Introduction
Educational systems of different countries provide various methods and tools to create a high-quality and effective learning environment. The educational design of the curriculum is one of the most essential components of this process. This research paper will examine the different features and nuances of curriculum creation and defining goals with the strategy of teaching students. Particular emphasis will be placed on the characteristics of the United States educational system and its capabilities to implement effective and qualitative learning strategies. Moreover, special attention will be paid to the characteristics of a multicultural curriculum and its components. The importance of this study lies in improving existing education systems and adapting them to modern trends and technologies. As critical topics of the paper, one should highlight the presence of different types of discrimination in education and possible methods to improve its quality. Despite numerous protests and attempts by the state to introduce appropriate laws, the quality of the multicultural curriculums is still low, and the technological capabilities of the USA in the educational sphere are not entirely realized.
Educational Design of Curriculum
Curriculum plays a vital role in any educational organization. Its main advantage is defining a clear and consistent strategy in teaching students and the state of final goals (Fan & Popkewitz, 2020). It is important to stress that a wide range of factors must be considered for an effective and high-quality educational design of a curriculum. These include multiculturalism, accordance with current educational standards of the USA, technological innovations, current unique approaches in education, and others. Moreover, according to Moye (2019), “the curriculum itself is not the goal but a path to guide toward a goal, which can be in the form of knowledge, behaviors, values, performance” (p. 2). Therefore, it is important to emphasize that the educational design of a curriculum is a process that involves a comprehensive analysis of the abovementioned factors and the determination of final goals. In the next paragraph, the factor of implementing modern technology in the curriculum in the United States will be discussed in detail.
Technology and Curriculum in the United States
Considering the features of creating the educational curriculum in the USA, it is vital to highlight that it is a developed country with broad opportunities in the sphere of technology. Companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and Google are actively implementing their products to educate people. For example, Apple’s iPad or MacBook technologies are used in the classrooms of schools and universities (Moye, 2019). Therefore, it is crucial to consider technological aspects during educational design for an effective curriculum. In the book Emerging Technologies and Pedagogies in the Curriculum by Yu et al. (2020), the authors consider the opportunities and nuances of introducing technology into the educational process. As Yu et al. state (2020), “the need to provide digital skills for all students means that digital technology can no longer be taught only as a specialist subject area” (p. 3). The authors highlight that technologies and related lessons about their development should be introduced into all subjects of schools and universities. Hence, looking at curriculum design in the USA, it is vital to note the importance of implementing technological literacy.
Multiculturism in Curriculum
Before considering in detail the features of the educational design of a multicultural curriculum, it is essential to define and highlight the characteristic features of this concept. According to Banks and Banks (2019), “multicultural education incorporates the idea that all students regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, social class, and ethnic, racial, or cultural characteristics – should have an equal opportunity to learn in school” (p. 3). Therefore, to create a high-quality multicultural curriculum, it will be necessary to consider each of the abovementioned aspects. It will be important to deal with such elements of everyday life as sexism, racism, heterosexism, and ableism, which reflect the high forms of discrimination.
Gender and Sexual Orientation
Consideration of the gender factor is necessary for an effective multicultural curriculum. A certain level of inequality among girls and boys is expressed primarily in the low performance of girls in some school subjects, such as advanced levels of mathematics (Banks & Banks, 2019). It is important to emphasize that the teacher and other professionals responsible for creating the educational curriculum must implement fair and equal approaches that will equalize the possibilities for girls and boys. Particular attention should be paid to this factor concerning such disciplines as physical education and mathematics, in which girls, according to statistics, have less opportunity to prove themselves (Banks & Banks, 2019). Moreover, another factor associated with gender is sexual orientation. It is vital to convincing the management of an educational institution that everyone has the right to freedom of choice, including relative sexuality. A notable example that will help to shape the appropriate curriculum is the experience of the Nordic countries, which have successfully introduced the concept of the right to sexual choice into society.
Racial Characteristics
One of the most influential forms of multiculturalism is race. This factor plays a significant role among people not only in everyday life but in the context of education. In the book Contemporary Issues in Multicultural and Global Education, the authors of Msengi et al. (2022) discuss racial discrimination in the context of African Americans. It is stressed that due to the biased and stereotypical attitude toward this group of people, their life is subject to discrimination and a factor called microaggression (Msengi et al., 2022). Therefore, when creating a multicultural curriculum, it is critical to eliminate possible discrimination against black American people and other races and people groups. Possible examples of challenges include consciously underestimated marks, disenfranchisement, and biased attitude toward the discipline and adequacy of African Americans.
Social Classes and Ethnic Groups
Another critical aspect of the multicultural curriculum is eliminating differences and prejudice in the context of people from different social classes. This problem is one of the most common in both developing and developed countries such as the USA (Muratovski & Vogel, 2019). Bias against children from poor families affects their performance at school or university. Given this factor, it is necessary to create conditions in the curriculum to have equal opportunities for both poor and wealthy students (Muratovski & Vogel, 2019). People with money should not have more access to educational resources than students who cannot afford them. In addition, the curriculum should be adapted to the different ethnic groups of students concerning their cultural, historical, or traditional heritage. For example, in the USA, it is vital to implement courses and school subjects that will give knowledge about indigenous cultures or immigration features. Consequently, all students, regardless of their ethnicity, will feel respected for their roots and ancestors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is vital to emphasize that a comprehensive analysis of the educational strategy and curriculum can not only define goals and create a strategy but help to highlight the shortcomings of the existing educational environment. Using qualitative literature sources, such concepts as educational design and multicultural aspects regarding curriculum have been defined. In addition, important aspects expressed in adapting education to modern trends and nuances have made it clear that technological literacy will be an essential part of the curriculum in the USA.
References
Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. (2019). Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. John Wiley & Sons.
Fan, G., & Popkewitz, T. S. (2020). Handbook of education policy studies: School/university, curriculum, and assessment. Springer Nature.
Moye, J. N. (2019). Learning differentiated curriculum design in higher education. Emerald Group Publishing.
Msengi, C. M., Lartey, G. K., & Sprott, K. R. (2022). Contemporary issues in multicultural and global education. IGI Global.
Muratovski, G., & Vogel, C. (2019). Teaching and learning design. Intellect Books.
Yu, S., Ally, M., & Tsinakos, A. (2020). Emerging technologies and pedagogies in the curriculum. Springer Nature.