What are the challenges schools face when developing a district-wide curriculum? Share some of your experiences/insecurities with a curriculum development/implementation.
The main problem I think of when it comes to developing a district-wide curriculum is lack of consistency. Not only do they often end up being inconsistent, but there is usually a preexisting heterogeneity among the schools that kills the process before it starts. This is amplified exponentially by the number of schools in the district, larger districts having more diversity than smaller ones. This diversity can be due to several elements such as ethnicity, socioeconomic statuses, quality of educators/administrators, taxes, resources, location, population, etc. If a district-wide curriculum is to be implemented, contextual factors must be addressed to ensure an effective and appropriate curriculum will be developed.
If a curriculum is going to implemented district-wide, several features must be leveled out before that happens. Resources are a huge part of that process. If each school does not have (or have access to) the resources needed to carry out the curriculum, they are doomed. Teacher education is another concern. Some teachers may be comfortable with the new curriculum because they understand it or have been doing something similar while others may be uncomfortable because it is new or complex. Appropriate training and educating must take place to make sure all schools can confidently use the curriculum.
I don't think district-wide curricula are the worst ideas in education, but I also think that they are not always gone about in the best way. I would push for a district-wide curriculum to be flexible, able to adapt to the contexts in which it's placed. They should outline expectations of content, but allow the teacher to devise the best curriculum schedule to fit in their classroom. I think districts can and should have expectations of educational outcomes, but at the same time I don't believe in scripted classrooms. Districts should trust the educators they hired to implement curriculum in the best possible way.
Although I've only been teaching for two years, I'm already in the process of developing/revamping the curriculum for the music department at my school. My school goes through a rotation where each department evaluates, assesses, and makes changes to their curriculum every eight years. At first I though that was strange, because eight years sounds too long. I now know that these periods of curriculum development deal with major changes to curriculum (i.e., removing/adding courses, textbook changes, etc.) that require a large period for data-gathering/analysis. We are (fortunately) allowed/encouraged to evaluate, assess, and adapt our teaching to meet the needs of our students.
I enjoy working in a private school because there are not large-district curricula being forced upon us. We can truly develop our curricula based on the contexts in which we teach. At the same time, I wouldn't mind having a curriculum given to me that has been developed by master teachers/administrators in similar educational conditions. The best that I can hope for is an appropriate curriculum that I develop through my experience and learning or one that has been developed with my particular situation in mind
Marshall--
ReplyDeleteWell done! Being in a private school is a double-edged sword. You are right--you do not have a curriculum forced upon you, but it is a wonderful thing to have colleagues which help drive your curriculum (i.e. your students' previous knowledge base, where they are currently in their musical education, where you hope for them to be. Development of a long-term curriculum is a tough task for one individual to accomplish alone. I would be very happy to assist you in developing an appropriate curriculum for your students....
I have encountered some amazing curriculum maps developed by music specialists, and I have witnessed some disastrous attempts at "forcing" or "rushing" a music curriculum that was not developed or implemented correctly or effectively. Take a look at Reminer and his thoughts on curriculum. Elliot, as well. The fundamental ideal to being with is to let the objective drive the lesson/the curriculum instead of the curriculum/lesson driving the objective. For instance: we as choral directors tend to focus on the big picture---our final student assessment is often whether the student participated in the final concert. Rather, I have developed an effective system of listing the most important objectives for that particular lesson (curriculum mapping is actually quite helpful for this) and use the rehearsal as a means for driving the objective. For instance: If i would like to focus on a particular vowel---let's say the schwa--that "ugly uh"--I will ask the students to analyze the score and determine where the schwa's happen within the text. They are then to circle each schwa (which happens in "the" "of" "a" "above" and a plethora of other words in the english language) and perform making these particular changes. Another objective might be accented and unaccented syllables...the same steps might be taken.....
This develops critical thinking. It breaks the cycle
Comment, take two:
ReplyDeleteIt breaks the cycle of the definition of "insanity"--repeating the same behavior over and over without change and expecting a different result. Really, our lesson plans as choral directors actually encourage "insanity"--thus our choral programs do not grow and blossom. The best choral directors have discovered this means of delivering knowledge in the choral setting: their students develop into intelligent critical thinkers who can troubleshoot and solve their choral issues without teacher guidance.
Again, well done.
Dr. H.