Assignment

Curriculum often is thought of as a master plan to guide instruction. Some critics of this view argue that once programs are in the hands of individual teachers, they adapt the programs so profoundly to meet the needs of their own settings and students that the provided curriculum simply doesn't matter. How do you feel about this issue and why? Justify your answer/response, providing support for your position, and making references and citations from readings, videos, or other material you have encountered in the course.

As we saw in the Curriculum Video for the class, the teacher is positioned and is one of the most important enactors of the curriculum. On one hand, the curriculum as we have seen is important, its goals, structure, and intentions are critical for learning. Yet, we do not want the curriculum to restrict the teacher's creativity and instructional expertise. And yet again, if the teacher has total freedom to do as they please with the curriculum, then why do they need one? Additionally, how are students effectively located in this discussion?

*Read Elliot: The Teacher's Role

*Explore different creative curriculums that make a demand on the teacher and students in non-traditional ways.

See Digitized or Traditional Teaching and associated links, for instance.

We are exploring these questions in this unit. Consider this statement: " Curriculum often is thought of as a master plan to guide instruction. Some critics of this view argue that once programs are in the hands of individual teachers, they adapt the programs so profoundly to meet the needs of their own settings and students that the provided curriculum simply doesn't matter."

How do you feel about this issue and why? Justify your answer/response making references and citations from readings, videos, or other material you have encountered in the course.