Follow the Yellow Brick.....Curriculum

Follow the Yellow Brick…..Curriculum?

Curriculum is the “yellow brick road” teachers, student and administrators should follow to lead to their educational Oz. As in the readings, it is the architects blue print for all the contractors to follow that lead to a cohesive structure; it is the map that outlines the path for drivers, pilots, captains to follow to get to their final destination. Curriculum is a group of guidelines that outline what should be studied and achieved in schools. It should outline suggested materials needed, textbooks, and content that should be covered. From our readings, it should be all encompassing, not a list of items on a “To Do” list. The curriculum should be a cohesive set educational goals that are interrelated with the entire school’s mission.

Who Should Design the Yellow Brick…..Curriculum?

All stakeholders should have a say in the curriculum. Who are the stakeholders? The educational professionals, teachers, administrators, supervisors are vital stakeholders. Members of the community and students are also considered stakeholders. All too often, I had to rewrite curriculum and it was left to three teachers’ discretion on what the revision should include. Many feel that the community at large should not have a say in designing curriculum…but what is our goal in education, are we not supposed to prepare students for their next step…college, workplace, members of society? I feel there should be more than just educators designing curriculum. Members of the community can add value to the design of curriclum (at times). Students should be included as well, if age appropriate.

Controlling the Yellow Brick…..Curriculum

The Wizard is at the end of the yellow brick road that Dorothy takes, but in reality Dorothy controlled her own way home. If curriculum is designed with the stakeholders, the controlling of curriculum should be controlled by the people learning and assisting in the learning. Students, teachers and administrators should in reality control the curriculum. If current curriculum is not found to be relevant there should be a way to make the need known that something needs to be done with the curriculum. Students and teachers are probably the ones closest to the curriculum. If there are problems found in the current curriculum, administrators can assist in making the time and resources available for the curriculum to be revisited and more relevant.

The reality of the Yellow Brick.....Curriculum

The designing and controlling of the curriculum should be the same stakeholders. Granted, the players may change, but the members should be similar, teachers, administrators, students, community members should have some say in designing and controlling curriculum. With that said, I wonder how this could be implemented. Do members of society know how a school operates, do they understand the structures of schools and how they operate. If they don't, could it be taught? Is it feasible and most productive to have all these people involved....maybe not, but just maybe. I know curriculum in our school district is not designed this way, but should it be? I wouldn't mind giving it a shot. Now I see curriculum as a list of subjects that need to be covered in a school year. I wonder what it would look like if we designed it with the end in mind and created a multiple yellow bricks that led to the end....maybe that's what change is all about.