Collaborative Curriculum Design: A Case Study

Collaborative curriculum design (CCD) as a model for homeschool instruction is introduced and described. Results of this innovative method of delivering instruction are grounded in the body of research in an effort to give homeschool practitioners a theoretical basis for making similar organizational choices for their own schooling efforts. Using collaboration between peers as a method to improve learning, engagement, and quality of work is well explored in the literature. Collaboration between adults and teens is not as well explored. Collaborative curriculum design sees collaboration between an adult and a teen for schooling purposes. Successes of the CCD project are described as well as significant lessons and recommendations that include ensuring that all participants are included in all stages of planning, establishing strong rapport between the teacher and student, using humor as a mechanism of rapport building, and ensuring that sufficient contact hours are built into the schedule. Both authors include recommendations to future practitioners in an effort to inform future practice of similarly situated teachers and students. The authors present a case description of the collaborative efforts of one adult teacher and one teen student during a single academic year as they explored together an English Language Arts curriculum. Despite the success experienced by all participants the project ended after a single academic year due to factors outside of the parameters of the project.