how do school systems choose course content

by Horacio Osinski 5 min read

What should the content of a course be like?

As the content is what you will study for at least three years, it should be interesting to you. It should challenge your existing knowledge and advance your potential understanding. It should teach you new skills and hone those you already have.

Should students have a say in their course content?

It should teach you new skills and hone those you already have. It should teach you to think, whether that’s about a practical skill or a philosophical concept. It should motivate you and inspire you – to work and want to work. But does this mean that students should have a say in their course content?

What is school management system and how does it work?

The school management system connects schools and parents directly. It informs the parents about their children’s development and learning progress without having to wait until the end of the semester or the occasional parents’ conference. This information is available at any time, from the students’ performance to their ongoing projects.

How to make your eLearning course more interactive?

Including audio presentations or even background music can enable you to offer a more interactive and engaging learning experience. Learners become more immersed within the eLearning course if you customize it by adding in audio elements, such as company music, background sounds that are relevant to the content itself, and audio-based scenarios.

How do schools decide what class to put you in?

The principal considers staff input, parent requests, academic achievement, the school's demographics, instructional teaching styles and school tradition to arrive at the ultimate determination of the next year's classes.

Who decides what textbooks are used in schools?

States use one of two methods to select the textbooks used in their schools. Thirty states allow local agencies or schools to choose textbooks. A total of 20 states and three territories—known as textbook adoption states— choose at the state level what textbooks can be used.

What determines the content of a lesson?

The three components that you should include in a lesson plan to ensure that it's solid and effective are: Learning objectives. Activities. Tools to check for understanding.

How do you select the content in curriculum?

Seven Criteria for the Selection of Subject Matter or Content of the CurriculumSelf-sufficiency. ... Significance. ... Validity. ... Interest. ... Utility. ... Learnability. ... Feasibility.

How textbooks are chosen -- and who makes the decisions?

The state board's selection process can take as long as a year. First, the board adopts a framework for each discipline, which states the goals, minimum standards and content that must be covered in each course. Then a committee of volunteers is appointed to review and select the textbooks.

How are books chosen for school libraries?

The books in classroom libraries fall under selection and reconsideration of curriculum materials in a district policy.

Why do we select content in curriculum design?

The subject matter or content is significant if it is selected and organized for the development of learning activities, skills, processes, and attitude. It also develops the three domains of learning namely the cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills, and considers the cultural aspects of the learners.

What is content in curriculum?

Curriculum content simply means the totality of what is to be taught in a school system. The content component of teaching learning situation refers to the important facts, principles and concepts to be taught.

Why is it important for teachers to consider content?

To teach all students according to today's standards, teachers need to understand subject matter deeply and flexibly so they can help students create useful cognitive maps, relate one idea to another, and address misconceptions. Teachers need to see how ideas connect across fields and to everyday life.

How is the content organized in the curriculum framework?

A curriculum framework is an organized plan or set of standards or learning outcomes that defines the content to be learned in terms of clear, definable standards of what the student should know and be able to do. A curriculum framework is part of an outcome-based education or standards based education reform design.

How would you select and organize content?

The key idea is to name, in a word or two, the major topics or concepts for your course, then try to visually place them on the page. You can use a hierarchical approach or put the concept in the centre of the page and work out from there.

What are the 5 basic principles of curriculum content?

According to Palma in 1992, in organizing the learning contents, the curriculum organizer must take into consideration the principles on balance, articulation, sequence, integration, continuity.

What should schools teach students?

Beyond agreeing that schools should teach students the basics of reading, writing, math, history, science, and citizenship; there is very little agreement about what should be included in school curricula.

What is school curriculum?

School curriculum refers to a particular set of courses that a school or governing body designates, but may also refer to a variety of activities designed to foster education and meet the needs of a learning community. Whether you are a student seeking to understand your curriculum options, or a teacher looking to create curriculum standards, ...

What is curriculum in education?

From a legal perspective, curriculum issues focus on two areas: 1) the range of courses or instructional programs available to students; and 2) the aggregate of activities, materials, procedures, and instructional aids used in the instructional program.

What is curriculum decision making?

Curriculum Decisionmaking. Each school district has its own process for developing curriculums. However, the curriculums increasingly subject school administrators and boards of education to scrutiny and criticism from parents and organizations that have their own idea of what should be part of the school curriculum.

What are some examples of curriculum items that would be prohibited?

Examples of curriculum items that would be prohibited include material that includes; political advocacy. bias or prejudice.

When were the national education goals established?

The National Education Goals were established in 1989 and 1994. The goals created a framework for improving student achievement and refocusing the objectives of education. At the same time, the goals left specific tactics to state and local governments and to schools.

Is there a national curriculum for school districts?

At present, there is no national curriculum that all school districts are required to teach.

How should curriculum choice be done?

First, findings from both teacher trainees and their lecturers agree that ideally curriculum choice for teacher education should be done through participatory approach with all eligible stakeholders such as students, former student teachers, and parents involved. Student teachers emphasized the need of incorporating the needs of students, whereas teacher educators focused on making curriculum to be an answer to collective needs of society, of the country. This finding is basically in tandem with extant literature by curriculum and development scholars that curriculum choice should be based on the needs of society and should be collectively chosen. 1, 53, 54 However, according to students, the problem is that the youth are sidelined on the curriculum that is meant for them making curriculum content and methodology missing the views of the beneficiaries of the curriculum. For students, the solution is to change the approach by making the students as key stakeholders in curriculum developments and reviews. 55 A similar study by Carey also established the critical importance of involving students in curriculum development and concluded that there should be a revision of the culture and processes of university curriculum and decision making by increasing student participation. 56 One notable difference between the perspectives of students and lecturers is that students emphasized the need to incorporate the needs of students into the curriculum, whereas lecturers focused more on basing the curricula on the needs of society. On another observation, HODs (lecturers) while agreeing that curricular choice should be done through participatory and consultative processes, they said that the main hindrances are lack of funding and negligence of the general public to participate actively in the curricula that affect them. These hindrances were said to be made worse due to lack of political will and limited participation of the private sector in providing resources for curricular activities. For instance, the general public was accused of keeping quiet when dealing with education planning and yet they keep complaining about education standards. From these views, it is evident that both students and lecturers agree with the view that curriculum choice needs to be collectively chosen by the public 57 but that there are factors that need to be addressed if the public is to make meaningful gains from their education and the education of future generations. 58 For curriculum to gain the trust and confidence of the people, therefore, the findings suggest that adequate resources must be availed for the development of curricula for teacher education. Otherwise, teacher education curriculum and education at large is the one that prepares the future of nations and hence requiring enough resources. Lack of such investment in education planning would imply failing to prepare for the future generations of society. 59 If we take the philosophical trajectory of liberative educationists like Paulo Freire, the challenges hindering participation in curriculum choice and review should therefore be strongly challenged through dialogical praxis by the general public so that education is designed to optimally serve the core interest of the general public. 51, 60

Why are curriculum reviews not as regular as required?

On the same choice of courses, one HOD observed that because of lack of funding, curriculum reviews are not as regular as required and so there are staff members who teach the old same things and they give the same old notes to students.

Why is curriculum change so difficult?

The other finding was that curriculum change, through curricular reviews, is difficult because of poor of funding. For instance, 2 lecturers concurred that lack of regular reviews has seen some university lecturers teach the same courses in the same way they taught long time ago. They said that this has a risk of reproducing graduates who are living behind their time and generation as they may be learning what is outdated. Few studies have assessed context problems where universities teach outdated information 72 and this problem therefore needs proper checking mechanisms which may involve students’ participation in curricular development and reviews.

What is the main finding from student teachers?

The main finding from student teachers was that curriculum choice for teacher education should be done for the primary interest of the teacher trainees themselves and then second for the big vision that a country wants to achieve through education.

What is the indifferent attitude of the public to activities about the public curriculum?

Using Marxist perspectives, it is possible that the indifferent attitude of the public to activities about the public curriculum is a product of class education which has made society accept that others, not themselves, should be responsible for the education of their society.

Should comprehensive studies be periodically done?

Finally, comprehensive studies should be periodically done to establish which courses in teacher education curriculum really help students to become good teachers. The case of reviewing courses taught in university institutions should not be limited to teacher education because this problem appears universal.

Aesthetics & Design

One of the most important goals that almost every school or school district has when looking for a new content management system is to have a beautiful website that is representative of the school itself.

Ease-of-Use

We live in a time when technology is being used to simplify the way we do things. Because of that, one of the major goals that many schools and districts have when looking into a new content management system is that it’s easy to use.

Accessibility

No two parents or guardians are the same, and it’s important that your school’s content management system is built with that in mind. Fortunately, Edlio’s websites are designed with ADA adherence in mind, specifically WCAG 2.1 level AA guidelines, helping ensure that your website is accessible to everyone.

Social Media

Parents use a variety of different channels to stay up-to-date with their child’s school. For many, this means paying close attention to their school’s social media. It can be stressful for a web administrator to have to worry about logging into a variety of different social channels.

Support & Training

Moving to a new CMS can be a big undertaking. Whether it’s initial onboarding or ongoing support, it’s important that your school feels like they have an expert to turn to when they have questions or technical problems.

What is LMS in education?

An LMS is a robust piece of software that provides an online portal for classrooms, serving administrative functions for educators and allowing students to view assignments, grades, and learning materials . Some can be used to deliver entire courses.

Who runs the Learning Technology Initiative?

The initiative, which is run by the U.S. Department of Defense, is charged with prototyping and testing the latest learning technologies. “Sometimes you may get more bells and whistles with more money, but you may not need more bells and whistles,” Murray says.

Is LMS the glue?

For Los Angeles, which is moving to implement a new LMS in part because of its new mobile learning initiative, as well as the shift to common-core standards, the LMS is “the glue” that holds together a variety of functions, Sparangis says. The system will have to integrate human-resources systems, the student-information system, the curriculum, ...

Should you go overboard when selecting multimedia?

With that being said, you shouldn't go overboard when selecting your multimedia. Keep in mind that the multimedia you use should accentuate your core content and improve learners’ retention, but it shouldn't be the proverbial “star of the show”. Choose images that are copyright free and relevant to the content.

Can you use audio in eLearning?

It's not recommended to use audio all throughout your eLearning course though, as this can become destructive for the learners. For example, you won't want to narrate your entire eLearning course word-for-word.If you're looking for free music sites that offer high quality audio for your eLearning course, the ultimate list ...

What is the importance of school management system?

11953. A school management system has become an essential need for every school to operate. No doubt. It holds so many crucial functions to ensure that the school management runs smoothly. The teachers, staff, and other external parties can collaborate easily through a centralized platform. It doesn’t stop there.

How does the paper based exam system help teachers?

However, if teachers prefer the traditional paper-based exams, the system can help them by keeping the students’ grade records. Then, they can generate and calculate students’ performance throughout the semester. Teachers can immediately post the results to be viewed by the students and their parents.

Why is school management important?

The school management system is important because it streamlines school administration with its robust features. If you are still looking for a system that can fit your school’s operations well, you can get a free demo for the school management system from HashMicro to see how our system works.

What is the beginning of the semester?

The beginning of the semester is often perceived as one of the most daunting periods for school. They need to process hundreds to thousands of student’s applications. Thankfully, the system helps schools to get rid of such chaos by implementing an online admission system.

How does school management benefit teachers?

Not only benefiting teachers, but the school management also improves HR staff’s workflow efficiency. They can keep track of other staff’s attendance, leaves, performance, and salary calculation without a hassle. Therefore, they can focus more on ensuring teachers’ welfare, improving all staff performance , and develop better hiring decisions.

Can prospective students access documents after graduation?

Later on, once the students are accepted, their personal data and documents they uploaded are kept on the system. They can always access it, even after their graduation.

What is student standards?

student standards that make up one or more learning unit/part of instruction in the grading cycle. the suggested order for teaching the content and skills. the recommended number of lessons and amount of time for instruction.

What is a scope and sequence?

The Scope and Sequence document provides a brief outline of the standards and a recommended teaching order for a particular course/grade-level. A course/grade-level Scope and Sequence document outlines for each grading cycle three crucial learning criteria: 1 student standards that make up one or more learning unit/part of instruction in the grading cycle 2 the suggested order for teaching the content and skills 3 the recommended number of lessons and amount of time for instruction.

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Aesthetics & Design

  • One of the most important goals that almost every school or school district has when looking for a new content management system is to have a beautiful website that is representative of the school itself. Depending on what type of school you are and your budget, you may have slightly different goals in mind when thinking about your website’s design...
See more on edlio.com

Ease-Of-Use

  • We live in a time when technology is being used to simplify the way we do things. Because of that, one of the major goals that many schools and districts have when looking into a new content management system is that it’s easy to use. 1) “I want the staff in my school to be able to create their own teacher pages without having coding experience.” Solution: If you can use email, you c…
See more on edlio.com

Accessibility

  • No two parents or guardians are the same, and it’s important that your school’s content management system is built with that in mind. Fortunately, Edlio’s websites are designed with ADA adherence in mind, specifically WCAG 2.1 level AA guidelines, helping ensure that your website is accessible to everyone. Our easy-to-use tools help you and your staff make sure your …
See more on edlio.com

Google/365 Integration

  • In today’s day and age, many of us heavily rely on online calendars and apps to keep ourselves organized and on top of our schedules. The Edlio CMS saves you time by integrating with the Google and Microsoft 365 tools your community already uses. 1) “I want to keep my Google Calendar.” Solution: Whether your school or district uses Google or Microsoft 365, Edlio is fully i…
See more on edlio.com

Social Media

  • Parents use a variety of different channels to stay up-to-date with their child’s school. For many, this means paying close attention to their school’s social media. It can be stressful for a web administrator to have to worry about logging into a variety of different social channels. Edlio’s content management systems can help you maintain an active social presence while simplifyin…
See more on edlio.com

Support & Training

  • Moving to a new CMS can be a big undertaking. Whether it’s initial onboarding or ongoing support, it’s important that your school feels like they have an expert to turn to when they have questions or technical problems. 1) “I want to be updated when there are new features available for my school’s CMS” Solution: Edlio’s monthly newsletters and webinar trainings help our customers st…
See more on edlio.com