Searching for curriculums in the digital age.

I read this article in Edweek, a link is provided at the end of this response. The article is an overview of the lack of sources for adaptive curricula in the subjects of science and social studies compared to math and language arts that are available to teachers in order to personalize learning in their classroom.

The problem is not a lack of material, but rather a lack of incorporated learning environments that are adaptive to the students. Digital programs that can target areas of struggle and begin to focus differently on different students’ weak areas. These ‘adaptive’ programs can help teachers target and focus their class time more efficiently by providing statistics and feedback on the classrooms.

Personally I am excited that these tool exist in many forms in mathematics since I plan on teaching that subject. However, every classroom should have access to equivalent tools that empower the teacher to teach better, and support the students in and out of the classroom. The article is a call for adaptive, prepackaged, high quality digital programs like those that exist in math and reading, but for all the subject areas that students explore during their education, specifically science and social studies.

One reason this discrepancy exists is because of the current nation standards, and the tests that are mandated by such standards, because the tests place a high emphasis on reading and mathematics, those subjects have received more attention and funding for advanced learning tools. From a development side, the fact that math and reading standards are similar across multiple states makes development easier and more cost effective, so it really is a perfect storm for the math and reading subject areas.

Even though having these powerful tool at a teachers’ disposal is very appealing, there are still people who caution against using pre-packaged, adaptive curricula in social studies and science, mostly because there isn’t a progression, from one topic to another, such as exists in mathematics where ideas build upon previous ones. Social study classrooms tend to focus regionally on topics and issues of the city, county, or state, and it seems unlikely that a development company will find it economical to customize their product by state or county.

The real gem of the article for me personally was how a school district using an adaptive curriculum in math eases the transition for students who swap schools, as long as they stay in district, their progress and statistics carry over digitally so they continue in the new school environment exactly where they were at the other school. However, in science and social studies this isn’t the case. There is one company, IXL, that did recently release elementary-level social studies and science products, which could signal a shift in the exclusion of social studies and science products from the digital integrated age.

To conclude, integrated and adaptive education programs that give teachers the tools to be better teachers and students the tools to be better learners, are important to have in all subjects. As long as they do not replace or supplant the teacher themselves. The more tools teachers have to collaborate with each other, help their students at a 1-1 level, and focus the learning in their classrooms, the better off education will be. Never leave out the most important classroom ingredient; a passionate, motivated teacher that is always looking for new learning opportunities to incorporate into their classrooms.

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