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After reading this article, I was again thinking about curriculum in a way that I hadn't before. As I do not have my own classroom yet, I don't have much experience with curriculum and am continuously learning. The four approaches described in the article were very helpful in seeing the different sides of curriculum. Therefore, mostly everything I read in the article about curriculum from praxis to process to boundaries was all new to me.

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I have always thought of curriculum as a set of what we have to teach to our children. A set, meaning standards, books, and how to do so. However, over the last few weeks I have come to realize that curriculum is not just the standards that we teach. I agree with our reading, "Curriculum Theory and Practice" when it says that curriculum is a process. The teachers
"continually evaluate the process and what they can see of outcomes." I think that curriculum is never ending. I think it includes everything we do to make our students successful.

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Curriculum Theory and Practice was an interesting read. I especially liked that the article broke down the areas of curriculum. I learned that curriculum is a syllabus to be transmitted, a product of need, a process that guides, a praxis of critical pedagogy, a contextually-shaped interaction, and it is a boundary between formal and informal education. Within these areas, what stood out to me the most was when it discusses curriculum as a process. In relation to justification, "A formulation of the intention or aim of the curriculum which is accessible to critical scrutiny.
Stenhouse 1975: 5)" I especially like that this practice is very realistic. It proceeds to discuss how a classroom is a scientific community in which experimentation resides within such a laboratory (or classroom). "  "‘It is a way of translating any educational idea into a hypothesis testable in practice.  It invites critical testing rather than acceptance’ (Stenhouse 1975: 142)." To me, this summarizes the history of developing today's curriculum in American schools. We had the ability to change our educational thinking and processes through experimentation and found our best practices this way.

-Cheyenne Friend
ELE 725

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After reading this article, I noticed that it expanded my thoughts on the concept of ‘curriculum’. As I went through my undergraduate degree, I was a little confused as to what a curriculum entailed and it was a little daunting when I found out that there was a huge curriculum book that my cooperating teacher used during my student teaching days. I went through and noticed a few things; many of the units had some of the same lessons/concepts instructed to be taught. When I accepted a position to work with the same curriculum book, I was interested in looking further into the book. I found that the process of the book is to reteach and to touch upon some of the same topics multiple times to help all of the children better understand the concept. After teaching my second year, I can fully understand that “curriculum is a process” and that not all children learn the same way!
- Jo Smith

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Melody Burchfield:

I thoroughly enjoyed this section of the document. To me curriculum has always strictly been what we teach and how we are supposed to teach it. I had never thought of it as the many interactions of teachers, students, and knowledge. In truth, this is what curriculum really is. Yes the curriculum outlines what we need to be teaching our students throughout our short time with them, but it is what defines the interactions that we have with our students and with the knowledge that we are transferring on to our students. To me this section relates much to the Christian belief that the Bible is a living word. Curriculum is much more than just a bunch of words and standards for teaching, it's a process.

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It was not until reading this article that I realized the four main thoughts, and somewhat categorize of curriculum. As stated in the article these were, "Curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted, Curriculum as an attempt to achieve certain ends in students – product, Curriculum as process. Curriculum as praxis." Not until now had I seen curriculum broken down specifically into those four theories, or categories. All four of these aspects of curriculum are what North American uses as a back bone of their curriculum development. It is easy to see how the curriculum has and is changing over time. It is a constant change that will probably always be changing due to our ever rapidly changing world.
-Heather Bartlett

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This was an interesting read! I really enjoyed reading page 5 about curriculum and programs because I can connect with what the article is talking about. We are piloting a new math program and we need to follow the program as best we can. The learning is new to my students so they are frustrated with the program and I am backtracking and spending days on one lesson to explain everything. I learned something new on page 9 about Stenhouse's idea of curriculum that I agree with.  Curriculum is about the practice of teaching and it is not just a package/kit of materials to distribute. It invited critical thinking and changing the curriculum according to the students' needs.
-Jenifer Wagner

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Since I am still working on my undergraduate I only understood curriculum as the standards you are supposed to teach your students. I never would have thought that curriculum can be seen as a bases for your classroom. One new thing that I have learned from this article is that you should try to use curriculum as an experiment. If your students do not get it the first time you retry and make changes so that they do get what is being taught.

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Curriculum Theory and Practice

A new understanding of curriculum and practice from the article is the different ways to approach curriculum. Curriculum as a process with the analogy of a recipe made the most sense to me. Have a goal of what you want the end result to be, know what you need and what you need to do to meet the goal. But you have the freedom to tweak it if needed. A new thought from the article was the idea of a hidden curriculum-the unintended lessons learned in a school setting.

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An ongoing impact

Over the years I've taught, curriculum has meant more and more to me. This article proved just that. It talked about how "curriculum is a process" It really is. I used to think that I would teach my students an idea and move on. Now, I teach my students an idea and think about how I can tie that idea into their learning often to they are using it and understanding it. As the article pointed out there are so many aspects to the word curriculum. This week I began to teach the writing process. This is a great example of the curriculum that is a process. Students will build on this process and improve upon this process all of their school age years, if not longer.

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What new thought or understanding did this article help me realize about my teaching? I learned there are four main forces in  North American curriculum-making in the twentieth century: the liberal educators, the scientific curriculum makers, the developmental/person-centered, and the social meliorates (those that sought more radical social change). After reading through the orientation and curriculum information about those four main forces, I realized I agree the most with the scientific curriculum makers. I do care about the end product with the curriculum I use: the results. However, I deeply care about the children I teach, so I also identify with the developmental/person-centered curriculum because it focuses on the process, which is also very important. I want my students to be a part of the process and have some decision in what they're learning. I want them to have an interest in what they're learning. However, this can be challenging because sometimes it seems like there is not enough time in the day just to cover all the required learning standards.
-Nikki Storment

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I really enjoyed learning how curriculum has evolved over the years, going from concrete memorization to abstract critical thinking that is unique to each individual. I think that today's curriculum is doing a much better job of preparing students to go on to be productive citizens in the world. I think we still have much progress to go, but as several people have mentioned, it is an ever changing process that really has no beginning or conclusion, but changes as our world changes.

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What new thought or understanding did I realize about my teaching?

The Bible states that there is nothing new under the sun. I came to realize this after reading several articles this week concerning the history, philosophy, and curriculum theory practiced in education today. It all made since to me as to why my teaching style is a mixture of constructivism and student centered approaches, combined with “Positive Possibility Thinking” (PPT).

Teaching has evolved over time from teacher centered to student centered. In Egypt’s early civilization, the method of learning was memorization and the behavioral reinforcement was a physical beating. Paraphrased, a child wrote on a clay tablet, “You beat my butt, and my head swelled with knowledge”. The Jews believed and were insistent that every child be educated regardless of socioeconomic status. The idea citizen was educated in both peace and war.

The schools were private, but the tuition was low enough so that even the poorest citizens could afford to send their children to get an education. Boys attended elementary school from the time they were about age 6 until they were 14.  At age13 or 14, the formal education of the poorer boys ended and they then went on to an apprenticeship to learn a trade.

In assignment 1 this week, I presented Salman Khan as my choice as an influential educator. Khan is the Founder and Executive Director of Khan Academy. He is an education entrepreneur and believes in a free world class education. He believes in teaching for mastery rather than for test scores. He is possibly the most watched teacher in the world. His goal is to revolutionize how people teach and learn by reaching and teaching millions of students all over the world. He uses technology to create digital lessons and simple exercises to transform how students learn at every level. He has delivered over 86.6 million lessons. This transformation is shedding a new light on student centered teaching and differentiated instruction. According to CBS News (60 Minutes), reporters confirm that Bill Gates believes that this transformation is a snapshot of the future of education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kh60v5PxMk

As I wrap up my thoughts, there is only one thing left to be said. What Khan Academy is doing to provide an affordable or free world class education is outstanding! However, the concept is not new, just a different time, different place, and different tools. The Bible is correct; there is nothing new under the sun.

Ambassador

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It is interesting to think of curriculum as a process and how it is established, processed, and planned out. Seeing the bigger picture in terms of overall accomplishment of study and incorporation of personal details allows for each section to be broken down, but accomplish a bigger task at hand. "Curriculum for her is what actually happens in classrooms, that is, ‘an ongoing social process comprised of the interactions of students, teachers, knowledge and milieu"
Sarah Bankhead

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One thing that stands out to me in curriculum is that it is a living and ever changing document that should be changed with cultural, political, and social platforms evolving around us. Another thing that is not mentioned much, is the importance of hidden curriculum (from the research on John Dewey) and how it plays on the molding and maturing of students. I was not aware of how the hidden curriculum is almost more important than the actual content being taught

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Curriculum Theory & Practice-Tori Marquez

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Curriculum Theory & Practice-Tori Marquez

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I liked this article a lot. It ties in a lot with what I'm learning in my curriculum class right now too. I think that over the past 3 years my views of curriculum have changed. Mostly that it is a living breathing document that always has to adapt and allows changes to take place based on what happening around the world. For example, our district has changed our curriculum to match our one-to-one technology. One of my main goals as a teacher has also been to teach life. This to me means that it's not always about academics but about how to be a better person and impact others around us positively. I think that brains are important but not as important as brains connected to their heart.

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Jennifer Alkire - my realization of curriculum

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Jennifer Alkire - my realization of curriculum

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I loved this quote fro the article, " The recipe offered publicly is in a sense a report on the experiment. Similarly, a curriculum should be grounded in practice. It is an attempt to describe the work observed in classrooms that it is adequately communicated to teachers and others. Finally, within limits, a recipe can varied according to taste. So can a curriculum. " I think good teachers know how to take the perscribed curriculum, yet spice it up to meet the unique needs of their class.

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Curriculum Process

By reading this article, it is evident that there are different ways to approach curriculum. The approach that stands out to me most is curriculum as process. It is more than just what is on paper. A teacher really needs to take the time to understand the big picture of what a student needs to know and be able to do by the end of a school year or across an academic career.  With that, there needs to be knowledge of all the individual skills and concepts that must be taught and learned and how they are interconnected and build.  With an understanding of all the standards and components, a teacher must consider their practice and how they are going to present the learning, provide opportunities to practice and participate in engaging activities, and how they will monitor and assess the student learning.  Curriculum is not a binder of pages that sits on the shelf; it is a noisy classroom full of conversation and interactions that causes learners to grow.

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My outlook and understanding of curriculum has definitely changed within the last year. As I have just now started my first year of teaching, I am still learning what curriculum truly is. I believe along side with the theory that curriculum needs to be connected to the real world. Many times I find myself struggling with this so that I can get all that needs to be done within the time of 8-3 Monday-Friday. It is easy to lose sight of your philosophy if you do not keep it in front of you. Teaching students to take what they learn and put it into the real world will teach them that education is more than what is inside the walls of a school.

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Evangeline Stankey       I enjoyed reading this article about curriculum theory and practice. This article taught me about the origins of curriculum and how it has been developed over the years.  I liked how this article discussed the different models of curriculum. A quote that stuck out to me was, “Another way of looking at curriculum theory and practice is via process. In this sense curriculum is not a physical thing, but rather the interaction of teachers, students and knowledge. In other words, curriculum is what actually happens in the classroom and what people do to prepare and evaluate.” I agree that curriculum is more than just the documents used to implement what we teach. I liked that the article highlighted how curriculum impacts teachers and students in different ways. Overall, I thought this was a very insightful article

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Evangeline Stankey       I enjoyed reading this article about curriculum theory and practice. This article taught me about the origins of curriculum and how it has been developed over the years.  I liked how this article discussed the different models of curriculum. A quote that stuck out to me was, “Another way of looking at curriculum theory and practice is via process. In this sense curriculum is not a physical thing, but rather the interaction of teachers, students and knowledge. In other words, curriculum is what actually happens in the classroom and what people do to prepare and evaluate.” I agree that curriculum is more than just the documents used to implement what we teach. I liked that the article highlighted how curriculum impacts teachers and students in different ways. Overall, I thought this was a very insightful article

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"But we should not fall into the trap of thinking that to be educators we have to adoptcurriculum theory and practice. The fact that so many have been misled into believing thisdemonstrates just how powerful the ideas of schooling are. Education is something more thanschooling." I absolutely loved this. So many requirements and standards have been set forth for teachers that they get caught in meeting them and often times fall into the "schooling" (make the deposits of knowledge) world and fall away from the education views (wise, hopeful and respectful cultivation of learning). 

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"But we should not fall into the trap of thinking that to be educators we have to adoptcurriculum theory and practice. The fact that so many have been misled into believing thisdemonstrates just how powerful the ideas of schooling are. Education is something more thanschooling." I absolutely loved this. So many requirements and standards have been set forth for teachers that they get caught in meeting them and often times fall into the "schooling" (make the deposits of knowledge) world and fall away from the education views (wise, hopeful and respectful cultivation of learning). 

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Over the past few years, and especially before joining the education program, I truly did not understand the concept of "curriculum". I just thought it was a set of standards that you teach and move on. Specifically, I thought that you only focus on each standard one time, during one lesson. When reading the part, "Curriculum is a Process", and after being exposed to more of this throughout my teacher training, I have a much better understanding that kids will not necessarily have a standard down after one lesson, and that is completely normal! That had been something that I was genuinely concerned about, but the more I read and learn about curriculum, the more that I realize it is a "process" that may take multiple attempts and variations of your teaching.

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As I have yet to begin teaching in my own classroom (other than student teaching), I have not had the opportunity for the real-life circumstances. As a student, I have been told repeatedly how important curriculum adherence is to a teaching career. After reading this article I now struggle to believe what I have been told. This leads me to believe curriculum can restrict students if it is adhered to too strictly. I would like for my future classroom to be a student centered atmosphere. I believe I will have to find a very precarious balance with the curriculum. And of course, the school district would have guidelines for what they would like their teachers to adhere to as well so this will play a key role in my freedom to adherence. This article definitely made me reevaluate how I see curriculum and how closely it is followed for my future students success and well being.

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In my opinion, it is evident in describing "curriculum" one cannot simply use a single definition. This article really opened my eyes to the aspect of curriculum. I really agreed with some of the statements by Bobbitt and Tyler; "Education that prepares for life is one that prepares definitely and adequately for these specific activities" and "..the real purpose of education is not to have the instructor perform certain activities but to bring about significant changes in the students' patter of behavior...". I believe one of the roles I play as a teacher is preparing my students for life and not necessarily what they will face in the classroom. We must teach students the things they need to succeed outside of the classroom. In recent years I have seen "curriculum" become a constant question of "what are your objectives" and "what are the learning goals" and "what are you "I can" statements". Are these three things the most important questions that teachers should be asked?

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This article made me see that there is much more to curriculum than I ever realized. I agree with the central theory of curriculum. In my classroom I try to teach my students that "education prepares them for life". Watching my students apply what they learn outside of the classroom is part of my personal philosophy. If they cannot make a connection with learning it will not be meaningful.

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After reading this article, I really have a different look on the impact that the curriculum has on a student because like it said in the article "it is often very difficult to judge what the impact of particular experiences has been." It makes me think of my third grade students that struggle with math and then I talked to their fifth grade teacher and they say it finally clicked for them and they understand now. Sometimes you as the teacher are planting a seed  and it will grow into a plant after it has been nurtured and given what it needs to grow or be "successful".

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I won't be looking at "curriculum" the same way again.  It is a man-made idea that has been formed and shaped throughout the    years and is totally fallible; difficult to say what is the "right" way of looking at it.  I agree very much that teachers are asked "what are your objectives" in an accusatory manner; the product curriculum theory may be nice and neat but is unfair to teachers and students. I found it interesting that this theory has its roots in managerial science.

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