Chapter 10:
Curriculum,
Standards, and
Testing
Opening Activity
List of banned books:
E.B White's Charlotte's Web
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
The Holy Bible
Mark Twain's The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Guiding Questions
How are cultural and political
What is the formal curriculum 6
1
conflicts reflected in the school
taught in schools?
curriculum?
How has technology affected the
How does the invisible curriculum 7
2
curriculum and student learning?
influence teaching?
What are some potential directions
What is the place of the extra- 8
3
for tomorrow's curriculum?
curriculum in school life?
4 Do textbooks tell the truth?
What forces shape the school
5
curriculum?
1.
What is the formal
curriculum taught
in schools?
The Visible Curriculum
Key Terms: Formal Curriculum Throughout History
In the 1660s-
Curriculum:
the "two Rs"
Refers to the set of courses, and
their content, offered at a
In the 1960s-
school or university.
explore courses like Multicultural Education,
Peace Studies, Ecology, and Women's Studies
Formal/Explicit Curriculum:
A school's official curriculum
In the 1980s-
that is reflected in academic
eliminating many electives and increasing the
courses and requirements.
number of required courses
Planned content of
instruction that enables the In the 2000s-
school to meet its aim. shifted to more frequent testing
2.
How does the invisible
curriculum influence
teaching?
The Invisible Curriculum
Key Terms: Hidden Curriculum
Implicit/Hidden Curriculum:
The hidden-curriculum concept is based on the
What students learn, other than
recognition that students absorb lessons in
academic content, from what
school that may or may not be part of the
they do or are expected to do in
formal course of study.
school; incidental learnings.
Described as “hidden” because it is usually
Null Curriculum:
unacknowledged or unexamined by
The curriculum that is not
students, educators, and the wider
taught in schools.
community.
Running out of time in school is not the only
part of the null curriculum.
3.
What is the place
of the extra-
curriculum in
school life??
The Extracurriculum Involvement in Extracurricular
Key Terms: Activities:
Extracurriculum:
The part of school life that comprises A majority of students participate in at least
activities, such as sports, academic and one extracurricular activity.
social clubs, band, chorus, orchestra,
and theater. Many educators think that reduces behavior problems
the extracurriculum develops important increases students' sense of belonging
skills and values, including leadership, and academic engagement
teamwork, creativity, and diligence. teaches lessons in leadership, teamwork,
persistence, diligence, and fair play.
Refer to them not as extracurriculum but as
the cocurriculum.
Participation in Extracurricular
Activities Correlated with:
enriched student life and learning
higher student self-esteem, school
completion, and civic participation
improved race relations
higher grades and SAT scores
better health and less conformity to
gender stereotypes
higher career aspirations, especially for
boys from poor backgrounds
The Negative Side of Extracurricular Activities
Some view extracurricular
activities as little more than a
distraction.
Students may not be able to as
the family economic status limits
their opportunities.
Injuries
some athletes can have life-
long injuries that occur when
they are participating in
sports.
Review Activity:
Give examples for each
different type curriculum.
[Link]/wklyok
4.
Do textbooks tell
the truth?
Textbooks: A Shifting Foundation
The textbook has been the most visible element of the formal
curriculum.
students spent as much as 95% of classroom time using textbooks.
teachers based more than 70% of their instructional decisions and
as much as 90% of homework assignments on the text.
Only 19 states are "adoption states"
Leeway and easy access to online materials
Open Education Resources (OER)
Critics argue that the quality of open materials isn't as strong as
textbooks
American History Textbooks
While the textbook market may be
changing, adoption states and large
districts do have the power to
customize the text for their schools.
Examples:
gender and sexuality
LGBTQIA+
These textbooks are influencing the
next generation.
5.
What forces shape
the school
curriculum?
Who and What Shape the Curriculum?
Who?
Teachers
Students
State/Local/Federal Governments
Standardized Tests
Publishers
Professional Organizations
Parental and Community Groups
Marketers and Other Special Interest
Groups
Education Commissions and
Committees
Colleges and Universities
Administrators
6.
How are cultural and political
conflicts reflected in the school
curriculum?
Tension Points
Key Terms: Censorship and the curriculum
stealth censorship occurs when educators or parents
Intelligent Design: The
quietly remove a book from a library or course of study
argument that instances in
in response to informal complaints or to avoid
nature cannot be explained by
controversy
Darwinian evolution, but instead
Theory of evolution
are consistent with the notion of
in everyday usage, "theory" means an idea or a hunch
an intelligent involvement in the
in science, theory is a thoroughly tested belief unlikely
design of life.
to change, such as the theory of gravitation or cell
theory
Creationism:
The position that God created
the universe, the earth, and
living things on the earth in
precisely the manner described
in the Old Testament, in six, 24-
hour periods.
7.
How has
technology
affected the
curriculum and
student
learning?
"The motion picture is destined to revolutionize our
educational system, and ... in a few years will supplant
largely, if not entirely the use of textbooks."
- Thomas Edison (1922)
"The time may come when a portable radio receiver will
be as common in the classroom as is a blackboard."
- William Levenson (1945)
The Technology (R)Evolution
Evolutionary pace rather than a revolutionary one
Examples of technology expected to revolutionize
education:
film/images
a film can visually display the context, emotions,
and physical relationships amongst people, places,
and things not possible in other media.
students can learn from short films made by others.
Khan Academy
radio
technology that failed to make the anticipated
impact.
Technology will replace teachers
this idea has not yet materialized
Educational Technologies
Technologies designed specifically for education
How teachers and students use educational technology for learning:
make personalized individual learning plans possible
give immediate feedback to students and teachers about what the students
know and understand
provide visualizations to reveal key concepts
use simulations to let students explore how systems work
encourage collaborations to reflect on and compare ideas and understanding
use games to engage students and teach content and concepts
offer online learning opportunities to give students access to teachers and
curricula not available in current locations
provide opportunities to learn computer science, coding, and computational
thinking
Educational technologies enhance learning
8.
What are some
potential
directions for
tomorrow's
curriculum?
A Vision for Tomorrow's Curriculum
Curriculum Vision Includes:
Creativity Wellbeing
Collaboration physical fitness
healthy eating
Communication
natural world
Critical thinking
Kindness and Human
Persistence
Relations
Literacies
understand yourself
information
celebrate others
data
encourage individual
media lives
finance promote purposeful lives
Closing Activity
“Separate what you do and don’t understand”
Make a t-chart, drawing, concept map, or bullet points, and write down what you do
know as well as what you don't know from what you learned/need clarification on
from the Chapter 10 presentation.
