Module 3

TED 356

Curriculum in Sec. Ed.

Module 3

• Curriculum.• Knowledge and its components.• Setting demands.• Textbooks.

Define curriculum as applied in the secondary environment.Define curriculum as applied in the secondary environment.

Reading

• Read the following in the Duplass textbook:– Topic 11: “Defining Knowledge”– Topic 12: “General and Content Area Literacy”

Defining Curriculum

• What is curriculum?– A curriculum is the way we define the body

of knowledge that we expect students to acquire. It is the “what” and “when” of teaching material.

The etymology of the word Curriculum is the Latin word currere, which means “to run.” It conjures up images of the hurdles students must run through as they complete the marathon.

What Should Be Included in Curriculum?

• Do you think everyone who graduates from high school should know…– Algebra 2?– The Canterbury Tales? – The cell structure of plants? – The names of the fifty states and their capitals?

Physics?

• Why or why not?• Who do you think should determine curriculum?

Discuss

ion

Do we have a National Curriculum?

• US does not have a nationally mandated curriculum.

• Constitution gives this power to states.• De facto national curriculum:

– Federal funding regulations.– Professional organizations.– Textbook authors and publishers.

More about standards development in Mod 4.More about standards development in Mod 4.

Carnegie Unit and Curriculum

• Carnegie Unit:– Created in 1906 by the Carnegie Foundation

for the Advancement of Teaching– Universal measure of courses.

• 1 Carnegie Unit = 120 hours in one subject• 14 units by grade 12 minimum amount for

preparation for college

Carnegie Unit and Curriculum

• States decide:– Required courses and electives to make up

the 14 Carnegie units.– When courses are offered.– Sequence of course offerings (in what order).

Curriculum vs. Targets

• Curriculum: What will be taught to students for them to acquire.

• Learning targets: Competencies that students are expected to achieve.

Focus on instruction. Focus on assessment.

Defining Knowledge

• If learning is defined as teachers imparting facts and concepts, it fails to capture the essence of an education, which is the development of the more objective, reflective, analytical, and logical disposition that prepares one to be a lifelong acquirer and assessor of knowledge.

Curriculum vs. Knowledge

• Knowledge (while not fixed in time because of new discoveries and insights) is accepted as “truth” or as a proposition when it meets an evidence or analysis standard in a certain time and place and should be known by students.– Domains: broad fields, like social studies and

science.– Disciplines: more specific subcategories, like history

and geography.– Courses: even more specific subjects, like American

history and world history.

Also referred to as “subject area” and “body of knowledge.”

Knowledge Consists of…

• Basic Skills Knowledge• Information Knowledge• Procedural Knowledge • Ideas• Beliefs

Theory/facts/concepts.

Practical application.

Prerequisite skills.

Results of studentprocessing of instruction.

Basic Skills Knowledge

• Basic Skills are the foundation upon which the other forms of knowledge rest.

• Traditional Basic Skills– arithmetic – writing– reading – speaking

Information Knowledge

• Facts are specific items of information.• Concepts are mental labels, the words that

describe what a set of facts have in common.• Generalizations express relationships between

and among facts and concepts.– In music, generalizations are often referred to as

principles; in physics they are called laws; in history, conclusions; and in mathematics, theorems.

Teacher’s Tip: Memorization is necessary, but it is best to study the topic before requiring students to memorize the material.

Procedural Knowledge

• Procedural Knowledge is knowing “how” vs. knowing “what” (information knowledge).

Domain/Discipline-Based Procedural Knowledge is the primary goal of middle and high school content area teachers.

Domain/Discipline-Based Procedural Knowledge is the primary goal of middle and high school content area teachers.

Understanding the terms and principles of geometry.

Doing geometry.vs.

Procedural Knowledge

• “Thinking Skills” or “Critical Thinking” is procedural knowledge used across disciplines.

• Described in Bloom’s Taxonomy:– Knowledge, understanding, application,

analysis, synthesis, evaluation.

Procedural Knowledge

• Procedural Knowledge includes:1.Deciding on the nature of the problem

2.Creating a mental image of the problem

3.Developing a strategy to use basic skills and executive processes.

Procedural Knowledge

What do you think made up the majority of your education, Procedural or Information Knowledge?

What do you think it should be?

“Procedural Knowledge” and “Big Ideas” should be the focus of your teaching because they emphasize thinking skills and student autonomy. Before Procedural Knowledge was emphasized, most teachers were satisfied if students learned the facts.

Ideas and Beliefs

• An idea is a thought or opinion that one formulates on the basis of one’s unique accumulation of Information and Procedural Knowledge. It is incomplete and imperfect.– Students reflect on

ideas and consider adopting them into their personal schemas.

• A belief is an idea that is transformed because we embrace it, value it, and believe it to be correct.– Beliefs become

part of our persona.

Review of Knowledge

• Basic Skills Knowledge

• Information Knowledge

• Procedural Knowledge

• Ideas

• Beliefs

Learn the terms and principles of geometry.

Apply understanding of the terms and principles to actually doing geometry.

Have an understanding of math and reading.

Form ideas about how geometry works.

Form a belief about geometry and its relationship to mathematics and application to life.

Teaching Procedural and Information Knowledge

• Big Ideas are powerful, long-lasting ideas, concepts, or generalizations proposed or illuminated by the teacher with the expectation that students will “think about” them examine their existing beliefs, and embrace the new ideas

“American Educator” at www.aft.org

Teaching Procedural and Information Knowledge

• Explicit teaching is when teachers overtly plan to enculturate students into an enhanced academic disposition by organizing their lessons around big ideas and using information knowledge as a foundation for teaching procedural knowledge.

• Also requires pedagogical content knowledge (how to teach a particular discipline).

Teaching Procedural and Information Knowledge

• Academic Disposition is the instinct to use Procedural Knowledge and the expertise to use the right Procedural Knowledge. Dispositions are composed of three elements: 1.Abilities: the capabilities and skills required to carry

through on the behavior.

2.Sensitivities: an alertness to appropriate occasions for exhibiting the behavior.

3. Inclinations: the tendency to actually behave in a certain way.

Two Related Concepts

• Setting Demands• Textbooks

Setting Demands

• In addition to the curriculum, teachers have their own setting demands.

• Setting demands: Classroom skills required of students in a particular teacher’s class.– Example: some teachers require students to

take notes while they lecture.Should we teach these setting demands?

Setting Demands

What are some examples of setting demands that you have experienced?

Should we teach these setting demands to our students?

Textbooks

• School districts adopt new textbooks usually every 5 to 8 years.

• There are pros and cons to textbook use.• If used well as part of an instructional

package, textbooks are invaluable.

The textbook should not be the “be all and end all” of the instructional experience!

The textbook should not be the “be all and end all” of the instructional experience!

Benefits of using Textbooks

• Provides organization of content.• Serves as a basis for deciding content

emphasis.• Presents tested activities with

suggestions.• Provides additional resources and

readings.

Problems ofReliance on a Single Textbook

• Misses use of other valuable resources.• May not adequately address issues of

interest or importance to that community (textbooks are national).

• Level of reading in a single textbook may not be appropriate for all learners.

Review

• Curriculum• De facto national curriculum?• Carnegie Unit• Targets vs. Curriculum• Knowledge

– Basic Skills Knowledge– Information Knowledge– Procedural Knowledge – Ideas– Beliefs

• Challenges in teaching sec. educ.• Setting demands• Textbooks