Instructional Strategy for Curriculum Alignment

The field of education has experienced significant reforms in the past decade because of the need for a standards-based, accountability-centered, and systematically-integrated approach for enhancing the quality and outcomes of learning (Porter & Smithson, 2001). As a result of these reforms and need, policymakers, researchers and other relevant stakeholders in this field have become interested in examining the curriculum delivered to students. This interest has primarily focused on the link between the taught curriculum and the intended curriculum. In light of this, curriculum alignment has emerged as an important aspect towards promoting the success of student learning and achievement of learning goals and objectives. In this regard, aligning the intended curriculum, taught curriculum, and learned curriculum is vital towards enhancing learning outcomes.

According to Seitz (2017), curriculum is defined as all courses offered at a school or the learning of students as directed by the school. Therefore, the intended curriculum is defined as standards, guidelines, content, and frameworks that teachers are expected to deliver to students. On the other hand, taught curriculum refers to the content delivered to students by teachers based on the expected curriculum. The learned curriculum refers to the content that has been learned by students with respect to their level of competence/proficiency. While the alignment of these three curricula is crucial to the achievement of learning goals and objectives, it’s a complex and time-consuming endeavor (Watermeyer, n.d.). As a result, there are various practical, organizational, and instructional strategies that can be utilized to align the intended curriculum, taught curriculum, and learned curriculum.
The most helpful strategies in ensuring the alignment between these three curricula is instructional strategies. Drake & Burns (2004) states that instructional strategies provide a suitable framework for internal alignment of these three curricula. In this regard, internal alignment takes place when instructional strategies and classroom assessments reflect the intent and language of standards, frameworks, and guidelines of education. Instructional strategies are defined as techniques utilized by teachers/instructors to help students become independent and strategic learners (Alberta Learning, 2002). These strategies are considered effective when they help students to independently choose suitable measure for learning and accomplishing desired goals and objectives.
With regards to curriculum alignment, the use of instructional strategies helps to ensure that the learned curriculum reflects the intended and taught curricula. The most beneficial instructional strategy for curriculum alignment is scaffolded instruction. According to Winn (1994), scaffolded instruction is a strategy in which instructors/teachers challenge students/learners to engage in learning activities that they are unable to engage in independently. During this process, teachers provide students with necessary support to enable them to understand the tasks and carry them out successfully. The three major components of scaffolded instructional strategy are planning, attention to the characteristics and needs of students, and using a routine teaching style/technique to achieve learning outcomes.
Planning entails understand the standards and performance requirements i.e. the standards, guidelines, and frameworks embedded in the intended curriculum. Once the intended curriculum is understood, the teacher examines students’ characteristics and needs and develop teaching styles based on these needs. This process is geared towards ensuring that the taught curriculum reflects the intended curriculum. Teachers then utilize the teaching styles regularly while providing students with necessary support to carry out learning tasks independently, which helps in ensuring that the learned curriculum reflects the intended and taught curricula.
References
Alberta Learning. (2002). Instructional Strategies. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from https://education.alberta.ca/media/482311/is.pdf
Drake, S.M. & Burns, R.C. (2004). Meeting Standards Through Integrated Curriculum. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103011/chapters/Using-Standards-to-Integrate-the-Curriculum.aspx
Porter, A.C. & Smithson, J.L. (2001, December). Defining, Developing, and Using Curriculum Indicators. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.cpre.org/sites/default/files/researchreport/788_rr48.pdf
Seitz, P. (2017). Curriculum Alignment Among the Intended, Enacted and Assessed Curricula for Grade 9 Mathematics. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 15(1), 72-94.
Watermeyer, R. (n.d.). Curriculum Alignment, Articulation and the Formative Development of the Learner. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://www.ibo.org/globalassets/publications/ib-research/curriculumalignmenteng.pdf
Winn, J.A. (1994, February 1). Promises and Challenges of Scaffolded Instruction. Learning Disability Quarterly, 17(1), 89-104.