What is the big deal about curriculum? Why all the fuss? What is curriculum, anyway?
Curriculum serves as a course of study. In the case of Sunday school, children’s church and Mid-week kids club curriculum, it is specifically an integrated set of courses designed to provide a cohesive treatment of biblical knowledge to a predetermined extent or scope and within the parameters of specified sequences. The curriculum provides the framework and substantive content whereby instructors may utilize its ideas and tools. It also provides the learning aims of individual lessons and the overall scope of lesson groupings. Specific, measureable outcomes are signified as learning indicators at specified touchpoints throughout the course of study. These outcomes do not occur by accident, but through thoughtful implementation of the teaching-learning process by the teacher. Curriculum is a guide. A tool. By itself, it does not teach, motivate or relate to students. That is the teacher’s role.
Often I have observed teachers having a love-hate relationship with curriculum. This occurs for many reasons. Some teachers feel constrained by the perceived limits of the specific curriculum they are using. Others desire each moment of the session to be clearly laid out, including a script of what to say and when to say it. Still others prefer to work without structure, creating their own ideas as they progress–ergo their own unofficial curriculum.
I believe there are numerous specific benefits of good curriculum. Allow me to list several of them here.
- provides theological and biblical consistency and accountability.
- provides continuity.
- stresses personal application of learned principles in ways that are specific, measureable and realistic.
- provides a scope and sequence of learning throughout the specified age levels so that students cover the entire Bible a predetermined number of times.
- emphasizes Scripture memory in a way that is meaningful for respective age levels.
- that is effective finds ways appeal to a broad range of learning styles and personality types.
- offers teacher guides, student materials and teaching resources that are clear, relevant and engaging.
- steers students toward the attainment of specific and realistic learning benchmarks.
- has an element of adaptability so that slower learners may benefit at their pace without being left behind by more advanced students.
- shows evidence of consistently mature editorial control in its text.
- uses culturally relevant illustrations and graphics.
The list could go on but this is a start. Are there any benefits you think should be added? Let me know by stating them in the comments form!