EDEA 780F

1. EDEA 780F CURRICULUM ADMINISTRATION

2. Reflective eclecticism There are no panaceas in education. While there may be approaches and strategies that are better than others, there is not a “right and true way” that will work for all students in all schools. As society and information changes, schools must adapt to meet new demands.

3. Definitions of curriculum In general, definitions of curriculum tend to differ based on the idea of whether one views it as an end, or as a means to an end.

4. Curriculum as an end Content Standards Objectives

5. Curriculum as means to an end Instructional experiences Teaching strategies

6. The debate Definitions of curriculum are important insofar as they reflect the political and philosophical perspectives of those doing the defining. Thus, leaders must be careful to conceptualize curriculum in terms of their beliefs about teaching and learning, and their constituents’ expectations.

7. Common Definitions Scope and sequence Syllabus Content outline Standards Textbooks Course of study Planned experiences

8. Scope and sequence This is the depiction of curriculum as a matrix of objectives assigned to successive grade levels (sequence) and grouped according to a common theme (scope).

9. Syllabus A plan for an entire course, typically including rationale, topics, resources, and evaluation.

10. Content outline This is a list of topics covered that is organized in outline form.

11. Standards A list of knowledge and skills required by students at the completion of a program of study.

12. Textbooks Instructional materials used by students to guide instruction.

13. Course of study A series of courses students must complete (e.g., a Master’s degree program).

14. Planned experiences All experiences students have that are planned by the school, whether academic, athletic, emotional, or social.

15. Concurrent curricula Typically, education theorists posit that five curricula actually exist at any given time in a school. They are: Official Operational Hidden Null Extra or co-curriculum

16. Official curriculum This is the curriculum that is outlined in documents. It is what is written down as a guideline, and there is an expectation that it will be taught. Textbooks, scopes and sequence charts, standards lists, course syllabi, required reading lists, and curriculum maps are all examples.

17. Operational curriculum This is the curriculum that actually gets taught and is tested. In other words, this is where the rubber meets the road. Teachers have tremendous power to influence the operational curriculum. Effective school leaders know what the relationship between the official and operational curricula is in their schools.

18. Hidden curriculum This represents institutional norms and values not openly acknowledged by teachers or principals. It is hidden because it represents less than optimal aspects, such as gender bias, low expectations for poor or minority children, athletics over academics for some students, etc.

19. Null curriculum This is subjects (or other experiences) intentionally omitted from the official and/or operational curriculum. It may exist due to lack of funding or resources, lack of student interest, the need to focus on other subjects, no available qualified teacher, etc.

20. Extra curriculum This represents the planned experiences outside of the formal curriculum. Especially in high school, this is often the aspect of curriculum that holds the most appeal for students and keeps them engaged.

21. Curriculum frameworks Curriculum frameworks provide us with categories useful for sorting curriculum documents, decisions, and assumptions. They help with curriculum analysis, but they are only a tool; critical reflection must accompany their application if a vibrant, relevant, engaging, challenging curriculum is to be created.

22. The Tyler Rationale The dominant curriculum framework for use in analysis since the mid 20th century has been the Tyler Rationale. It has been criticized by educators who think it is too behavioral, however it continues to dominate curriculum analysis.

23. Tyler’s four questions 1. What educational purposes should the school seek to attain? 2. What educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes? 3. How can these experiences be effectively organized? 4. How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained?

24. Schooling as a production system In the Tyler Rationale, “schooling is assumed to be a process whose main purpose is to promote or produce learning. Students are ‘learners’; objectives are conceived in terms of desirable learning; ‘curriculum’ is defined in terms of ‘intended learning outcomes’.” (p. 16, Posner text).

25. Curriculum analysis See Table 1.5, pp. 20-22 for framework. Why do a curriculum analysis? Selection Adaptation

26. Questions to explore Is the curriculum appropriate for our students in terms of its developmental progress and academic rigor? Is the curriculum engaging? Does the curriculum support teacher/student interaction? Does the curriculum reflect the values we want to impart to students?