Comments on: Most teachers customize curriculum, even though they don’t have to

By: kim schrode

kim schrode — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 01:11:00 +0000

We graduate with bachelor’s in Science of Education or Bachelor’s in Art of Education. That means we are quite capable of creating, adapting, and meeting the needs of our students.

By: John Cassleman

John Cassleman — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 17:38:06 +0000

As a former ELA/Social Studies teacher at the middle and high school level, I can validate what teachers are saying about why they modify curriculum: it’s flat, unengaging, irrelevant to students, and simplistic. If I had ever found diverse, compelling or rigorous curriculum, I would have used it. In ELA, textbooks are structured like this: short readings on a theme followed by a handful of comprehension questions, an analysis question or two, and a writing prompt for a short paragraph with undersupported and unimaginative suggestions to have your students “research [x] topic and write a report.” I couldn’t in good conscience NOT build my own curriculum. More systematically though, teachers building their own curriculum is an example of the people closest to a problem solving the problem. That’s the best way to solve problems most relevant to students, classrooms, and communities. I now work as a K-12 Outreach manager for an engineering company and the difference is night and day. I’m treated as a professional, my ideas are valued, and I’m encouraged, supported, and held accountable in solving problems. It’s liberating and empowering. I can only imagine what incredible changes would occur if more school and district leaders adopted that mindset. That all costs $0. Administrators: 1) set expectation/goal, 2) let your teachers take the lead on problem solving, and 3) support them in doing so.

By: Suda A.Eltom

Suda A.Eltom — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 13:53:34 +0000

As a School Administrator, unfortunately, the objectives of teachers customising the curruculum is more often than not, an attempt to source less challenging content that is easy to deliver and assess in the classroom. This is sadly sometimes overlooked knowingly or not by Academic managers/Principals. Which politically ‘keeps eveybody happy’, until students sit for standardised test, and then the true less- than expected performance is revealed.
Few conscious teachers add on or source extra material to complement their curriculum when they feel that this specific batch/group of students have a weak background in a certain skill, and hence need more practice before they can master the skills required at their curriculum level.