Development of Curriculum within Turning Points Schools - Essay Example

Curriculum Exploration Name: Institution: Date: Introduction In the contemporary thinking, education is perceived to be a tri-polar process through which on the one side is a teacher, on the second is a student and the third end is considered a curriculum. Therefore, the curriculum forms the basis of any educational process. This indicates that accepting education as a teaching-learning process shows that both teaching and learning happen through the curriculum (Ignacio, Rosiek & Kumashiro, 2010). Part A: A holistic view and exploration of the many facets which make up the concept of curriculum Curriculum is considered as a race course where a sense of competition as well as achievement of goals inherent in it. It is important to consider the planned curriculum, enacted curriculum as well as experienced curriculum as the three major levels when studying the spectrum of curriculum. The planned curriculum concerns knowledge most worthy or the important objectives. On the other hand, enacted curriculum deals with the professional judgments on a particular curriculum to be analyzed, implemented and evaluated. The experienced curriculum concerns what actually takes place within the classroom. This implies that teachers are required to effectively judge the most appropriate pedagogical knowledge prior to its application in their learning institutions. The professional authority of teachers in enacting curriculum may cause some conflicts with planned curriculum (Vaughn, Bos & Schumm, 2006). Development of Curriculum within Turning Points Schools The middle school students have unique educational needs. Such students perceive middle school years as their time of great vulnerability and responsiveness to change. It is important to note that middle school years are highly influential for behavior patterns within the education and health sectors that provide enduring and lifelong significance. Therefore, middle schools are faced with a challenge on how to provide sustainable building blocks of both adolescent developments as well as prepare for adult life. The study focuses on how teachers can engage middle school students in a manner that helps them to meet their developmental needs, motivate them to learn significantly and direct them for future education. Through Turning Points, students can be challenged to engage and worthwhile work in addition to supporting them with the close-kit relationships. Developing curriculum that responds to the needs of middle school students is considered to be a complex process since there is no prescribed pattern followed. Teachers develop some ideas for themes, projects as well as activities on how to work within the middle class or while conversing with their colleagues. Whereas other teachers primarily begin with themes, others prioritize habit of mind expected to be achieved by their students. Most teachers consider state frameworks and standards as their starting point to develop their curriculums. However, others develop a unity from ideas of projects. Therefore, certain key principles if implemented through Turning Points become useful, and thus underpin curriculum development (Kington, et.al. 2003). The curriculum for middle schools should respond to the different educational and social needs of their age groups. It should be developed based on the content standards, thinking skills, habit of mind as well as promote collaborative teaching in addition to the learning and appraisal opportunities that enable the entire students to achieve quality education. Turning Points model, therefore, requires middle school teachers to build curriculum well organized around themes such as power, patterns, balance and relationships which incorporate teaching as well as learning experiences. On the other hand, essential questions concern some important questions on a given theme that students and teachers focus on throughout their course of study to stimulate inquiry. Additionally, the Turning Points is an approach to curriculum development where teaching and learning are integrated through a process of the ongoing assessment. The formal and informal ongoing assessments provide administrators, teachers and students with the opportunity to understand how effectively they are performing and what they may require so as achieve sustainable improvements (Loughran, Berry & Mulhall, 2006). The guiding principles of the Turning Points for curriculum development include, curriculum should be developed based on an understanding of the needs of middle school children. It can be argued that curriculum development as well as the teaching methods is based on the idea that middle school children are intellectually capable and complex people who are responsive to challenges. Teachers should develop curriculum based on what they expect their students to know, accomplish and achieve. Curriculum development, teaching and appraisals are tied to standards, and thus Turning Points curriculum incorporates the habits of mind, in-depth study and skills development. However, Turning Points schools work beyond the state and local standards so as to define what their student ought to do to become thoughtful, careful and highly valued members in the community (Loughran, Berry & Mulhall, 2006). It is important that students and teachers engage in the intellectual and authentic work. This implies that students’ work should be significant beyond the normal classroom work. Teachers’ assessment should reflect that students can accomplish important work. The crucial part of the curriculum planning is to take formal and informal assessments in order to understand what students already know and what they currently learn in regard to the expected learning goals. Therefore, teachers should develop a coherent curriculum across the entire school. Most teachers and administrators utilize the mapping process so as to develop a well-articulated and coherent curriculum across their schools. Based on this discussion, it is notable that within the Turning Points schools is developed based on the learning goals that comprise of contents, skills, standards and habits of mind (Kington, et.al. 2003). Part B: Exploration of the concept of pedagogy and how pedagogical actions impact on the delivery of curriculum materials Teachers are faced with the challenge to reform their practices to ensure that schooling is made relevant to their children in the 21st century. Currently, Victorian schools are reforming their curriculums and teachers are challenged to reinforce their teaching capacity based on the government policies and initiatives. In the past centuries, educational systems have been focused on preparing students for varying demands in the labor-force. Today, the curriculum and the uses of education have changed to include the social, cultural, economic and political expectations. The education literature provides the view that systems used have been focused on promoting student learning through enhanced teaching practices. However, educational theorists in the 21st centuries have adopted various definitions as well as pedagogical models, approaches and allegations for classroom practices amongst teachers. According to Britzman (2003) pedagogy defines the agency incorporates teaching and learning. Since the term pedagogy has to a larger extent been weakened in its use as an approach for teaching, it is important to understand the correlation between teaching and learning (Loughran et.al, 2006). Pedagogy is considered effective based on the student’s acquisition level of skills and knowledge, attitudes and characters in a given social and subject contexts (Vaughn et al., 2006). Regardless of the pedagogical replica or strategies teachers apply, the literature shows that teacher quality should be the main determinant of student learning. Therefore, educational systems or programs implemented in schools develop teachers’ pedagogy on the idea that the quality of pedagogy greatly directs and powerfully affects the student’s quality of learning and performance. The concept of authentic pedagogy, critical pedagogy and productive pedagogies have been developed as a result of the need to emphasize that fundamental blend of skills and knowledge is crucial for effective teaching (Gore et al., 2004). Kington et al. (2003) examined that a persistent theme within the education context suggests that a developing knowledge base is required to improve the teacher quality. Studies reveal that lifelong learning is fundamental for the achievement of sustainable teacher morale, career advancement and development, delivery of vibrant workforce and managing change as well as improving skills and content knowledge or the pedagogy. Although the behavioral measures have been undervalued as appropriate for the general education, they are erroneously considered to have utility for the vocational education. This is simply because of its vocational outcomes that are perceived to be measurable with lower levels compared to those of the schooling. Pedagogical content knowledge develops upon, but different from the common principles of pedagogy or the teachers’ content knowledge (Loughran, Berry & Mulhall, 2006). The pedagogical content knowledge is a unique amalgam of the content and pedagogy that exists as special providence of teachers. This provides them with a distinctive form of the professional understanding. Teachers are required to be fully equipped with the knowledge of how to structure as well as represent their teaching contents to students. Therefore, pedagogical content knowledge can be viewed as the capacity to change the content knowledge into more powerful pedagogical forms an d yet adaptive to various abilities and backgrounds among students (Ignacio, Rosiek & Kumashiro, 2010). Conclusion Curriculum forms the basis of an educational process. Accepting education as a teaching-learning process shows that both teaching and learning happen through the curriculum. Curriculum is a race course where a sense of competition and achievement of goals inherent in it. Today, the curriculum and the uses of education have changed to include the social, cultural, economic and political expectations. Developing curriculum that responds to the needs of middle school students is a complex process since there is no prescribed pattern followed. The pedagogical content knowledge is a unique blend of the content and pedagogy that exists as special providence of teachers. Educational systems implemented in schools develop teachers’ pedagogy with the argument that the quality of pedagogy greatly directs and powerfully affects the student’s quality of learning and performance. References Britzman, D. P., (2003). Practice makes practice: a critical study of learning to teach, (Revised edition). Albany. State University of New York. Gore, J. M., Griffiths T & Ladwig, J.G. (2004). Towards better teaching: Productive pedagogy as a framework for teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20, 375-387. Ignacio, E, Rosiek, J & Kumashiro, K., (2010). Troubling pedagogical and curricular foundations of teaching and learning in our 'post racial' moment. Race and Pedagogy Conference. Paper 3. Kington, A., Lee, T., Day, C & Sammons, P., (2003). A critical review of the literature on school and teacher effectiveness and teachers' work and lives. British Educational Research Association Conference, Edinburgh. Loughran, J., Berry, A., & Mulhall, P., (2006). Understanding and developing science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. Rotterdam.Sense Publishers. Vaughn, S., Bos, C. S & Schumm, J. S., (2006). Teaching exceptional, diverse, and at-risk students in the general education classroom. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Read More