23/07/2022
Educator bloggers Lindsey Oh and Ray Rozycki wrote, "Curriculum is not a textbook, nor the materials, videos, and worksheets that help us instruct students. Students are expected to learn the knowledge and skills as they progress through our school system. " (Rozycki, 2017). This definition has struck a chord in me as I always try to improve the curriculum I provide for my students. Still, I also follow established curricula from the schools that I am affiliated with.
As an independent freelance English teacher, I create my curriculum based on the instructional materials I have deemed necessary in my students' learning development based on their particular needs. Nevertheless, as the authors have emphasized, it is not the materials but the expected learning competencies (the knowledge and the skills) that the students must learn that determine a curriculum. These expected abilities are the ones that would help guide us in choosing the materials as well as the different experiences and integrated connections within. To determine the best syllabus for a specific group or individual client, I would usually have an initial 30-minute discussion and a written pre-test with my individual private students. This initial contact would help me gauge their current level of learning, and from there on, I would create a curriculum that would fit their learning needs. The curriculum would then guide me on which materials and activities would best suit the lessons to help the students reach their learning goals and progress.
REFERENCE:
Rozycki, R. O. L. (2017, August 8). What Exactly Is Curriculum? Education Elements.
Core pillars anchor thinking on what curriculum adoption means in school districts, with a download of Education Elements Curriculum Adoption Process Framework.
