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FOCUS curriculum design: backward design, just-in-time developmental sequencing, and deconstruct/reconstruct

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Evidence · no claims cited

Description

The FOCUS curriculum pattern coordinates a credit-bearing course scope and sequence built by backward design from state and local objectives, a developmental course whose concepts are sequenced just-in-time to support the credit-bearing content, and a deconstruct/reconstruct approach that replaces memorized, context-bound rules with generalizable conceptual knowledge. The article notes "The notion of "deconstructing" misunderstanding and "reconstructing" conceptual knowledge was prevalent in the developmental mathematics curriculum". The developmental course extends an algebraic core to geometry, measurement, probability, and statistics.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • Developmental concepts must be sequenced to support upcoming credit-bearing content, e.g., solving systems of equations before matrix methods

Constraints

  • Some content, such as continuity and the logistic function, exceeded traditional College Algebra expectations

Target Learners

  • Developmental mathematics students co-enrolled in College Algebra

Learning Goals

  • Conceptual understanding of functions and algebra beyond memorized procedures

Claims

Examples

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Key Sources

  • Mireles, S. V., Acee, T. W., & Gerber, L. N. (2014). FOCUS: Sustainable Mathematics Successes. Journal of Developmental Education, 38(1). https://eric.ed.gov/?q=FOCUS+Intervention+College+Algebra+Mireles
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id focus-curriculum-design-pattern
title FOCUS curriculum design: backward design, just-in-time developmental sequencing, and deconstruct/reconstruct
description The FOCUS curriculum pattern coordinates a credit-bearing course scope and sequence built by backward design from state and local objectives, a developmental course whose concepts are sequenced just-in-time to support...
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-11-02
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — mireles-2014

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