Curriculum Design and Planning
Curriculum design and planning can be an incredibly complex process. However, it’s important to have a solid understanding of the process so you can effectively and efficiently implement it in your classroom.
There are a few key steps that must be followed when designing curriculum. These include:
Understanding the Purpose
Curriculum design and planning are processes that educators use to create and implement lesson plans in the classroom. The purpose of these processes is to make sure that students are learning the proper information and skills for their age and grade level.
There are many different ways that teachers can use curriculum design and planning in their classes. For example, they may plan learning activities that will boost student engagement or improve the classroom environment. Regardless of how they choose to do this, it is important for teachers to understand the purpose of their curriculum designs before beginning the process.
One way to understand the purpose of curriculum design and planning is to consider what goals the teachers want to achieve with their students. For example, a teacher may want to increase their class’ standardized test scores. By understanding the goals that they want to achieve, they can design a curriculum that will help students reach those goals.
Another way to understand the purpose of curriculum design and learning is by thinking about how it fits in with other educational practices. For example, if a teacher is looking to implement social emotional learning (SEL) in their classroom, they can organize their curriculum around essential questions and big ideas that examine the SEL competencies.
As organizations, learning needs, and technologies change, curriculum design is becoming a more strategic and holistic activity. Historically, curriculum was viewed as a product that was self-contained and independent. As this perspective changes, it is crucial that curriculum design processes remain grounded in effective learning methods.
Gather Information and Resources
Curriculum design and planning involves a number of steps, including determining goals, objectives, and learning outcomes. It may also involve developing a new curriculum or changing an existing one to meet student needs.
During the curriculum design and planning process, it is important to gather information from different sources. This includes both scholarly research and conventional wisdom from people in the community.
It is also important to conduct quality observations of students in the classroom. These observations can provide teachers with valuable insight into their students’ learning and development. They can help them develop curriculum that is developmentally appropriate and helps students learn the material in a way that is interesting to them.
This information can be gathered from students through surveys, interviews, or questionnaires. It can also be gathered from parents and other members of the community.
After gathering this information, it is important to assess the current curriculum and decide what changes need to be made. This can include rearranging the content, choosing more appropriate materials, or changing the format of the curriculum.
Once the new curriculum has been developed, it is important to implement it in the classroom. This can be done by creating lesson plans that follow the new curriculum.
It is also important to choose assessments that will help students understand what they have learned. Some of these assessments can be traditional tests, while others are more creative and interactive.
Analyze and Assess Current Curriculum
Curriculum design and planning are central to the teaching and learning process. They can be done in several ways, and they each have their advantages and disadvantages.
One common type of curriculum design is broad fields/integrated curriculum, in which 2 or more subjects are unified into a single course of study. This organization is often accused of superficiality, but it can also be seen as an effort to unify knowledge and skills into a cohesive framework.
Another approach is a backward design, where learning objectives are created first and then the content, strategies, and materials are developed to support those goals. This is a more complex approach than the product model, which focuses on outcomes and evaluations (standardized test scores), but it may better serve your teaching needs.
Finally, there is a cycle of curriculum design, in which feedback from evaluation helps the design team to revise the curriculum as needed. This was popularized by Ralph Tyler, and he influenced other scholars like John Goodlad, D.K. Wheeler, and John Kerr.
NSU’s mapping program aimed to analyze the college’s current curricular outcomes by identifying sequence gaps and possible redundancies. It was also important to identify the range of assessment techniques used across the curriculum. In addition, a review of instructional guidance and instruction was necessary to ensure that student manuals, slides, and in-class activities were all consistent with the curriculum.
Set Goals and Objectives
One of the most important elements of curriculum design and planning is setting goals. These objectives should be aligned with state and federal standards and should also be measurable, so that teachers can track student progress and make necessary adjustments.
Goals should be developed by analyzing the subject area and the specific needs of your students. This requires careful consideration of the time required for your students to achieve the goals, and how those objectives will fit within the context of the subject area.
Another factor to consider when developing a goal is what learning priorities should be identified for your curriculum. These priorities should include big ideas that are central to making coherent connections in the field of study and which can provide a conceptual anchor for making facts more understandable and useful.
Well-stated goals can also guide the selection of content and learning experiences and provide criteria for teaching them. It is especially important to develop a set of curriculum objectives that will support the core values of your school or district.
When you have a clear set of learning objectives, it is easier to select learning activities and assessments that are aligned with these objectives and help your students meet their goals. These activities and assessments should be based on real measures that are measurable (rate numbers, percentages, frequency, or grades). You can use the Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching’s Model of Learning Objectives to determine what makes for effective learning objectives.
Plan and Design Curriculum Units and Lessons
Curriculum design is the process of creating learning units and lessons that are effective, relevant, and consistent with current educational standards. The purpose of these plans is to ensure that students are able to meet the required learning objectives (Moos, 2001).
Planning is also important in order to cater for diverse learners and accommodate any changes that may occur during the course of the semester. This will ensure that all students receive quality education (Fraser & Fisher, 2002).
Units are the groupings of sequential lessons that are components of a course or unit. They include the topics, themes, skills and key resources that will be taught within a specific time frame.
The unit plan should incorporate the goals that are set for the students as well as a variety of teaching methods and learning strategies to support them in their efforts. This will help them to learn the subject matter at a faster rate and better understand what is being taught.
A unit plan should also identify key activities, such as lectures, demonstrations, or experiments. These will help students gain a better understanding of the topic at hand and provide them with ample opportunities to apply their knowledge to real-life situations.
In addition, a high-quality unit and lesson plan should also be flexible enough to allow the teacher to adapt to any changes that might occur during the semester. This will ensure that all the students in the class are not disadvantaged due to these changes.
Implementing the Curriculum in the Classroom
Curriculum design and planning is the process of designing a learning program that meets the needs of students. It is a proactive, ongoing process that involves analyzing current education research and practices to update existing materials or develop new ones.
The goal is to create materials that are student-centered and flexible enough to differentiate for students with different strengths and weaknesses. This is especially important since Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework (EIF) aims to ensure all children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum, regardless of their background or starting point.
Educators need to be given training and support throughout the curriculum implementation process. This can include a comprehensive teacher training program, job-embedded coaching and professional learning communities.
Effective teachers have a strong understanding of what resources are available and how to leverage them to teach lessons that engage students. They know how to use a local retirement home to conduct a local oral historical research project, for example, or how to take data from a river on the edge of town and transform it into a fun game for their class.
Curriculum implementation is a complex and long process, so it’s vital to provide educators with the necessary time and support they need to implement new curriculum materials effectively. This is why schools and districts often launch their curriculum programs gradually. They might choose to start a small-scale program with one or two grade levels or high-performing teachers to build up their content expertise and create the infrastructure for large-scale implementations later on.
Here’s a great video on Curriculum Design.