When you’re working in curriculum development— or truly anything— it’s important to remember your why. This is especially true when you’re working in curriculum development online as a freelancer or business owner.
Teacher entrepreneurship comes with a lot of ups and downs, but if you can identify why curriculum development is important to you — and why you want to find jobs outside of the classroom — it is easier to stay motivated.
Finding your why can help improve curriculum development services, too. By being clear on why you create curricula a certain way, you’re able to create a more purposeful and engaging learning experience.
As you deepen your knowledge of curriculum development, it’s important to be able to talk about approaches that you include in your work. It’s even more important to be intentional about how and why you use these approaches. This will help you as you create curriculum samples and apply for online curriculum development jobs.
Not quite sure what your why is? That’s okay! Follow these three steps to figure it out and deepen your understanding of curriculum development:
3 Steps to Find Your Why As a Curriculum Developer
Ready to start working in curriculum development online or as a freelancer? Use these steps to dig deeper into your why.
GET CLEAR ON YOUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Before you figure out your curriculum development niche, think about your teaching philosophy.
Consider these questions:
-
How do you believe students learn best?
-
How are your favorite lessons and classroom experience structured?
-
What don’t you like to include in lessons?
When designing curriculum, you get to develop the learning experiences that you want to exist in classrooms. Even if you currently work in an environment where you don’t have total control over what you teach, working in curriculum development online can be your chance to break beyond those boundaries.
But before you can create amazing lessons, you need to get clear on what you consider amazing and why.
LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS AND APPROACHES
Of course, it’s not just your personal beliefs that go into curriculum development services. There have been many great thinkers and organizations conducting research and innovations in the field.
As you consider your teaching philosophy and learn how to become a curriculum developer online, make sure you spend some time learning about different frameworks and approaches to creating curriculum, too.
Some that you can learn about include:
While there are many different frameworks and approaches that you can spend time learning about, choose ones that resonate with your teaching philosophy. Learn from thought leaders in the space as you develop reasons to support your particular approaches to curriculum development.
CREATE CURRICULUM THAT YOU LOVE
The best way to get clear on something is to take action. If you want to better understand your approach to curriculum development, you need to try it out. Even if you’re not yet working in curriculum development online, there are lots of opportunities to practice.
Try writing lessons, units, or other instructional materials. Through writing and reflecting, you can learn what you would include and why.
Allow your curriculum to be aspirational. Write for the classroom you wish you had, with all the freedom and support you desire. Create the best possible learning experiences for kids, thinking outside the box to create the most engaging curriculum that you can.
Through the writing process, you may uncover more about your teaching philosophy and what you desire to see in schools.
