CURRICULUM MATERIAL

1. MODULE8 LESSON 2B
THE FINAL ACTION FOR A CURRICULUMMATERIAL: A
CELEBRATION
FILSANI P. BROBO
OBJECTIVES
By the endof thismodule,learnersshouldbe able to:
a. describe the 7 Rs of QualityCurriculumMaterial;
b. value the 7 Rs of QualityCurriculumMaterial;and
c. evaluate asample CurriculumMaterial.
OVERVIEW
As discussed in earlier modules and in the simplest terms, curriculumis a description of what, why and
howstudentsshould learn.The objective of curriculumistoprovide studentswiththe knowledge,skills,
valuesandattitudestobe successful intheirlives(Stabback,2011).Withsuch impact,itisimportantthen
to create a validandqualitycurriculummaterial. Curriculummaterialsare educational resourcesthatare
essential tothe instructional andresearchneeds,notonly of the students butalso,of the faculty;since it
provide curriculum and instructional experiences.
LEAD IN
YadulasUniversityadministratorssee toitthatteachersare able toteach forunderstandingandmust
be able to identifythe bigideasof theirsubject.Itisalsoimportanttohave theirinstructorsknow what
theyreallywantedtheirstudentstounderstandandmusttherefore engagethe learnersinactively
buildingpersonal understandingandare able toprovide meaningful feedbackonlearningasithappens.
How can teachersof YadulasUniversity create acurriculummaterial thatcatersto these needs?What
criteriashouldbe usedtoensure thatthe createdcurriculummaterial isa qualitycurriculummaterial?
CONTENT FOCUS
The 7Rs of Quality Curriculum Material
Rich in Thinking
A qualitycurriculumasksmore of studentsthanjustmemorizationandreplication.Studentsmust
make connections, observe closely, ask questions, form conjectures, identify points of view,
consideralternatives,evaluateoutcomes,make evidence-basedjudgments,andsoon (Ritchhart,
2007). It is then vital for teachers to be able to know what and where their students’ thinking is
in a lesson and is therefore essential to ask important questions. One of the most important
questions teacherscanaskis,“What isthe thinkingstudentswilldoastheyprogressthroughthis
activity?” Furthermore, to assess students’ developing understanding, educators have to find
ways to uncover and make the thinking of students’ visible, which leads to the next point.

2. Revealing
A quality curriculum must constantly seek not only to reveal what it is that students do and do
not understand, but how they understandit. This is the holy grail of ongoing assessment, which
is not a separate piece of the enacted curriculum but part and parcel of it.
Students do lots of work over the course of a unit, but how does it reveal what theydo and do
not understand? Completionof a worksheetmighttell youa studentpossessesasetof facts or
mastered a skill, but it generally revealslittle about understanding. Understanding goes beyond
the possession of skills and knowledge to the use of that skills and knowledge. For example,
solvingforx inthe equationy = 3x + 15 is a simple applicationof skill,butdescribinga situation
for which that equation could be a possible model requires understanding the mathematics
behind the equation.
A curriculum of understanding also should reveal students’ naïve conceptions of a topic. In a
coverage curriculum, these get glossed over, leading to fragile knowledge and what Howard
Gardnerhasdubbedthe “unschooledmind.” However,inteachingforunderstanding,effortmust
be made to reveal these early so that they can be explored and addressed.
Rewarding
When you walk into a classroom where studentsare deeply engagedwith learning, you know it
right away.There is a sense of purpose to the work theyare doing.They know what theyare on
about.Studentscanarticulate whattheyare learningandwhy. Thisgoesbeyondactivityandfun.
Their efforts feel directed toward a well-defined learning goal. Talk, discussion, and debate
advance progresstowardthatgoal.Buildingunderstandinggoesbeyondworkingforthe grade.It
has its own intrinsic rewards through a sense of efficacy, accomplishment, and relevance.
The written curriculum seldom addresses the issue of intrinsic rewards, but the enacted
curriculum must if it is to engage students in building understanding. Good teachers know this,
butcurriculaoftenlosessightof it.Ratherthanprescribingalistof knowledgeandskillsthatmight
be useful atsome laterdate,insome otherplace,forsome otherpurpose,the curriculumshould
do all it can to situate learning in the present, learning for now as David Perkins calls it.
Reflective
As a learner,itcan be challengingtoknow whatone reallythinksorunderstands.Itisevenmore
difficulttoknowwhatothersreallyunderstandorwhere theyare intheirlearning.Reflectioncan
helpaddressthese challenges.Reflectiononone’slearning—notone’sfeelingsaboutanactivity
or experience but on the actual learning itself— helps to anchor understanding and facilitates
connection making.
For example,responsestothe prompt“Iusedtothink….Butnow Ithink….”canreveal alotabout
students’ learning. Such reflections help make one’s thinking visible to oneself and others by
revealingthoughtprocessesandlinesof reasoning.Reflection onlearningforcesustoreconsider
the purposes of that learning and situate it within an ongoing process of developing
understanding.

3. CONCLUSION
Curriculummustalwaysreflectthe aimsandvisionsof educationinacountry. Curriculumisthe heart of
educationanditis a specific,tangible subjectthatisalwaystiedtodecisionmakingwithinthe
institution. Also,the pedagogical practicesmustdance well withthe dictatesof the curriculum.
(Paraphrase) Inusingcurriculumasa tool to improve education,we needtothinkbeyondthe
traditional divisionof curriculumandinstructionandfocus onthe enactedcurriculum.The SevenRsof
QualityCurriculumbyRonRitchhart, outlinedhere canbe a useful tool forthatdiscussionandinthe
creationof a curriculumof understanding.
REFERENCES
"GuidelinesforCurriculumMaterialsCenters",AmericanLibraryAssociation,August29,2006.
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/guidelinescurriculum(AccessedApril 02,2018)
DocumentID: ee1003c5-2e0b-8444-d9d9-ac31e5d4e64f
Ritchhart,Ron.(2007). The SevenR’sof a QualityCurriculum.Retrievedfrom
www.ronritchhart.com/Papers_files/The%20Seven%20Rs%20reprint%20V3.pdf
Stabback, P., Male, B., Georgescu,D. (November2011). What Makes A Good QualitySchool Curriculum?
Retrievedfrom www.academia.edu/3008064/What_makes_a_good_quality_school_curriculum

4. ANSWERKEY
1.D2.D3.A4.C5.A6.C7.C8.D9.B10.B
MULTIPLECHOICETEST
Choose the letterof the bestanswer.
1. A curriculumissaidto be reflective if:
a. It allowsRickytomake choices
b. It inspiredDanieltostudymore
c. It allowsJeff tohave a higherlevelof
understandingandthinking
d. It allowsJamestorespondto“I usedto
think…butnow I think”prompt
2. A curriculummaterial thatreplicatesthe
activitiesforateacher.
a. Rigorous c. Revealing
b. Reflective d. Real
3. Sandra isable to share clearlythe resultsof
hergroup activityinScience class.Thisis
indicative of:
a. a well-definedlearninggoal reflective of
the students'effort
b. allowingthemtothinkabout one's
learningnotonlyaboutfeelings
c. an understandingtoengage inreal life
activities
d. givingopportunitiestomake appropriate
choices
4. Mr. Jeffersonisacurricularist.He isable to
establishacurriculumthatseekstoshow
whatthe studentsdo anddo not
understand,andhowstudentsunderstand
it.The curriculumisof what quality?
a. Rigorous c. Revealing
b. Reflective d. Real
5. The momentMr. Esmeñastartedhisclass.
He carriedout a curriculumthatdevelop
higherorderthinkingskills,decision-making
and deepunderstanding.Mr.Esmeñais
exercisingwhatqualityof curriculum?
a. Rigorous c. Revealing
b. Reflective d. Real
6. Mr. Ammanimplementsacurriculumthat is
of “RequiresIndependence”quality.What
couldthisindicate?
a. It inspiresJoel tostudymore
b. It revealsNiño'slevelof understanding
c. It allowsRafael tomake choices
d. It allowsJeff tothinkmore andmemorize
less
7. Duringthe start of the class,the instructor
toldhisstudentstoread the materialsthrice
if theywant topass the subject.Thisis
indicative of whatR’squalityof curriculum?
a. Real c. Rigorous
b. Revealing d. Reflective
8. Everythingistrue aboutthe Rigorous quality
of curriculum, except:
a. it requires tohave a higherlevelof
understandingandthinking
b. itpointsthe directionforlearning
c. it askshow activitieslaunchlearning
d. itmakesstudentstoreveal theirlevelof
understanding
9. Rob wasnot onlyable tosolve forx ina
givenequationbutwasable todescribe a
situationwhere itcanbe applied.Thisis
indicative of whatqualityof curriculum?
a. Reflective c. Real
b. Revealing d. Rigorous
10. Which isthe truestdescriptionfora
curriculumwitha “RequiresIndependence”
quality?
a. the learnersmustnecessarilybe able to
spotoccasionsfor the use of theirskills
b. the curriculummustbe filledwith
opportunitiesforstudentstomake choices
c. the learnersshouldhave alotof
schoolworktohave a lotof opportunities
d. the learnersshouldbe able tocomplete a
worksheets