Drawing on the authors' extensive experience and robust survey data, this critical resource unpacks the inner workings of one of the most powerful mechanisms for improving teaching and learning in higher education: the course design institute (CDI). CDIs are intensive, often multi-day facilitated experiences where instructors design or redesign a…

This article, drawing on the relevant literature on dual language books, proposes a four-step process to select high quality dual language books. Each step is explained and supported with examples. A checklist is developed based on the four-step process as a practical guide for teachers and librarians to build high quality dual language book…

This guidebook provides an introduction to Instructional Improvement Systems (IIS) for State education agency (SEA) managers and program leads. Functional components of a theoretical IIS model are discussed and used as a reference point for the introduction a seven-step planning and implementation cycle designed to guide SEAs in the development of…

This module explicates the concept of curriculum articulation, one of the instructional characteristics of effective schools set forth in the Minnesota School Effectiveness Program. Curriculum articulation and organization describe the scope and sequence of a curriculum, as it relates to the goals that a school district has for its students.…

This booklet focuses on strategies for providing curriculum content that is connected to real-life applications of knowledge and skills. It claims that authenticity exists on a continuum and content should not be seen as either completely authentic or as divorced from reality. It outlines the importance of authentic learning experiences, such as…

While learning is often designed and executed as if it stood alone, it rarely exists in isolation. If more than one learning event is offered, a relationship between units exists and should be defined. This relationship calls for an architecture of curriculum that defines audience, content, and delivery within a context of performance. Curriculum…

The educational needs of middle school students are truly unique. In no other period of PreK-12 education can one find such a wide range of physical, social, and cognitive development among students. For students, the middle school years can be a time of both great vulnerability and great responsiveness to change. These years are highly formative…

The document, half of which consists of appendixes, discusses the development and implementation of individualized education programs (IEPs) for handicapped children in the state of Illinois. A sequential presentation of the Illinois rules and regulations applying to IEPs is provided, and the major mandated steps in the development if IEPs are…

When developing scope and sequence documents for gifted education, program level planning and classroom implementation must be aligned. This article discusses methods for: organizing to accomplish curriculum alignment, matching the gifted program goals and activities to those in the general curriculum, and selecting materials for a gifted…

The primary purpose of the 2004 Mississippi Business and Technology Framework is to promote business and economic literacy, both successful domestic and international functioning, diverse practice of interpersonal, teamwork, and leadership skills, technology as a tool for managing information, and lifelong learning skills that foster flexible…

Clarity of written expression is prized highly in the university curriculum and in the societal arena. Professors need to study, analyze, and appraise diverse recommended philosophies in teaching writing. An existentialist writing curriculum should: include extensive input from students on topics, forms of writing to be emphasized, and planning of…

Describes the steps needed to develop a computer-managed learning system that is derived from a network-based curriculum such as the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). System components that are described include curriculum mapping, including objectives; lesson outlines; and a framework for evaluating students and instructional…

This text on curriculum planning and instructional design for gifted students is based on a planning model and an instructional model. The planning model acknowledges the important roles of curriculum planners, of task analysis, and of the educational climate of a school. The instructional model emphasizes the characteristics of gifted learners,…

A review of problems inherent in enhancing written guides for teachers is presented, focusing on the impact of different conceptions of educational practice and teaching. The goal of this review is to formulate theoretical perspectives and practical precepts for authors and readers of guides for educational practice and teaching. Conceptions and…

The procedure documented is used for the systemwide planning of curriculum development in Montgomery County, Maryland, and consists of three parts: a planning and review process; an instructional design and development model; and a proposed calendar for cyclical review of programs. Specific position responsibilities, organizational charts, and…