EDFD 6313
Principles of Curriculum Development
Instructor: Dr. Byra L. Ramsey, Associate Professor of ECED
Office: Email:
Office Hours:
Conceptual Framework:
Professionals of the 21st Century.
Catalog description:
A study of the elements and principles of curriculum design and construction for teachers at the elementary and
secondary school levels. The course considers the theoretical concerns of curriculum planning as well as the
activities involved in carrying theory into practice. Course Prerequisite: Admission to graduate school.
Field Experiences:
Curriculum needs will be assessed, developed, piloted, and evaluated in the most diverse situations available to
the students.
Rationale:
This course is a Level 3 Course (Assessment/Development/Evaluation/Leadership) for application, although
elements of Level 1 (Knowledge of the Institution) and Level 2 (Knowledge of the Student) must be reviewed
for the learner to demonstrate an acceptable level of curriculum development expertise. This course will provide
background for developing, evaluating, modifying, implementing, and sometimes discarding curriculum in
order to development suitable curricula and alignment with Arkansas Frameworks for the benefit of all students
and the community in which they live. EDFD 6313 is an entry-level graduate course in education designed to
prepare practitioners to develop, reflect, and modify curricula in light of changing goals, standards,
demographics, legislative requirements, and subject matter. The course examines influences of human growth
and learning theory covering various grades, prekindergarten through 12. A curriculum model and a unit will
include the following: a needs assessment, goal setting and selecting content and then aligning the content with
Arkansas Frameworks, instructional objectives, learning experiences, training of teachers, a pilot
implementation, school wide implementation, and an ongoing evaluation/recycling of the curriculum. A strong
liberal arts background is required. Technology will be used in research, contacting stakeholders, developing
format and content, evaluation, and the presentation of the curriculum unit. The course addresses necessary
leadership knowledge, skills, and dispositions for promoting positive changes.
Objectives:
These objectives are aligned with state, national standards, and the Arkansas Tech University School of Education Conceptual
Framework:
By the end of the course, the students will be able to demonstrate a knowledge, skill, and disposition to:
1. Analyze and justify why curriculum changes can be necessary.
2. Apply leadership through communication and collaboration with all stakeholders.
3. Create curriculum for diverse learning patterns and developmental needs of all students, grades PK-12
using:
a. Ability Levels
b. Backgrounds: Race, Cultural, and Ethnicity
c. Multiple assessments, methods, and strategies for learning
d. Brain Research
e. Multiple intelligences
f. Learning styles
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4. Identify trends and innovations in reading, language arts, social studies, science, mathematics, the fine
arts, vocational education, and physical education; also in staffing patterns and school organization,
vertical and horizontal.
5. Compare and contrast curriculum models.
6. Create a curriculum model graphic adapted from Taba's eight steps of curriculum development, namely:
needs assessment, setting goals, writing objectives, selecting content, organizing content, selecting and
organizing learning experiences, implementing and adapting to the learning environment, and
evaluation.
7. Create a timeline from inception, through implementation, and evaluation.
8. Align the curriculum unit to the state or national standards/frameworks.
9. Develop behavioral objectives from cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains.
10. Defend and present an electronic presentation of the curriculum unit with the content, procedures,
graphic of the curriculum model, and cited curriculum theorists.
Methods of Instruction:
Direct instruction, expository, demonstration, inquiry, individualized, and cooperative learning are utilized
during the course. Instruction tends to become less teacher-centered as students gain background in curriculum
development and are able to function in small groups or individually. The students, with the approval of the
instructor, will select topics for research and creating curriculum. Presentations will be made to enlighten
everyone of the findings.
Course requirements:
To benefit from this course the following will be expected:
1. Regular attendance and participation
2. Satisfactory performance on assessments
3. Reading required materials
4. Development of a teaching unit which
5. Curriculum presentation
6. All written work presented in APA Style
http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.cfm?doc_id=796
7. Check Arkansas Tech University email OFTEN for class instructions and communications
Attendance Policy:
Students are expected to attend all class meetings. Students are normally allowed no more than 3 absences. On
the third absence, the student will be sent a warning letter and asked to make an appointment with the instructor.
On the fourth absence, the student will be dropped from the course.
Plagiarism and Other Academic Misconduct: Any student found to have committed academic misconduct
including, but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty is subject to the
disciplinary sanction outlined in the Arkansas Tech Student Handbook. Plagiarism is Aan idea, expression, plot,
or the like taken from another and used as one=s own@ (World Book Dictionary, 1982). Plagiarism of another
person’s intellectual property can be avoided by giving appropriate credit to the owner. See the APA Manual 5th
Edition on the following website:
Grading:
Grading:
A-90-100%
B-80-89%
C-70-70%
D-60-69%
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F-59% and below
Late assignments:
Late assignments will be accepted with a penalty of one-half a letter grade per first class meeting. Assignments
over one week past due date will not be accepted. An absence on the due date is not considered an excuse.
Course Content:
I. The nature and meaning of curriculum development
A. The importance of curriculum development
B. Symptoms of school districts needing curriculum development
C. Indications of ongoing effective curriculum development
D. Definitions of curriculum
II. The challenge of curriculum development
A. Current school effectiveness data
B. Special population data
C. Changing demographics
D. Stakeholders
E. Funding
F. Time factors
III. The overall structure of the curriculum development cycle
A. Needs assessment
1.
Local needs as determined by action research, descriptive studies
2.
Legislative (legal) needs as determined by federal and state regulation, state boards of education,
case law
3.
Content needs. Subject matter needs spawned by prerequisites, task analyses.
B. Goal setting
1.
Historical perspectives on goal setting—1918 Cardinal Principles, Taba's purposes for the school,
A Nation at Risk, the National Goals, advancements in technology.
2.
Goal setting that follows the district's philosophy and needs assessment.
3.
Timeline.
C. Objectives
1.
Objective formats
2.
Taxonomies and taxonomic levels
3.
Writing objectives that fit the goals
D. Selecting content
1.
Censorship issues
2.
Relevancy
3.
Futurism
4.
Trends and innovations in content in the subject areas
E. Organizing content
1.
Interdisciplinary vs. multidisciplinary
2.
Sequencing content
3.
Spiral curricula
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F. Selecting and organizing learning experiences
1. Knowledge of how students learn
a. developmental issues
b. perceptual variables in learning
c. choosing media for maximum effectiveness for a given situation
d. special population students
e. at-risk students
2. Trends in instruction in each subject area
a. reading/language arts
b. mathematics
c. science
d. the fine arts
e. vocational education
f. health and physical education
g. social studies
G. Implementing the new or revised curriculum
1. Political realities of any community
2. Working with the political structure rather than trying to ignore or get around it
3. Making plans for planned change
4. Leadership processes
5. Models of classrooms--expository, demonstration, inquiry, individualized
6. Training teachers to implement the process
7. Pilot testing the new or revised curriculum in "hothouse trials"
8. Moving to district-wide implementation
H. Evaluation and recycling
1. Formative and summative evaluation
2. Achievement tests
3. Teacher-made tests
4. Opinion questionnaires
Curriculum development follows a logical-sequential model. Taba wrote a pioneering model that will be
explored and modified for use with the curriculum project. The usually recommended approaches to curriculum
development include the expertise of a curriculum committee or committees within a school district and
possibly on a particular campus. These committees conduct needs assessments in collaboration with the
administration, key community groups, possibly the state department of education, parent-teacher groups of the
community, teachers, and other relevant individuals called “stakeholders”. Although recent years have seen a
great deal of top-down edicts of curriculum and standardization, Goals 2000 and Arkansas Frameworks, there is
still justification for local professionals to organize and tailor curricula to meet the needs of students.
Well-planned curricula are also associated with lower rates of discipline problems.
References:
Current and Historical References
Alden, J. (1998). A trainer’s guide to web-based instruction. Alexandria, VA: American Society for Training &
Development.
Anderson, L. (2001). The change leader’s roadmap. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1989). Science for all Americans, Project 2062.
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Washington, DC: Author.
Association for Supervision and curriculum Development. (1992). Curriculum Frameworks: A Definition.
Alexandria, VA: Author.
Bloom, B. S. (1984). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. Book I.
The Cognitive Domain. New York: D. McKay.
Baldwin, A.Y. & Vialle, W. (1999). The many faces of giftedness: Lifting the masks. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.
Bradbeer, J. (1998). Imagining curriculum: Practical intelligence in teaching. NY: Teachers College Press.
Burner, J.S. (1960). The process of education. Cambridge, MS: Harvard University Press.
Bobbitt, F. (1913).The supervision of city schools: Some general principles of management applied to the
problems of city-school systems. Twelfth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education,
Bloomington, IL: Public School Publishing.
Bode, B. H. (1927). Modern Educational Theories. New York, NY: Macmillan.
Campbell, D.M. & Harris, L.S. (2001).Collaborative theme building: How teachers write integrated
curriculum. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Chapman, J. D. (1990). School-based Decision-Making and Management. New York: Galmer Press.
Coleman, J.S. (1966). Equality of educational opportunity. Washington, DC: Office of Education, U.S.
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
Commission on Reorganization of Secondary Education. (1918). Cardinal principles of secondary education.
Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education. New York, NY: Macmillan.
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York, NY: Macmillan.
Donaldson, G.A. (2001). Cultivating leadership in schools: Connecting people, purpose, and practice. NY:
Teachers College Press.
Eisner, E. (2002). The education imagination (4th ed.). New York, NY: Macmillan.
Ellsworth, E. (1997). Teaching positions: Difference, pedagogy, and the power of address. NY: Teachers
College Press.
Erikson, E.H. (1968). Identity: Youth in crisis. New York, NY: W.W. Norton.
Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gehrke, N.J. & Romerdahl, N.S. (1997). Teacher leaders: Making a difference in schools. West Lafayette IN:
Kappa Delta Pi.
Glasser, W. (1968). Schools Without Failure. New York: Harper & Row.
Goodlad, J.I. (1984). A place called school. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Goodlad, J.I. (1966). School, curriculum, and the individual. Waltham, MA: Blaisdell.
Goodlad, J.I. (1966). The changing school curriculum. New York, NY: The Fund for the Advancement of
Education.
Hirsch, E.D., Jr. (1987). Cultural literacy. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Hutchins, R.M. (1936). The higher learning in America. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Hyson, M. (2004). The emotional development of young children (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College,
Columbia University.
Jacobs, H.H. (2004). Getting results with curriculum mapping (Ed.) Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Lambert, L. (2003). Leadership capacity for lasting school improvement. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Macaulay, S.S. (1984). For the children’s sake. Wheaton, ILL: Good News Publishers.
Marzano, R.J., Norford, J.S., Paynter, D.E., Pickering, D.J. & Gaddy, B.B. (2001). A handbook for classroom
instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
McNeil, J. (2003). Curriculum: The teacher’s initiative. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
National Commission on Excellence in Education (1983). A nation at risk: The imperative for educational
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reform. Washington, DC: Author.
National Society for the Study of Education. (1926). Curriculum making: Past and present. Twenty-sixth
Yearbook, Part I. Bloomington, IL: Public School Publishing.
Piaget, J. (1950). The Psychology of Intelligence. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.
Pinar, W.F. (1998). Curriculum: Toward new identities. NY: Garland.
Pinar, W.F., Reynolds, W.M., Slattery, P., & Taubman, P.M. (2000). Understanding curriculum: An
introduction to the study of historical and contemporary curriculum discourses. NY: Peter Lang.
Posner, G.J. (2004). Analyzing the curriculum (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill
Reeves, D. (2004). Accountability for learning, How teachers and school leaders can take charge. Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Robertson, C. (2003). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar
Learning.
Reed, A.J. & Bergmann, V.E. (2001). A guide to observation, participation, and reflection in the classroom
(4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Sewell, E. (2000). Curriculum: An integrated instruction (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.
Simkins, M., Cole, K., Tavalin, F. & Means, B. (2002). Increasing student learning through multimedia
projects. Alexandria, VA: Association of for supervision and Curriculum Development.
Slattery, P. (2003). Ethics and the foundations of education: Convictions in a postmodern world. Boston, MA:
Allyn & Bacon.
Smith, J. (2003). Education and public health: National partners in learning for life. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Smith, T. (2000). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive settings. Columbus, OH: Merrill.
Taba, H. (1962). Curriculum Development: Theory and Practice. Chicago: Harcourt, Brace, & World.
Tanner, D. & Tanner, L. (1995). Curriculum development; Theory into practice. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Merrill.
Thorndike, E.L. (1924). Mental discipline in high school studies. Journal of educational Psychology, 15,1-22.
Tyler, R.W. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Tyler, R.W. (1988). Progress in dealing with curriculum problems. Critical Issues in Curriculum, Eightyseventh Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago
Press.
John Tyson Elementary, (2003). Teach them all the ESL way. Springdale, AR: Author.
U.S. Department of Education. (1991). America 2000: An educational strategy: Washington, DC: Author.
Walker, D. (1975). Curriculum field in formation. The Curriculum Theory Network, (4).
Whitehead, B. (2003). Planning for technology: A guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Wiles, J. (2004). Leaving school: Finding education. St. Augustine, FL: Matanzas Press.
Zmuda, A. Kuklis, R., & Kline, E. (2004). Transforming schools: Creating a culture of continuous
improvement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Web Sites:
http://www.ascd.org
http://www.ed.gov/nclb
http://www.nwrel.org
http://www.smartbrief.com/ascd
http://www.indstate.edu/ctl/vlessons/stpattern.html
http://www.terc.edu/wge/rgpatterns.html
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?LearningPatterns
http://www.intime.uni.edu/model/learning/lear.html
http://www.stou.ac.th/aaou2003/Full%20Paper/Li.pdf
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Critical Legal Rulings:
Equality and Opportunity: Brown v. Topeka (1954).
Taxation: Kalamazoo v. State of Michigan (1874).
Per Pupil Expenditure: San Antonio vv. Rodriguez (1973).
Freedom of Expression: Tinker v. Des Monies (1969).
Flag Salute: West Virginia v. Barnett. (1943).
Prayer in School: Lee v. Weisman (1992).
Language in School: Lau v. Nichols (1974).
AIDS: School Board v. Arline (1987).
IDEA: Board of Education v. Rowley (1982).
Disruptive Students: Honig v. Doe (1988).
Expulsions: Goss v. Lopez (1975).
Corporal Punishment: Ingraham v. Wright (1977).
Student Searches: New Jersey v. Tic (1985).
Sexual Harassment: Franklin v. Gwinett (1992).
Important Documents:
Old Deluder Satan Act (1647).
Thomas Jefferson’s Free School Proposal (1779).
Northwest Ordinance (1787).
The Morrill Act (1862).
Committee of Ten Prescription (1893).
Committee on the Reorganization of Secondary Education (1918).
Eight Year Study (1932).
Education policy Commission Statement (1938).
Education for ALL American Youth (1944).
National Defense Education Act of 1958.
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