“Curriculum is a standards-based sequence of planned experiences where students practice and achieve

proficiency in content and applied learning skills. Curriculum is the central guide for all educators as to
what is essential for teaching and learning, so that every student has access to rigorous academic
experiences. The structure, organization, and considerations in a curriculum are created in order to
enhance student learning and facilitate instruction. Curriculum must include the necessary goals,
methods, materials and assessments to effectively support instruction and learning.” (Rhode Island
Department of Education, n.d, para. 1)

This statement reminds me of my first teaching experience in a new established school. The school was
less than a year when I joined and they did not follow any curriculum, not even any international
curriculum even though most of the students were expatriates (disclaimer: I do not follow the
development of the school after I quit, so I do not know if they already follow one or not). The biggest
problem I had when I was there to decide what to teach and how to teach the children. I was
responsible for 3-4 years old students and even with many things to teach them, it was pretty hard to
plan and design a sustainable teaching plan. It could be pretty hard to determine what to teach, when to
teach a new materials/topics and the suitable approach for the lessons.

The other thing is the differentiation of learning process a students might get. One case in the early-
years program in this school was two students were having different expectations and goals regarding of
the parents requests. As this school defined themselves as a student-based school, it was normal for
each students to have different goals for each period of time. The student “A” was aimed to enter
primary school by the next year but unfortunately did not have any basic knowledge to enter primary
level. The student “B” did not have any specific academic request from his parents, he was described as
an outdoor kid so the parents were very okay if he spent most of his time outside since it was also a
nature-based school with a lot of open air classes and was built surrounded by rice fields. In this
situation, students A often asked why he had to spend more time inside the classroom and learn more
materials than the other one.

From this experiences, I believe that curriculum is important to fulfil the role of the benchmark for every
party involved in education, such as the students, the teachers, the schools even the parents. As it is
mention by Chalk.com (2022), curriculum is important because it can help students to experience a
consistent learning experiences. Curriculum also provides measurable targets, it can be an individual
targets and/or learning group/level targets or both. In conclusion, I believe that a curriculum is a
foundation in an education in the matter that it covers the need of consistency, targeting, and
sustainability in education.

References

Chalk.com. (2022). 7 Reasons Why Your Curriculum Matters More Than You Think.
https://www.chalk.com/resources/7-reasons-why-your-curriculum-matters-more-than-you-think/

Rhode Island Department of Education. (n.d). Curriculum Definition.

https://www.ride.ri.gov/InstructionAssessment/Curriculum/CurriculumDefinition.aspx