Beyond Curriculum Design: 5 Questions School Teams Should Ask 

Steven WeberBlog, Lead Better, Reflect Better

TL;DR:

  • Educators must reflect on what an empowered learner looks like and how to design learning experiences.
  • 5 questions school teams should ask include: What are the priorities for this course? What is the ratio of compliance/contribution in my school or classroom? Do we have a culturally responsive curriculum? What is the hidden curriculum? How will we measure student understanding?

Curriculum design teams ask, “What should every student know and be able to do?”  This question supports educators in identifying the key skills and concepts that should be taught.  Some school teams focus on covering the curriculum and may primarily focus on lesson planning.  Wiggins and McTighe shared ‘transfer’ is the ultimate goal, not teaching.  “A key goal of school learning is fluent and flexible transfer – successful use of one’s knowledge and skill, on worthy tasks, in situations of importance” (Wiggins and McTighe, 2007, p. 113).  Teacher teams meet on a weekly basis, but are they asking the right questions?  

Multiple factors impact a student’s K-12 experience.  Educators must reflect on what an empowered learner looks like and how to design learning experiences.  A quality curriculum should guide the conversations in a school.  Schools should prepare students for success at the next grade level and beyond high school. 

The hidden curriculum, ironically, may be the most overlooked curriculum in schools. Rarely do teacher teams pause and ask, 'What is the hidden curriculum in our school?' Click To Tweet

Once teachers have determined the written curriculum there are five powerful questions school teams should ask.

Question #1: What Are the Priorities for This Course?

  • A common error is to simply cover the standards or curriculum.
  • All standards and skills are not created equal.
  • At each grade level and course, specific skills and concepts are critically important.  Has your school team determined the priorities for this week, unit, quarter, semester, and year?  What matters most?
  • Is each teacher left to determine the priorities?

If the goal is to set each student up for success at the next grade level or course, then teacher teams must be clear regarding what matters most.  “The job is not to hope and assume that optimal learning will occur, based on our curriculum and initial teaching” (Wiggins and McTighe, 2007, p. 55).  Do teachers have a clear understanding of the curriculum priorities?  

Reeves recommended school teams address the following considerations:

  • Endurance – Do students need to know the standard beyond this class?
  • Leverage – Is this standard something that crosses more than one curricular area?
  • Readiness – Is this standard a prerequisite for future learning? (Reeves, 2002).

Question #2: What Is the Ratio of Compliance vs. Contribution in My Classroom/School?

As a first year teacher, my principal gave me a set of the state standards for elementary schools.  I was asked to design standards-based lessons.  Simply designing standards-based lessons or creating an educational experience does not mean that students have the opportunity to contribute.  “The more self-directed students are, the more likely they are to take creative risks.  The more likely they are to increase self-efficacy.  To own the entire creative process – from asking questions and ideating to revising work and engaging in research—you have to be empowered” (Spencer, 2020). 

Action Steps for Teacher Teams

Focus on ‘learner agency’ in your school. “Learners must have a belief that their behaviour and their approach to learning will make a difference for them in their learning context – in other words, a personal sense of agency” (Wenmoth, 2014).

  • Empower students to pursue deeper learning with ‘authentic tasks.’
  • Develop learning goals where every student does not have to complete the assignment using the same tool, answer(s), or strategies.
  • Emphasize student strengths and allow students to own their learning vs. a cookie-cutter assignment.
  • Create more opportunities for students to ask questions, rather than answering the teacher’s questions (only).
  • Incorporate reflection into the assignment.  Some teachers are in such a hurry to finish the unit or stay on track with the district’s pacing guide that reflection is overlooked.
  • Allow students to make revisions, start over, and revise their work.
  • Make project-based learning part of the curriculum, rather than something students do once a quarter.
  • Share rubrics and exemplar projects so students can self-assess and establish goals for future learning.
  • Put students in the driver’s seat (active learning vs. passive learning).

Question #3: Do We Have a ‘Culturally Responsive Curriculum?’

“Cultural responsiveness is not a practice; it’s what informs our practice so we can make better teaching choices for eliciting, engaging, motivating, supporting, and expanding the intellectual capacity of ALL our students” (Hammond, 2015).

Key Considerations for School Teams

  • Do students see themselves reflected in the materials, assignments, and class conversations?
  • Are students required to ignore their family traditions, culture, language, and strengths to participate in the class?
  • Do some students appear to be disengaged and uninterested in class?
  • When you engage in conversations about current events, make certain to maintain a neutral stance and allow students to share their own views and opinions.
  • Do educators view culturally responsive teaching as an event or a day of the year? (i.e., Martin Luther King Day, Hispanic American Heritage Month, or Women’s History Month)
  • Student Voice – Do you allow students to share their perspectives or is the textbook the primary perspective shared?
  • Have you conducted a materials audit? (Note: This will also be addressed later in this article – see ‘Hidden Curriculum’).

Question #4: What is the ‘Hidden Curriculum?’

The ‘hidden curriculum’ is the unintended curriculum.  “It defines what students learn from the physical environment, the policies, and the procedures of the school” (Glatthorn & Jailall, 2009, p. 110).  Most teachers and administrators don’t recognize the hidden curriculum because it is “the way we do business.”  There are messages in every school that interfere with the written curriculum. 

The ‘hidden curriculum’ includes:

  • Hallway displays
  • Assignments
  • Morning announcements
  • Bulletin boards
  • Curriculum that is omitted
  • Materials
  • Grading practices
  • Field trips
  • Teacher-to-student comments and instruction
  • Homework assignments 
  • Teacher feedback
  • School rules
  • Classroom library 
  • Selection of students for leadership positions

Upon further reflection, the hidden curriculum is not invisible.  Students learn from the written and implemented curriculum.  They also learn from what is not taught.  If a school has athletic trophies in a trophy case in the school lobby, it may send a message that athletes are valued more than academics or non-athletes.  If students feel like some teachers do not see them or value their perspectives, then it is part of the hidden curriculum. 

Curriculum design teams can create a written curriculum and adopt materials aligned to the standards, but there are many other lessons learned during a school year.  The hidden curriculum, ironically, may be the most overlooked curriculum in schools.  Rarely do teacher teams pause and ask, “What is the hidden curriculum in our school?”

Questions for School Teams:

  1. What are the hidden messages students receive in our school?
  2. How do the hidden messages interfere with the intended curriculum?
  3. What can teachers and administrators do to correct unintended messages?
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Question #5: How Will We Measure Student Understanding? 

Wendy’s aired a classic commercial (1984) where the main character repeatedly asked, “Where’s the Beef?”  Simply teaching the curriculum is much different than asking each student, “Where’s the Beef?”  What evidence will students show to demonstrate their understanding? 

When teachers co-plan how to measure student understanding it can lead to a deeper understanding of key skills and instructional strategies.  Teacher teams can develop common formative assessments, common rubrics, writing prompts, or project-based learning to measure student understanding.  One error that school teams make is focusing on the written curriculum and lesson planning.  Little or no time is devoted to determining how to measure student understanding. 

Measuring Understanding

“If understanding is a worthy educational goal, then educators need clarity about its meaning.  What is understanding?  How would we know that a student really understands?”  (McTighe and Seif, 2004).

  • To demonstrate understanding, students must _______________.
  • We can assess student understanding throughout the lesson by _______________.
  • One way to assess student understanding of the key skills without using a traditional test is _______________.
  • Student transfer will be evident when _______________.
  • Because we believe in maximizing student understanding, we are committed to _______________.

References

Glatthorn, A. A., & Jailall, J. M. S. (2009). The principal as curriculum leader: shaping what is taught and tested. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif., Corwin Press.

Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Corwin. 

McTighe, J., & Seif, E. (2004). You can teach for meaning. Educational Leadership, 62(1), 26-31. 

Reeves, D. (2002). The leader’s guide to standards: A blueprint for educational equity and excellence. Jossey-Bass.

Spencer, J. (2020). Turn & talk / John Spencer on the shift to student empowerment. ASCD. Retrieved from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/john-spencer-on-the-shift-to-student-empowerment 

Wendy’s. (1984). Commercial. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/1FZNYXKHwNw 

Wenmoth, D. (2014). Learner agency. Retrieved from https://core-ed.org/en_NZ/free-resources/ten-trends/2014-ten-trends/learner-agency/

Wiggins, G., & McTIghe, J. (2007). Schooling by design: Mission, action, and achievement. ASCD. 

About Steven Weber

Dr. Steven Weber is a curriculum leader. He has served on multiple state and national boards. His areas of research include curriculum design, multiplying leaders, professional learning, and school leadership.