The+Curriculum

If a person examined school programs today, a person would find some that are consistent with all three of these basic orientations. Partisans of each position are sincere in believing their view to be the best or the most responsible. Differences in priorities reflected in these positions underscore the difficulties that policy makers face when they make decisions about what must be taught. Whatever approaches they take are likely to be applauded by some people and attacked by others. || || An important strength of these curricula is their concern for individual learners as the heart of the planning process. Learning experiences associated with this orientation can break down artificial barriers among subject areas. Individuals do not experience life as a sequence of subjects. Rather, decisions that are made in life usually cross subject-matter boundaries. || || - Diagnosing and responding to students' special needs require excessive time and therefore are not cost-effectieve ($$$). It is also believed that all learners should master some common content, regardless of their levels of initial interest. Learners may be poor judges of their own needs and will choose shallow academic experiences, allowing for ill-equipped graduates who lack the demands of living in a complex, technological society. It is unrealistic to believe that teachers have the breadth of knowledge necessary to assist students in learning interdisciplinary content. || || Seeks to produce learners capable of maintaining and extending broad social skills. Has 2 types of cirricula problems approach and citizenship development approach. These help students recognize and respond to important issues and provide them with skills to make a living. This orientation also motivates learners because the content is highly relevant to their lives. || || If students see the relationaship to what they are learning in school to real issues or to what they need to know to seek meaningful employment, they will be more motivated and will take school much more seriously. || || Agrues that is too difficult to decide which needs should be identified; uncertain decisions can lead to narrow programs with shallow content. It is also difficult because of the rate of change making it difficult to decide which school progams should be changed because of the fast chaning technology. || || These include subjects such as English, history, mathematics, and science. Often state laws mandate inclusion of certain subject content in K-12 programs. Organizing the curriculum around academic subjects is the most prevalent pattern of curriculum design. It answers the question of what is more important by looking at what the experts in key subject areas have defined as important. || || A curriculum variant of the subject-matter orientation that places the emphasis in the curriculum on studnets learning the structure of organization of the academic disciplines they are studying ||  || The "highly qualified" special education teacher requirements apply to all public school special education teachers. Special education teachers teaching core academic subjects exclusively to children assessed against alternate achievement standards (children with significant cognitive disabilities) must be "highly qualified." Each teacher must meet all the qualifications of a licensed special education teacher, and must not have had special education certification or licensure waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis, hold at least a bachelor's degree, and have subject matter knowledge appropriate to the level of instruction being provided. || ||
 * || Topic || Image ||
 * Bingaman, Tracy || **Curriculum orientation: “How do we decide what content is important?”**
 * Ericsson, Kristen || **Learner-centered orientation states that we teach to the needs and interests of students-** the purpose of education is to develop individuals to their fullest potential. Education should begin by considering the needs of individuals. Emphasizes individual interests and needs more than subject-matter content. They see personal development as the most important obligation of the school. || [[image:http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/182-5/f0012-01.gif width="222" height="161"]] ||
 * Evelsizer, Ross || **The Case For Learner- Centered Curricula.**
 * Geistfeld, Matthew || **The Case Against Learner- Centered Curricula**
 * Gloede, Gina A. || **Needs-of-the society orientation identifies what is important by what society needs.**
 * Ihler, Michael D. || **The Case For Needs- of- Society Curricula.**
 * Medill, Amber L. || **The Case Against Needs- of- Society Curricula.**
 * Michel, Casey R. || **Academic-subjects orientation emphasizes traditional school subjects.**
 * Miller, Ashley M. || **Structure-of- the- disciplines approach.**
 * Neiman, Leslie E. || **The Case for the Academic- Subjects Orientation.**
 * Reiss, Anthony J. || **The Case Against the Academic- Subjects Orientation.**

Life is not organized into separate subjects. There is no consensus on what content is most important. The body of knowledge that everyone needs to know is also dependent on culture. || || Is emphasis on the common subjects that are taught in education such as Science, Math, History, and English** ||  || Educational standards define the knowledge and skills students should possess at critical points in their educational career. "Standards serve as a basis of educational reform across the nation as educators and policy makers respond to the call for a clear definition of desired outcomes of schooling and a way to measure student success in terms of these outcomes" (National Research Council 2001). National, state and local educators play an important role in improving student learning through development and implementation of standards throughout the country. ** || || State Curriculum Standards are state-adopted elements of the curriculum that are required for all students in the state. Having these standards is a way to improve education by -facilitating school-to-school comparison -ensuring required content is taught - uniforming schools within states -Promoting educational equity || || The value of standards is questioned: Purposes and benefits of high-stakes assessment programs include the following: Much controversy swirls around high-stakes testing. Critics claim the following: · Standardized tests only gauge performance on the day (or days) and times that a test is given (Armstrong, 2003). · Variables such as family income and parents’ levels of education may influence scores more than teaching, making the use of standardized-test scores to compare schools and teachers unfair. · Many variables affect learning, including the availability of learning resources and physical facilities. · Many standardized tests use multiple-choice, matching, and true/false questions, which ignore higher thinking levels. || ||
 * Roeder, Joseph D. || **Common Curriculum Emphases
 * Shull, Mary-Lyn || **State Standards
 * Stricherz, Abby R. || **The Case for State Curriculum Standards.**
 * Tvedt, Ryan W. || **The Case Against State Curriculum Standards**
 * teachers don't have control to meet the needs of their students
 * academic specialists influence the standards by assuming all students will attend higher education
 * the standards may become distorted and not reflect the needs and desires of mainstream society because the standards are influenced by pressure groups || [[image:http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Paul-Katz/Square-Peg-Trying-to-Fit-in-Round-Hole-Photographic-Print-C12706500.jpeg width="210" height="156"]] ||
 * Van Stedum, Ann || **State Curriculum Standards and Teachers -** specific content that schools expect all of the students in the state to meet. These standards specify required content and experiences in certain subjects in elementary schools and in individual courses in middle schools and high schools. These standards are usually developed by a committee, represented of a cross section of individuals, within the state. Subject-matter specialists, teachers, parents, adn representatives of the business community are usually included. Standards do vary from state to state and are usually the result of political compromise. These standards have been used as teh basis for state-level testing and have had a major impact in the classroom. || [[image:studentcomputer_TOP.jpeg width="201" height="128"]] ||
 * VanKekerix, Erin || **High-Stakes Testing - The Impact on Teachers- Many teachers are happy to see clear guidelines, but few enjoy teaching to a test, which is one of the byproducts of this social experiment. Depending on the district, and the administrators at the school, teachers may be pressured to teach only the competencies that will be covered on the test, or to devote a great deal of class time to test preparation. In addition, some districts have teachers’ individual class scores available on their intranet for any other district employee to see. This particularly creates a lot of stress for the teacher who is teaching a 9th grade remedial English class, as opposed to a teacher who is teaching the 11th grade honors English class. Many teachers complain about the lack of time for students to engage in discussion, complete class projects and participate in other activities that would increase the depth of the curriculum. Some teachers cite high-stakes testing as a major contribution to burnout and leave the field.** || [[image:high_stakes_testing.jpg]] ||
 * Wald, Timothy J. || **The Case for High- Stakes Tests**
 * help the public compare schools and school districts, and this increased competition will improve all schools
 * will hold teachers and administrators accountable and, therefore, will improve teaching
 * will help school districts and administrators focus resources in areas of need
 * will help to identify teachers who need help || [[image:High_Stakes_Tested.jpg]] ||
 * Whitney, Megan || **The Case Against High- Stakes Tests**
 * Wilson, Vanessa || **Formal curriculum**- refers to the explicit or planned curriculum; a series of planned events intended to have educational consequences. The "meat and potatoes" of education this is the back bone of the learning process around which activities and are based as well as their intended results. ||


 * [[image:http://www.stacksandstacks.com/images/product/reg-1246911202-139076.jpg width="150" height="150" caption="Chalkboard-Top Kids' Desk with Chair"]] ||
 * Wilts, Ashley J. || **Inner Curriculum -** Inner Curriculum describes learning that occurs within learners as they process new information. Because many contemporary students come from diverse language, cultural, ethnic, and economic backgrounds, it can be expected that they will interpret information differently. Those who have conceptualized inner curriculum believe that the formal curriculum acts as a framework that helps individuals develop their unique understandings. If this is done properly, it can help students interpret content in light of their own experiences. || [[image:19141489.jpg width="150" height="95" align="center"]] ||
 * Dr. Fiegen || **The Hidden Curriculum** - in the most general terms, is “some of the outcomes or by-products of schools or of non-school settings, particularly those states which are learned but not openly intended - The hidden curriculum can also refer to the transmission of norms, values, and beliefs conveyed in both the formal educational content and the social interactions within these schools. || [[image:hidden_curriculum.jpg width="96" height="147"]] ||