Thursday, July 3, 2014

Why elementary curriculum is important?

Why elementary curriculum is important?

Curriculum is the sum of all the instructional goals and methods within a particular school system. Curriculum includes both what is taught and how it’s taught. An effective elementary curriculum provides teachers, students, administrators and community stakeholders with a measurable plan and structure for delivering a quality education. The elementary curriculum identifies the learning outcomes, standards and core competencies that students should demonstrate before advancing to the next level. Elementary curriculum provides the foundation for later schooling at the middle and high school levels.

Standardization:-
Elementary curriculum ensures that every student in one to five grades receives the same core educational elements. Curriculum is typically craft by state for all public school systems. Private schools also follow same guidelines with some changes. A student attending a poor rural school therefore receives the same quality of education as a student in high standard school. The standardization process continues like this in middle and high schools.

Educational fundamentals:-
Curriculum forms the building blocks of education at all grade levels. For the elementary grades, curriculum usually consists of the most fundamental material. Educators place the greatest emphasis on the core subjects’ areas of reading, writing, mathematics and science. Other subjects, such as the arts and foreign language, also receive attention. The ultimate goal of elementary curriculum is to produce well-rounded students, capable of performing to expectations at the middle grades. Some states and districts also perform testing to ensure the students’ mastery in curriculum.

Enrichment:-
Elementary school curricula encourage a rich learning environment that cares to all learning styles and ability levels. Younger students flourish on stimulation and variety and teachers should take this into mind when they implement the curriculum standards in their districts or schools. Students at any level get bored with repetition and routine. It is essential that teachers and counselors create connections with students so that they can communicate with them with different ways. Testing and homework assignments alone are not enough to measure a young student’s progress.

Cognitive and social development:-
Elementary curriculum extends the learning of a few key subjects. A major objective of elementary curriculum is to teach children how to learn and how to adapt new situations. The skill of critical thinking should be inculcated as early as possible. The social development of the child is also an important aspect of elementary curriculum. Teachers practice group exercises and field trips into the instructional process whenever possible and often teach the same lessons with different teaching methods.

Other considerations:-
In addition to teaching students’ academic skills, the elementary curriculum is also intended to teach students the importance of responsibility, hard work and responsible citizenship. Teachers in partnership with parents and community members collaborate on the development of a curriculum that will inculcate character building in students and reinforce positive behavior.  

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