START THE CONVERSATION! Making the curriculum conversation a priority is a good place to start.
- WHAT is curriculum?
- WHAT are the pieces that make up your school’s curriculum?
- WHO are the stakeholders of your school’s curriculum?
- WHY is it important to have a curriculum? to document your school’s curriculum?
- WHY is it important to talk about curriculum?
FIND TIME FOR THE CONVERSATION! Putting it on the calendar is critical. If it’s not on the calendar, it’s probably not going to happen.
- Emphasize the importance of by treating it with importance.
- Piggyback on an already-scheduled meeting.
- Adding another meeting to an already-busy calendar doesn’t have to happen. Can a 15-30 minute window of time be taken, from an already-scheduled meeting, to start the conversation?
- Late-start or early-release days are a great place to carve out curriculum conversation time.
- Administrators: Seek out small windows of time for individual or small group/grade level team conversations.
- No time to meet? Start a Google Doc and hold the conversation digitally.
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION! Returning to the conversation is equally important.
- Curriculum isn’t static; it’s constantly changing. Giving teachers regular opportunities to return to the curriculum conversation is a big part of keeping current and fresh.
- Returning to a conversation point allows for continued understanding and growing momentum. Before you know it, a movement will start! Keeping the conversation in front of faculty builds excitement and relationships.
ENCOURAGE CONVERSATION WITH LASTING VALUE! Ask questions that will lead to realization and action.
Is the curriculum your school uses to guide instruction:
- highly visible and easily accessible to teachers, students, and parents?
- presented in a user-friendly format that is easy to read and understand?
- easily and continually revised on a timely basis?
- a tool that provides every teacher with real, current info that shares what all teachers are actually teaching within your school?
- clearly aligned to current state standards?
- a tool that provides specific info about the content and skills that precede and follow a specific grade level or course?