Cycle 4: How Should Curriculum Be Created?

For me this unit raised more questions than it answered…but I’m assuming that was the point. While trying to answer the question, “How should curriculum be created?” subsequent questions arose. “Who should be involved in creating the curriculum?” Next, “Are they qualified?” “What makes someone qualified?” “Which methodology should be followed?”and “What happens when objectives aren’t met?” To fully answer the question of curriculum creation these subsequent questions must be considered. However, in this post I would like to start with “the Tyler Rationale” as depicted in Ralph Tyler’s book Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction.

Tyler begins by examining the process of reaching the end goal of education. He states that “Essentially, learning takes place through the experiences which the learner has; that is, through the re-actions he makes to the environment in which he is placed.” Tyler is not referring to the activities, homework or assignments students complete but rather, “it is what he does that he learns, not what the teacher does.” He goes on to outline a handful of general principles to follow in selecting learning experiences. Next he describes how learning can be organized for effective instruction and what is meant by organization.

At the school level this is how I envision curriculum would be created or organized amongst a group of teachers.

Step 1: Consider the list of standards to be met and develop in-house objectives.

The list of standards provided at the state level is meant as a guide and not to be used as the curriculum.

Step 2: Develop coherent units or themes.

These units and themes must be organized in such a fashion as to build upon previous knowledge and connect to other units and themes. Adequate scope and sequence must be considered as students must be developmentally ready or learning cannot take place. Teachers developing the curriculum should seek the help of other teachers or experts in the field of teaching the specific subject.

Step 3: Decide appropriate activities to shape behavior towards the desired outcomes.

Tyler explains this “process is a more creative one; as the teacher considers the desired objectives and reflects upon the kinds of experiences that can occur to him or that he has heard others are using, he begins to form in his mind a series of possibilities.” As not everyone experiences the same learning outcomes from every lesson it is important to consider multiple possibilities and be aware of unexpected outcomes. Teachers should allocate resources and provide multiple tools to facilitate the desired outcome.

Step 4: Evaluate the effectiveness of lessons and activities to acquire the desired outcomes.

It is important for teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of their lessons through the ability of the students to express the behavior implied by the educational objectives.

I think most of us can find evidence of this in our everyday teaching. As educators we are continually evaluating the effectiveness of our teaching and observing student scores. Recently I began keeping a reflection binder of all my lessons. In the beginning of each unit is a list of the specific standards and objectives. Next, is a copy of my weekly lesson plans in which I make notes after each lesson, lab or activity. Did I see evidence of the desired outcome? Were there any undesirable outcomes? What should I change for next year? At the end of the unit I place a copy of the student test scores for that specific unit. As the big push in education has become data, data and more data. The scores serve the purpose of proving my students have learned the material or at least for the time being. But, as Tyler points out, are we really evaluating what they have learned through a multiple choice test?