Mandated Curriculum Research Articles

Australian Teachers' Understandings of the Health Promoting School Concept and the Implications for the Development of School Health

The health promoting school has emerged as a comprehensive framework to enhance the health status and health potential of school students. It requires teachers to be proactive in a number of areas beyond the formal curriculum. The success of health promoting schools will depend largely on what teachers know about its building blocks and the likelihood that they will be adopted. A number of teachers were interviewed and surveyed in a sequential study to ascertain their understanding of what constitutes a health promoting school. The findings indicate that teachers think mainly about school health in terms of the curriculum; have little understanding of how community partnerships might work; are very supportive of the concept; and have limited preservice and inservice training in health issues. It is argued that the growth of health promoting schools will be dependent on comprehensive professional development programmes; the production of resources which link teachers' perceived core business—teaching the mandated curriculum —to the building blocks of the health promoting school; closer collaboration between the health and education sectors; and a recognition by the community that schools cannot easily address (and solve) society's health concerns.

Self-Reported Classroom Impact of Teachers' Theories about Learning and Obstacles to Implementation

Abstract Ten elementary teachers from three suburban Philadelphia school districts were interviewed to determine their theoretical beliefs concerning the teaching/learning process. Data collected included teachers' descriptions of theories that describe their views of learning; significant influences on these beliefs: and the extent to which beliefs about learning influence planning, instruction, and evaluation. Findings indicate that teachers' theoretical beliefs about learning reflect an eclectic approach encompassing several well-known theories. Respondents reported that staff development and graduate courses were major influences on their theories about learning. Teachers' beliefs about learning had a strong self-reported impact on planning, instruction, and evaluation. Obstacles to using instructional strategies that coincide with their beliefs about learning included curricular mandates, differing parental and administrative expectations, and limited time to implement instructional and assessment te...

Authentic assessment: A strategy for preparing teachers to respond to curricular mandates in global education

ACARTOON some years back showed a teacher hovering over a student's desk. The student was pleading for more time to complete his map of the world. His reason? He explained to the impatient teacher he was only up to the fish market on the comer. Preparing students to succeed in an increasingly global world requires moving them well beyond the fish market on the corer. In recognition of this need to help students develop a global consciousness, 23 states and many school districts have imposed global education mandates or requirements that affect curriculum, instruction, and assessment (The United States Prepares, 1987). These mandates generally call for more emphasis on world areas or cultures and stress comparative world history, geography, and, less frequently, global systems (Becker, 1991). Some global education mandates are very general in nature. Iowa, for example, enacted a mandate that global perspectives be integrated or infused in every grade level and every subject K-12 (Iowa Department of Education, 1989). Many states have more specific global education directives. New York's state education department requires all students in grades 9 and 10 to take a global education course based on objectives in a state developed curriculum. New York high school students must pass a state test based on

Curriculum Adaptation

Recent calls for increased education for students with special learning needs in general and special education classrooms, greater teacher accountability, and curricular mandates challenge even the most experienced educator in the overall process of curriculum implementation. Specifically, various state-or district-level mandates pertaining to curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation have emerged in recent years. At the classroom level, teaching practices related to curriculum implementation must be carried out within the parameters established by these mandates. One option available to educators to assist in meeting the various curriculum implementation demands is the practice of adapting curriculum. The need to adapt or modify curriculum in today's classrooms is currently widespread and involves careful teacher decision making. Various elements of the total curriculum implementation process may be affected when curricular adaptations are implemented. In order to effectively implement curriculum, which includes appropriate adaptations, the proper

Experienced Teachers’ Planning Practices: a US survey

Abstract Thirty‐three teachers who taught in a school district that required the use of the Madeline Hunter model of planning were surveyed about their instructional planning practices. The majority of teachers reported using this planning model but in a more flexible manner than prescribed, which allowed for wide ranges in student ability and interruptions in the school schedule. Teachers reported difficulty in integrating the Madeline Hunter model with approaches newly adopted by the district, such as cooperative learning and whole‐language. Other planning dilemmas involved prioritizing content in the mandated curriculum and planning in a flexible manner. Only about half of the teachers made plans from unit notebooks or folders.

Challenging: Gifted Learners: Through Children's Literature

Early primary educators whose classes include some students with advanced academic abilities must provide experiences that stimulate their intellectual development while meeting the educational needs of the typical learners. One way to provide for these advanced learners is to extend and enrich the mandated curriculum through the use of children's literature. Library books offer a broad range of topics upon which units of study can be developed. This method is cost effective as the books are readily available through the school or public library and the interest level is appropriate to young children. The units can correlate with the regular curriculum, include required basic skills, offer new knowledge, develop higher level thinking skills and instill a love of learning.

The long‐term effects of mandated curriculum adoption on teaching behavior

The long‐term effects of mandated curriculum adoption on teaching behavior