Educational standards and Curriculum
Educational standards refer to learning goals indicating what learners should be able to know and do at each educational grade. Curriculum, on the other hand, refers to the outline of content to be taught in a given subject to enable learners to meet the required content standards. There exist several differences between the two. Standards are learning goals, so in simple, they are expectations. Curriculum, however, involves detailed instructions to teach learners the learning goals found in the standards. Secondly, the curriculum involves activities such as assessments; lessons and units. Standards, however, are just statements. Third, standards are the content that is to be learned by the end of the learning year. Curriculum is however a more detailed plan showing day to day teaching.
Standards are of great importance when it comes to guiding curriculum development. Different states and education systems have their specific set of standards specifying what the learners are needed to know at given levels. With these expectations in place curriculum developers are easily able to come up with the content to be covered in each subject. Standards also come in handy in lesson plan preparation. This is because they indicate the concepts that should be covered over the year. This helps teachers greatly as they are able to know the extent to which they should plan their work. The work is then divided equally within the stipulated time per day starting with the easiest content going to the more complex work.
Instructional planning is whereby the teacher uses appropriate curriculum, resources and data while planning. The major purpose of instructional planning is to address the diverse student needs. With planning weak students, quick learners and even the students with learning disabilities are all catered for. Additionally, planning helps a teacher as they are able to evaluate their knowledge on a given topic. In case there is a place that is unclear the teacher can take necessary steps to acquire the knowledge before the lesson. It also makes the teacher more confident as they are clear on what’s to be done and their laws therefore flow smoothly.
The teacher’s role in curriculum process cannot be underestimated. This is because they are responsible for introducing the curriculum in classrooms as well as outside. They play a central role as they help students develop an engaged relationship with the content. Through the learning process guided by the teacher focus and retention of the curriculum is achieved.
Individualization focuses on individual student’s needs. This form of teaching focus on one need at a time and is very specific. It gives the learner a chance to learn at their own pace with the teacher being there to give direction. He provides the learners with variety of ways in which to approach learning therefore increasing desire and excitement in the learning process. Individualization is very helpful especially to weak students who would normally not be successful in a typical learning environment. With this method they are able to achieve the set objectives successfully.
Pre assessment tests are usually taken before a new unit is introduced. This is to find out what the learners already know as well as find out the areas they need more instruction on. Post assessments on the other hand are given after instruction has been passed to learners so as to evaluate how well the content was delivered to students. The teacher is also able to evaluate their teaching methods and their suitability. The two are influential on instructional strategies since they measure the amount of learning that a learner has acquired in a given subject.