EDC 533 Highlight (Wk 6/7: Pt. II)

     I think that one of the major ideas that kept resurfacing throughout my blogs over the course of the class was the idea of change.  It is obvious that as the times changes the students that we have in school change.  With this being said, our curriculum should change with the times to fit the needs of the students.  I think that often times people working find it hard to make changes if things are going well.  I agree with this notion to a certain extent.  I think that regardless of the school’s success, it is difficult to stay as a high performing school without making changes to the curriculum.  Not to say that these changes need to be extreme or drastic, but small, significant changes are necessary.  I feel that many educators realize the need to change certain aspects within their curriculum but they may not find the time, money, ect. to do so.  If we do not make necessary changes to the curriculum to fit the times, then our students who we are educating are not receiving all that they could be if some updates are not implemented.  Change is something that we, as educators, should embrace.  Although change can often bring a new challenge, we need to step up to the plate and accept the challenge so we are preparing our students for the future to the best of our ability. 

            I hope to use this blog beyond EDC 533.  I think it has formed a good connection with educators around the state and country.  It has given me the opportunity to look at different points of view, how different aspects of curriculum are handled in different school districts, and how educators deal with issues surrounding curriculum.  I think that it would be neat to share it with other teachers in my school district so they could give their opinion on some of these pressing issues that we face with curriculum.  I think that where we all have a common bond through education, it makes sense to bounce ideas off one another.  If nothing else, it can keep me informed on what is going on in other school districts around the state and around the country.  

Ch. 1-4 Key Points (Wk. 6/7)

            After revisiting Ch. 1-4, a number of key concepts, ideas, and thoughts jumped out as being particularly important.  I believe that one of the biggest ideas mentioned was the acknowledgement of the “21^st Century Learner.”  I think that educators and school systems need to realize that current students are much different than any students we have seen before.  Educating these students requires a shift in how we have been teaching.  What we, as educators, have done in the past may not be as effective to our current students.  The more creative we are with our instruction, the more engaged and focused students become. 

            Also mentioned in the reading was how to make updates to the curriculum so you can reach the students in your classroom.  School systems and educators need to identify the goal of their curriculum.  If it truly is to prepare students for the future, then introducing, teaching, and exploring current technology trends are a must.  This is something that was non-existent a few years prior.  This means that even if a curriculum is a few years old, it still could be out of date.  The curriculum should be a working document that can change and develop with the times. 

            Another key point that hit home was the idea of pulling in real-life situations and applications with the content areas.  The content of the curriculum should be meaningful to students.  If students are simply memorizing facts from a textbook with no connection made to the real world, then the instruction is meaningless.  Students need to be able to clearly see the relationship between what they are learning and how that knowledge can be used on a daily basis to solve real-life problems. 

            Lastly, an idea mentioned that I feel is necessary for a successful curriculum is to have some sort of vertical alignment in mind.  If we picture the curriculum as the summit, all the grades and courses prior to the summit have some sort of connection.  Each grade depends on the previous grade.  The current grade should be preparing students for their next grade and next set of tasks.  With this being said, teachers from all grades need to be in communication and have the same overall goal in mind so that the students will be successful.