Steven M. Weber (August 2010) www.k12curriculumdevelopment.

com

Five Barriers to Curriculum Development

Curriculum development is a rewarding process which enables teachers to have professional conversations about the intended and taught curriculum. In addition to supporting student achievement, curriculum development provides educators with the opportunity to discuss what is essential at other grade levels and in other courses. My personal experiences with curriculum development and observing the work of teacher teams in other school systems has led me to identify five barriers to curriculum development. With proper planning, scheduling and support from school administrators, each of these barriers can be removed.

Five Barriers to Curriculum Development 1. Time 2. Process 3. Tradition 4. Competition 5. Motivation

Time The number one concern expressed by teachers and building administrators is a lack of time. In order to develop and revise curriculum, teachers will need time allocated for professional conversations. If teachers have traditionally worked in isolation, they will not be able to immediately come to consensus. Teachers and administrators frequently say, I wish students had these skills before they entered middle school. When it comes to curriculum development, for many educators, there is a gap between the compass and the clock between whats deeply important to us and the way we spend our time (Covey, Merrill & Merrill, 1994, p. 16). Administrators must create time for teachers to engage in purposeful work, rather than asking teachers to meet in teams on an annual basis to develop and revise curriculum during the summer. 1

Steven M. Weber (August 2010) www.k12curriculumdevelopment.com

Process

Too often, curriculum development committees focus on completing the product and deemphasize the process. In defense of teachers, most teachers complete the product because school administrators have given them a short timeline for creating and implementing the curriculum (see barrier number one). This occurs on a frequent basis in low-performing schools where there is an urgency to get results, or as Mike Schmokers book is titled, Results Now! According to author Tom Morris (2002), too many people dream of the results of success and ignore the process (p. 63). When educators participate in curriculum development efforts, they often focus on completing their curriculum map, rather than reflecting on how instruction could be differentiated or identifying gaps in the written, taught and tested curriculum. When educators work together to unpack state and national standards, they often complete the task of unpacking and then look for next years school or district initiative. It is important to note that a clear focus on aligning the curriculum and communicating decisions across buildings will create a more intentional delivery in each classroom. Curriculum development is a process, not a product to develop and check off on the School Improvement Plan.

Tradition A barrier to determining what matters most is a reliance on tradition, or the way we have always operated. According to English (2000), Curriculum design and delivery face one fundamental problem in schools. When the door is shut and nobody else is around, the classroom teacher can select and teach just about any curriculum he or she decides is appropriate (p. 1). Unless there is a clear vision for the purpose of curriculum development, teachers will focus on what they know and what they are comfortable sharing. Curriculum meetings become a show and tell, rather than a search for what

Steven M. Weber (August 2010) www.k12curriculumdevelopment.com students need to know, understand and be able to do.

In an effort to respect traditions, while removing this barrier, I recommend that educators begin the curriculum development process with an orientation by unwrapping the standards. One of the best books available on this topic is Unwrapping the Standards: A Simple Process to Make Standards Manageable. This process will help teachers focus on key concepts, key skills and enduring understandings. I cannot overemphasize the need to begin with unpacking, rather than allowing teachers to work in teams, at their respective schools, identifying favorite activities, lesson plans, and vendor products.

When there is a lack of focus on the process, teachers tend to focus on completing the product. Time honored traditions are worth keeping if they support student achievement. One of problems with curriculum development efforts is that several time honored traditions are serving as a barrier to quality curriculum development.

Competition

If teachers have never been asked to focus on the curriculum with teachers at other grade levels or with teachers in other schools across the school system, then the lack of norms will be an immediate barrier. The good news is that this barrier can be easily removed by requiring each team to establish a set of team norms. DuFour, DuFour, Eaker and Many (2006), addressed the need for team norms (See chapter five). Team norms allow teachers to engage in professional conversations and crucial conversations regarding curriculum, instruction and student achievement. The following resources will support teachers as they begin the curriculum development process. Teams will face conflict and sometimes conflict can make a curriculum document or the team members stronger (See article by Patrick Lencioni). However, competition among four fifth grade teachers and a different curriculum in each fifth grade classroom is a barrier to the curriculum development process and student achievement.

Steven M. Weber (August 2010) www.k12curriculumdevelopment.com

Suggested Resources: Team Norms Survey All Things PLC Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni

Motivation

School leaders should monitor what matters most. In most schools, teachers are praised for End-of-Grade high stakes assessment scores. It is rare that a principal or superintendent praises teachers for their outstanding curriculum development or curriculum alignment. Teachers learn what matters and they assume that teaching to the test is more important than reflecting on student understandings and misunderstandings. It is difficult to remain motivated if curriculum development is a flavor-of-the month initiative. It is essential that educators maintain a dialogue about the purpose and goals of education, while avoiding the temptation to settle for a view of success based on highstakes testing (Gunzenhauser, 2003). Educators must develop a mindset of This is what we are here for. This is how we do it. This is the time span in which we do it. This is who is accountable. This is, in other words, the work for which we are responsible (Drucker, 1990, p. 142). Conclusion All learners benefit from and should receive instruction that reflects clarity about purposes and priorities of content (Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006, p. 6). If educators believe this statement is true, then barriers to curriculum development must be removed. We cannot allow time, process, tradition, competition, or motivation to interfere with the learning process and student understanding.

Steven M. Weber (August 2010) www.k12curriculumdevelopment.com If curriculum development drives the work of teacher teams, then schools must create time for teachers to collaborate, engage in conflict and provide a process for reflection and revision. Curriculum development should be a priority in schools, rather than something that is handed to teachers as a top-down product. When teachers collaborate to develop the curriculum, they will have co-workers who support them when they come to a fork in the road in instruction. As we begin the 2010-2011 school year, which barriers does your school need to remove?

References

http://www.allthingsplc.info/ All Things PLC Team Norms Survey. Retrieved August 2, 2010 from http://www.allthingsplc.info/pdf/tools/SurveyOnTeamNorms.pdf

Ainsworth, L. (2003). Unwrapping the standards: A simple process to make standards manageable. Englewood, CO: Lead and Learn Press.

Covey, S.R., Merrill, A.R., & Merrill, R.R. (1994). First things first. New York: Simon & Schuster.

DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2006). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Drucker, P.F. (1990). Managing the nonprofit organization: Principles and Practices. New York, Harper Collins Publishers.

English, F.W. (2000). Deciding what to teach and test: Developing, aligning, and auditing the curriculum. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Steven M. Weber (August 2010) www.k12curriculumdevelopment.com Gunzenhauser, M.G. (2003). High-stakes testing and the default philosophy of education. Theory into Practice, 42, 51-58.

Hale, J.A. (2008). A guide to curriculum mapping: Planning, implementing, and sustaining the process. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Lencioni, P. (2007). Conquer team dysfunctions. Lafayette, CA: The Table Group, Inc. Retrieved March 13, 2009, from http://www.tablegroup.com/books/dysfunctions/Conquer%20Team%20Dysfunction.pdf. Morris, T. (2002). The art of achievement: Mastering the 7 Cs of success in business and life. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McNeel Publishing.

Muhammad, A. (2009). Transforming school culture: How to overcome staff division. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

Reeves, D. (2005). Putting it all together: Standards, assessment, and accountability in successful professional learning communities. In DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & DuFour, R. (Eds.), On common ground: The power of professional learning communities (pp. 45-63). Bloomington, IN: National Education Service.

Schmoker, M. (2006). Results now: How we can achieve unprecedented improvements in teaching and learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Tomlinson, C.A., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction and understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Steven M. Weber (August 2010) www.k12curriculumdevelopment.com

Waters, J. T., Marzano, R. J., & McNulty, B. A. (2003). Balanced leadership: What 30 years of research tells us about the effect of leadership on student achievement. Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.