|
Curriculum and Program Design Definitions
|
Element |
Definition |
| Philosophy |
Organizational beliefs about education that provide
direction as curriculum is developed. The
philosophy, along with the organizing framework, forms a frame
of reference for the curriculum. |
| Mission |
Organizational statement about values/focus of the school or
district. |
| Nature of Students |
Important and/or pertinent information about the students
who will receive the instruction in the curriculum: age, grade
level, SES, geographic area, ethnic/cultural considerations,
special abilities or disabilities, etc. |
| Conceptual framework |
Structure of the curriculum. A "road map" for the
program. |
| Goals |
Broad statements that address the cognitive, psychomotor and
affective domains of learning. |
| Leveled objectives |
Statements of expected behaviors of students upon completion
of parts of the course(s). Each should be specific to levels of
knowledge and skills that students need to acquire. Basic
objectives appear in early courses in the curriculum/program,
while objectives will become more complex as the course levels
progress. |
|
Content/Concept maps
|
Organizing tool for mapping out content
concepts in a graphic organizer or flowchart.
Concept Mapping and Curriculum Design,
from University of Tennessee, Chattanooga |
| Threads and Themes |
Strategies for arranging curriculum. Vertical threads
build in complexity from start to finish of program. Horizontal
threads are themes that are repeated in various courses across
the curriculum. |
| Evidenced based practice |
To achieve a practice based on research teachers focus on
using research-based, state of the art, best practices in
teaching. |
Value of Concept
Mapping of Curriculum*
·
By constructing a concept map, you can see
areas that appear trivial, that you may want to drop from the
course.
·
You can discover the themes you want to
emphasize.
·
You can understand how students may see or
organize knowledge differently from you, which will help you
better relate to the students and to challenge their ways of
thinking.
·
The mapping process can help you identify
concepts that are key to more than one discipline, which helps
you move beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.
·
Concept maps help you select appropriate
instructional materials. You can construct a map that
incorporates teaching strategies as well as time and task
allocations for various parts of the course.
·
You can visually explain the conceptual
relationships used for your objectives in any course.
·
You can facilitate efforts to
reconceptualize course content.
·
Rather than being a traditional course
plan that assumes students will integrate learning, concept maps
depict the intentions of Teachers -- the integration you expect
to occur.
·
You can use concept maps to provide a
basis for discussion among students and to summarize general
curriculum concepts.
·
Concept maps support a holistic style of
learning.
·
Mapping concepts can increase your ability
to provide meaningfulness to students by integrating concepts.
·
Concept maps can increase your potential
to see multiple ways of constructing meaning for students.
·
Mapping the concepts can help you develop
courses that are well-integrated, logically sequenced, and have
continuity.
·
Concept maps help "teachers design units
of study that are meaningful, relevant, pedagogically sound, and
interesting to students" ( Martin, p. 28).
·
Concept maps help "the teacher to explain
why a particular concept is worth knowing and how it relates to
theoretical and practical issues both within the discipline and
without" (Allen, et al).
*Copyright © 1998 The University of
Tennessee at Chattanooga. All rights reserved.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title
IX/Section 504/ADA institution. |
