Textbook Reliance: Traditional Curriculum Dependence Is Symptomatic of a Larger Educational Problem

Abstract

The complexities of adapting traditional educational courses to a virtual setting highlighted numerous inequalities within the current United States’ K12 school system. Students in low socioeconomic communities have suffered a more significant academic slide in core competencies due to poor lesson integration, online learning fatigue, poor learning environments, and low technological proficiency. Policymakers, believing achievement gaps result from teaching performance, have argued for additional academic controls that promote rigorous standardized instruction to reduce existing achievement gaps. However, a state-mandated textbook-driven curriculum that prioritizes test-taking strategies will only exasperate previous educational deficiencies. As numerous schools face significant financial constraints, technological and resource investment is severally limited, and teacher professional development is marginalized. Without appropriate tools or skills to adapt curriculum, classes devolve into simple rote-learning of textbook content lacking any semblance of differentiated instruction. Students in impoverished communities disassociate with taught content as textbooks lack a multicultural presentation; thus they perceive school environments as unwelcoming and hostile towards their lived-experiences. Performance-based funding through high-stakes accountability further incentifies underfunded schools to abandon student-centric learning designs and prioritize a textbook dependent ‘one-size-fits-few’ strategy to avoid sanctions to meet state benchmarks. While a return to traditional classroom instruction may signal a return to normal, without increased state funding, reduced emphasis on standardized testing, improved teacher professional development, and incorporation of multivoiced textbooks, a return to normal will additionally signal a return to existing educational inequalities in the US.

Digital Assessment Literacy: The Need of Online Assessment Literacy and Online Assessment Literate Educators

“…As part of the research, the questionnaires will be distributed out to different schools' management administrators and educators. As the online assessment literacy has become important during these pandemic time, because of the need for technological knowledge in today's world, the school can improve teacher technical competency and self-efficacy by putting a focus on professional development along with effective student learning (Scott & Husain, 2021).…”

“…The new normalcy poses the following statement; schools' management might need to plan for future short comings as part of the contingency strategic plan (Scott & Husain, 2021). Most of the schools have been a victim of the crises, as the 2020 International Results (IB, IGCSE, AS, A level) were quite appalling; it seemed that the schools had never planned out for any setbacks for the pandemic times.…”

Pandangan Mahasiswa Terhadap Penggunaan Ict Dalam Pembelajaran Matematika

“…Beberapa contoh bagaimana ICT dapat memudahkan mahasiswa dalam pembelajaran matematika: 1) Menyediakan akses ke sumber-sumber belajar online: ICT memberikan akses yang luas ke sumber-sumber belajar online seperti video tutorial, simulasi, dan perangkat lunak pembelajaran yang dapat membantu mahasiswa dalam memahami konsep-konsep matematika yang lebih sulit (Lebeničnik et al, 2015) Mengurangi ketergantungan terhadap buku teks: Dengan ICT, mahasiswa dapat mengakses materi pembelajaran matematika melalui internet atau aplikasi pembelajaran, sehingga tidak selalu tergantung pada buku teks fisik yang mungkin terbatas (Scott & Husain, 2021) Meningkatkan kemampuan berpikir kritis: ICT menyediakan banyak sumber informasi dan data yang dapat digunakan oleh mahasiswa untuk mengembangkan kemampuan berpikir kritis dan analitis mereka (Habibah et al, 2018) Membantu dalam pemecahan masalah: Perangkat lunak matematika seperti Matlab atau Maple dapat membantu mahasiswa dalam menyelesaikan soal-soal yang lebih kompleks dan memecahkan masalah-masalah matematika yang lebih rumit (Gurat, 2014).…”

The Use of Activity, Classroom Discussion, and Exercise (ACE) Teaching Cycle for Improving Students’ Engagement in Learning Elementary Linear Algebra

“…The main features of the traditional curriculum are lecturer domination over organisation and action, teacher selection and transfer of knowledge (Al Ansari et al, 2021;Cano et al, 2018;Cattaneo et al, 2019;De Oliveira et al, 2018;Exley, 2008;Nguyen et al, 2018;Scott & Husain, 2021). Regarding organisation and action, the lecturer is the central figure who organises the contents of the course and the strategies that will be implemented in the classroom.…”