As a teacher, you must constantly evaluate and determine the best ways to help your students understand new material. However, each student brings different learning styles to the classroom environment, meaning you need a vast array of teaching tools to meet each student’s need.
Graduate programs in curriculum and instruction help prepare teachers to better meet those needs, instilling strong analytical and critical thinking skills in instructors. Backed with these skills, teachers more successfully approach students with individual learning problems, introducing problem-solving strategies based on years of research and training.
Curriculum mainly focuses on the “what” aspect of teaching, while instruction focuses on the “how” aspect of teaching. These degree programs are typically research-intensive, meaning teachers will study content in addition to case studies on the best ways to teach that content. Discover the requirements and benefits of graduate programs in curriculum and instruction…
How can a master’s in curriculum and instruction help me as a teacher?
Teachers entering curriculum and instruction master’s program can expect to gain a much deeper background on content knowledge, teaching styles, the psychology behind learning, and reflective teaching practices.
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Explore a few of the organizations related to curriculum and instruction:
Curriculum and instruction is a broad graduate category with many different options. Most schools offer a variety of pathways to earn a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, offering something for everyone. This ensures teachers have access to a greater range of research-backed strategies that prepare them to tackle any challenge in the classroom.
Focusing on science education, a teacher might conduct action research projects where they experiment with new ways of teaching curriculum. By frequently meeting with professors and mentor teachers, these individuals explore new methods of teaching and find the best ways to meet teaching challenges head-on.
If a particular student has difficulty learning new material, these teachers have the most effective tools to assess and analyze the best methods to help them. The flexibility and subject intensive-focus of these degrees make them some of the most popular programs for teachers.
Curriculum and instruction programs provide teachers with a wide variety of options. Some of the typical courses include:
Greater content knowledge and knowledge of teaching practices help teachers address any student’s particular needs. With research, assessment, and curriculum development skills, these teachers become the future leaders of the Field of Education, ensuring success for students.
How will a graduate degree in curriculum and instruction help my students?
Many students struggle to keep up with material during class, and might give up or feel lost at various points throughout the school year. Teachers with backgrounds in curriculum and instruction are better suited to recognize these students thanks to better assessment skills coupled with better instructional strategies.
- Cognitive Processes in Education
Explore the psychological theories behind how students learn. Courses in cognition allow teachers to better understand what motivates students, how they reason, problem-solve, and learn.
- Curriculum Theories and Design
Learn how to design and implement effective curriculum that takes into account essential questions and overall classroom goals. These courses give teachers the thinking skills needed to design curriculum based on learning theories and research of instructional practices.
- Differentiated Instruction and Assessment
Teachers learn to provide students with different routes to success, through different teaching styles, materials, and individualized learning plans. Teachers also explore ways of assessing student outcomes, and how to react to those outcomes.
- Policy Issues in Education
Politics and education are increasingly intertwined, meaning teachers must stay abreast of new changes in policy and standards. These courses update teachers on the policy issues of the times.
- Research Design
Most master’s programs require teachers to conduct original research on teaching or learning methods. These courses give teachers background knowledge on current research, and help them understand how to implement that research in the classroom.
Instead of approaching teaching as “one size fits all,” these teachers make individualized adjustments to curriculum and teaching practices, helping their struggling students work through difficult material and improving learning outcomes.
Additionally, their knowledge of educational research ensures that their curriculum adjustments are scientifically-informed, and traceable. This allows teachers to evaluate their adjustments, making further changes down the line to better their students.
Want to know more?
If you’re interested in learning more about graduate programs in education, and what different programs can offer you as a teacher, research and contact schools offering programs in curriculum and instruction. Pick your state from this map representing Master’s in Education programs throughout the country.
