Why "What curriculum do you use?" is the wrong question
We get it.
You’ve been trained as parents to think about education in terms of curriculum. All we hear about as parents and educators is Common Core, and which curriculum is used by which school, and which one is the best one to help my child succeed.
But let’s break this down and start by clarifying and defining curriculum. The word “curriculum” has a few different definitions and people often use is to mean different things in discussion.
Broadly, the word curriculum can mean: what is taught and learned or how you teach things; what method is used.
The question most people are actually asking when they ask about which curriculum we use, is actually a question about standards: “What standards do you use to ensure my child is working at the right grade level, to learn what they need to know?”
Standards for learning in K-12 institutions are universally accepted and don’t differ much from state to state or school to school. It’s simply how each school gets each child to the finish line. We bristle at standardization here at The Studio School, and frankly, disagree with how most schools apply their standards - alas, that’s an email for another day.
To us, the most accurate definition of “curriculum” is how do you teach or what methods are used. That’s a logical question – but in our judgement it’s still the wrong one.
To explain, we believe structuring a program and specifically defining educational success in terms of completing a curriculum is wrong if you are thinking beyond your child doing well at school. If you’ve been around a lot of young people, you quickly realize they are all very different and unique. A school having the audacity to think that a single “curriculum” will work for 40 kids, let alone 400 or 4000 is misplaced.
In the spirit of individualization and in recognition that all young people have a dynamic learning profile, we focus almost exclusively on learning design by asking questions like:What tools can we use to help learners progress?
What should the environment look like?
What methods work for this learner specifically?
When do we need to slow down or speed up?
When do we intervene and help?
When do we allow failure?
Ultimately, how can we accomplish achieving the standard in a way that suits the individual best, over a time that’s reasonable for their aptitude and in a way that preserves joy, engagement, and curiosity.
Learning Design > Curriculum
Individualized > Standardized
Want to hear more? Come for a tour or our upcoming Info Sessions.