Curriculum implementation is actually the core center of any kind of educational process. It forms knowledge and works on it and makes it convert into skills in which it serves as a foundation base for students afterward. It makes the whole later part of an individual’s journey. However, though important, curriculum implementation can become harder to deal with than to describe it. It can start with simply just the right modifying teaching approaches; actually ensuring everything that would get the work done is put in place for the journey on the way to successful curriculum implementation. So, how exactly does a school cross this theoretical-to-practice gap? It is by potent instructional leadership that.
Instructional leaders offer a student-centered-teacher-friendly environment by applying cooperative strategies and support, hence proper implementation and a change in the curriculum.
1. Provide Clarity and Support to Teachers
Teachers are the backbone of delivering programs; therefore, proper support is needed to carry out their functions correctly. Instructional leaders can offer workshops or even training and find time to explain to teachers what curriculum goals are. They will maintain open lines of communication with them through which they may seek even that form of assistance and can share problems. This could prove to be an added benefit or can provide tips to assist them in doing that by bringing in community service consultants or other related experts.
2. Promote Cooperative Learning among Teachers
This is not something that can be done by an individual, for curriculum implementation entails teamwork. Team meetings should therefore be encouraged, and the instructors should meet each other, air their ideas, and share experiences. Team meetings held frequently would help teachers education planning strategies and share resources with one another, thus achieving the curriculum in a better way. Other grade levels or subject areas could collaborate in such a way as to make the teaching approach clearly unity.
Instructional leaders can also request consultancy services from higher education consultancy services to ensure the curriculum is appropriate for future academic goals. It makes teachers realize how the curriculum prepares students for higher education and, therefore, strengthens its impact.
3. Seek Feedback and Revise Curriculum
Improvement requires feedback. Instructional leaders should seek feedback from teachers and students on what they experienced with the curriculum. This can be achieved by surveys, meetings, and focus groups. With such feedback, changes must be incorporated. It could be in the form of a lesson plan or the allocation of more resources for a given lesson; always refining to ensure that the curriculum caters to all needs. The instructional leaders must be flexible and responsive to change for the betterment of learning experiences.
4. Resources should be available
Access to the right resources would make the curriculum successful. Instructional leaders need to ensure that teachers and students have all materials available that are necessary in order to carry out the instruction, whether it is textbooks, technology, or supplementary content. Instructional leaders can sit with the school’s budget team to procure the resources needed. Bringing experts from outside-in services such as community service consultants brings special tools and knowledge into the curricula.
5. Set clear expectations for students
Students must be informed of the expectations from the curriculum for it to work. Instructional leaders should communicate with the students regarding the goals and objectives of the curriculum so they can appreciate their learning value. This can be done through school-wide meetings, classroom discussions, and written materials. When students know their academic path, they will tend to remain motivated and involved.
Instructional leaders can also prepare their students for the future by assisting them in finding and selecting college search and selection services and by keeping them informed of how the curriculum helps them achieve their future education goals.
6. Monitor and Evaluate Progress Periodically
Monitoring needs to be routine for effective curriculum implementation. Instructional leaders need to track the student’s progress and comments of the teachers to ascertain whether the curriculum is being implemented or not. Such monitoring may be done through testing, questionnaire surveys, application guidance and classroom observations. Analysis of such data will enable them to make necessary adjustments in time so that the curriculum will not derail.
Through education planning strategies, the curriculum changes and remains effective in the long run.The community, teachers, and instructional leaders have to collaborate for effective use of the curriculum. It has to outline clearly, support mutual collaboration, apply feedback, provision of resources, set expectations and ensure that there is a monitoring of progress.
