MTEL Curriculum Design & Development 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which curriculum design model begins with identifying desired learning outcomes before determining instructional activities?
- Tyler Rationale
- Understanding by Design (UbD) (Correct answer)
- Hunter Instructional Model
- Spiral Curriculum
Correct answer: Understanding by Design (UbD)
Understanding by Design (UbD), developed by Wiggins and McTighe, uses backward design: identifying desired results first, then determining acceptable evidence, and finally planning learning experiences.
UbD backward design reverses traditional planning by starting with desired outcomes and assessments before designing instructional activities. Stage 1 identifies desired results. Stage 2 determines acceptable evidence. Stage 3 plans learning experiences. This ensures activities are purposefully connected to goals. UbD is widely used in Massachusetts and is a key MTEL content area.
Question 2: What is the hidden curriculum in schools?
- Secret academic content taught only to gifted students
- Unofficial norms, values, and behaviors implicitly communicated through schooling beyond the formal curriculum (Correct answer)
- A curriculum designed for students with hidden disabilities
- Advanced content embedded in standard lessons for enrichment
Correct answer: Unofficial norms, values, and behaviors implicitly communicated through schooling beyond the formal curriculum
The hidden curriculum refers to the implicit lessons about values, norms, and social roles that students learn through their school experience beyond the formally stated curriculum.
Philip Jackson coined the term hidden curriculum in 1968. It encompasses implicit messages students receive about authority, conformity, competition, and social hierarchies through daily school routines. Critical educators argue the hidden curriculum often reinforces existing social inequalities. The MTEL tests candidates awareness of this concept in curriculum theory.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes scope and sequence in curriculum planning?
- The order in which classroom materials are stored and organized
- The breadth of content covered (scope) and the order and timing of instruction (sequence) (Correct answer)
- A description of assessment types and their grading weights
- The teacher daily lesson plan format
Correct answer: The breadth of content covered (scope) and the order and timing of instruction (sequence)
Scope refers to the breadth and depth of content to be covered, while sequence refers to the logical order and progression in which content is taught.
Scope and sequence documents outline all topics to be taught and when and in what order. Effective sequencing builds on prior knowledge and ensures prerequisite skills precede dependent skills. Massachusetts curriculum frameworks provide guidance on scope and sequence. The MTEL tests educators ability to design coherent, well-sequenced learning experiences.
Question 4: A teacher designs a unit that integrates science content with informational reading and argumentative writing. This approach is best described as:
- Differentiated instruction
- Interdisciplinary curriculum integration (Correct answer)
- Thematic teaching
- Project-based learning
Correct answer: Interdisciplinary curriculum integration
Interdisciplinary curriculum integration combines content and skills from multiple subject areas into unified learning experiences that reflect real-world complexity.
Interdisciplinary curriculum integration recognizes that real-world problems do not fit neatly into single disciplines. When students read informational texts, conduct research, and write arguments within a science unit, they develop literacy skills in authentic contexts. Massachusetts curriculum frameworks encourage connections across subject areas, particularly between ELA and content areas.
Question 5: According to Ralph Tyler curriculum rationale, which is the FIRST question to be addressed in curriculum development?
- How can the learning experiences be organized for effective instruction?
- What educational purposes should the school seek to attain? (Correct answer)
- How can we determine if the educational purposes are being attained?
- What learning experiences can attain these purposes?
Correct answer: What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?
Tyler four questions begin with identifying educational purposes and objectives. Everything else flows from the goals.
Ralph Tyler 1949 rationale posed four fundamental questions: What purposes should the school seek to attain? What experiences can attain these purposes? How can these experiences be effectively organized? How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained? This rational-linear model remains foundational to curriculum theory and is reflected in the MTEL emphasis on purposeful, standards-aligned curriculum design.
Question 6: What does vertical alignment mean in curriculum design?
- All teachers in the same grade level teaching the same content at the same time
- The coherent progression of content and skills from one grade level to the next (Correct answer)
- The arrangement of classroom furniture to support learning
- The alignment of curriculum with state assessment blueprints
Correct answer: The coherent progression of content and skills from one grade level to the next
Vertical alignment ensures that curriculum builds coherently across grade levels, with each grade preparing students for the content and skills they will encounter in subsequent years.
Vertical alignment (also called articulation) ensures curriculum is logically sequenced across grade levels so that earlier learning prepares students for later learning. Without it, students may experience gaps, redundancies, or abrupt jumps in content. Horizontal alignment ensures consistency across classrooms at the same grade level. Both types are important for curriculum coherence, and the MTEL tests understanding of alignment as a key design principle.
MTEL Curriculum Design & Development 2
Which curriculum design model begins with identifying desired learning outcomes before determining instructional activities?