My Experience
I'll never forget the excitement I felt on that September day back in 2004 when I was offered my first teaching position as a third grade teacher at a local private school. Shortly after concluding my interview, the headmaster kindly showed me to my new classroom and gave me a tour of the building. He graciously introduced me to my soon-to-be colleagues, thanked me for coming in, shook my hand, and told me he looked forward to seeing me back on my first day. Wait…wasn’t something missing? What were my expectations? What was my curriculum?
Needing to prepare for my first day, I asked to see my curriculum. He looked at me puzzled. I explained that I was just looking for what the school considered to be the guiding standards and concepts expected for the subjects I was charged with instructing. Again, he looked at me as though I had just grown a third arm or a second head and offered, “Well, we do have some textbooks you can use.”
After leading me to a musty closet filled with random textbooks, he pointed to the shelf designated for third grade and, with that, returned to his office. Standing there alone and confused, I found a small selection of mismatched texts, some with teacher’s editions and others without.
Panic set in…There I was, a first-year teacher, left to my own devices to determine what would be taught and what resources and materials should be used. Though, I was still a novice in my field, even I knew that textbooks in and of themselves are not curriculum!
Since that time, I have moved from the private system to the public schools, but the vexing question of curriculum has continued to follow me. It is an issue that does not seem to go away; it has only shifted and evolved. Upon entering the public school system, I no longer had to determine for myself the appropriate content and resources as I had at the private school. For the most part, that “curriculum-in-use” had/has been decided for me and stated explicitly. However, the struggle I have now is that my curriculum is ever-changing.
I have been in my current district for nearly nine years and am currently teaching third grade for the fourth time. I can honestly say, that in that time, I have never taught the exact same curriculum twice, even in the same grade. My district is constantly adopting new programs and pedagogical practices. Not only has my content changed, but so have my teaching resources and the methods I am expected to use for instruction. Added on to that are all of the curricular changes put forth by the state by way of changes in standards. In my district, as I am sure is true of most districts in Michigan, the Common Core has become the driving force behind an overhaul to large chunks of my curriculum. As we move through this school year, a support site from North Carolina’s ACRE (Accountability and Curriculum Reform Effort) has proven quite helpful in assisting us to understand the new requirements of our core driven curriculum.
What is curriculum?
So you can see why, for me, answering the seemingly benign question of “What is curriculum?” is not the easy task it would appear to be. There are so many permutations of the word curriculum: intended vs. enacted, received vs. lived, explicit vs. implicit, internal, electronic, even the null curriculum (that which we do not teach). How does one begin to make a simplified definition? What I have managed to decipher through my professional experiences and from our course readings this cycle is the following: First, there is no one correct definition of curriculum. There are many varying definitions of curriculum which can overlap and contradict each other at the same time. Secondly, curricula are not static. They change frequently depending on the current values of society and trends in education. Trying to define it is almost an exercise in futility. Therefore, the best I can offer in the way of an answer to that question is my limited interpretation of the meaning of curriculum with the knowledge that it may not be in agreement with the interpretations of others reading this blog.
Like, Leslie Owen Wilson, I believe curriculum is a blend of its many definitions. However, it is my opinion that curriculum can be most easily explained as that which is to be taught (the overt curriculum) and that from which we learn. Therefore, a teacher’s curriculum at any given moment comprises a multitude of things. In the most basic sense, it is the standards put forth by state, and the subjects/content, skills, and concepts deemed important by the district for each grade level. It is also the resources the teacher uses to support the instruction of the aforementioned standards, etc., which incorporate everything from trade books to the internet and, yes, sometimes it may include textbooks. That is not to say that one program or text alone makes up the curriculum, but rather the text in combination with other sources, experiences, and activities can be considered part of the delivered curriculum. Further, I feel that, if the content of the curriculum is required to be presented and instructed using a particular model such as using the workshop model for math, reading, and writing, then that instructional method can also be considered part of the teacher’s curriculum. However, I also believe there are also sources from which a child learns that are not controlled by the teacher or school that can still be considered part of their personal curriculum. In other words, a child learns not just from his or her experiences connected to school but also from external sources like the home, community, church, etc.
What is the purpose of curriculum?
The larger debate for me seems to be in determining what is the purpose of curriculum? One of my favorite quotes about education speaks to this. John Lubbock said, “The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child be given the wish to learn.” The sentimental, altruistic side of me believes this whole-heartedly. If my curriculum does not impart the inherent value of learning, that is to say that if the desire to learn is not achieved, then the what at how of my teaching are of no consequence. However, the realist in me says that there is more to it than that. Beyond having the wish to learn, I feel it is also important to prepare a child for the future.
In consideration of the article, Perspectives on Four Curriculum Traditions, I would say that I found myself in agreement with both the Social Behaviorist and the Experientialist points of view. Like the Social Behaviorist, I feel that a curriculum should prepare a child to be successful in today’s world. In truth, I feel that the curriculum should prepare a child to be successful in tomorrow’s world. The fact of the matter is that we are preparing students for a future we can’t even begin to conceive. This is why I feel that the purpose of a curriculum should not be to “fill and empty vessel” with knowledge to regurgitate, but that its main purpose should be to provide opportunities for students to build the skills they will need to be successful in the world of tomorrow. Students need to build 21st Century skills like inquiry, problem solving, collaboration, and creativity. They need to become creators and contributors of knowledge. Thoughtful incorporation of technology and project-based learning can be integral players in achieving this end. Over the past few years, this mindset has pervaded the professional development and curriculum development in my district. The district has even created its own framework for 21st Century Teaching and Learning. Similar frameworks can be found through the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. It is my belief that these skills should be embedded in activities throughout the content areas and should be just as important to the curriculum as the content itself.
As I mentioned before, I am also in agreement with the Experientialist point of view. I found myself in agreement with Dewey that we must consider the past experiences of a child, but we must also build upon those experiences as a way to connect to new ones which will expand their thinking and lead to future connections. Therefore, I feel an additional purpose of curriculum is to engage students by tapping into their interests and understandings and using them to a greater body of knowledge and more advanced skill sets.
Resources: Rather than link all my resources at the bottom of this post, they are embedded throughout the post.
Additional resources:
The REAL School Design Blog-This posting had an interesting take on the meaning and purposes of curriculum.
