Most people agree that there are some fundamental things that need to be changed within secondary curriculum. However, there have been many debates about what changes should be made to secondary curriculum. It is something that states are doing research on, educators and psychologists are debating and parents are lobbying for. I believe that there are ten things that need to be emphasized in order to optimize secondary curriculum: communication, safe environment, curriculum alignment, professional development, school-wide behavior management, adequate funding, technology, cooperative learning, school-community partnerships and multicultural awareness. I don't believe that this will "magically" fix all of the problems within our secondary systems; however, I do think that it is a huge step in the right direction.
Communication needs to be improved between administrations and between schools and parents. Thus, there are two elements to communication that need to be addressed. There have been many ideas that are related to improving communication between schools and parents. One study recommended that principals lead in planning and implementing a school-wide parent-involvement strategy and activities. It outlines three different categories that should be addressed by principals: school-home communication, at home learning, and school participation. The article claims that when these three elements are implemented positive collaboration contributes to student achievement and overall school improvement. Without help from parents we can't be as effective in educating their children (Blendinger, J. & Snipes, G., 1993).
Communication at the home level isn't the only crucial element. Administrators have to communicate with faculty and staff. It has been proven that interpersonal communication in an organization is essential part of the health of an organization. If the person in charge doesn't communicate what is expected it will never be accomplished. Thus, principals can't expect teachers to figure out the calendar for the year or figure out what is going on (Evans, J., 1996).
The second key aspect is a safe school environment. Students and staff need to feel "safe" when they are on school campus. If students don't feel "safe" then they are going to be distracted from learning. Likewise, if teachers don't feel "safe" they won't be able to teach to their full capacity. One study recommends to ensure that teachers and students feel physically safe school leaders should develop a plan that includes five things: 1. Restrict access to the campus; 2. Have a surveillance system in place that visitors and students are aware of; 3. Initiate a conflict-resolution and peer-mediation plan; 4. Cooperate with local law officers and develop a "safe" school plan; 5. Review the procedures of your school's plan and practice it often. They recommend that if these five components are followed that a good plan can be put into place that will keep students and teachers feeling physically safe (Reddick, T., Peach, L, 1998).
However, students should also feel emotionally safe. Students should feel as though they won't be ridiculed in the classroom. Students should feel that it is safe to be wrong. Students should be taught to learn from their mistakes in a productive way. For example, your hypothesis doesn't always have to be right in science class. Teachers should guide students through their mistakes and teach them how to figure out where they went wrong (Sankey, D., 1999).
The curriculum should also be aligned so that it ensures the success of students at any level in their academic career. The curriculum should be aligned to the test so that we are teaching the content for the test not testing itself. Therefore, the student outcomes for the curriculum are the expected ones for the test. Of course, this also demands that some changes be made to the test to ensure that the proper material is covered (Aviles, C., 2001). Otherwise, we wind up trying to squeeze in too much and the message gets confused. The curriculum should also meet the standards that have been set for the content area. "Curriculum alignment means assuring that the material taught in the school matches the standards and assessments set by the state or district for specific grade levels. It is a way of "mapping" the curriculum onto the standards to be sure that the school is teaching the content that is expected." (Johnston, H. 2001). Thus, curriculum should be aligned for testing and for standards.
Professional development also needs to be revisited. Professional development can be defined as opportunities offered to educators to give instruction and resources that help them become better teachers. It has been recognized as a critical component to the improvement of schools. It is important to keep teachers motivated and to keep them up to date with the latest ideas and research in education (Wong, K., Nicoterra, A., 2003). Professional development can be done within a school or within a greater content specific forum. Administrators should be aware of the different types of professional development that can be done and offer the best opportunities for their staff (Farnsworth, V., 2002).
School-wide behavior management starts in the classroom. Teachers have different styles such as non-interventionalist, interactionalist, etc. (Akaba, S. & Altun, A., 1998). The administration needs to keep this in mind when creating a school-wide behavior management plan. It can be defined as a policy that is put into place for all classrooms within a school to follow. It simply puts all of the teachers on the same page with acceptable consequences that are standardized. It covers the teachers in the event of a complaint and it makes things much easier on the students knowing exactly what to expect in each class verses having different rules, policies and consequences for each teacher. Furthermore, it ensures that parents are aware up front of the consequences in the classroom and takes the burden off the teacher (Unknown, 1997).
Adequate funding is another crucial issue. Adequate funding is ensuring that the school has the money that it needs to run the necessary programs and any enrichment that it may need. It is vital to schools because it is difficult to keep teachers. The New Orleans Recovery District is finding this out. They know they have to raise the pay to get quality educators in (Hill, P. & Hannaway, J., 2006). Furthermore, there seems to be a small correlation between the amount of money spent per student and student achievement. However, it is suggested that this correlation could increase if the money per student was examined and target programs that will help increase student performance. Adequate funding is important so that a school can increase the number of resources it has to ensure student's success (Sharp, W., 1993).
Technology is extremely important to a secondary curriculum. Technology is no longer simply defined as computers that are able to help out with the basics. It also includes complex multi-media presentations and networking technologies (Kosakowski, J., 1998). These types of technology are important for reaching learners. Our world has become so entrenched in media that it has become almost impossible to not include it in the classroom. It also allows learners to travel to places and see things that they wouldn't otherwise see. This technology should also be integrated into the curriculum to support teachers in their efforts to reach students. Technology is an incredible tool that if harnessed can help us in teaching and allowing students to uncover things that we wouldn't be able to demonstrate or investigate in the classroom otherwise (Espey, L., 2000).
Cooperative learning is a group learning activity organized so that learning is directly related to the social exchange of information and where the student is also held responsible for his or her own learning. Cooperative learning is important because it's how the real world works. When students graduate they are placed in similar situations in their jobs. Furthermore, it teaches social skills and builds community among learners. It accomplishes the "hidden" curriculum in schools (Kluge, D., 1999). Furthermore, it can be used to group students by different ability levels. Small groups can be put together so that students can investigate topics on their level (Unknown, 2006).
School-community partnerships mean that a school and the surrounding community partner together, no matter what area they are in. In inner city scenarios schools may partner with the community to start a DARE program to lower the drug rate (Unknown, 2006). This relationship is usually mutually beneficial. Teachers can understand where their students come from and get a glimpse into their culture. Students also feel as if they are making more of a difference. Lastly, it can increase the communication between parents and schools (Unknown, 2005).
Multiculturalism is important because we should recognize that we have a very diverse student body. Multiculturalism is defined as " a public policy approach for managing cultural diversity in a multiethnic society, officially stressing mutual respect and tolerance for cultural differences within a country's borders." (Wikipedia, 2005). Multiculturalism in the curriculum means educating students on other cultures within a curriculum and being sensitive to practices of other cultures. It helps students find a sense of self and become aware of the world culture (Franklin, G., & Heath, I., 1992).
I believe that these are the ten things that should be addressed to form an ideal secondary curriculum. There is a blend of academic interest along with interest in the student's development as a whole. I think that the blend is what really makes this the "ideal" curriculum.
References
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