Kerry Freedman & Doug Boughton summarize curriculum best by stating that, “Curriculum ties together visual culture content, instructional methods, materials and resources, students’ capabilities, and forms of assessment”. Curriculum is the foundation of all educational structures, for it is the basis of any well done teaching. As important as curriculum is to a teacher’s structure of proper education, students need to be aware of the curriculum to be able to make importance of the material they are learning. There are multiple types of curriculum, but null curriculum is one of the most important types of curriculum. Null curriculum is the absence of curriculum. For example, if art is not taught in the curriculum, then students will not think that art is important. All other forms of curriculum, whether intentional or not, allow students to come in contact with a figure, such as a teacher, who is an influence to the subject taught. This is not to say that without positive teaching efforts that a student may not find the subject matter important, but it makes students aware of the topic. It is the responsibility of art educators to help art flourish as a subject in students’ lives.
With a visual culture approach, it is the art educator’s job to meet the curriculum goals of social significance through the use of clear, well-aimed objectives. Art is a social experience in and of itself which art educators need to emphasize with their students through lesson plans that allow students to make connections between the art they view around them. This is a rationale that supports the growth and development of students.
There is no one perfect structure for curriculum because they each serve different purposes. Some key structures of curriculum are spiral curriculum, interactive curriculum, event experiences, and interdisciplinary curriculum. With a holistic view, a spiral curriculum offers the best platform of curriculum structure. It builds additional knowledge at higher levels progressively, while still revisiting and reviewing previous concepts. Interactive curriculum helps students form connections and understanding between what they view outside of the class and bring into the classroom for interpretation. Event experiences create memorable learning experiences which teachers can refer to throughout the curriculum after the event to continue to make strong connections with the material learned in class. Lastly, interdisciplinary curriculum helps students make connections within the school between classes. Each curriculum structure offers unique benefits and drawbacks, which indicates the need for an educator to be conscious of the frequency and time they use each type of curriculum structure.
Lesson plans provide a layout for the curriculum. It helps an educator focus their instruction more narrowly to be clear that they are meeting their own objectives for student’s educational enhancement. It is worthy to take note of the importance to allow flexibility of lesson plans while in the classroom. Students need to be given the freedom to go beyond the teachers directed goals, and restricted lesson plans can restrict this helpful opportunity. Students need guidance to think more independently, not capped goals. Lesson plans should be designed to create space for mastery achievement among students. When creating a task analysis as a teacher, let your students contribute to the goals within reason. When students create their own goals, they are more likely to commit to them. This also creates less distance between the teacher and student aiding in a healthy, yet professional, relationship.
All lesson plans need the essential elements of motivation, practice and wrap-up. As mentioned above, you can get your students motivated by giving them choice in the goals they wish to achieve. Your students will become more invested and more likely to achieve. Making your students involved in the learning process helps them understand the ways that they can best learn when they are outside of the classroom as well. These goals all need to have practice, but that’s not to say they need intensive repetition. The spiral curriculum creates a format where skills can be developed over long periods of time and not daily lessons promoting a single skill. Lesson plans are the parts to the large curriculum goal. Finally, review is essential to retain information for students. With review, students have the chance to reflect on everything they have been practicing which promotes their overall objective for curriculum.
With a proper curriculum set by clear objectives and supportive lesson plans, students can make the most of their learning experiences in school and use that experience as a gateway to internalize learning when outside of the classroom. There are many structures of curriculum, which when applied correctly help enhance the learning experience of students. Lesson plans make objectives for curriculum clear and understood for the educator and student. Having students take participation in setting their own goals and objectives creates a healthy environment by its indirect message that teachers care about what students want to learn and that teachers want to see their students succeed. Consider curriculum and lesson planning as a tool to your own learning experience about your student’s interests and desire to succeed as you guide them through their education.