Task Two: Enacting Curriculum

Out of the three articles I read, I found two of them most easy for me to relate to and understand; Backwards Design and For Whom do we Write Curriculum? These two articles gave me insight on the roles and purpose of curriculum as it relates to educators.

While reading, I specifically looked for the purpose of curriculum to see what role we have as teachers to this purpose. As established in previous readings, curriculum provides a common framework, or map, for teachers to go by when choosing instructional methods. As teachers, it is our duty to help guide the students through the curricular map. How we get from each task to the next is the role of the teacher. This is where flexibility and creativity is allowed into play. This first article, Backwards Design, was very helpful. After reading, I understood the importance of this - each student is different and you cannot expect the first student to learn exactly the same as the next. The same holds true for special education. However, it is the processes where the student learns. Student A may have to have a different process than Student B, however, they can both have the same results.

As teachers, you do not have much control in the DESIGN of the curriculum, however, your school and district have the opportunity to help. This past year, I have served as a member of SBDM for my school. One of our responsibilities, is selected how our school will incorporate curriculum. Specifially, we are part of the process for textbook selection. At this stage, our school has chosen textbook programs who we feel best outlines what we woud like for a curriculum. The second article, For Whom do we Write Curriculum, got me thinking about who the textbook series really helps. The article states, "the focus of curriculum-writing, should be shifted away from directing, and towards engaging, even educating, teachers." Many of us want to use the curriculum programs the way they are intended, but do not know how. This leads me to curriculum in my classroom on a day to day basis. I want to concentrate specifically on the basic subjects of math and reading. At our school, we have selected a math series known as Everyday Math. This is our math curriculum for our school. Each teacher, at every grade level, utilizes this program. We use the curriculum provided as our map for instruction in the classroom. However, in reading, we have a reading series that was selected as our reading curriculum. In my classroom, the reading program doesn't really seem to fit. Maybe it is because we are 1/2 day kindergarten, but there is no time to cover all the materials that the curriculum-writers say we need to cover. We are left picking and choosing what topics are addressed. Ultimately, as teachers, we should have the ability and flexibility to deviate from these maps, however, does this hurt students in the long run? Are we missing valuable information that the curriculum-writers feel the students need? Or, are the lessons they are naturally learning in the classroom through day to day encounters what truly teaches the children? Is it enough, or is it too much?