Complexity of curriculum

I encountered this source arguing there are at least three common misconceptions when it comes to K12 curriculum. The false assumption that caught my attention involved the belief that the most effective teachers create their own curriculum materials. In arguing the contrary, the source suggested that teachers average 7-12 hours per week searching for or creating curriculum content and this time either extends the workload of educators or cuts into the time educators spend with students or providing feedback on work completed. With present concerns over teacher workloads and related stress and the competing suggestion that educators should “ditch the textbook”, educators and the public are getting mixed messages. The source proposes that modern commercial curriculum offerings offer far more than content to read and worksheets to complete and these resources are prepared with an eye to solid learning theory, content quality, and a plan for how learning experiences fit together to meet standards and assure learners are prepared as to what is to come. 

My professional work included teaching in a graduate-level instructional design program and while I am an applied cognitive learning researcher by training and experience, exposure to the issues that educational designers address in generating learning materials and procedures has been enlightening. There are so many important things that go beyond authoring lesson plans. I have tried to identify and explain many of these considerations in a resource I have written for interested educators titled “Designing instruction using layering services: Educators and students guiding learning”. For those educators interested in instructional design and wanting to build instructional content based on online resources, my focus was on identifying the issues that are important in curriculum generation and how the issues can be addressed in creating learning resources. So, I see both sides of this issue. If you want to “ditch” the use of commercial materials and act as an instructional designer, I explain what the design process involves.

The resource on commercial curriculum and educator time I reference identified one issue that requires consideration. A high proportion of educators complain that they receive inadequate professional development when it comes to the implementation of modern commercial curriculum materials. My personal reaction to complaints about professional development tends to focus on the challenge of continuing support as what are perhaps initially explained as good ideas are put into practice. Who to blame? This is a tough call and much ends up being a function of financing. To me, this would seem the point at which “curriculum coaches” and teacher collaboration should be the emphasis.