Assignment 1: The Function of Curriculum in Organization or School (2-3 page paper)
Review and reflect on the curriculum in your school setting.
Section 1: Using the information in Chapter 1 (English’s text), describe the perspectives of curriculum in your organization. Use the matrix in Table 1.2 (English’s text, page 18) to insure that you are thorough in your description.
Section 2: What problems do you identify with curriculum in your organizational setting? What would you change? Why?
Section 3: Of the six problems cited in Chapter 1, analyze why they are or are not a problem in your organization.
Citations from the assigned readings (both texts) are required to support your statements and comments.
The Function of Curriculum in Training Organizations, Schools, and Other Institutions
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor’s Name
Date
The Function of Curriculum in Training Organizations, Schools, and Other Institutions
Introduction
Curriculum is an important component of education. Audiences of curriculum in schools include teachers, students, parents, accreditation agencies, taxpayers, government bureaus, society, and other interested parties. According to English (2010), curriculum is part and parcel of a socio-economic and political system in most countries. Therefore, a lot of interest and proper decisions must be considered when developing one. This paper completes assignment one of this course.
Perspectives of Curriculum
At least three types of curricular are identified in schools such as formal, informal, and hidden curriculum. A formal curriculum is one that often appears in state regulations, curriculum guides, or officially sanctioned scope and sequence charts (English, 2010). This kind of curriculum is often debated in public. It is often aught in course contents and involves standardized tests and teacher tests. Another type of curriculum is the informal curriculum. It represents the unofficial or unrecognized aspect of designing or delivering a curriculum (English, 2010). For example, the informal curriculum in design may represent values at work in choosing curriculum content that is only indirectly public. These values base are often considered when selecting the content to be included in schools. The informal curriculum is always characterized by tracking plans. The third one is the hidden curriculum, which is rarely discussed in schools (English, 2010). For example, American students and children are taught to be respectful, neat, and clean. Such lessons are rarely included within the formal curriculum.
Problems of Curriculum
The influence of testing is a major problem in the school curriculum. According to English (2010), the issue around testing has continued to extend in recent days. Tests and test makers play important role in defining curriculum content to ensure students have been taught what they should know. Tests have shaped the nature of successful teaching. Some curricular test-oriented and teachers may engage in cheating activities because test performances dictate a successful teaching as well as successful schools (Fullan, 2015). This issue should be addressed by educating teachers to avoid misunderstanding the presence of tests in curriculum. Another problem is the lack of regular updates of the curriculum. The organization curriculum is outdated, hence, does not meet the exact need of society (Cobb & Glass, 2021). This issue can be addressed by a regular update of the curriculum to ensure graduates can meet community challenges.
Analysis of the Six Problems
Curriculum clutter is a problem in the organization. The curriculum has a lot to read about and some of the things are not related. For example, there is some history learned in school that has no meaning in life, especially in US public schools (Cobb & Glass, 2021). Another problem is the misalignment that exists between curriculum development and site-based management. When testing is centralized, it makes little sense to site-based a curricular response, because it increases the risk of the loss of alignment (English, 2010). The influence of testing is a problem in the organizational curriculum as discussed in the previous paragraph.
Problem number four as stated in English (2010) is a problem. It relates to the above problems. The curriculum is dictated highly bureaucratic and centralized system. Problem five, the Deadening Impact of Textbooks, is also a problem in the organization because it relies heavily on textbooks to teach students (Fullan, 2015). The last problem, cultural capital, and the achievement gap is a problem in the organization. It is normal within the organization to see while students perform better than Black students.
Conclusion
Curriculum development is more complex than one would think. It is an important determinant of learning and students’ success in American schools. The three types of the curriculum include formal, informal, and hidden curriculum. This paper has also identified some of the common complaints about curriculum development in American schools.
References
Cobb, C. D., & Glass, G. V. (2021). Public and private education in America: Examining the facts. ABC-CLIO.
English, F. W. (2010). Deciding What to Teach and Test (3rd Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781452271583
Fullan, M. (2015). The New Meaning of Educational Change, Fifth Edition (5th Edition). Teachers College Press. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780807774038