Diseño Curricular

CHAPTER 1

What Is Rigorous Curriculum Design?

Before defining curriculum design in terms of rigor, let’s first start with a fundamental definition of the general term, curriculum. There are varying definitions, all useful for providing an important foundational understanding of the term. Among them are the following: According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, the origin of the wordcurriculum is from the Latin curricle, meaning “course, racing chariot,” and currere, “to run.” Loosely interpreted, a curriculum is a course to be run. Peter Oliva (2005) defines curriculum as: A number of plans, in written form and of varying scope, that delineate the desired learning experiences. The curriculum, therefore, may be a unit, a course, a sequence of courses, the school’s entireprogram of studies . . . (p. 7). W. James Popham offers two related explanations of curriculum: By curriculum, I mean the outcomes that educators hope to achieve with their students. The three most common kinds of outcomes sought are students’ acquisition of cognitive skills, bodies of knowledge, and their affect (such as particular attitudes, interests, or values) (2003b, pp. 16–17). In thistime-honored definition, a curriculum represents educational ends. Educators hope, of course, that such ends will be attained as a consequence of instructional activities which serve as the means of promoting the curricular ends (2004, p. 30). Douglas B. Reeves (2001) writes: An effective standards-based curriculum is planned “with the end in mind.” The selection of a standards-based curriculum impliesfocus, discernment, and the clear exclusion of many things that are now in textbooks, lesson plans, and curricula (p. 13).
3

4

RIGOROUS CURRICULUM DESIGN

Apart from these clear and compatible definitions of the word, many broad synonyms for curriculum, often used interchangeably, include: standards, lesson plans, textbooks, scope and sequence, learning activities, and prescribed courses ofstudy provided by the state, province, district, school division, or professional content area organizations. The result is a rather nebulous understanding of the term whenever educators use it in dialogues and discussions. For purposes of this book, I am defining curriculum as the high-quality delivery system for ensuring that all students achieve the desired end—the attainment of theirdesignated grade- or course-specific standards. My vision for designing such a curriculum is founded upon the intentional alignment between standards, instruction, and assessment.

The Current Need to Update and Redesign Curricula
School systems have been working hard over the past several years to get the means for achieving this desired end firmly in place and accepted within their professionalculture. These “means” include, but are not limited to, the effective use of standards, differentiated instructional practices, formative assessments, and corresponding data analysis. Today, educators and leaders are well aware of the need to update and redesign their existing curricula to provide stronger links between curricula and the many professional best practices being implemented. Not only havecurricula not kept pace with the updated versions of state or provincial standards and assessments, often the established curricula are reflective of only the more traditional components: • A general listing of content and performance standards (student learning outcomes or objectives) for each content area • A yearlong scope and sequence of what to teach and in what order • A pacing calendar ofwhen to teach it and how long to take in doing so • A list of related learning activities • A suggestion of assessments to use • A list of required or recommended materials and resources All of these traditional components are, of course, necessary to retain, but they need to be further clarified. In addition, other important components should be added. We must broaden our view of what we want...