Curriculum the Relationship Between Curriculum

Curriculum The relationship between curriculum and instruction varies greatly because each instructor treats the curriculum differently from their colleagues. Some instructors take great strides to teach curriculum as accurately as possible without diverting from it in the least. Others use the bare minimum of the curriculum as an outline for their class but center the class around their idea of optimal teaching of the subject based on their education and individual experiences.

Thus, it is hard to formulate a concept of what the relationship between instruction and curriculum is other than a relationship which each individual instructor decides for themselves. I personal prefer a more lackadaisical attitude towards the curriculum from instructors as this seems to generally lend to a more personal approach by the instructor. That is, the instructor tends to explain and divulge into particular problem areas for students as well as attending to students more often than in a curriculum-based classroom setting.

My assumption is this largely has to do with the amount of time involved in sticking strictly with the curriculum. Often, the curricula put in place by our education system are extremely grandiose and cover a vast amount of topics in a short amount of time (Cummings, 2008). In such a system it is difficult for instructors to have the time to teach all required information and still be able to assist students in a personal manner (Cummings, 2008).

Also, it becomes challenging for instructors to go into great detail on specific subjects encompassed within the curriculum. Therefore, though a broad range of topics are covered in the curriculum, potentially less knowledge is obtained by students as there is not sufficient enough time for instructors speak at length (Cummings, 2008). As stated in a Facilitator's Guide book, "Thinking teachers inspire thinking students" (Erickson, 2008). The more a teacher is able to display their creativity and thought behind a subject, the more students will do the same.

If an instructor is tied down to a time consuming curriculum, they are not allowed much room for thought and passion behind their subject leaving students unenthusiastic and dull (Erickson, 2008). Also according to the same book, whose author conducted and compiled several studies, concept-based curricula are more effective than topic-based curricula because they call for students to synthesize, generalize, and analyze facts to gain a deeper understanding (Erickson, 2008).

Topic-based curricula on the other hand, allow for a capacious overview of one subject without the ability to further understand in the classroom. Moreover, topic-based curricula has become obsolete as it is necessary in our ever-changing and fast paced world for students to analyze facts given instead of rereading information from decades past (Erickson, 2008). Though there are conflicting studies, it seems to be the general consensus that the relationship between instruction and curriculum needs to change whatever it may be.

Knowledge can no longer be obtained as efficiently as it used to be by following traditional ways of teaching. Instructors that choose to part from.