Curriculum: Planning in the Unplanned Time

Roy Moffitt
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The process of designing a curriculum can be a major undertaking with so many
considerations to weave into your lesson plans. A curriculum is an all-encompassing word that
represents all aspects in the delivery of education and also the encapsulating environment that is
education. For example, What is a curriculum? What makes a good curriculum? What is the
key to a successful curriculum? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines curriculum as
follows:
curriculum
noun \-lm\
: the courses that are taught by a school, college, etc.


According to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary , the word curriculum is the
332nd most looked up word in the dictionary (Curriculum - Definition and More from the Free
Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d.). Somehow my thoughts are that its popularity is not only
for the search of its definition, but for the spelling, having missed spelled it a few times myself.
My impulse on reading this definition is to say it is wrong. The physical lesson plan to deliver
an educational concept is so much more than a course taught by a school. This poses the
question: what is a curriculum? Also, what considerations and concepts must be taken into
consideration when crafting a curriculum?

What is a curriculum?
Pratt (1980, p. 162) in Curriculum Objectives and Development defined curriculum as follows:
1. Is intentions or plans
2. Not activities but plans, or a blueprint for activities
3. Contains many kinds of intentions (e.g., learnings [behavior, skills, knowledge] means of
evaluation, criteria for admission, materials to be used, schedules, etc.)
4. Does not include random, unplanned, or non-learning activities
5. Articulates the relationship among objectives, content, evaluation, etc., integrating them
into a unified and coherent whole (system).
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This is definition is getting better, however, I think there could still be further clarification. For
example, in the first item, intentions over plans, helps describe the uncertainty. An intention as
in this is what the current intent is as this current moment in time. This adds some fluidity to the
design as time goes on in the curriculum. The word plan is too restrictive as is the word
blueprint used in Pratts number two. To use this language implies that the curriculum must be
followed step by step with no deviations. This seems unrealistic as a curriculum could be
conceived before evaluating a current students knowledge and misconceptions. A blueprint
works when building a house with a known set of materials. A classroom does not operate this
way; the students are different year to year and sometimes from moment to moment.
Curriculums must allow flexibility in its design to be successful. If learning an educational topic
is approached like building a house from a blueprint, I fear that when the delivery of the
curriculum is completed the entire structure could collapse if the day the main support beam was
installed did not go as planned.
Pratts number four states a
curriculum does not include random,
unplanned, or non-learning activities. This is
just one of the situations that relates back to
my title of this paper. A curriculum does not
include these random events, but it must plan
for them. Unplanned learning or non-learning
events are destined to interrupt the delivery of a curriculum. Therefore, the first unplanned time
a curriculum must plan for are the interruptions, such as school wide activities to snow days.
The curriculum must have a solid foundation and handle interruptions in its delivery. When all
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are back on the educational job site, the students and teacher can easily pick back up where they
left off.
I think the definition of a curriculum by Beane (1995, p. 170) helps clarify curriculum in
the most successful way by thinking of it in terms of experiences, not written plans. Beane lists a
curriculum as follows:
1. The experiences young people have under the schools guidance
2. What students make of those experiences
3. In a sense what they take away from their time in school

The Power of Experiences in Planned Unplanned Time
Beyond making the curriculum withstand interrupted delivery, the planning for the
unplanned paradox comes into play in each lesson. In the classroom, including the science
classroom, one method to achieve a powerful learning experience is with an inquiry based,
problem-solving approach. During problem solving, individual experiences and the group
thought processes are freely allowed to occur within a scheduled block of time. That time can be
considered planned unplanned time. Each student group is given a block of time to solve a
challenge, problem solve, and present their answer. This block of time is not an algorithmic
step-by-step instruction given by the teacher for the students to follow. What happens in this
block of time differs per student. It is possible that every group will be approaching the task
differently. It is also possible that not all students will solve the presented problem at hand, but
all will have had free time to experientially learn about the topic at hand.
Friedl and Koontz (2001) presented an example of this inquiry-based learning by
presenting students with a discrepant event. A discrepant event is one that stirs great curiosity in
the observer such as something observed that might be against the norm that causes disbelief in
the students, leaving them with the want to know why, or how does that work? When strong
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motivation of why exists, a good foundation is set for an inquiry-based block of unplanned
time. The student will conduct their own investigation following their own intrinsic motivation
(Friedl & Koontz, 2001).

Weaving in the Unplanned Time into the Big Five Curriculum Themes
A powerful learning experience with an inquiry based, problem-solving approach can be
best delivered using all five models of curriculum; (1) constructivist, (2) democratic, (3)
coherent, (4) post-modern, and (5) authentic. All can stand successfully on their own, but
educational delivery works best when they are weaved together in one successful tapestry.

The Coherent Curriculum
I like to think of the coherent curriculum as one
that has the teacher showing the whole picture of
the puzzle so a student can bring and put the
pieces of the puzzles together on their own. The
coherence will remove the question of why are
we doing this? In the coherent curriculum, the
goal is to connect with childrens current experiences so they can make their own meaning. This
can be done in those planned unplanned times. Learning experiences occurring in a classroom
can be connected to another classroom, as coherence is cross disciplines. Coherence extends
beyond the walls of the school into the world the students live. The students worldview creates
a broad picture where each student can place the pieces of the puzzle in the place that makes the
most sense to their thought processes. An example of this in science teaching might be water
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quality, erosion, drought, and water borne diseases. These subjects can then be applied to the
swimming brook down the road to water quality and quantity issues facing countries from
around world that may be of current topic in social studies.

The Democratic Curriculum
I see a democratic curriculum and classroom as
one where the students work with the teacher to
create the classroom environment that works best
for all. Outside the classroom students can work
with the community, business leaders, parents, students, and teachers, all working together as
citizens for change in the local community. Community driven change can often be brought
into the science classroom community with environmental themes or concerns that can be found
within that community. This can extend outside the classroom into a realm of planned unplanned
time. An example could be that after learning of trout decline in a local brook, students work
with the town to plant shading trees on a town brook property. Students could then work with
state wildlife to raise trout themselves, soliciting local business to sponsoring any needed
supplies.

The Authentic curriculum
An authentic curriculum is a spontaneous curriculum driven
by an interest from a student or group of students. Planning
for the unplanned time is a requirement for weaving in the
authentic curriculum. I would have to use ideas from
students and give the students the ability and time to work with their interests. This could turn
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into a momentary sidetrack to answer a question or a longer student driven project. An
exaggerated example could be as follows: a blue bird hits the classroom window and causes
student investigation on how to prevent birds from hitting the classroom window. The class
finds that the birds are endangered. This would lead to the question of why. This in turn could
progress to the creation of a bluebird house project, which could then turn into a democratic
opportunity. Situations such as these take an artists hand for planning for the unplanned.

The Constructivist Curriculum
I like to think of the constructivist curriculum as the
non-trivial pursuit curriculum, a curriculum that
does not simply throw a word bank at students and
expect them to memorize those words and definitions. As a teacher,
I need to help students to internalize and reshape, or transform, new
information and also rethink prior understandings. As a teacher
create experiential learning opportunities to create a deep
understanding verses being trained to repeat procedures and information. Though it can be
humorous, I do not necessarily like to be imitated. I need to plan the unplanned time in order to
allow students the power to construct their own understanding of concepts, by both building on
and rethinking prior understandings.
Brooks and Brooks (1999) in The case for constructivist classrooms, gives an example of
the way children learn about the ocean. First, at the youngest age a child realizes the ocean water
tastes different than a pool. Later in the school, the student continues to cycle to subject from
deeper understanding of tides, then to how tides occur, then to currents, and finally to wildlife.
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For every student in this classroom, this additional learning and building off of past experiences
will differ. The important thing is to have the planned unplanned time allowed for it to happen.

The Postmodern Curriculum
In postmodern curriculum, I see the planned
unplanned time occurring in the curriculum, as the
learning is to occur in an open-ended development
rather than in a set time frame of need-to-know
information. Weaving in the postmodern curriculum allows for a natural flow of development
created from inquiry and creativity. As a facilitator verses a teacher dictating step-by-step
instructions, time is available for students to find personal meaning and relevance, and time for
both the teacher and student to learn by reflection. I cannot simply plan and schedule one block
of time for this to occur but instead, must allow for flexibly and room for it to occur.

Embedded and Active Assessment
Trying to account for the paradox of planning for the unplanned time while weaving in
all five types of curriculum will increase the success in the delivery and the learning goals. This
brings to question: what is success and what are its measurements? The goals of the curriculum
are clearly stated; having students gain an in-depth understanding of stated topics would
certainly be a reason to celebrate success. To wait until the end of the unit to measure for
measuring success with a summative assessment would be a set-up for failure, not only for
myself as a teacher, but also for my students. Assessment must be actively happening in a
formative manner throughout the unit. The unit itself is a construction of knowledge. I need to
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take pause to assess daily progress. As if I were building a house, I need to see if the walls of the
house are being properly built in place. If I dont examine this, then things will likely be
disastrous by the time I go and try to put the roof on. I must not fall into the trap in what
Wiggins (as cited in Beane, 1995) called the educators egocentric fallacy, I taught it so they
must have learned(p. 104). Formative assessment must always be actively in place. Thomas
(2013) best outlined some of these assessment approaches with his steps of aiming which leads
to framing followed by gaming, claiming and then exclaiming. This first step of aiming is to
work this formative assessment into the lesson planning (Thomas, 2013).
Keeping an ear on the students
developing understanding on the current learning
goals are imperative to success. However, what
about prior understandings and misconceptions?
In using the house analogy, the teacher must also
assess for current knowledge and
misconceptions prior to building the new
proposed house of knowledge. Therefore, the
current building site must be evaluated before construction of any new knowledge takes place.
Assessing prior knowledge is also another way to tackle my pedagogical fear of
assumptions. What I perceive as everyday knowledge is often not the case and I need to
remember this. I also need to remember what I learned in interviewing middle school students
on curriculum. One of students pet peeve of school was teaching stuff that they already know.
Assessing prior knowledge will help in avoiding these stumbling blocks. Working in written
anticipation guides and beginning exercises and discussion into the curriculum will help
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accomplish this goal. Pre-assessment is another one of the ways to planning for the unplanned
time in the curriculum as the level of current understanding of future students is not yet known.

Reflections in Creating a Month Long Curriculum
Working with all five types of curriculum and mixing in embedded assessment into a
month long curriculum on forces and interactions was tricky but manageable. Authentic is hard
to plan for, but allowing for the flexibility of a challenge board provides a route for this to
happen. A challenge board is when students are given many different ways to learn on a subject
so that the student may choose the item that best fits their interest. In this way, a student is given
the opportunity to choose to tackle a topic related to the curriculum learning goals or a topic in
their current world of interest. What may be authentic for one student would not necessarily be
true for another. The challenge board is a way to work in this flexibility.
In completing my month long curriculum I do ponder whether working in the five main
curriculum themes could be better. In reading Levys What is the ideal classroom, I have seen
how all the curriculum themes can masterfully come together. In Levys case an ideal classroom
is an empty one and then that classroom is designed and funded by the kids, unknowingly
utilizing all curriculum themes (Levy, 1996). This is a lofty goal, and I think to fully mirror this
case is not needed to be successful in the same scale. The idea of weaving all of themes in is not
always necessary, but successfully doing so can be rewarding for both the teacher and students.
One thing is clear in Levys starting from an empty classroom curriculum example, planning for
the unplanned time was important in allowing for success of this fluid curriculum example.

Learning by Convening
I found planning time for peer review before putting a curriculum into motion is
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worthwhile. In crafting my month long curriculum on forces and interactions, I was easily able
to state the learning goals as I was using a set of next generation standards. Even though the
standards are a predetermined grouping, I still had to make a judgment call on what I thought
was the most coherent order to present them. This question of coherence weighed on my mind
as I neared the completion of my curriculum. Coherence is not only on order of topics, but also
in the way I presented information for both the student and teacher. Did it all make sense to
anyone but me? The chance to have peer reviews of my curriculum in a convening session
helped answer this question.
I think one of the lessons that I learned in my convening session is less is more when it
comes to giving concise directions to students. By trying to give students directions on the
curriculums month long cumulating project, I simply gave too much information, too many
details. There was consensus in this feedback from those who reviewed my lesson. While
consensus is a good thing, split opinions are a bit tougher and I found myself wading through
many such comments. In this case, I simply had to follow my gut reaction on the individual
feedback. If an Oh Yeah moment occurred I paid attention and made the appropriate changes.
Oh yeah that would be a lot better the suggested way, are good moments that make the
convening session worthwhile for all those involved. The future classrooms that may use the
final curriculum product benefited from this additional curriculum developmental step.

Planning and Designing Curriculum in the Future
My last project of designing a month long curriculum for a partnering teacher has
benefits for future designing of my own classrooms curriculum. Two things made this project
hard: (1) not knowing personally the students who would be using this curriculum and (2) the
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task of designing for another teacher to use the curriculum versus me. This experience is likely
to have its benefits when I am the delivering teacher and for my future classroom. Lessons
learned will help in creating a more clear and concise lesson plan. My future curriculum will
strive to contain aspects from the five curriculum themes, embedded and formative assessment,
and I will continue to dance the paradox of planning for the unplanned time.

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References
Beane, J. A., & Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (1995). Toward a
coherent curriculum. Alexandria, VA.: ASCD.
Curriculum - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved
May 11, 2014, from http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/curriculum?show=0&t=1399819070
Friedl, A. E., & Koontz, T. Y. (2001). Teaching science to children: an inquiry approach.
Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Levy, S. (1996). Starting from scratch: one classroom builds its own curriculum. Portsmouth,
NH: Heinemann.
Thomas, L. R. (2013). Facilitating authentic learning, grades 6 - 12: a framework for student-
driven instruction. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.