According to Parkay et al. (2019), curriculum leaders need to identify a range of possible futures and convert them into probable futures to create a future-oriented curriculum. Thus, before discussing the learning objectives that can be incorporated into such a curriculum, it is beneficial to identify current trends in education to understand the future needs of students. Parkay et al. (2019) state that one of the current trends in education and beyond is the integration of technology. Indeed, the majority of US citizens have a computer in their pocket more advanced than the one that was used to fly to the moon. However, it is unclear what other trends should curriculum leaders consider.
Currently, the US education system experiences a significant shortage of teachers that negatively affects the achievement of students. The number of schools that tried to fill a vacancy between 2011 and 2016 tripled from 3.1 to 9.4 percent (Garcia &Weiss, 2019). Moreover, the number of schools that were unable to fill vacancies grew from 19.7 to 36.2 percent during the same period (Garcia &Weiss, 2019). The teacher shortage is associated with various factors, such as dissatisfaction with the workplace, inadequate compensation, increased stress, and lack of prestige (Garcia &Weiss, 2019). Insufficient teacher staffing will put additional pressure on students, as more emphasis be put on individual learning. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that families are expected to play the role of primary educators, as the education process went online. In summary, it can be concluded that, in the nearest future, students will experience a need to learn with minimal help from teachers using advanced technology.
Currently, I am a fourth-grade teacher; thus, I would like to focus on this level of education. My experience demonstrates that students of this age are already capable of learning on their own with minimal interference from teachers. Additionally, parents of fourth-graders participate in school life with enthusiasm. Considering the trends described above and the peculiarities of the level of education, I would incorporate two objectives into a futures-oriented curriculum to help address future challenges or problems:
- Enable students to learn forty percent of new material without the prior explanation of the teacher using the latest technology.
- Utilize the best practices to encourage parental participation and promote the idea that parents are primary educators of their children.
The first objective is future-oriented as it helps students to learn on their own, which they will need throughout their life, including high school, college, and adult life. Additionally, the first objective will help the students acquire sufficient skills to use the latest technological advances for education. The second objective helps students find support from their parents in their learning process throughout the school. Thus, both goals described above are adequate for including in a future-oriented curriculum.
Reference
Garcia, M., & Weiss, E. (2019). U.S. schools struggle to hire and retain teachers: The second report in ‘The Perfect Storm in the Teacher Labor Market’ series. Economic Policy Institute. Web.
Parkay, F. W., Anctil, E. J., & Hass, G. (2019). Curriculum leadership: Readings for developing quality educational programs (10th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.