Curriculum in Context

Book excerpt: CURRICULUM IN CONTEXT is a guidebook for teachers and curriculum designers who are preparing to write curricula for use in pre-K through 12 classrooms and post-secondary settings. This text focuses on contextual teaching and learning (CTL), a system of instruction that enables students to find meaning by connecting the content of the lesson with the context of their lives. The book's practical focus provides teachers and administrators with the concepts and skills they need to make curricular and instructional decisions appropriate for their schools and classrooms. Author Leigh Chiarelott presents some of the most popular models for curriculum development, beginning with the classic Tyler "4 questions," and leading into more contemporary models, such as Wiggins and McTighe's "Backward Design." Unlike other available texts, CURRICULUM IN CONTEXT treats the principles of contextual teaching and learning as an integral element of the curriculum design process.