Curriculum Etymology: the course to be traveled given a desired endpoint.

Picture a road map with start and end points identified. Picture a bus load of students with the teacher at the wheel. Ask yourself, "What route will they take?" Now sit back, buckle your seat belt and enjoy a curriculum story.

The content and performance standards define our destination and curriculum is everything leading towards those end outcomes. Beginning with the end in mind, curriculum is determined by both the district and the teacher. The district provides a general road map while the teacher determines the ultimate route to be traveled. The district curriculum includes such things as a general mapping of courses and the topics to be addressed (scope and sequence), the materials to be utilized (technology and textbooks) and other guidance and support (assessments that provide checkpoints and professional development). The teacher, considering the needs of students collectively and individually, determines: the emphasis that will be given to various topics and the sequence in which they will be experienced; the variety of teaching and learning activities; the instructional materials to be utilized; which instructional strategies will be used for which content and with whom; and the evidence that will be gathered to demonstrate student learning in order to determine future instructional activities and learning experiences. For both the district and classroom curriculum, it is assessment (the act of determining the extent to which curriculum goals are being achieved) that keeps travelers on the path towards the final destination. With these ideas in mind, curriculum is different for each district, school, grade level, course, subject, classroom and student. Furthermore, while the journey is mapped out and the route is well planned, the itinerary may change along the way to meet student interests, needs (academic, social and emotional) and learning preferences. The learning process is deemed as important as, if not more important than, the end result. The effectiveness is the curriculum is determined by the shape the students are in at the end of an instructional period. Have the students arrived at the desired learning outcomes? If not, do they have a deep understanding of the content they have experienced? If so, do they still have a love for and a desire to continue learning? Are they ready for the next leg of the journey?

In this model, the building principal is the link between the district and classroom curriculum while district decision making serves as the link between the standards for learning set at national, state and local levels and the curriculum of the district. The teacher’s freedom to adjust curriculum to meet individual and class learning needs is largely dependent upon district policy, the communicated expectations and the leadership provided by the curriculum director and the building principal. The district curriculum is the “planned curriculum” while the classroom curriculum is the “enacted curriculum”. The sum total of things that have happened to individual students along the journey is the “experienced curriculum”. The “hidden curriculum” includes the set of beliefs and values portrayed during the journey as well as the respect shown towards individual learners.

The following represents a personal reflection and serves as a teachable point of view (TPOV) for teacher candidates that I work with. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

As I consider my role as an educator I believe I have a greater responsibility than helping children to achieve academically. I believe I have a responsibility to help them develop as individuals – to become happy, healthy human beings capable of caring for themselves and for others. Unfortunately, while it has long been recognized that learning is only possible after students’ social, emotional, and physical needs have been met, affective development is often the missing piece in public education as we know it today.

I believe that if we can create caring and compassionate learning environments where everyone feels welcome and valued, everything else will fall into place. Research has demonstrated that social emotional learning competencies foster student attachment to school, receptivity to learning and problem-solving skills necessary for academic success. Furthermore, children with well-developed social and emotional learning skills are able to develop constructive social relationships and are more responsive to prevention programs and strategies that support positive behavioral choices.

Social emotional learning is the process by which children and youth learn to recognize and manage emotions, care about others, make good decisions, behave ethically and responsibly, develop positive relationships, and avoid negative or destructive behaviors. Rather than being perceived as a distraction from the primary mission of public education, I believe social emotional learning should be utilized to support academic achievement while providing children with the necessary affective knowledge and skills needed to be successful in life.

Social emotional learning programs have proven to be highly effective in helping to create more positive, safe and nurturing environments in which learning can take place. However, introduction of these programs should not be taken lightly. Effective implementation of social emotional learning programs involves creating school, family and community environments that reinforce the lessons of the classroom. While facing the challenge of changing the culture of schooling, I believe that together we can help children become whole, developing into responsible, caring, ethical human beings and contributing members of society.