An intentionally designed curriculum serves three primary functions: it creates global citizens who are empathetic, critical thinkers and responders; it prepares students to enter the world beyond academia by providing the tools and skills to be applied in both careers and further educational settings, and it provides an environment in which students can achieve these goals. 

CURRICULARLY DESIGNED EDUCATION...

Through the curriculum, students become critical thinkers who can take in and synthesize information from the world around them in order to make empathetic and informed decisions. It is not enough for a student to know the rules of grammar if they do not understand how different demographics use and manipulate language to fit their needs. It is not enough for a student to memorize formulae if they do not know how to apply them. When a student has a belief, learns facts contradicting that belief, and then adjusts their thinking to include new information, learning has taken place. Curricularly designed education creates opportunities for the students to engage through meaningful, active learning that is relevant and applicable to the student’s life. A student who is able to apply their knowledge and understanding not just to technical information but also to people and situations has the understanding to think both critically and empathetically.

… TAKES INTO ACCOUNT DIVERSITY 

A curriculum takes into account the diversity of students in every sense. A culturally responsive curriculum that provides opportunity to find the missing perspective in the room - such as the Black experience, or the immigrant experience, or a socio-economic class or gender experience - allows for this diversity. In an English classroom, students should be exposed to texts that provide them a diversity of perspective. Students will hook into the curriculum through their own experience and will keep engagement as they begin to learn other perspectives. As not all students instantly engage with written work, even an English classroom will offer videos, art pieces, and discussions to provide different entry points for students. Using different cultural experience to teach the skills of writing, analysis, and comprehension allows for the simultaneous exercise of perspective taking, empathy, and cultural awareness. These skills are transferable to both academic disciplines and social interactions, and are supported by the curriculum.

…. CREATES OPPORTUNITIES

In addition to diversity of experience, opinion, and ability, a curriculum should take into account the diversity of student goals. Students in today’s world might set their sights for college or for a career and yet have their intended life path change at the last minute. In order to account for this and to provide students the most opportunities later in life, curriculum should be designed both for college and career readiness, providing students with both generalized knowledge and specialized skill sets to launch them into their future. 

…  AND ACCOUNTS FOR FLEXIBILITY

A classroom teacher knows their students far better and deeper than any administrator outside of that classroom, and because of that a curriculum has the flexibility for a teacher to implement it in their own manner. An English classroom of voracious readers who consume books by the chapter is not served by being taught in the same manner as a classroom of students for whom reading is a struggle and slog. Yet if flexibility is built into the curriculum, these students can be taught from the same text and with the same established goals in mind. Teachers, having relationships with their students and knowing their students strengths, passions, and frustrations, can tailor teaching methods to provide students with the greatest amount of autonomy and encouragement. By basing curriculum out of national academic standards interpreted and applied locally, and with a working knowledge of the socio-emotional, psychological, and physical development of the student, an intentionally designed curriculum achieves all of these goals.