Curriculum is NOT a Dirty Word

Curriculum is not a dirty word. In our present day schools, many teachers may feel that way because we are usually talking about it and its relationship to the dreaded “state assessments.” Thankfully, Texas theatre teachers and directors are still given a great deal of freedom to develop their own curriculum with the guidance of the new TEKS. We are free to set our own learning goals and define our own criteria for student achievement. We are free!!

But with freedom comes responsibility and I would caution teachers to work with the other teachers within your district. The TEKS are created to give us building blocks toward developing and maturing theatre artists in all fields as well as enriching the lives of students through the attributes of a quality theatre education. Attributes such as self-discipline, cultivated imaginations, collaborative skills, and insightful creativity give students educated in theatre an advantage in whatever field of study they choose beyond high school. As theatre educators, our job is to provide them with the opportunities to develop those attributes.

With that in mind, there are ideas we can borrow from the broader world of curriculum, instruction and assessment. First of all, I would encourage all districts to develop a vertically aligned curriculum outlining specific content and concepts for each grade level, K-12. Creating a common theatre vocabulary for the district aids students in continuing to internalize the artistic theatrical processes. Bundling the TEKS and creating long-term units of study are particularly beneficial to a process/concept-oriented subject like theatre arts. Finally, the core subjects stole an idea from us when they introduced the idea of rubrics some twenty years ago. We have always benefited from creating and teaching scoring guides for performance in our theatre arts classroom. Developing those rubrics enhance our teaching by clarifying for the students and us what it means to produce quality theatre.

In conclusion, I hope all theatre educators will revisit the idea of teaching and working within a curriculum developed with their colleagues and vertically aligned from K-12. It is crucial to maintain our freedom to create the Magic and enhance the Dreams of our students. Many of these ideas will be discussed during the TETA Curriculum Workshop on Unit Building at TheatreFest 2016. Hope to see you there. If you cannot make the convention or the workshop, you can contact me at curriculum@tetatx.com.

Terri L. Castleberry
TETA Curriculum Chair, 2015-2017