curricula developed by a thoughtful and caring
Seattle Public School teacher for 10th grade Language Arts.
Field Experience on Standards and their application: As part of the Curriculum Theory course, I have spent time
understanding National and State (AZ and WA) education standards. As
part of this study, apart from understanding the standards across all
subject areas, I chose to investigate a chosen standard in detail and
correlate its application to an actual standards-based lesson. For this
purpose, I chose to investigate the Washington Assessment of Student
Learning Reading post-assessment that was given to 10th graders.
Field Experience on the Emergence of a Curriculum – Part I and II: Having had the opportunity to learn about curriculum development in a
Seattle public school setting, I spent the next several weeks
observing (and contributing to) the work of the Puget Sound Community
School's (PSCS) staff as they got ready for the school year.
Field Experience on the Application of a Curriculum: I had the opportunity to observe the application of the curriculum
developed by a teacher who I worked with earlier in the Curriculum
course. I sat in the back of the class watching the teacher bring to
life a lesson on concise writing. The class is focused on Journalistic
writing for 10th grade honors students. This particular lesson was not
one the teacher had taught before though the course in itself has been
developed and taught by the teacher many times before. It was
interesting watching the teacher follow a curriculum that had been
developed by him.
Field Experience on the Bellevue Teachers' Strike: To understand the full impact of applying a curriculum, I chose to,
with the support of my mentor Ann Pelo, focus on the recent Bellevue
Teachers' Strike in which they protested the enforcement of a
standardized Common Curriculum.