Curriculum

“What little Johnny has not learned, big John will not know.” –Polish Proverb

What is Curriculum?

When you hear the term curriculum, do you really know what it means? What about hidden curriculum, reform, curriculum philosophy or curriculum packages? Click here to better understand what teachers mean when they are discussing ‘curriculum.’

Curriculum Mapping

How will you organize all that you’re expected to teach in a year? Click here to learn about curriculum mapping.

Curriculum Design

Often referred to as the ‘art’ of teaching, designing how curriculum will be delivered can be both inspiring and daunting. Here’s a quick overview of Cooperative Learning.

Idaho Common Core State Standards

Currently these are the standards to which teachers in Idaho align their curriculum. While you should be familiar, keep aware of changes that may occur due to ESSA. This is a link to Idaho Common Core State Standards. There are also the Idaho State Content Standards which may cover different subjects. Take a look at those also, so you’re aware of them.

Idaho Teachers Code of Ethics & Teaching Standards

Because we are professionals, we have a code of ethics and teacher standards. Become familiar with these at:

Standards for Electives

Some elective courses have other standards:

Open Educational Resources (OER)

One of the newest trends in curriculum development is Open Educational Resources (OER). Before computer and the Internet, books were the only choice for educators to use to guide curriculum. Now our choices are truly limitless. OER allows educators and professionals to allow one another to share information without copy write infringement.

The Hewlett Foundation defines open educational resources (OER) as: “Teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge.” For more on OER, click here.

Consider This….

Many people like to give their opinion on what should be included in curriculum. Here’s an interesting perspective from Ted Dintersmith at TEDxFargo entitled Prepare Our Kids for Life, Not Standardized Tests.