Elements+of+an+Effective+Curriculum

In your opinion, what are the elements of an effective curriculum? (Be sure to put your name after your response)

The elements of effective should look like this: [] Curriculum should be a well-constructed balance or in this case seesaw. Notice how the children are in perfect balance. Neither of them is moving up or down in this illustration as not to indicate that either is more or less important. This is the balance that should be maintained. A balance between skills and content, new and old, and creativity and structure. All parts are respected and absorbed. (As indicated by the apple and the ice cream being eaten) Yet also material is presented in a manner that engages the learner. Illustrated by the seesaw itself. Still, see saw is a game that has a certain set of pre-described actions, up and down. This describes the structure that is needed to insure some level of continuity that students can come to depend on. And finally curriculum should be all inclusive of ability levels, ethnic, gender and physical capabilities, as shown by this cartoons quasi multi ethnic theme.

V. Gurnari The elements of an effective curriculum, in my opinion, are those that encompass a wide variety of learning styles. A curriculum that services children of many abilities is a successful one. Students who are having fun while learning are likely to retain more than those who are being taught using a curriculum that is outdated and/or teaches to a test. I believe it IS possible to teach students how to succeed on standardized tests without taking the fun out of learning. This would be an ideal curriculum. As a Lang. Arts teacher, I am required to teach five "core novels" (which was reduced from 7 this year) as well as train students in the art of writing (spelling, grammar, punctuation) so they can score "proficient" on their NJASK tests. Students are given a reading test every four weeks based on an "independent reading book" of their choice. There are six computers and 24 students in any given class. There is one "class set" of textbooks. There is no pacing chart for LA at my school. I have no way of knowing if I am on track or not at any given time of the year. Therefore, I think an effective curriculum would include the following: a pacing chart that is realistic in terms of time constraints and goals (i.e. days off, breaks, snow days, assemblies.....), is constantly updated and upgraded in terms of the changing times we live in (computers for each student, smart boards in every room, teacher tech. training), and one that allows educators to find creative ways to make school a place where kids have the opportunity to succeed while having fun learning skills that they can connect to their everyday lives as well as take with them for the future. []. Here is a website I found very helpful for ideas that incorporate fun into learning [] Mary Anne Reno-Puentes

An effective curriculum is one that covers all of the basic necessities that a child requires by the end of each grade level. So when he or she moves up to the next grade level, they can pick up right where they left off. An effective curriculum is one that is fun, actively engages all children, and is aligned with the Core Content Standards. Having a pacing chart, allows for teachers to get a sense of where they should be periodically within the curriculum or how much time they can spend on a particular topic. It is also one that provides the connection from what they have learned to how it applies to real life situation. This is to allow children to have a better understanding of what they have learned. An effective curriculum is one that caters to all the different types of learning styles. Enclosed is a picture of what I vision an ideal curriculum to look like. [] Basically it resembles children having a fun and learning at the same time. I also am including another site that focuses on an effective curriculum. [] By: Mark Saoud

I posted a picture that sums up my opinion of an effective curriculum. [] I think an effective curriculum allows for students to "get their hands dirty" by putting to use the skills and knowledge that is attained. What is being taught within classrooms must translate into the students using it in real life situations. For example, I recently heard of a school program in which middle school students put their Math skills to use by trading stocks and building an actual portfolio. The lesson takes up several weeks and maybe even months and at the end the students evaluate their decisions to see which were profitable and which lost money. This is a great example of taking something that is learned in school, (ie. Math) and putting it to use in the real world, (ie. Stock Market). This leads me to the second detail of the picture which is the plant growing from the dirt. If the curriculum facilitates these real life connections, then, and only then, can our students truly grow to be productive members of society. Mark J. Comesanas

Using the Daniel Pink route, I selected this image to represent the core characteristic of an effective curriculum: [] An effective curriculum delivers the prerequisite skills and knowledge for an individual to be a productive member of a society. Consequently, an effective curriculum must be “flexible” and dynamic in order to accurately reflect the rapidly evolving nature of our society. Specifically, we live in a world where technology and access to information are growing exponentially. To continue to impart the same static, traditional curriculum that does not reflect the global community would not be preparing our students for the world in which they actually live. – Brian Rogoff

Given my background and interests my ideas of effective curriculum may seem out of place. As previous posters have stated, curriculum should touch on various aspects of the student. Personally I feel if curriculum can be guided towards the mental, social, and physical components of the student to create a whole person learning, student would be most successful. Here is a popular [|image] that illustrate this. Beyond the realm of Physical Education, looking at curriculum as general aspect of education, I truly believe in the UBD method. Having been a part of UBD for the last 5 years, I have seen the benefits our students are receiving from this type of instruction. I believe that within this design, the most important component is dealt with first; the goals. Through using this method, I feel that teachers are provided more freedom to teach the material in a style that reflects them as a person and removes the idea of teaching parts that have no whole. While curricular models can alleviate some of the strains on ineffective curriculum I feel that the content is the truest indication of what is effective. In many content areas there are constant revisions that take place to keep current with today's society. Take health education. Teaching the same curriculum that was being taught fifty years ago would be useless. So many things have changed since then. If the curriculum we teach does not parallel the society in which we live, I don't think it is effective. Sean P

To me, an effective curriculum must strike a balance between a standards-based and skills-based model. Although standards are important measures of what our students learn in school, they do not always translate well into the "real world". For example, as a Language Arts (LA) teacher, I am required to teach the difference between past tense and past perfect tense verbs. Unless they plan on working in a Language Arts related field (e.g. journalism, teaching, publishing), I doubt that my students will really need this skill. (I also doubt that they will remember it after our semester exam, but that is another topic.) A skills-based LA curriculum might focus more on lessons that can be used outside of the English classroom, a resume writing unit would be a good example. Maybe it is just me, but I think both standards and life skills are important. One must crawl before they can walk. If my students understand verb tense, then their resume will be in one tense and, therefore, easier to read and understand. Do many schools find this balance? Unfortunately, I doubt it. We are so focused on testing that we fail to emphasize how LA (or any other subject) can be used outside of passing a test. I found this interesting article on "service learning" on the EBSCOhost database: [] Talk about using LA skills for real world purposes! -Erin Riley-Lepo

An effective curriculum should be a balance of guiding the student's educational experience. I chose the Pink option of providing a picture of what I think an effective curriculum should be...[] At the end of the day students need to be able to function and survive in the outside world. Therefore, the curriculum needs to be balanced. The information and knowledge the students gain each year needs to build up and support the previous learned information. Basically it is like building blocks, you start with a base and build and grow upon that. You need to start out with goals, and learning objectives. Then, select the topics and information needed to be taught in that particular grade/subject level, they should connect with the core content standards. You need different options for instructional strategies, for example, individual work, station work, group work, and partner pair and share, role playing, just to name a few. Students have many different ways of learning and it is important to prove as many different learning environments as possible. As a teacher you want the student to become an efficient learner, where they are able to learn and discover on their own, with the teacher as a guide. You want to include some cross curriculum lessons to show the students how different disciples connect to one another. You also want to provide them with life skills, for example how to write out a check and how to interact with others (social skills.) Not too many student know how to do the basic things in life when they graduate. Lastly, you want to create ways to assess the students to make sure they are grasping the message and accomplishing the goals and objectives that were previously set. - Laura Chegwidden

I think the elements for an effective curriculum require the curriculum to be: manageable for the time given, correspond with the ancillary materials that are available, designate measurable benchmarks/objectives, connect with the state standards, allow for creativity in meeting objectives/standards, suggest but not dictate ways of accomplishing goals, offer examples of assessments and suggest pacing to accomplish completion of goals. I didn't find a research article but did find this link to a school system in Missouri that seemed interesting... [] that they use as a guide for curriculum writing in their district. -Heather B

[] I went the Pink route and selected a picture/graph. This picture/ graph sums up what an effective curriculum is perfectly. It focuses on 6 major points that apply to teaching and these six points can make up an effective curriculum that is easy to incorportate in your classroom. This can be used as a guide for writing lesson plans as well. -Yvonne Pescevich

An effective curriculum is on that prepares it students to be productive and engaging members of society. The curriculum should be challenging, comprehensive, and constantly evolving to best fit the needs of the students. It should promote and allow for the individual freedoms of the teachers as well as the students. Here is a diagram that I feel should be the core for an effective curriculum.~Scott Wisniewski

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An effective curriculum is essentially a well-developed and well-designed plan that when executed, will yield the desired outcome: well educated students. As with any good plan, the development of an effective curriculum needs to first identify what is to be taught, determine the best and most effective way to teach the material, assess the curriculum for effectiveness, and finally, correct, change, and/or modify the plan as needed for improvement. Elements of an effective curriculum should include: a comprehensive approach, accounting for diverse learning styles, adequate funding, qualified educators, the proper structure and means for assessment and the flexibility to change/develop/modify for improvement, the overall approval and support of the school and community while, at the same time, meeting or exceeding the state curriculum requirements/standards. I chose the following graphic because it illustrates the process by which an effective curriculum can be developed. The process begins by identifying priorities, developing a plan, and evaluating the results of an assessment for effectiveness. The graphic also highlights the need to answer the following questions: What are the goals of the curriculum? How can these goals be achieved/implemented? Is the curriculum effective in its current form? - Joe Ascolese []

An effective curriculum should increase a students’ knowledge and understanding in a certain area. It should have a clear purpose and outline expectations upon completion of the course. It should give greater insight and enable a student to apply knowledge that has been learned. It should contain goals/objectives that should be achieved, as well how they need to be monitored and assessed. A curriculum should take into account individual learning styles and allow for differentiation. Success should be based on growth over time. As I was looking for some articles regarding an effective curriculum, I became particularly interested in one about effective elementary literacy instruction. [] This article emphasized the importance of good, effective teachers. It made me realize that the key component to the success of a curriculum is the expertise of the instructor. Not only their knowledge of the content area, but the way they present instruction, and teach students how to apply that knowledge. These teachers know how to involve students in the learning process and evaluate them on effort and improvement. I believe that if more energy were invested in making our teachers experts in their fields, the success rate of our students would increase.-Tara M

Again, I am not curriculum-savvy, but hope to become so during this course. I imagine a good curriculum must be well structured and organized above all, and make sure that it is meeting the goals you set out. Since I like science, and science lends itself to hands-on activities, I liked [|this picture] on what students actually retain from a lesson. It makes lecture seem obsolete! And I agree... unless the lecturer makes it exciting or relevant, it is very hard to remember that information (which is why we all take vigorous notes in class right?). If there was a way to incorporate things at the base of that pyramid like teaching others or hands-on activities into curriculum, then I might actually want to be a formal teacher! It would be much more fun than droning on about the particulars of acceleration and chemical bonds. I don't think this is limited to science, either. In English or history class, it would be very easy to make more time for discussion or role-playing. However, I can see how these "fun" things could get out of hand, so it would all have to be tied back to the curriculum outline at the end of each class. ◘◘◘ Natalie Martin

Educators and administrators should be directly involved in developing and revising curriculum. I think the more time a teacher takes to developing the curriculum, the better it is going to be taught. I feel the curriculum needs to be well aligned to the state standards with the goals and objectives well stated. I don’t think it would hurt that within the curriculum if there were suggested learning activities, modifications, extension activities and instructional resources. Curriculum needs to be made relevant to students lives. Curriculum also needs to contain assessments (informal and formal) so this way it can be improved. Here is a link to a college website and their approach to developing curriculum which I found interesting. http://www.grcc.edu/curriculumBackground - Erin Devor

An effective curriculum not only encompasses the core content standards, but goes beyond the basics to set challenging yet attainable goals for the student, regardless of age or ability. In order to design an effective curriculum, one must possess familiarity in the content area, as well as take into account the broad spectrum of student abilities. The curriculum must be one that urges students to think beyond their comfortable capacity, while giving educators the opportunity to present the required information in a manner that is engaging and useful to students. Generally, an effective curriculum fosters critical thinking and effective communication skills, while building on successive levels of knowledge and insight. The image chosen here: [] allows an educator to continuously modify their curriculum by reexamining their goals and priorities. Since education is constantly changing, it helps to reflect on current practices and make improvements as needed. -- Danielle Loiacono

I sometimes feel limited in my scope of what I think an effective curriculum is because I am usually looking at it from a Language Arts teacher's perspective. While this is my area of expertise, I wonder how that will impact me when I venture into a role in educational leadership. That being said, I believe in working collaboratively and deferring to other's expertise. When I think of building an effective curriculum in my content area, I think a good place to start is by evaluating the standards and seeing how to incorporate as many as possible while teaching for mastery instead of just teaching to cover the material. At that point, establishing teaching materials, that best suit the needs of the students and work well with these standards, needs to be researched and evaluated. These materials cannot be limited to textbooks. They should encompass materials that challenge a student to be a reflective 21st century learner and should include digital material as well as cutting edge texts that asks students to think and develop as learners. Perhaps, this is one of the most challenging parts of building an effective curriculum when budgetary needs come into that play. At this point, assessments, both formative and summative, should be suggested. Activities and learning goals should be incorporated looking for alignment from grade to grade. Grade levels should not work in isolation when developing a curriculum. Ideally, it should be a K-12 iniative that works towards real vertical alignment. This way, curriculum could be used as a seamless guide for reference instead of a never ending blame game. Curriculum should be built by teachers with the input of content experts by way of research and if possible, collaboration. The truth is, curriculum building is a complex thing, and it takes a lot of hard work to pull it together, and even then, it will be flawed. The best thing is that in three years, you get the chance to make better all over again. It's a work in progress, just like educators and students. I thought this image [] was a nice tool for initiating some authentic learning experiences for student centered curriculum. It obviously has some technical elements missing, but I liked its overall sentiments. *Gina Grosso*

Based on the various thoughts of fellow classmates' blogs on the Core Curriculum Standards I do think an effective curriculum must be standards-based in order to ensure consistent skills are taught. It also should well defined by the administration and teachers. This is accomplished by having clearly outlines goals and objectives for each unit of study. Also it is important to consider that the instruction is appropriate for both the grade as well as the developmental level of students. It is imperative that instructors use textbooks as resources and references, and not as the curriculum itself. By providing hands-on activities and active student engagement students are much more likely to become involved in the learning process and retain the material. Finally it is essential that for curriculum to be truly effective that it addresses the needs of ALL learners and the "whole" child. This link discusses the development of curriculum for the online learner http://dianehoward.com/rewards_of_effective_online_curriculum_.htm. It has many of the same elements as what I believe is needed for the tradional classroom. Sheryl Spencer

Elements of an effective curriculum Some excellent points and ideas have been expressed about what is an effective curriculum for students in our education system. We are lagging behind globally, and need to broaden the curriculum and make it accessible to all if we are going to aspire to be world leaders in this century. With the revision of NCLB by this government, there is a possibility this could be achieved. If we are to become real contenders for the label of best education system in the world, which is what we should all aspire to, then we have to understand that students require a differentiated curriculum as well as differentiated instruction. All students deserve a curriculum that is well structured, and increases their knowledge and understanding. It should be aligned to the core standards, be challenging, and interesting. There need to be national, rigorous standards. In this article on Defining the Effective Curriculum one of the key points is that curriculum must be coherent, aligning vision and goals, and having a clear view of what students should be learning. www2.yk.psu.edu/~jlg18/506/Defining_curriculum.pdf Judy Hampson

Elements of an Effective Curriculum - Dana Spina Elements of an effective curriculum should strike a balance between helping students achieve standards-based skills while also keeping in mind that they must be prepared for the world outside of the classroom. The photo I chose to represent effective curriculum depicts a child standing inside a building, in the shadows, looking out a glass door at the outside world: [|draft_lens7935911module67595041photo_12577947063477942100_cf2b8c3096_o.jpg] The child inside, in the shadows, represents students in our schools. While students are in our "shadow" or within the walls of our schools, an effective curriculum should work within the framework outlined by core standards to prepare students with essential skills. However, the curriculum must allow for opportunities to deliver instruction with the understanding that students will eventually step out of the "shadow" of our schools to apply this knowledge in the outside world. A well-rounded curriculum must keep in mind that there is a world outside the school walls and allow for opportunities to link academics with "real world" learning. Therefore, the latest technology, current events, and character education should be combined with standards-based skills. After all, the goal of schools should not be to create a generation of successful "test takers" and "information regurgitaters." The goal of schools should be to teach skills that will be used as tools to help students be successful members of society.

Elements of Effective Curricula--Christina Repass http://kmclayton.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/boy_thinking.jpg Coming from the early childhood and special education worlds, I think that the most important thing a curriculum needs to do is to address the whole child, and not just give the child information that he/she can regurgitate on a test. I chose this image from a preschool's advertisement because I think it illustrates the many things a child can know and think about beyond the three R's. Also, the ASCD has an initiative about "The Whole Child" that describes what good schools need to do. They say that children need to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged (their website is http://www.wholechildeducation.org/). I like the final three especially to target curricula: engage the students, support them when they need it, but continually challenge them at the same time. A curriculum should advance student knowledge and readiness while at the same time allow for differentiation for students who need additional supports or additional challenges.

Effective Curriculum - Victoria Bonaccorso I believe an effective curriculum must address all the needs of the students. It can not assume that all students are on the same life path. It needs to be diverse, providing educational backgrounds, life skills, career skills, and character education. If a curriuculumtends to focus too much on one aspect of a students life, others can get neglected. Some students will not be continueing to higher education. How do we prepare them for their future? []

The basic OBE framework as pictured above is a guideline for encompassing links to society and work force into the curriculum. I also believe that students should be recieving an education where teachers make connections across subjects. An example of this can be seen in a humanities project: []

This project may be old, but I think it hold valuable pieces to help us develop similar curriculum.

Elements of an Effective Curriculum -- Nicholas Cicarelli At the end of my fourth year of teaching a student gave me a small gift that completely changed the way I think in regards to teaching and coaching. A small gift, a book about the legendary U.C.L.A. basketball coach John Wooden titled, "My Personal Best". In this book there is a description of Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success that took him over 15 years to complete. When I first saw it, it made me think about what teaching and coaching should be instead of what I thought it was. Recently after looking at it again I realized that in some ways it can easily be applied to what I feel a curriculum should be. For example, a curriculum isn't one single thing that is cut and dry. It's a combination of many things that come together to create a bigger, more well-rounded guide for education. The Pyramid is a combination of personal qualities and values designed to help people reach their potential as a person. In the same way, I believe a curriculum should be a combination of qualities and values that help teachers reach their potential and in turn help students reach their potential. [] I love the descriptions Coach Wooden uses to describe each section of his pyramid. Although some will argue that this is strictly for coaching and sports, I believe that it can definitely used as inspiration for creating an effective curriculum...especially in Physical Education.

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." -- John Wooden Many excellent insightful points about what the elements of an effective curriculum should be are listed on this wiki. Not to rephrase what my classmates have already expressed, I would add a link to a website of a school which is one of the best high schools in the United States. [] This is a story CNN made about the school. [] Theirs must be an effective curriculum, for the school to achieve such outstanding results. ( Julie Kaliberda )

Laura Reilly: To use a graphic or photo a la Daniel Pink, I selected the following: [] It is a picture of a chicken, but somebody has added a quote to it to make it appear as if the chicken can bark. It's like an ordinary photo, but there is something extraordinary about it. It makes the viewer look at a common photo but with an alternative response: humor? confusion? understanding? To cite Pink's explanation of the R- and L-Directed Thinking, the left side of the brain identifies the bird and the written words, but the right side considers the alternate responses to the "whole picture".

An effective curriculum must contain a series of elements that keep students motivated to learn and interested in the subject matter. It must relate to the student's life in some way and allow the student to "make meaning" out of the material being used. Second, a curriculum must allow students to relate the material to other subjects whenever possible. Students must be encouraged to distinguish relationships between what is learned in one class and what is being taught in another. Third, a curriculum must address different kinds of learners by acknowledging the students' responses to the material in various forms: few questions presented should allow for "right" or "wrong" answers. (I'm speaking in terms of my English background where I have the most experience.) Finally, a curriculum must all for peer learning to help foster students' understanding of effective collaborative learning/action. Students need to have the ability to affect positive change in society by experiencing mutually benefitting experiences in and out of the classroom.