Aug
10
Written by:
Different Voice
8/10/2009 7:00 AM
Choosing curriculum for children, youth or adults can be a difficult task. Hopefully, a lot of thought goes into which curriculum best meets the needs of those who will be using it. Once a curriculum is chosen, however, there is a tendency to then use the curriculum “as is”. Many teachers do not feel comfortable modifying lessons. This is an acceptable approach if you have discovered a curriculum that perfectly matches your beliefs, teaching style and the needs of those in the class. To determine whether your curriculum is a good fit for your church, ask it some questions.
- Is the theology of the curriculum consistent with your denomination’s theology?
- Is the curriculum inclusive? Does the artwork include pictures of people from different ethnic and cultural groups and people with disabilities?
- Does the curriculum present multiple images for God?
- Does the curriculum encourage students to ask questions?
- Does the curriculum provide an opportunity to apply the ideas of the lesson to life experiences?
- Does the curriculum encourage service projects?
- Is the curriculum environmentally friendly? Does it encourage good stewardship of God’s world? Are art activities involving food avoided?
- Does the curriculum provide activities that appeal to multiple learning styles?
If you don’t like the answers to some of these questions, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to discard the curriculum. It is often possible to modify curriculum to meet your needs. For example, you might simply ask teachers not to use lesson ideas that use food as an art supply. Remind all Sunday School teachers that curriculum does not have to be used as written, but can serve as a springboard for a lesson plan.
~Sally Hoelscher