Talking About Concepts.

One of the things that scares teachers the most is when the director starts a staff meeting with: “We have been thinking about our curriculum and have decided…”. You look to the side and several teachers are scratching their heads, stretching their necks or simply oblivious to that statement because they fear what will come next. The default teacher will see change as a problem. It means they will have to work more hours to either adapt what they've already planned or learn a different way to do things, entirely. That is their perspective. I see change as a way to move things forward, even when it seems like we are reinventing the wheel.

Today, I want to clarify some important educational concepts and then you will help me guide our conversation and next topics. I will do this because I’m gonna be honest with you. I am moved by change and I simply love discussing different topics with people. I am the one at the back of the room silently jumping and cheering when the director starts the meeting as I mentioned before. And knowing exactly what each term means, understanding them will help us navigate change more confidently and know what to tackle first.

What is Curriculum? 

Curriculum is the planned and guided learning experiences and intended outcomes formulated through systematic reconstruction of knowledge, under the auspices of the school. Excuse me?! That’s a definition by Tanner and Tanner. Yes, it’s a bit of a mouthful!

So what does it really mean? Simply put, a curriculum isn’t just a list of topics or a schedule. It’s a carefully thought-out plan for what students should learn, how they’ll learn it, and what outcomes we hope to see. All designed and supported by the school. It’s about being intentional, not accidental, with learning.

In practice: It’s what we teach: content, skills, concepts, and values.

Includes both written documents (like scope and sequence or syllabi) and the lived experience in the classroom. In short, the planned and the taught curriculum. Some private schools might opt to buy a curriculum, while public schools must follow the national curriculum, for example, BNCC in Brazil, Common Core in the US, National English Curriculum in the UK - these are the national curriculum frameworks in Brazil, the US and the UK.

How is curriculum created?

It is impossible for me to define what content, skills, and concepts I will teach students if I don’t have an idea of expectations and learning goals. That is brought by the Standards, as they will tell me exactly what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. They are the destination, not the path. 

Along with the Standards, we also have the Benchmarks, which will be small checkpoints or indicators to help track the progress students are making towards mastery. They are often aligned with grade levels or units and help teachers assess learning in a more precise way.

Now, you might be wondering—what's the difference between standards and benchmarks? It’s a common confusion, so let’s clear it up. Standards are the big-picture goals. They tell us what students should know and be able to do by the end of the year or stage. Think of them as the destination on a map. Benchmarks, on the other hand, are the smaller milestones along the way. They break the standard down into more manageable parts, helping us see whether students are on track. If the standard is “travel across the country,” benchmarks would be the key stops on the journey, the places where you pause, check progress, and make sure you're heading in the right direction.

When I am planning my lessons, if I just take the standards or benchmarks and expect my students to accomplish that in one lesson, they will fail, I will fail, we will all fail. They are too broad, as in, "Compare and order lengths and record the results using >, < and =." And there is a reason why: "Standards are designed to be broad so they can remain stable over time while allowing for adaptability across different regions, schools, and contexts, while supporting localization, differentiation, and teacher autonomy."

So, if standards are too broad for a lesson, what should we use?

Because standards are too broad for daily lesson planning, you should use Learning Outcomes or Learning Objectives. They are statements that describe what students will be able to do after instruction. They should be short and sweet: Students will be able to estimate and measure the length of objects using a ruler (in centimeters and meters). They are focused, measurable, and student-centered. Their function is to help align teaching, assessment, and feedback.

Every lesson that is taught should have a Learning Outcome/Objective attached to it and shared with the students. But are you telling me that I have to share my LO with my 2 years-old students? Yes. Do I have to do it every single lesson? Yes. Isn’t that too much? I don’t think so. If you don’t know exactly what the point of that lesson is, if your students do not know what they should be focusing on, how could the learning be at its best? Trust me. It makes a difference and it is worth it. Even toddlers benefit because it gives them a focus, a way to understand the purpose of activities, and helps develop early metacognition.

I am going to wrap this up as the text is getting too long. I know how busy a teacher's life can be. So, I will continue it next time, with more concepts related to teaching and learning. See you next time.

Tanner, D., & Tanner, L. N. (1995). Curriculum development: Theory into practice (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall.