Curriculum Development and School District Management
Education is the procedure of enabling people to acquire knowledge, skills, abilities, learning attitudes, values, and behaviors, through formal processes and informal learning. Educational methods may include training, teaching, collaborative learning, storytelling, discussion, experimentation and applied research. Learning results are assessed by various forms of measurement including test scores, school grades and achievement tests. Educational systems may be structured on individual educational goals or as part of wider systemic goals for reducing poverty, promoting equity in education, increasing social participation and promoting student well-being.
Informal education is non-formal, practical education that arises through the interaction of people in a specific situation rather than from a textbook or classroom. Informal education can be categorized into two types: direct and informal learning. In a direct learning process, information is presented to students about a certain topic through the direct observation of the teacher and discussions between the student and other students. In an informal education, the students are given various materials to read and engage in conversation. Materials for informal education may include handouts, stories, games, audio and video materials, puzzles and activities. Informal education aims at promoting quality learning by maximizing the involvement of students in the subject matter, by removing barriers to learning and by building upon the basic principles of distributed control and management.
With the increase in the number of students coming out of higher education institutions, curriculum, teaching procedures and teaching techniques are frequently changing. Some find this change to be disconcerting. They have no prior experience in educating themselves and they have no idea on how to go about adopting the new curriculum. In fact, there is already a difference between traditional and non-traditional methods of teaching. Traditional teachers used to instruct their students primarily in the four primary subjects (English, math, science and English literature); they also taught them about history, geography, humanities, and physical sciences. Non-formal education on the other hand, is characterized by a mix of informal teaching techniques and traditional teaching methods.
The role of classroom teaching positions in curriculum development is important because it determines the content, nature, and focus of any educational program. In most schools, a curriculum is developed by professionals who have academic degrees such as teachers or academics. Curriculum development projects involve careful evaluation of the resources available, the best ways to integrate technology and learning within the school structure, and the selection of suitable instructional materials. The project usually involves developing a vision statement or a description of what the school should become; this will become the core curriculum of the school.
The development of curriculum models is dependent on the evaluation of different factors such as technology, current conditions, practical needs, student interests and other relevant factors. There are many education leaders that recognize the need for educators to utilize both hands-on and online teaching and learning experiences. There are also those education leaders who believe that a mixture of classroom teaching positions can adequately fulfill the instructional needs for today’s learners. To achieve success, these education leaders seek for innovative solutions that can enhance both online and face-to-face teaching and learning experiences.
Every school is required to develop its own unique curriculum. This is done according to state-specific guidelines that set forth standards-based education plans. The development of these plans involves evaluating the skills and knowledge of teachers, determining student interests and learning objectives, selecting the type of technology that will be used in instruction, determining the content and frequency of lessons, determining the role of students, designing teaching methods and creating a learning environment that can foster learning and retention. In recent years, the public school system has developed its own set of educational practices and procedures known as the Common Core Standards for Mathematics, Science, and Reading. The United States Department of Education, or EDI, which is part of the Department of Education, states that all schools must follow the standards-based education plans that were developed by the federal government.