Organizing the Curriculum

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Organizing the curriculum

Training Module

Organizing the curriculum

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Introduction

The organization of teaching curricula for multigrade teaching, is a crucial parameter for providing adequate qualitative education. Usually, teachers are supposed to implement the graded curriculum designed for monograde education. There is no provision for the case of multigrade classrooms and professional support does not exist. In addition, when teachers apply multigrade teaching strategies such as different forms of grouping or self directed learning etc. they have again to modify graded curriculum practice in order to meet their students’ needs. This document aims at providing general guidelines on how to modify curricula and how to organise teaching in multigrade classes so as to become a more effective teacher in your multigrade class.

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Theoretical Background

Multigrade classrooms represent flexible classroom formations. This characteristic, flexibility, is the key factor for effective classroom and curriculum organization. There is no golden rule on how to transform graded curriculum into something that is applicable in the multigrade classroom. This process of curriculum transformation and adaptation to the non graded structure of the multigrade class is depended on several factors. The ways of grouping and the nature of students groups as well as the school condition and resources influence in a significant degree the manner that curricula are transformed. You should feel free to be flexible when reorganising the curriculum to take into account the certain teaching and learning conditions in your class. Moreover look forward to take others’ teachers opinions and advice or consult with parents and specialists in case of students with special needs.

In most of the countries, teachers are not guided on adapting curriculum and let to apply the single graded curriculum in multigrade classes. This causes a series of problems (BirchI. and Lally M.) since single graded curriculum is:

-not designed for multigrade settings

-places heavier work load on multigrade teachers

-impedes the capacity of the multigrade teachers, given the lack of facilities and problems of management at the local level, and

-does not take into account the time constraints that govern multigrade teaching

The reorganization of curriculum should be focused on overcoming the above problems. The first step for doing so is to try to identify the minimum learning competencies that it is necessary to be achieved by children of each grade. The table below gives the sequence of steps for reorganizing curriculum.

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Suggestions for further study

The Multigrade classroom, A resource for small Rural Schools, NRWEL, Book 4: Instructional Organization, Curriculum and Evaluation

Birch I. And Lally M., Multigrade teaching in primary schools, Asia-Pacific Centre of Educational Innovation and Development, UNESCO

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Suggestions for good practice and activities

Within the framework of this work you are going to be involved in some activities that will provide you valuable information when you are trying to adjust graded educational curricula to cover the specific needs of your students. The approach of the activities prescribed here has been kept generic in purpose so as to be applicable in all cases of multigrade practice, irrespectively to curricula or countries of implementation. When planning to reorganise curriculum to safeguard good multigrade practice one should consider a procedure that includes the stages presented at the table below (Birch I. and Lally M.).

An alternative way to interpret the meaning of the above table is by utilising the approach that is presented at the NRWEL, Book 4 (see “suggestions for further study” section) where curriculum can be reorganised by considering four key elements: goals, resources, activities, and assessment. In a more simple approach these elements can be transformed in four simple questions that teachers should ask themselves:

-What do students need to know?

-How will I help them learn it?

-What resources will I use?

-How will I know if students have learned it?

Organizing the curriculum

Steps on reorganizing single graded curriculum for multigrade teaching

What do students need to know?

The starting point for determining what students need to know is to determine what students already know. The best way to achieve this is through direct assessment. Interviews with students are a good starting point. In addition you can design activities for the classroom and observe how students working on this and interacting with each other. Existing student records and the use of assessment tools like tests or questionnaires contribute a lot in this procedure. The combined use of all the above will reveal the cognitive and ability level of students in you class.

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1. Study the student records of you class and interview them in person. Use assessment tools if you consider it necessary. Remember you are trying to answer the question “What students already know?”

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2. Develop new, informal student records utilising the evidence you have recorded before.

NOTE: If the number of students in you class is high, then select only a part of them with 5 to 10 students to implement the activities of these modules. The above is proposed to overcome time limitation problems during the implementation of activities. However we recommend for future action to implement activities to the whole class when it is possible.

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3. Proceed with the first two steps of the table presented above. The goal is to identify the minimum learning competencies that students should have according to the graded system and their age.

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4. Compare the “minimum learning competencies” file with the evidence of the student records you have developed. Try to identify what knowledge and skills students do not have. Update your student records with this information. This will help you to design learning activities according to the specific needs of your students.

How will I help them learn it?

Planning for instruction in the multigrade classroom environment is by definition a very demanding task. It depends on several factors like student competencies, resources, the number of students, the configuration of the classroom and the existence of any external teaching support etc.

In this section we consider that you are aware with this details that affect teaching and learning outcomes, so our point of reference to initiate instruction planning derives from the learning competencies of your students.

What resources will I use?

All classroom resources should be considered when designing the activities. It is strongly recommended to utilise ICT resources available since they provide the perfect test bench for developing grouping activities and multi level tasks.

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5. Based on the updated student records try to think of learning activities that will meet the needs of the individuals and the approach of the “minimum learning competencies”. Proceed with the third and forth steps of the “Organising the curriculum” table. It is suggested that you should set up mixed aged grouping activities for the students since it can serve an overall monitoring of students’ progress and involvement with the activities.

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6. Develop special modules and worksheets for students if necessary.

-Materials should be based in the “minimum learning competencies” approach

-Materials should be take into account the findings presented at the student records

-Material and learning activities should take into account the special educational needs of students with special needs

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7. Describe in general the way you decided to work and the philosophy of the activities you designed.

How will I know if the students have learned?

There various methods to proceed with evaluation of what students have learned and teachers are aware with many of them. The main focus of this module is evaluating what students have learned. The idea is to present the method of re organising curriculum, you are free to use any assessment tool that are at your disposal to proceed to this kind of evaluation.

However in terms of evaluating mainly the curriculum reorganisation method and aspects of students learning and attitude to the method in an indirect way, proceed with activity number 9.

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9. For each lesson fill in the “lesson plan & evaluation” form that follows.

-Try to be clear and give adequate information on the lesson. It is preferable to fill the form electronically using your computer and send it back to your national training supervisor via e-mail.

-Respect the format of it, it will be used for evaluation purposes

PROJECT MUSE

TEACHERS TRAINING LESSON PLAN& EVALUATION

Lessons’ Title:

Grade: Date:.

Other grades Present:

Subject:

Teaching Chapters of the Curriculum:

Teaching Targets:

Expected Results:

Required Time and Teaching Time table (for all grades):

Required Educational Material (books, notes, worksheets etc.):

Required Equipment (ICT, lab equipment etc.):

Required Software:

Use of Internet and Links:

Description of the subject to be taught:

Prerequisite knowledge of students:

Implementation Scenario:

Steps to teaching of the subject:

EVALUATION DATA

Evaluation of students: (1 to 5)

General Feeling of the class

Did any specific problems occur during the lesson?

Would you consider it as successful?

Do you have any definite proposals for the improvement of teaching?

General / Other comments?

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