Category: Curriculum

Importance of Planning

Curriculum change is one of the most important tasks in planning and optimizing the educational process in educational institutions. The effectiveness of teachers work, the assimilation of educational material by students, and the rational use of material resources depend on how well the schedule is compiled. All approaches to the issue of scheduling are based on heuristic methods that come to a person with work experience. It is problematic to formalize these methods since they are associated with the decision-making of the schedule-maker, who is guided by experience and intuition (Gordon et al., 2019). These requirements are different for each educational institution, but they are the curriculum change plan process is extremely important everywhere. This is due to the fact that it is a fundamental factor in the organization of the work of an educational institution.

The Bible points to the need for planning, including in the process of curriculum development, as it emphasizes the importance of the unambiguity of the taught material. The Apostle Paul admonished Timothy: Strive diligently to prove yourself in the eyes of God as a tried man, a worker who has nothing to be ashamed of, who, in expounding the word of truth, keeps to the straight path (KJV Holy Bible, 2022, 2 Timothy 2:15). The Greek word translated as try hard means to make efforts or direct attention. The students attention should be directed to a clearly formulated thought, which curriculum planning helps to structure.

In my opinion, planning is important for the curriculum change process, as it allows to determine the result and effectiveness of the educational work system. Planning performs the most important functions, without which the learning process becomes impossible. First of all, it is a predictive function that reflects the intent and presents the results through concrete actions. Moreover, planning has an organizational function, which reflects the means by which the activity is organized, indicates who is its object and subject, and the order of activity. In addition, planning has a control function: using the plan of educational work, the teacher can control the implementation of the tasks set and easily carry out activities according to the plan.

To develop the curriculum change plan, I take into account many criteria and limitations. Among them is the complexity of the discipline and the number of hours required for its study, and the classroom fund of the institution. I also consider the availability of equipment necessary for conducting classes, a certain load on students and an even distribution of the load for teachers, and other parameters. There are a lot of criteria for scheduling, and each of them has its own significance, so I try to take into account the maximum number of them.

Curriculum Influences

My elementary school teacher Mrs. Atkins, thanks to a high-quality schedule, has achieved a high level of students, as well as their trust. The structure of the lesson necessarily contained such a stage as updating knowledge and motivation. The lesson schedule corresponded to the curriculum in terms of the number of weekly lessons. A properly organized regime of students at school created the most favorable conditions for improving the quality of educational work, strengthening conscious discipline and strengthening the health of schoolchildren (Alfrey & Scott, 2021). The principle that I learned from her example is to place the most challenging topics in the middle of the day and school week in order to prevent the appearance of mental fatigue.

My middle school language teacher Mrs. Black also competently distributed the curriculum plan. The alternation of lessons of different content and different types has a serious impact on the level of fatigue of students during the school day (Velthuis et al., 2018). Despite the fact that my class had two language lessons in a row on one of the days, Mrs. Black alternated activities in the lesson to prevent the loss of interest of students. Thus, I took as an example that the lessons of two close subjects will cause fatigue faster if the activity on them is monotonous.

However, I regard the personal experience I received from Mrs. D.s language classes in high school as negative. The fact is that the organization of educational activities was irrational from the point of view of school hygiene and age physiology. It negatively affected the functional state of my body and my health. In addition, I was unable to maintain an optimal level of performance during the school day and school week. From the curriculum compiled by Mrs. D., I have learned that a powerful resource in the direction of the effectiveness of education is an optimally compiled lesson schedule with a gradation of classes of different complexity and different types.

It was the curriculum schedule at the university level that allowed me to master the curriculum effectively. Teacher Mrs. Blum has qualitatively adapted universal scheduling algorithms to the needs of a particular educational institution, taking into account the new working conditions of universities. The key areas of modernization of new opportunities for the implementation of educational programs are e-learning. Mrs. Blum was able to adapt the curriculum in the difficult conditions of distance education. Her experience showed me how to correctly create a curriculum taking into account the active use of distance learning technologies.

References

Alfrey, L., & OConnor, J. (2021). Transforming physical education: An analysis of context and resources that support curriculum transformation and enactment. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 6(1), 16-18.

Gordon, W. R., Taylor, R. T., & Oliva, P. F. (2019). Developing the curriculum: Improved outcomes through systems approaches. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson.

KJV Holy Bible (2022). New York, NY: Christian Art Publishers.

Velthuis, F., Varpio, L., Helmich, E., Dekker, H., Hanke, J., & Jaarsma, A. D. (2018). Navigating the complexities of undergraduate medical curriculum change: Change leaders perspectives. Academic Medicine, 93(10), 1503-1510.

Introduction

English Language Institute Curriculum is a curriculum that impacts English knowledge to students who are between grade 6 and 9. The students are grouped into levels based on their test scores and faculty evaluation( Peachy, 2008). This curriculum is divided into four levels namely; beginning, elementary, pre-Intermediate and intermediate. The beginner helps the students to have a clear understanding of normal expressions and simple texts. It also equips students with simple oral and written communication in order to provide and obtain information (Smith & Baber, 2005). It helps students formulate simple and basic sentences.

The elementary level allows the students to gain insight into essential information from a text. This text can either be oral or written and it focuses on topics that are familiar to learners. It equips students with the ability to write simple paragraphs on some common topics. It instills knowledge on comparatives and superlatives, countable and uncountable nouns, determiners and possessives (Peachy, 2008).

In the Pre-Intermediate stage students are taught how to make summaries of either oral or written texts. The students are well equipped with vocabularies that they can use in formal and informal daily communications (Smith & Baber, 2005). In Intermediate level students are taught how to construct long multiple paragraphs, how they can participate in long conversations, how they can listen attentively to long texts and make conclusions and come up with short speeches on a variety of topics.

Technologies used in ELI

Comics

Comics help in creating skills in analytical and critical thinking. It helps students in understanding the meaning, tone and intentions of a sentence. Comics can be created in several ways some of which are; Toondoo, makesbelifcomix, sketch cast among others (Peachy, 2008). The piston is essentially meant for educational purposes where teachers are allowed to create a class, add students and assign a project all within the Pixton platform. Also, students can be signed up without an email account (Fioravanti 2012). The comics can be downloaded, printed or shared online. Comics can be used to teach English since it imparts a better understanding of the concept as well as making it hard for the student to forget what was in the comic.

Digital Storytelling

This is where digital media is used. Students can tell stories of their choices via voice, texts, images, audio and video. There are a lot of tools that assist in the production of digital stories. Some are VoiceThread which allows users to upload documents or pictures and record an audio or video commentary. When incorporated in teaching, this will help students report on books they read, carry out debates, make comments on photographs and documents (Smith & Baber, 2005).

Essentially this will assist students in deciphering audio or video voices equipping them with both listening and speaking skills. In addition it hastens the understanding of English by providing students with a platform for research. With VoiceThread teachers and students can create virtual tours, report on books they have read, comment on historically significant photographs, debate a topic, and more. Its uniqueness lies in the ease in which audio commentary can be added to images and documents and the ability to add multiple commentaries to a single artifact (Fioravanti 2012).

Podcasts

A podcast is a downloadable audio file that one listens to. It is generally used in sharing music, ideas and other presentations. A teacher can record a lesson or students conversation and then use it as a homework assignment. From the conversation, the students will be required to answer some sets of questions basing on the excerpt from the podcast. Podcasts can be used by the students to discuss on whatever topics they have learned. This sharpens the listening and grammar skills of the students (Peachy, 2008).

Screencasts (Webcasts)

These are short video recordings of what is taking place on the screen of your desktop computer or laptop (Fioravanti, 2012). Screencasts on grammar can be created using screencast-o-Matic, Jing or Screen tools. They can then be installed on desktops or laptops. The students will then be taken through the grammar process by process. In case of any further clarification, a student can click on the text and he or she will be provided with more explanations. This assists in comprehending grammar and it makes it easy for students to have answers to their queries (Butler-Pascoe & Wiburg, 2003). In case students have computers at home, they can install the software and learn English during their free time away from school.

Multimedia Presentations

As suggested by Peachy, 2008 multimedia presentations can be developed and used in class to teach English. PowerPoint slides can be used in the presentation of grammatical guidelines. Students can also present their assignments in class using PowerPoint presentations. This will help the students in critical thinking on whatever they are presenting as well as assisting them in linking different ideas. It also equips them with presentation and communication skills which are vital in learning English (Butler-Pascoe & Wiburg, 2003).

Virtual Tours

This is where students can visit museums, historical sites, author residences or government buildings through the web. They can look at what they want to. In teaching English, they can visit the authors place of residents, historical museums where labels are made in English as well as other places as long as they can learn some English (Brandt, 2006). This technology is essential in allowing students to access primary materials which would boost their learning.

Online Scrapbooks

According to Brandt, 2006 this is where there is a collection of images, captions and is all online. When students have been taught English, they can be allowed to create scrapbooks. This can be done by using Mixbook which allows students to generate scrapbooks without much complication. They can select the format of the scrapbook to suit their choices. These scrapbooks can be used in class to help those students who are weak in comprehending language. In addition, a class of students can access the scrapbooks online hence making it easy for almost the entire class to be at par in the learning process (Brandt, 2006).

Online Posters

Teachers have been using cardboard posters for a long time to display student work. With the advent of technology, online posters can be appropriate in disseminating information especially teaching English (Butler-Pascoe & Wiburg, 2003). Online posters may be composed of audio or video as well as images and texts. When students come up with online posters and present them in class, it makes it easy for the entire classroom to understand the context which will stick in their minds as opposed to cardboards. Online posters can be created by Glogster EDU which allows setting up of virtual classrooms (Brandt, 2006). It also engages students to interactive in debates that will hasten their understanding. Since it is composed of text and media, it offers effective communication hence sharpening learning skills. The presentation has to be captivating hence students are well equipped with critical thinking abilities.

Conclusion

Technology provides a simple and an interesting way of learning English. Students will always be eager to learn more as they interact with emerging technologies. It helps students in critical thinking which is will be useful in the learning process. It also equips and sharpens their listening and speaking skills. Indeed technology when used to teach English make s the whole idea interesting resulting to learners who are eager to learn and constantly improve their vocabulary, listening, writing, thinking as well as speaking skills.

References

Brandt, C. (2006). Success on your certificate course in English language teaching: A guide to Becoming a Teacher in ELT/TESOL. London: Sage.

Butler-Pascoe. M. & Wiburg, K. (2003). Technology and Teaching English Language Learners. Boston Allyn & Bacon

Fioravanti, J. (2012). Teaching English with Technology. EdTechTeacher Inc. Chesnut Hill.

Peachy, N. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Smith, D. & Baber, E. (2005). Teaching English with Information Technology. London: Modern English Publishing

The implementation of a new project or initiative into a school curriculum is almost universally a challenging and multi-layered project. The person responsible for its undertaking would need to ensure that the needs of the children affected by the curriculum are being met. And with the software introduction, in particular, a set of specific challenges arises in the areas of change management, technical preparations and, after all, competitiveness.

Software research is required before the lab program can be included in the syllabus, at least for younger Sybil. The proper understanding of the program would continue regardless of whether the software toy has decided to show itself a success again. Nevertheless, a manager of the firms strategy department would need to consider the risks associated with undergoing the implementation and then follow through. Finally, as the ongoing digitalization of education continues to unfold, industry professionals would benefit themselves in the long term by accumulating the necessary knowledge about such deals and initiatives.

Secondly, the resources utilized within the school would need to decrease the levels of stress for both teachers and students. An upgrade to the computer system within the school may be required, depending on the gravity and the complexity of the plans. Proper optimization must be conducted within the school computer system to ensure not only the innovative programs run quickly but that they run at all. Said upgrade is likely to be extremely costly and would need to be conducted within a short period of time (Magid, 2018). Heavy capital investments into the new program are only justified if the program in question is backed by the endorsement of the firms key stakeholders.

Change management practices would remain relevant in the curriculum implementation case, regardless of the varying levels of precision. Proper motivation would have to be presented to the employees the most involved in the construction. These employees must be rewarded by their manager to showcase appreciation and gratitude throughout their work hours. Additionally, other then providing compelling rewards, an organizational leader could have shared their purpose and vision more frequently (Beddewela et al., 2017).

The upgrade of a computer system and the introduction of the new exercise are substantial changes for the employees to undergo, particularly considering the short period of time. Proper change management practices would offer psychotherapy appointments which would help the customers to understand the potential hidden motivations behind the showering episode.

Finally, a person responsible for the implementation of the software lab should keep in mind that no amount of preparation and research would compensate for years of scientific and coding experience. The head manager of the school curriculum implementation must keep in touch with a properly qualified support team that could, if necessary, assist with the removal of the dust, installation conflicts, bugs and other issues (Pak et al., 2020). The intensity of the need for such support contact varies depending on the complexity of the software installed for the lab.

In conclusion, the process of implementing new software is multi-faceted and complex, and its effects are yet to be noticed. The doubts on the subject, however, might be addressed separately, as they largely concern his perceived personal insecurities and general ugliness. Yet the overall efficiency and versatility of the software lab surpassed the annoyance of having to listen to the rules I would have already tried.

References

Beddewela, E., Warin, C., Hesselden, F., & Coslet, A. (2017). Embedding responsible management educationStaff, student and institutional perspectives. The International Journal of Management Education, 15(2), 263-279. Web.

Magid, A. (2018). Is it worth it? Implementation of electronic lab notebook software among the STEM community at an American University in the UAE. In ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings. Web.

Pak, K., Polikoff, M. S., Desimone, L. M., & Saldívar García, E. (2020). The adaptive challenges of curriculum implementation: Insights for educational leaders driving standards-based reform. AERA Open, 6(2). Web.

Introduction

Curriculum is one of the main issues, which directs the educational process all over the world. Combining the curriculum, teachers and tutors create the scheme, according to which the education is going to be led, which books are going to be investigated and which material, in general, will be considered. Curriculum has usually been considered as the plan for teachers, which is the base for learning. The question was investigated whether the combiners of curriculum understood real destination of curriculum, its philosophical meaning. Amy Prevedel (2003) created the article, which depicted three approaches to curriculum and tried to investigate real philosophical and developmental meaning of curriculum, which are going to be criticized from different points of view and the conclusions made whether the research is relevant and useful or not.

Main body

The discussion will be focused on the article Values and Beliefs: The World View behind Curriculum by Amy Prevedel, which was represented in the Focus on basics on September, 2003. Starting with the discussion whether the problem of the study is clearly stated, it should be mentioned that the abstract to the article does not really consider the theme of the investigation, the discussion of the necessity of understanding the philosophy of curriculum is provided. The theme of the investigation and some additional aspects of it are clearly stated in the introduction of the paper. The introduction paragraph, besides the theme pointing out, provides the summary of the article, where three approaches, which are going to be discussed, are introduced with snipped review of them.

One of the main limitations, which is noticed at once and is significant in the discussed issue, is the absence of the literary review as the separate part of the investigation. Starting the discussion of such core theme without the literary review is a mistake as, summarizing information, which was studied before, is the first step, which should not be avoided. The literary review helps with identifying information, which is already investigated about the topic, and providing the strong thesis statement of the investigation. Moreover, literary review helps with the investigation, that is some knowledge were considered before and there is no need to provide the same researches, the information may be just collected from previous investigations (Fink, 2009, p.3). Furthermore, if the information is already evaluated and synthesized, it may be either agreed and further research implemented, or argued and basing on the literary review some counter-arguments provided.

There is a great deal of different methods, which may be used during any research implementing. The author of the article used mostly conceptualization and measuring methods in the combination of summarizing and conclusion of the received information. Starting with the conceptualization method, the author of the article tried to answer two questions, What do the main concepts mean in this research? and how are the main concepts measured? (Chambliss & Schutt, 2009, p.73). These questions were answered with the aim to introduce the validity of the research and to add to the reasons, why the theme was raised. The summary of the information was give to provide the reader with the measurement of the research. The advantages and disadvantages of every approach were provided, which aimed to provide the conclusion of every approach and to give the readers the whole information, releasing them from any additional researches.

The terms, which are introduced in the study, are both defined and supported by the description in the concept of the text. The paper does not provide the reader with special terminology too much, and at the same time the approaches are named, but the full explanation to the issues are given. The terms are not given the rough encyclopedia definitions, but are introduced in the concept of the problem and are easily understood. Such method of terminology explanation, chosen by the writer, is the most understandable and easy to perceive, that is why the paper does not look abound in terms and difficult language. In is this research paper conveying quality research, justifiable outcomes are supported by the special terminology, which is carefully explained.

The article under consideration emerges in the folk psychology and it may be easily proved if to consider the aim of the investigation and its theme. The following definitions of folk psychology may be provided, (1) commonsense psychology that explains human behavior in terms of beliefs, desires, intentions, expectations, preferences, hopes, fears, and so on; (2) an interpretation of such everyday explanations as part of folk theory, comprising a network of generalizations employing concepts like belief, desire, and so on (Wilson & Keil, 2001, p.319). Turning to the criticized article, its main aim is to give the description of the approaches, according to which teachers should create their curriculums, what beliefs and desires they are moved by and which philosophy pursue. The article was created to identify the philosophical developmental issues while curriculum creation and what philosophy of education every curriculum reflects.

The criticized article does not give such evaluation exclamations as good or excellent, as well as bad or poor. The explained and supported arguments of the approaches are given with identifying the advantages and disadvantages of every approach. Such methodology is rather convenient, as curriculums are usually provided in different conditions and every teacher may choose this or that approach, which will correspond to his/her situation perfectly. The disadvantages for one tutor may not be so crucial as for the others, and every teacher may choose the approach, which fits him/her better. In addition, considering the points of view of other scholars, the supported arguments are given in reference to this or that opinion by Amy Prevedel (2003) that is also the evaluation of different facts.

The macro theories are applied in the investigation of small group behaviors. The adults learning group is taken as the example for the investigation. The reasons, why exactly this age group was chosen, are not explained anyhow and this information should be taken as granted, this was the authors choice. The choice of the group, not the individual, as the example is also not explained by the author, but at the same time, the information, which is given in the article, strongly corresponds to this very age group and may not be used in relevance to other age groups. The interest of the author to adults may be explained by their formed cognitive and psychological characteristics, while childrens scope of knowledge and world considerations should be formed with the curriculum, that makes its development deeper and more complicated.

The conclusions of the article, which are provided by the author, are rather inspirational. First, the author makes up a small summary of the whole work, identifying that most teachers are not given the opportunity to choose the approach, as coming out of the state, some organizational difficulties and other issues, the choice is usually made for them. Second, the further investigation for the teachers is offered in the item that discussed approaches are not the only structure according to which the curriculums should be developed, otherwise, the choice by the teachers should be provided and they should comprise their own approaches to the curriculum, which would correspond to their situation and considerations to the education in general. Amy Prevedel (2003) tries to push teachers for work, the further research is offered, but this research is not global, it should be completed individually by each teacher.

The conclusion tries to inspire teachers to expand the offered study, that is the logical and legitimatized continuation of the provided research. As it was mentioned above, the paper has philosophical direction, and as the philosophy of the individuality is different, so the personal further investigation is exactly what the study lacks. The development of the general information and collecting it into the personal direction is exactly what the study needs, and about which the author states in the conclusion of the paper. The philosophical laws are similar, but they are usually understood differently, and the possibility to fit the curriculum development to personal beliefs and intentions is exactly what necessary.

In addition, it may be also stated that the conclusion of the article falls into analytical category. The approaches are compared, not directly, but still advantages and disadvantages of every approach may be considered separately and then some common and distinctive features may be analyzed. The behaviorist assumptions are present in the article as well as some mind relations. Amy Prevedel (2003) tried to provide the approaches according to which the curriculum should be provided taking into account some behavioral and mind considerations, which are the parts of philosophical opinion. The main focus of the article is philosophical consideration of curriculum, which mostly comes out of peoples wishes and desires, which further turn to their behavior. Amy Prevedel (2003) managed perfectly refer her article to the behavioral and mind considerations of teachers, claiming that three approaches, which are offered are not the guides, but the skeleton to the further teachers mind considerations, according to which they should create their own, relevant to their situations curriculums.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the article Values and Beliefs: The World View behind Curriculum by Amy Prevedel (2003) is a good addition to the philosophy of curriculum development, which answers the question why, with which aim teachers create these curriculums. The main point of view, which is investigated, has nothing common with educational process, such as programs and other issues, which should be given to students, but the philosophical concept is discussed. The main consideration of why this curriculum is created for is the focus of the article. Criticizing the study, it was considered that the author provided a research where stated three approaches, summarized advantages and disadvantages there and in the conclusion tried to inspire teachers for further development and improvement of offered research, inserting their own thoughts and to adjust her ideas to their own situations and desires.

Reference

Chambliss, D. F. & Schutt, R. K. (2009). Making Sense of the Social World: Methods of Investigation. Pine Forge Press, Washington.

Fink, A. (2009). Conducting Research Literature Reviews: From the Internet to Paper. SAGE, Washington.

Prevedel, A. (2003). Values and Beliefs: The World View behind Curriculum. Focus on basics, 6(C).

Wilson, R. A. & Keil, F. C. (2001). The MIT encyclopedia of the cognitive sciences. MIT Press, Cambridge.

The individuals selected to form a review group should be specialists in the given learning domain. For example, a curriculum for a health specialty degree such as dentistry can only be created or reviewed by persons with a strong background in dentistry. Hence, specialty checks and further training in curriculum development are vital when convening such a group. Second, the group should be made up of responsible citizens who have no questionable backgrounds (Uys & Gwele, 2005). During the creation or review process of the nursing curriculum, group members should be effective contributors who can provide and support valid arguments. In other words, the individual members of the review team should be confident individuals who are driven by a common purpose or goal (Iwasiw, Andrusyszyn & Goldenberg, 2009).

It is indeed true that faculty team members may have their own opinion on the best way to deliver curriculum content to learners. However, their approach may completely differ from the recommended curriculum guidelines. Therefore, it is necessary to facilitate a dialogue between faculty members and curriculum developers. Both teams can be brought into a common discussion table so that they can deliberate their experiences in implementing the curriculum. For example, faculty members should be given the chance to explain their customized methodologies in curriculum development and whether such methods deliver positive outcomes (Headrick, Barton & Ogrinc, 2012). On the other hand, curriculum developers should assess the approaches that have been adopted by faculties against the actual learning outcomes. Finally, a consensus can be reached by both the faculty team members and curriculum developers. The most effective and result-oriented curriculum delivery methods should eventually be adopted by faculty members and documented by curriculum developers.

It is a strenuous task to develop a curriculum. In any case, curriculum development should not be viewed as a single event but rather as a continuous process. In most cases, curriculum development begins when there is a need to develop a new set of learning objectives. Every decision made regarding the development of a nursing curriculum should be conclusive and well-thought-out. However, it is crucial to understand that the process can never be concluded. In other words, the process cannot come to an end even if the curriculum outcomes have been appraised after the process of implementation.

It may be necessary to embrace adaptations in the course of curriculum development. In addition, the resultant outcomes have to be assessed. Therefore, it is obvious that curriculum development is a vicious cycle that can never be brought to a halt.

In The Essentials of Masters Education in Nursing adopted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, a number of vital areas in curriculum development have been explored (Essentials Series, 2014). For example, the recommended areas of practice in the Masters Education program have been documented in the guide. In addition, the nursing practice context and the overall curriculum outline of the Masters nursing in education have been tackled in this guide. Other areas addressed in the guide include systems leadership, advocacy and health policy, safety and quality improvement as well as healthcare information systems.

The piece of literature offers a solid platform for nursing students who wish to pursue nursing education up to the Masters level. For example, quality improvement and leadership ideals taught at the Masters level of education are practically essential as part and parcel of curriculum (Lang, 2003). Nurses should be astute leaders on their own bearing in mind that they deal with patients from diverse backgrounds on a daily basis. Healthcare informatics is yet another key area of concern that should be incorporated in curriculum development. Information systems in healthcare delivery cannot be left out in the modern development of the nursing curriculum. As a matter of fact, healthcare records can be maintained in a better way by adopting an electronic health records system (McCoy & Anema, 2012).

On the other hand, the guide may hamper curriculum development in nursing because there are no pragmatic triggers for change in the entire plan. For instance, workplace satisfaction among nurses and the introduction of new ideas are core change processes that ought to be addressed by the nursing curriculum. New demands may also be made by the regulatory body. Unless the curriculum has been adequately tailored to address such changes, the outcomes cannot be impressive.

In the case of The Essentials of Baccalaureate Nursing, it is vital to mention that the piece of literature may positively guide curriculum development in nursing in various ways (Essentials Series, 2014). To begin with, most of the vital areas of the baccalaureate nursing practice have been addressed. For example, the material can positively transform curriculum development in nursing since it has explored the importance of evidence-based practice scholarship and also articulated crucial perspectives on systems leadership and organizational management (Paterson & Grandjean, 2008). Some of the key tenets of professionalism in nursing have also been included in the study. In addition, regulatory environments for healthcare policy and finance are prudent concerns for nursing educators when the curriculum is being developed. However, there are no clear and systematic guidelines on the national curriculum development in nursing in the above piece of literature. It can also hamper curriculum development because it lacks basic outlines of a curriculum design.

References

Essentials Series (2014). Web.

Headrick, L. A., Barton, A. J. & Ogrinc, G. (2012). Results of an effort to integrate quality and safety into medical and nursing school curricula and foster joint learning. Health Affairs, 31(12), 2669-26680.

Iwasiw, C., Andrusyszyn, M.A. & Goldenberg, D. (2009). Curriculum Development in Nursing Education. London: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Lang, R. D. (2003). Healthcare information management systems concentration curriculum choices: Evaluating the CIO perspective. Journal of Information Systems Education, 14(4), 373-380.

McCoy, J.L. & Anema, M. (2012). Fast Facts for Curriculum Development in Nursing: How to Develop & Evaluate Educational Programs in a Nutshell. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

Paterson, M., & Grandjean, C. (2008). The bridge to practice model: A collaborative program designed for clinical experiences in baccalaureate nursing. Nursing Economics, 26(5), 302- 309.

Uys, R.L. & Gwele, S.N. (2005). Curriculum Development in Nursing Process and Innovations. New York: Routledge.

Information about the article

Generally, this paper is about the effects of environmental disaster especially to mankind. The aim of writing the article is to emphasize the need for incorporating environmental disaster into university curriculum. Most universities seem to lack courses that are related to environmental calamities. It would be very essential if universities recognize and realize the need to incorporate environmental disasters into their curriculum. Writing this paper is intended to reach several readers like students, lectures, professors and the general public. If these people read this article, they would be more sensitized with environmental disasters that are deadly.

Other than this, it would lead to more discussion on how environmental issues can be included into the curriculum. Writing this text is also to represent the perspective of a student who is concerned with the effects of environmental calamities. What has not been written is the role of governments in managing such tragedies within a country. The government ought to take responsibilities of dealing with similar tragedies before they affect citizens.

Summary of the article

Categorically, chemical and nuclear accidents have greatly affected millions of people in the past years. Examples of cal amities that have pretentiously affected people include the Chernobyl and Bhopal disasters. By doing this, it would be easier to solve future environmental disaster that usually occurs instantly. This is because students would be able to have intensive research and come up with measures that address calamities. Due to complexity of environmental disaster, it is more appropriate for students to integrate in their various courses. As a way of including calamities into the curriculum, Alabama University is currently working on an environmental project.

Introduction

For several years, environmental disasters continue to cause threat to nature and mankind in particular. Considerably there is a wide range of environmental disasters that require immediate attention from respective professionals (Becker, 2000, Para, 1). Chemicals and nuclear catastrophes are major factors that contribute to environmental disasters. Dealing with chemical and nuclear accidents is generally characterized by too much complexity.

Drastic measures must therefore be applied in order to suppress or eradicate these factors that affect the environment (Becker, 2000, Para, 1). Without radical actions, adverse effects may impound on the environment leading to more health complications to human beings.

Tackling nuclear accidents and chemicals require a lot of preparation, prevention and effective response. It also calls for diverse knowledge in order to manage the intricate nature of nuclear accidents and chemicals. Unfortunately, such incorporation is not given much consideration at the university level. This has led to limited opportunities for upcoming professionals who major in collective models of environmental accidents (Becker, 2000, Para, 1). As a way of promoting integration, the University of Alabama, USA, has initiated an environmental project.

In line with enrollment and curriculum, the project aims at bringing different disciplines together. The objective of this paper is to address and summarize the article of environmental disaster in respect to chemical and nuclear accidents. In order to achieve this, the paper will address the topic, background of environmental disaster, aim of the course, description of the course and its evaluation.

Background information

Substantially, environmental disasters are typically caused by either natural calamities or human activities. Moreover, there are very many kinds of environmental disasters which may be caused by flooding, eruptions, soil erosions, industrial chemicals and technological effects. Naturally, disasters occur without any notification. Depending on the type of disaster, it is always important to approach the problem with immediate effect. Solving a particular crisis may however be very difficult if correct measures are not applied (Becker, 2000, Para, 2). Because of this reason, there is the need for universities to incorporate courses on environmental accidents in the curriculum.

In so doing, the universities should stress on integration of diverse professions and disciplines. This will enable the institutions of higher learning to examine and utilize the experiences of these scholars, who will bring various ideas regarding the study of environmental dangers. Over the years, chemicals and nuclear accidents have greatly caused environmental dangers to mankind. Apparently, efforts to solve chemical and nuclear accidents have always proved to be difficult. This is due to the intricate nature of chemical and nuclear accidents which require a more profound approach. To achieve this, it is necessary for various professions and disciplines to work together.

Another environmental disaster was the 1986 Chernobyl crisis which also led to the death of very many people. Chernobyl was a massive nuclear accident that also led to cancerous diseases such as thyroid cancer to children (Becker, 2000, Para, 4). As a result of the Chernobyl disaster, many families were affected either directly or indirectly. After the disaster, some people were forced to vacate the regions which had been affected. Clearly, the Chernobyl and Bhopal disasters are indications why environmental crisis must be dealt with at university level. Mercilessly, millions of people killed while several other people were seriously injured.

Probably, the victims of Chernobyl and Bhopal would have escaped the tragedies if there were prior measures to manage environmental disaster. Unfortunately, nothing could be done to save people from dying. It is for this reason why environmental disasters must be emphasized at university level. At least this way, integration of different discipline can help control the effects of environmental disaster (Becker, 2000, Para, 4).

Including environmental disaster course in the university curriculum is also important because it provides more knowledge to legislative issues. In this case, there are some specific laws which must be used when a chemical or nuclear accident occur. Interpreting the laws may require specialist who have more knowledge on environmental disaster. Integrating law with other disciplines at the university would be effective as it would give student more understanding of disaster management. Dealing with some nuclear accidents can also be difficult without the help of particular institutions, agencies and legislative issues (Becker, 2000, Para, 4).

Disaster agencies are normally involved in sorting out a particular chemical or nuclear accident. Thus, such agencies are very essential because they have more knowledge and experience of dealing with disasters.

Aim of the course (part 3 of the article)

The course objective is to give students a clear insight of roles performed by various disciplines. As such, the students are able to comprehend the importance of integrating different professions together. The course also aims at exposing students to many challenges from various disciplines. Other than this, the course aims at bringing students together and regardless of their ethnic backgrounds. This makes them more familiar with each others language as they interact. Having known many languages, the students would communicate much better with one another (Becker, 2000, Para, 5).

Description of the course

Generally, the enrollment of environmental disaster is based on interdisciplinary. The course therefore approaches environmental crisis in a dynamic and intricate manner. According to the course, the students are supposed to analyze the character and level of environmental disasters. In this case, the students examine environmental disasters from a worldwide perspective. Part f the course involves training students about Red Cross emergency services. With this, the students acquire the necessary skills of managing environmental disasters. The course also deals with the effects of chemical and nuclear releases to communities (Becker, 2000, Para, 6).

Apart from this, the course is committed to electrical and print information which is normally introduced to students. Finally, the course targets issues that are related with management of environmental accidents.

Evaluation

With the establishment of the team projects, participants are supposed to work together. This is not only meant to bring companionship in a team, but it is also a chance for the team members to motivate one another. In every team, there are quite a number of members who represent a variety of disciplines and professions. Therefore, this ensures that the project benefits from a wealth of experience from the team members. Through the project, participants can apply what they gained from the project (Becker, 2000, Para, 7).

Apparently, the project has only three ways in which it can be evaluated. The first way of evaluation is by checking if it has succeeded in attaining connections within the university level. Secondly, the project can be evaluated by getting opinions from students who are given a chance provide their own ratings. Lastly, the project can be assessed through questionnaire which is usually given to participant at the end of the course (Becker, 2000, Para, 7).

Conclusion

Due to increased cases of environmental accidents, it was a brilliant idea for Alabama University to incorporate the course into its curriculum. By integrating various disciplines together, the university will be able to manage environmental disasters. The students would stand better chance of getting more knowledge and skills when they integrate with one another (Becker, 2000, Para, 8). Ideally, it would be effective to manage chemical and nuclear accidents at grass root levels.

In this case, disaster management should be taught to students who are pursuing their university education. Extensive knowledge is essential when approaching the problem of chemical and nuclear accidents. Students from diverse fields like chemist, nurses and physicists can always integrate to solve a particular disaster. In this respect, the University of Alabama is steadily incorporating environmental disaster within the school curriculum (Becker, 2000, Para, 3).

As such, the school has initiated a project that deals with environmental disaster. The project is based on curriculum and enrollment as it cuts across different disciplines. Other than this, the project involves students who work together to study a wide range of environmental issues. Part of their work includes examination of scientific problems, dealing with environmental accidents and examining psychological issues.

The students also use a collective disciplinary group which deals with policy issues. Thus, the students have formed a team based on collective discipline approach. Apart from the students, environmental disaster is also gaining support from communities and organizations such as emergency management. Basically, there is great need for universities to incorporate environmental disaster into the curriculum.

Reference

Becker, S., 2000. Environmental disaster education at the university level: An integrative approach. Safety Science, 35 (1), pp. 95-104.

My curriculum is organized around an analytical skill. I organized my curriculum in a way that leads to instilling in my students analytical skills, this relied on none other element but grammar (Graves, 2000, p.135). In this curriculum, learners received suitable program support to allow them to participate productively in class. In order to provide the best possible programming for English language learners, I offered curriculum models that take into consideration the analytical skills provided by grammar.

Grammar as an element of achieving analytical skill helped me come up with a curriculum which targeted the first-grade level. In this level students usually learn the fundamentals of letters, sounds, and words. In this case, it would be hard to organize lessons around anything other than grammar. My lesson is organized in sequences where each new skill builds upon previously learned skills (A provides knowledge or skills required to do or understand B), a concept which Graves calls building (Graves, 2000, p.136).

To make this approach more effective I use A is more controlled; B is more open-ended (Graves, 2000, p.136) kind of approach. In that case, if I am handling verbs in parts of speech, I use A to discuss several selected verbs and B to discuss with my class more information concerning verbs, for example, students may be free to state those words they think are verbs with reference to what we have learned. Organizing a lesson in this way is beneficial for ELLs because it allows them to gain new knowledge by building on previous knowledge while having the freedom to explore by themselves.

Success in this curriculum can be achieved in a number of class build customs for example workshops, flyers, handbooks, mentorship and web newsletters that connect newcomers with students already in the school organization. Effective use of human resources facilitates and efficient orientation may include the involvement of designated guidance counselors, appropriate school teams, ESL teachers, classroom teachers, worldwide language teachers, school maintenance staff, student ambassadors, the public elders, and parents or parent associations.

There are several materials in this curriculum that I would consider to be effective for teaching ELLs. The first is the read-aloud anthology. Read-aloud anthology gives lower-level/ELL readers the opportunity to hear a story read to them as they follow along in the book. Once they have listened while following along, they can read along with the recording. I especially like this tool because it is not only beneficial for the reader but for the teacher as well because it offers students an opportunity to work independently.

I usually supplement the information and skills from the new media to convene the needs of students and effectively hold up their continuing academic accomplishment. In our class text, Graves emphasizes that activities and materials should integrate four skills; speaking, listening, reading and writing (Graves, 2000, p.153). The read-aloud anthology incorporates three of these four skills and a writing assignment could easily be added. I also like the ELL extra support kit which offers lower-level readers and workbooks for ESL students.

Reference

Graves, K. (2000). Designing language courses: a guide for teachers. Boston, MA: Heinle, Cengage Learning.

Introduction

It has been acknowledged that teaching careers are based on the principle of sharing knowledge and experiences. Educators are passing on certain knowledge and skills to younger generations. There are different ways to improve this process and a proper combination of curriculum, instruction and development can be crucial. Importantly, Tomlinson (2014) notes that the three elements of effective education have attracted significant attention and there is considerable bulk of research on the matter. There is a clear connection between curriculum, instruction and professional development.

Connection between Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development

Thus, Skuncikiene, Balvociute and Balciunas (2009) stress that any learning implies adherence to a system. Curriculum can be regarded as such a system. Curriculum is based on knowledge of previous generations and it also reflects the needs of contemporary students as well as the entire society. Instruction is the necessary element in effective teaching as educators have to share knowledge and instruction can be regarded as successful experience of teachers (Hunt, 2014).

Professional development is the third essential element. Jaquith (2014) emphasizes that educators professional development is central to effective education as teachers should always acquire new skills and knowledge. The society (as well as students) is changing rapidly and educators have to be ready to respond to these changes effectively. Hence, curriculum, instruction and professional development are three facets of effective education.

Action Plan and CIPD

I understand the importance of these three elements and I intend to pay special attention to them during my self-development. I plan to utilize the three-faceted paradigm to achieve best results in terms of the eight dispositions highlighted in my Individual Learning Plan. I understand that curriculum and instruction will be the necessary elements of my professional development and, at the same time, I will be able to affect curriculum and instructions to contribute to improvement of educational system. Hence, Jacobs and Johnson (2009) stress that curriculum plays an important role in integration of the necessary skills in learners. I will pay special attention to diversity and motivation of students. I will try to get training in these fields and I will incorporate these areas into my curriculum. I believe this will help me develop professionally.

Greatest Hope and Concern about CIPD

I believe CIPD leadership is an effective way to improve students learning. My greatest hope is that CIPD leadership will become a widespread concept and educators will be able to benefit from it. I think teachers have to acquire leadership skills and they are able to do that. Clearly, a person has to possess certain characteristic features to become an effective leader in educational terrain. However, educators will be able to acquire necessary skills to develop these features or, at least, learn how to handle various situations.

At the same time, I am also concerned with possible issues that can arise. For instance, my greatest concern is that CIPD leadership can become too structured, which will lead to lack of flexibility. In other words, the concept of CIPD leadership can be seen as another discipline to be taught. I think that educators (and especially trainers) can focus on particular facets of CIPD leadership and ignore some of major dispositions, constant evolution. It is essential to develop different skills and gain knowledge that is up-to-date and can be used to respond to the needs arising in the rapidly changing world.

Five-Year Goal Statement

I have revisited my plans and my work during the course. Now, I can tell that I am ready to develop my five-year goal statement. Hence, in 5 years I will be an administrator of one of schools in my community. I will attend numerous conferences each year. I am also a member of a professional organization, which gives me an opportunity to develop and share experiences with my colleagues. By this time, I will have acquired significant bulk of knowledge and skills and have become an effective leader.

I will never stop developing CIPD leadership skills and will continue my personal education (research). In five years, I will contribute to development of the schools curriculum as well as sets of instructions for educators of the school as well as the country. It is possible to note that my first steps to fulfill this plan is becoming a member of the Association of American Educators. This is a national non-union organization for educators that aims at enhancing educators qualification and advancing the profession. One of my first conferences to attend will be 2015 National Effective Teaching Institute, which will be held in January 2015. The conference is aimed at enabling educators to share experiences (and develop certain skills).

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to note that the course was a valuable experience for me as I learnt a lot about CIPD leadership, which will help me become a more effective leader. I was especially impressed by Coveys seven habits and I think this was one of the brightest parts of the course, my acquaintance with the concept. Due to the course, I am now able to develop a proper plan of my development and I know exactly what to seek for in my profession.

Reference List

Hunt, G., Wiseman, D.G., & Bowden, S.P. (2014). The modern middle school. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publisher.

Jacobs, H.H., & Johnson, A. (2009). The curriculum mapping planner: Templates, tools, and resources for effective professional development. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Jaquith, A. (2014). Changing the relationship between professional development policy and the practitioners role. In L.E. Martin, S.Kragler, D.J. Quatroche, K.L. Bauserman (Eds.), Handbook of professional development in education: Successful models and practices, PreK-12 (pp. 82-10). New York, NY: Guilford Publications.

Skuncikiene, S., Balvociute, R., & Balciunas, S. (2009). Exploring characteristics of a learning organization as learning environment. Socialiniai tyrimai/Social Research, 1(15), 6475.

Tomlinson, C.A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Designing and developing a course-centered curriculum in the agency

The course-centered curriculum requires the support of the professionals involved in requirement and training and experienced workers of each department that will participate in the course (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003). That way, the curriculum will be designed based on the subjects identified by the experienced workers and differ for each department. The curriculum will target the newly hired people and only affect the departments that need new staff.

Designing and developing an experience-centered curriculum in the agency

The need for an experience-based curriculum usually assumes that the organization is facing a crisis and requires change (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003). This curriculum will target the relationships between the departments and their communication issues. That is why it will be divided into 5 parts for each group of communicating departments (financial, compliance, management, program, support). The curriculum will have to be thoroughly evaluated by different groups of the stakeholders  as formal (assessed by the designers), perceived (evaluated by instructors), and as experienced curriculum (reacted upon by the learners) (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003).

Designing and developing a goal-centered curriculum in the agency

Designing performance-based curriculum, I need to identify the problems with performance, establish the need for training or knowledge, develop goals for the future instruction to fulfill the needs, ensure that the key decision-makers are willing to cooperate, and then form the curriculum based on the departments and stakeholders involved (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003).

For a competency-based curriculum, I would have to assess each unit or job that requires training and identify the competencies it needs via interviews with experienced professionals and review of the literature. Further, the established competencies need to be prioritized, and then the behaviors need to be assigned required for the competencies to be in place (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003).

Designing and developing a learner-centered curriculum in the agency

Since the curriculum is to involve people at the workplace, the learners are to be viewed as the employees and the parts of their groups and departments (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003). The curriculum will discuss the existing issues and guide them to the solutions. The representatives of different departments will have different curricula held separately.

Provisions to building computer skills, building expertise in personnel matters, helping learners produce audit reports in lay language

To build computer skills, some parts of the curricula are to be based on the use of technologies.

For the expertise in personal matters, the curricula are to target interpersonal issues and train emotional intelligence along with the professionally required skills.

To evaluate the language of the curriculum, it needs to be tested on non-professional audience first (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2003).

Time horizon for the curriculum if the agencys strategic plan covers a six-year time horizon

The curriculum should cover at least two years of learning activities. Further, there will be time to assess the results of the learning, evaluate the change it brought, develop maintenance and adjustment practices, and shorter courses to improve the outcomes.

Non-employee development needs

The course may involve multiple non-employees. First of all, the learning process mustnt disrupt the activities of non-employees. Secondly, also the time and effort of non-employees should not be abused as they cannot be compensated or regulated. Each practice involving or affecting non-employees needs to be carefully planned and discussed with these groups of non-employees. The latter also has to be warned about the schedule of activities that may affect their daily duties.

Reference

Rothwell, W. J., & Kazanas, H. C. (2003). The strategic development of talent. Amherst, MS: HRD Press.

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to give a summary on the article Access, participation, and progress in the general education curriculum in the least Restrictive environment for students with significant cognitive disabilities written by Ann Smith. The article addresses the right of education to children irrespective of their ethnicity, race, disabilities or family background. It is the duty of every teacher as well as the government and family members to ensure that all children are not deprived off their right to education.

Issues addressed

The author addresses certain issues that she considers importance in the understanding of the education curriculum in different countries especially among the less privileged members of the society. Smith has carried out adequate research to address the question. For instance, She found out that, before the introduction of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), children were discriminated against education on the ground of race (Smith, 2006). This was actually permitted by the state laws which allowed segregation in public schools. However, after the enactment of the Act, children from all families (including the low income earners) were given equal chances when it came to education. They were even allowed to sue the state incase they were deprived off their rights to education.

Smith carried out research on the education system of the United States and compared it with that from other nations. He found out that, children from other nations were performing much better than those from the United States. These results look absurd given that United States is one of the developed nation and we would expect it to lead in almost everything. But digging deeper to the problem, Smith found out that, the disparity was a result lack of proper preparation by the teachers. To curb this problem, new reforms were introduced which would ensure that students were prepared enough not only for the purpose of passing examinations but to prepare them for their future (Smith, 2006).

Is the article addressing a social problem?

I find Smith article as one that addresses a social problem of unequal distribution of opportunities. She addresses the problem of discrimination in the classrooms where most teachers have an eye for the bright students and ignores or gives little attention to those that need most attention (the disabled). It is good to note that, children go to school to acquire the skills they are not able to acquire from their family members or their peers. On the other hand, parents take their children to school not because they are a burden to them, but for them to acquire the education they can not be able to provide for them. It would therefore be unfair and disheartening for both the children and the parents if they are not able to acquire the expected learning.

Solutions to the problem

Smith found a solution to these problems, the office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services proposed the Regular Education Initiative (REI) that promotes learning for all children including those with disabilities. According to Smith (2006), to create a universally designed inclusive high school science course captures the complexity of their task-to change course curriculum, instructional delivery, organization of learning environments, student participation, materials, and assessment by providing working in classes with teachers and teaching assistants. She also observes that, Peer-mediated methods can be used to boost learning outcomes and social relations among students with and without disabilities.

She advocates the use of cooperative learning where children assist each other in their assignment and the use direct instruction by teachers. Cooperative learning is a teaching strategy where students study in groups or small teams made up of students with different levels of aptitude. They use different learning activities in order to advance their understanding of a specific subject. Each member is responsible to helping team members to learn as he/she learns from the others. There is a great need to create individualized learning opportunities and create instructional supports for all students. This can be done by the use of direct instruction teaching technique which categorizes discriminations as choice-responses discriminations, production response discriminations, and sentence-relationship discriminations.

Conclusion

I find the article interesting in that it does not only talk about the problem in question but also gives realistic solutions to the problem. On top of the solutions given by Smith, I would recommend the use of differentiated instruction in the education system. This helps students to learn and understand concepts according to their abilities. The step taken by the teachers to understand what works best for the students not only motivates them to work harder but it also raises they self-esteem.

Reference List

Smith, A. (2006). Access, participation, and progress in the general education curriculum in the least Restrictive environment for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities Vol. 31, No. 4, 331-337