Q&A for How to Develop a Curriculum

Curriculum is the all-encompassing definition of the material being taught for a segment being referenced -- whether that be an entire course or one lesson. So you could reference today’s class curriculum or the curriculum for the entire course. A lesson plan, on the other hand, is simply one class worth of curriculum (though if you were unable to finish in one class, sometimes you will continue that “lesson” in another class).

Try searching online using different variations of keywords. For example, for a biology class you might try keywords like "biology class curriculum," "biology class syllabus," or "biology course standards."

The objectives are the basic road map to the learning experience. They draw the focus and drive the instruction. Before you can start a curriculum you need to establish exactly what you'll be teaching and to whom.

No. A curriculum is a general guideline of what you wish to cover throughout the school year. What you prepare for each class is called a lesson plan.

Sustained shared thinking is an activity that requires two or more people to work together to solve a problem. This is an approach that can be used as a learning objective if you would like students to practice this behavior.

They should probably be in the curriculum itself in order for the curriculum to be considered complete.

You can copyright the curriculum for legal protection, but the practical reality is that it all depends on who has access to the program documents. You can have the documents in a password-restricted web page, for example, but that doesn't stop an employee from copying the material and taking it with him if he leaves. In order to protect the copyright over time, it would be advisable to have someone periodically search the web for copies of the curriculum and take the appropriate legal steps to have it removed if a copy is found.

Yes, there many instructional design professionals and consultants that you can hire to create school curriculum.

You can start by consulting with your state's Department of Transportation to find the requirements for setting up a traffic school. For the business aspect of setting up the school, your state's Small Business Association can help.