Scenario for Assignments 1-3
Assume that you are the curriculum designer for a school district. The school board has requested that several teams develop proposals for new curricula to meet newly established state standards. You and your team must develop the first proposal to provide as a pilot or model for the other teams. You have to first identify a specific curriculum area not currently used in the school district that would greatly benefit the students in the district. Use the Internet or the Strayer Library as well as your textbook to develop a pilot curriculum for a specific discipline area (reading, math, science, etc.) or grade level (K-12) at a local school district.

Assignment 3: Curriculum Development and Implementation
Due Week 9 and worth 300 points

Write an eight to ten (8-10) page paper in which you:

1. Summarize the following aspects of Assignments 1 and 2:

   Describe the specific curriculum area and grade level(s) for the pilot curriculum
   Describe at least four (4) core instructional goals for the curriculum
   Review the various approaches to be used for the planned curriculum as well as potential cultural influences
   Review the strategy for incorporating critical thinking skills into the planned curriculum using Bloom’s Taxonomy

2. Develop at least three (3) student learning outcomes for each of the core instructional goals in the planned curriculum. (Note: Student learning outcomes must support accomplishment of their respective core instructional goal and be stated in a manner that is observable and measurable. The student learning outcomes must also support development of critical thinking skills consistent with Bloom’s Taxonomy. A brief article on writing student learning outcomes or objectives, “Writing learning objectives: Beginning with the end in mind,” may be found here.
3. Outline a least one (1) instructional lesson or exercise that could be used to facilitate mastery of one of the three (3) student learning outcomes listed. (Note: The instructional lesson outline should include instructor activities to promote mastery of the learning outcome and develop critical thinking skills. The outline should also include student activities that promote critical thinking and accomplishment of the learning outcome.)
4. Propose at least one (1) way the students for which the lesson is designed will use technology as part of the lesson, providing a rationale for the technology. 
5. Propose at least one (1) way in which technology will be used to deliver the lesson, providing a rationale for the technology.
6. Create an implementation plan for the curriculum in the form of a PowerPoint presentation of at least eight (8) slides. Include (a) a summary of the development process (Assignments 1 and 2), (b) the instruction lesson outline, (c) an implementation timetable, and (d) the human and capital resources needed for successful implementation. (Note: The PowerPoint, which is not part of the page count, will be presented to the District School Board.)
7. Use at least three (3) relevant, scholarly references published in the last seven (7) years. (May use references already used in this paper.) (Note: Wikipedia and other non-government Websites do not qualify as scholarly resources. Review the supplementary readings list on the first page of the course guide for possible references.)

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page, PowerPoint presentation, and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Identify the key elements of curriculum design and development.
• Compare the philosophical foundations of curriculum.
• Consider how psychological foundations play a role in the development of curriculum.
• Analyze the relationship of social foundations to K-12 curriculum.
• Develop the strategies and techniques to support curriculum planning.
• Design curriculum plan for a current or future school setting.
• Create implementation approaches for curriculum.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in curriculum planning.
• Write clearly and concisely about curriculum design and development using proper writing mechanics.

Running Head: CURRICULUM INCEPTION

Curriculum Inception

Assignment 1: Curriculum Inception

Anthony Tyler

Instructor:

Professor Brian Stark

Date: January 21, 2020

Curriculum Inception

School District of Philadelphia

Geographical Location

This is the school district that houses all the public schools in Philadelphia, it is one of the largest school districts in The United States, in terms of enrollment because it is has enrolled over 200,000 students. This school district operates over 214 schools in the city, whereby there are almost 300 schools. The high schools are 49 in number, the middle schools are 16, and the elementary has 149 schools. The other schools are run independently by charter schools that directly report to the School District of Philadelphia.

Demographics of Student Population and Cultural Influences

The enrollment in Philadelphia district schools by the year 2013 was 131,362, which currently the number is at 200,000. There are 107 languages spoken by the district students in the schools other than English. The most significant group students speaking another language than English is the Spanish speakers that amount to almost half of the total number of students in the school district. The other languages include Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Khmer, Creoles and pidgins which are English and French-based, Ukrainian, Bengali, Albanian and other 80 languages.

State Policies and Practices Related to Curriculum Development

There are various state policies designed to improve curriculum development; such as a curriculum audit; a curriculum audit assists the school district in establishing if the curriculum in place aligned to the objectives of the sates and if the curriculum is adopted in a class by the teachers (Partelow & Shapiro, 2018). The curriculum is vital to the education that the students receive hence, establishing what and when they are taught is essential, in the sense that a curriculum that is of high quality will positively reflect on the student. This policy is on the same page as evaluating the effectiveness of the curriculum and not just alignment, which helps in the development of the best curriculum.

Specific Discipline and Grade Level for Pilot Curriculum

The discipline for the pilot curriculum is the K-12 Science Education, which is a broad discipline and exciting at the same time. It is essential to understand that the science curriculum Science education goes with instruction, assessment and teacher development. Science education is the field in education that is involved with sharing of science process and content with individuals, mostly students that are not considered to be part of the science community. In this case, the learners might be college students, children or adults that are among the general population. The science education field encompasses works in science process that is the scientific method, science content, teaching pedagogy and social science. There are standards for science education that provide the basis for the development of proper understanding for the students the entire K-12 education course and other levels of education. The conventional subjects in the standards are life, physical, earth human sciences and space.

K-12 being the level that this pilot curriculum is focusing on it is also essential to describe it, K-12 is a used educational technology and education in Canada and the United States in addition to other countries (Rouse, 2019). It is somehow a short form for the school grades that are publicly supported that come before college. The publicly-supported grades include the (K) that stands for Kindergarten and the twelve grades that go from 1st to 12th grade (1-12). Whereby after the 12th grade follows is, college and hypothetically speaking the first year of college would be the 13th grade if this system was to extend to college. Also, something to note is that modern information technology is provided at the K-12 level in our communities that use the K-12 model.

Rationale That Proposes Three benefits to The Students

The alignment of the framework of this K-12 curriculum, there are other aspects outside the curriculum, that could be considered and at the same time not addressed in the framework. Through the elements of the science curriculum, there are specific areas such as discussion and reflection, which are part of the curriculum. Through this aspect’s students can come and establish the fact that scientific inquiry encompasses some values. These values will then benefit them in future even if they are applied in a scientific field, for instance;

Respect for the Importance of Logical thinking; this is an aspect that is spread through the science units. Through the experiments and historical evaluations of the branches of science. Logical thinking it is something that is required for nay individuals, which is a good thing that this curriculum can develop this at the K-12 grade level while the students are still young.

Open-mindedness; this is a crucial factor in our current society with the various issue with gender, politics and other societal topics. Hence the development of such skills through the curriculum will be necessary for the students, as they will develop this from the class to real life situations such as when they join college, and suddenly everything is not the same.

Honest report findings; this is another beneficial aspect that the students can get from the science curriculum. In the sense that in some way, it will develop individuals with integrity, which is a vital factor for the next generation as a lack of integrity is what ails our current age.

The science-education curriculum is supposed to consider the students, mainly because the curriculum in place is not sufficient for their development through the K-12 grade level. Hence the above three benefits are some of the benefits the students will get from the pilot-curriculum program.

Four Instructional Goals of the Curriculum

Albert Einstein said education has the goal “to produces independently thinking and acting Individuals.” Science education, on the other hand, has the aim to produce capable individuals that evaluate and understand information that is or claims to be scientific and therefore creating motivated and skills future scientists in every field (Forman et al. 2015). The curriculum was based on this principle, and consequently it has Instructional Goals which are to produce proficient students in Science;

That has the knowledge, utilise and interpret the natural world’s scientific Interpretation. Meaning that they have the extensive scientific experience, that can be established through reading lessons, to at least have a clue about the various science units such as the earth, plants and human sciences. The general scientific knowledge is the first step that each student is anticipated to have in this pilot curriculum.

Who can evaluate and generate scientific explanation and evidence; this can be achieved through the experiments that are set aside for the practical lessons. The main aim of the practical lessons is to give the students the feel of scientific tests aimed at getting scientific evidence.

That can appropriate the development and nature of scientific knowledge and at the same time, participate proficiently in scientific discourse and practices. In other words, the curriculum is designed to ensure that the students enjoy science as a subject; of course, it is not for every student. But it will propel those interested in having enthusiasm about science. This is because students who interest and passion in the subject have a better shot at being productive in scientific practices.

Works Cited

School District of Philadelphia. 2018 July 23rd. Retrieved from

About Us

Curriculum Reform in the Nation’s Largest School Districts by Lisette Partelow & Sarah Shapiro. August 29th, 2018. Retrieved from

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-k-12/reports/2018/08/29/454705/curriculum-reform-nations-largest-school-districts/

K-12 by Margaret Rouse. May 28th, 2019. Retrieved from

https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/K-12

Forman, J., Gubbins, E. J., Villanueva, M., Massicotte, C., Callahan, C., & Tofel-Grehl, C. (2015). National Survey of STEM High Schools’ Curricular and Instructional Strategies and Practices. NCSSS Journal, 20(1), 8-19.

Hamilton, L. S., Stecher, B. M., & Yuan, K. (2017). Creating an Indicator of K-12 Classroom Coverage of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Content and Practices. RAND Corporation.

Running Head: New Curriculum 2

New Curriculum 2

Curriculum Foundations

Student’s Name:

Anthony Tyler

Instructor:

Professor Brian Stark

Date:

February 16, 2020

Introduction

Curriculum proposal planning is entailing the making of several choices. There are three basics of curriculum, which is knowledge, learner, as well as society and should be put into consideration. Each of the three factors should be equally considered when coming up with a proposal of a curriculum. The foundations of the curriculum are plating a crucial role in the planning of the curriculum alongside shaping and influencing the mind of individuals developing a curriculum (McNeil & Thompson, n.d., p. 66). The curriculum is categorized under three categories which psychology, philosophy, as well as sociology, which affect the way developers, do plan curriculum and the curriculum development process. This paper is a proposal that is to be used for a newly established curriculum that is outlined on various curriculum foundation areas towards meeting the new state of standards that are created alongside coming up with an improvement to the school that is selected. Gold Elementary school will be the school chosen for this assignment, whereby the proposed new curriculum will be developed. The paper will begin by summarizing aspects that are submitted from the task that is describing a specific curriculum area regarding the pilot project as well as the core instructional goals to be used for the curriculum. The paper will also be describing various curriculum development approaches which are used alongside the theoretical methods as well as psychological strategies that are in line with the essential instructional goals of the planned curriculum. Similar, cultural influences that are significantly impacting the selected school alongside the effective ways of integrating my planned curriculum with the cultural influences. The paper will summarize by outlining the strategies I have developed to have critical thinking skills incorporated into my proposed plan by the use of “Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives” not forgetting their rationales that are corresponding (AHN, 2017, p. 107).

Area of Target and Type of Curriculum Education

The pilot curriculum that is proposed is planning to incorporate STEAM Education in all the grade students to grade five students in Gold Elementary School. STEAM education is consisting of disciplines like science, technology, engineering, art as well as mathematics. STEAM knowledge is crucial in keeping the students with technology alongside ensuring that they are engaged in the process of active learning. The STEAM knowledge is also useful in transforming ideas that are new into the best innovation and inventions as well as making the students more innovative. The proposed curriculum is using the concepts as well as approaches that entail enhancing the curiosity, exploration, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration of the students which are essential in helping the students become more successful in their higher learning. As a result of the use of STEAM education, it is possible to connect subjects for the students thereby opening the door to curriculum that is more exciting and meaningful and relevant to the current situations (McNeil & Thompson, n.d., p. 55).

Core Instructional Goals of STEAM education

i. The STEAM education is aiming at educating, encouraging as well as preparing the current youth towards pursuing careers that are in the related field alongside developing them for higher learning. He approaches focusing on the learning environment that is student-centered aiming at engaging the students in collaborating, solving problems, critical analysis as well as hands-on activities (McNeil & Thompson, n.d., p. 65).

ii. Student undertaking STEAM education is incorporated with questions that are complex, investigating issues that are global alongside finding solutions to the problems especially for the situations that are challenging and in the real world alongside applying technology, science engineering, mathematics and arts contents in an interactive learning process. Thus, STEAM education is aiming at developing the logical abilities of the students alongside teaching them to become individuals who are scientifically, mathematically and technological literate alongside having effective communication (Voogt et al., 2015, p. 270).

iii. STEAM education is capitalizing in the early experiences and interest of the students as well as identifying and building creativity and knowledge alongside providing the student’s opportunities of engaging on several practices especially in mathematics and other sciences to have their interest sustained. The student will be able to enhance their abilities to solve problems through investigating questions that are about the world just like the way mathematicians, and scientist is doing (Voogt et al., 2015, p. 271).

iv. STEAM education is aiming at providing as well as enhancing the development of teachers. It is giving course, classes alongside internships that will be useful to the teachers as they can get the crucial knowledge and skills in areas they previously never had. Instructors will have a chance to learn the technologies that are current as well as current approaches that are beneficial to the student through the use of competency training alongside online course (Mannathoko & Mamvuto, 2018, p. 149).

The different approaches to student learning

This new pilot curriculum will be using both humanistic as well as behavioral approaches to learning. The behavioral approach is playing a significant role in emphasizing on guiding the students towards reaching pre-established learning outcomes. The method is beginning with the plans of education, and it is ending with the setting of objectives and goals that are crucial for the learning process. The behavioral approach is more significant being that is scientific alongside having measurable outcomes. When the learners can attain the expected results of learning that are put in place towards achieving the curriculum objectives, then learning is considered to have taken place. The main aim of the behavioral approach to the process of learning is to provide appropriate opportunities to learners helping the students in demonstrating that they can show that they have learned something. High priority should be given to lessening the problem behavior intensity within the classroom by the teachers towards ensuring that the leaning, as well as interventions impact, are maximized (Mannathoko & Mamvuto, 2018, p. 150).

Humanistic learning Approach is putting more emphasis on the role of non-cognitive variables in learning, for instance, the requirements of students as well as their values, emotions, and self-perceptions. The approach is based on the principle the students will be motivated to learn is the materials used in the class are personally meaningful. It is aiming at helping the students to understand better their behavior alongside creating a classroom environment that is positive, having the ability to activate learning desires. The instructor who is establishing an atmosphere that is humanistic within the class is expressing interest that is genuine in every learner alongside guiding the students into the right actions. The learners are having more opportunities of discussing their views, feelings, problems in an open manner within a school environment that is humanistic thereby increasing happiness and motivation to the students (Grote, 2016, p. 1329).

The Philosophical Approach to learning

A philosophical approach of realism is used for this pilot curriculum towards shaping the design of the curriculum. Generally, Realism is based on that fact reality is what you one is observing. This philosophical approach is believing that people only sense and observe something that is truthful and that goodness is found in order of natural laws. It is practical education philosophy; thus, this new curriculum will be teaching reality as well as facts that are in the field of education. The realistic approach is entailing three questions; what is the reality? What is good? As well as what are the facts? This approach is discussing the fundamental knowledge, value, as well as philosophies of education. This new pilot curriculum is going to be used on a plan that is more realistic alongside emphasizing in critical reasons with the help of experiments and observations. The approaches encourage lecture methods alongside other teaching methods of learning. It will be crucial in furnishing the cognitive strength of the students preparing them for future life (Grote, 2016, p. 1330).

The psychological, motivational approach

The best approach to learning that will be used in this pilot curriculum is the cognitive-behavioral approach to remediate behavioral deficits alongside problems as the students will be provided with necessary tools that they can use to control their behavior. This approach is involving the teaching of the use of inner speech towards modifying cognitions that are underlying, having impacts on the students. The cognitive behavioral approach is incorporating motive, behavioral, cognitive as developmental strategies. This is line with the help of role plays, modeling, using rewards as well as self-evaluation towards remediating social behavior and student’s deficit. Cognition of the students regarding social situations that are encountered in the class can be modified alongside being examined via self-regulation approach, which is provided by this approach. The method is a student-operated system, therefore, will be allowing the students to have their newly learned behavior generalized by themselves in a better manner compared to systems that rely on punishments and external awards (Adams, 2015, p. 153).

Cultural influence and its integration in the school district

Forces, as a result of various cultures, are having a significant impact on the way students participate in learning. As a result of religion, we can identify understand the differences within the learners alongside enabling use to come with the best curriculum strategies and modifications. Differences in culture in students should be carefully put into consideration so that the teachers do to make assumptions that are based on the cultural background of the students. The transformational approach is one of the cultural influencings that is significantly impacting the school district. The method is aiming at changing how students understand themselves and anybody within the classroom setting alongside being able to be involved in the external contribution to the outside world. STEAM education will be emphasizing on the curriculum that is transforming teaching alongside instilling changes in educators and learners. Primary methods are used to have transformational approach integrated. For instance, provision of mastery and modeling experiences of the members of faculty, establishing the vision of the course, intellectual improvement alongside encouraging and challenging learners, feedback and attention personalization, creation of less of experiments as well as encouraging reflection alongside reflection within the learners (AHN, 2017, p. 99). The transformational approach can be adequately integrated by creating experiences that are constructive within the class with the teacher’s role being preparing and transmitting information to the learners as the students are supposed to receive, store as well put the information into action (AHN, 2017, p. 102).

Strategies Using Bloom’s Taxonomy into the Planned Curriculum

Bloom’s Taxonomy is providing a basic framework for the educators towards aligning their activity with a specific process of cognitive development level. Bloom’s Taxonomy is useful to the teacher regarding the design of task performance, developing questions for the students alongside provide feedbacks regarding the work of the students. To have critical thinking incorporated to all students in Gold Elementary School in the curriculum that is planned by the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy of cognitive objectives, I will be developing goals and strategies of learning that will be applied by the teachers in the classes. First, the students will be in groups while performing scientific experiments after which they will be required to recite the activities to have their memory and knowledge tested  (“Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives,” n.d.). This will enable the students to recall the activities that they learn in previous classes regarding answer, facts as well as concepts and terms. The strategy will be useful in promoting recognition, remembering, as well as memorization of learning activities (Adams, 2015, p. 153).

The second strategy involves grouping the learner in different pairs whereby every par is required to think of words describing a particular object which will be followed by asking them to write the descriptions. This strategy is useful as the students can demonstrate an understanding of ideas and facts through comparing, organizing, describing, translating, stating as well as interpreting the major conceptual ideas. Thirdly, a strategy that is involving the giving of exercises to the students asking them to give the difference between various disciplines will be used. This strategy is useful in enabling the students to examine as well as break the information into multiple parts through identifying the causes, making inferences alongside supporting their answers with evidence. Similarly, a fourth strategy of giving the students a project that is requiring them to design homework problem that is original and is dealing with a topic that is specified. The strategy is useful in enabling the learners to compile information in various techniques through element combinations into patterns that are new towards solving the problem. It is enhancing the learning of students as well as the ability to resolve the issues and student’s critical thinking (Adams, 2015, p. 152).

References

Adams, N. E., (2015). Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning objectives. Journal of the Medical Library Association: JMLA, 103(3), 152-153.

AHN, J., (2017). Implications of Art & Culture Area Student-Designed Major to Art & Culture Curriculum. Society for Art Education of Korea, 63, 99-113.

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. (n.d.). Retrieved from

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

Grote, T., (2016). James F. Keenan (2015), University Ethics: How Universities Can Build and Benefit from a Culture of Ethics. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 19(5), 1329-1330.

Mannathoko, M. C., & Mamvuto, A. (2018). Teaching the Arts in the Primary School Curriculum: What Strategies Imbue the Integrative Arts Subjects? Studies in Art Education, 59(2), 145-158.

McNeil, J., & Thompson, A. (n.d.). Enhancing Curriculum in a First-Year Introduction to Engineering Course to Assist Students in Choice of Major. 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings.

Voogt, J., Laferrière, T., Breuleux, A., Itow, R. C., Hickey, D. T., & McKenney, S. (2015). Collaborative design as a form of professional development. Instructional Science, 43(2), 259-282.