Individualizing the Curriculum: What Works Best?

Blog Post #2

This JHU Curriculum Theory, Development and Implementation course has helped me grow in my understanding of curriculum, as I begin a new phase of my career in education to strengthen student achievement.  Through the course, we have looked at many factors that influence what students must know and be able to do.  In this new age of curriculum redesign, technology integration, and 21^st century literacy skills, along with the new Common Core State Standards, it is more important than ever that we make good choices when utilizing and revising curricula for a school or district.

Individualizing the curriculum is a healthy challenge, and one we must consider carefully.  Is there a model or individualized program that works best in any given school or district?  Is it even possible to define what is best?  I think not, but we can make some wise choices that will give us the best strategies for improving student achievement. 

I begin this thought process with the assumption that Differentiated Instruction is the expectation, the norm, the “way we do things around here.”  The school’s mission, vision and goals can all be realized through a differentiated process for the administrators, the teachers, and most importantly, the students. 

The Glatthorn text substitutes the term individualized for a clearer term adaptive.   “Adaptive curricula are educational processes that arrange the conditions and materials of learning so that they fit individual learner differences” (Glatthorn, et al, p.468).  Using current adaptive approaches such as cooperative learning, learning styles models and computer-based models all work well in reaching all learners, and I believe that there is not a one-size-fits-all model that should be adopted for ALL students in a school or district.

Instead, I suggest implementing Universal Design for Learning to frame all curricular activities, using the framework as the building-blocks and foundation to curriculum that adapts naturally to help all learners learn, regardless of their learning style, interests, and/or disabilities.  Through Universal Design for Learning, I am convinced that educators have a better chance at improving learning for all students. Students should experience a variety of learning gateways, through cooperative grouping, grouping by learning styles, and individualized computer programs that adapt to levels based on student input.  Other good models include parallel and/or accelerated curriculum for the Gifted and Talented, and early intervention programs for the academically challenged learners, such as Reading Recovery and Response to Intervention models.

Developing relevant curriculum that reaches each and every learner in the school community is a huge challenge for school leaders today.  Is there something that can be called “the best”?  What is best is what works for everyone, and that is a differentiated, individualized approach that utilizes a variety of models and systems.  Will it be easy?  Absolutely not!  However, it is a mission I choose to accept!

Reference: 

Glatthorn, A.A., Bosche, F., Whitehead, B. (2009).  Curriculum leadership: Strategies for development and implementation. Thousand Oaks, CA. SAGE Publications.