Kimberly response 1

Out of the curriculum orientations mentioned within the lecture, I would say that three of the four that best align with my views on teaching and learning. Those curriculum orientations are traditional, process, and experientialist.

I would say that the traditional curriculum orientation is what I am most used to. This is, because it was the curriculum orientation that my former teachers aligned their lessons to. We focused on content as priority with the fact that students in Mississippi are to pass the Subject Area Test before graduating. The content was structured and aligned to where they built on one another for easy understanding. A lot of teachers practice this curriculum orientation and sort of automatically navigate towards it as they are provided standards to instruct their class.

Procedural curriculum orientation is common to traditional curriculum orientation. This orientation focuses on the process of the content. It gives students the conceptual understanding of why things are assessed the way that they are. I think this one is most effective as it provides context and understanding of each standard, objective, resource, etc. Students are able to ask “how” and “why” about what they have learned, instead of being instructed on how to do things.

Experientialist curriculum orientation is one of my favorites. This allows the students to be hands-on and connected to the Big World Idea. The Big World Idea allows students to understand how they can use the acquired skills throughout their lives. This makes it more meaningful and engages the children to learn and listen as these are skills that they may use. Students are taught to be analytical in their thought process.

As a student of a Christian school, I admire the requirements of including a scripture with the learnings of education. If give education and teachings a purpose and it helps connect to students on a spiritual level. However, I, personally, am not a teacher who follows the Christian curriculum orientation. In public schools, educators are not to influence students to follow a particular religion. As an educator, we are not supposed to even assume what religion the student affiliates themselves with. However, I continue to teach my students with this scripture in mind, Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Devondra Response 2

The curriculum orientation that best aligned with my views of teaching and learning is the traditional method. Of course as a Christian I will implement Christian principals into the instruction of my students, but after examining each of the orientations the traditional method is best aligned with my views. As an English I teacher, my role is to prepare my students for English II and to hopefully pass the state test with a Level 3 or higher. I believe that aligning my instruction to this orientation best prepares my students for future success in English II. Perhaps as I advance in my teaching career I can bridge to other orientations.

With the traditional curriculum orientation, I will build upon the content knowledge from the standards taught in the 8th grade. For students who are behind I will have access to data from the previous year to have a prescribed/structured plan for these students to receive the proper interventions. The teaching strategies I will utilize will mimic the strategies used by the English II teacher in order to attempt to build a foundation of success. With regards to the role from the teacher to the learner, it is my responsibility to ensure that the formula curriculum becomes an effective operational curriculum for my students.

The passages from Psalm 19, Matthew 22, and Matthew 28 can have several applications, but I believe these passages resonate with my view of the traditional curriculum orientation. From knowledge being mentioned in Psalm 19:2, to loving our neighbors as ourselves in Matthew 22:39, to making disciples of all nations in Matthew 28, I see a common theme of passing knowledge on to others. Out of the three passages, I believe Matthew 28:18-20 is the most meaningful to me. To make disicples means to pass on what we know to others so they can do the same. Again, I don’t think any of the curriculum orientations are better than the other, but the traditional one is the best for me at this time.

Shalonda Jackson response 3

· Which curriculum orientation best aligns with your views on teaching and learning? Articulate your beliefs related to standards, content, teaching strategies, and the role of the teacher and learner. Support beliefs with Scripture.

The curriculum orientation that is close to my views is the taught, assessed, and learned curriculum. I believe that students can learn more by being taught content and asses them by giving them the chance to explain or interpret what they learned in some form of a project. Example Set 3 under Organizing Centers, is the closest to how I would plan this out. Students explore the habit of mind, “wonderment and awe”, and how it affects the way people see the world (Lalor 2018). This approach to teaching allows students to learn while exploring the arts and sciences. Art in certain ways shows a peek into someone’s interpretation of the world around them. It is fascinating to teach others ways to interpret what they see and explain it in their words and thoughts. In Matthew 28:18-20, which reads, Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Holy Bible, NIV). This scripture speaks to me by saying that you should learn from your teacher. Use what they teach you and apply it to your own thinking and interpret what you know to teach it to others. Some teachers may do this in the form of book reports or similar to what was done in the example, selecting or create visual art to explain how they grasped the content. I believe that this strategy of teaching is exciting. It gives me and the student a new way of learning that may have an impact.