1. Should education be based on disseminated the important skills needed by society in the present and for the future?
I think the word “based” scares me. Should skills necessary to thrive in our society be included in all areas of education? Absolutely! Should the curriculum be based on those skills alone? I have to disagree. We have to strive to provide our students with skills that will not only help them get and then keep a job; we must also instill a sense of human decency, compassion, acceptance, respect, and global awareness.
2. Should curriculum change reflect the common goals of the community in enabling its members to function as citizens?
Creating a meaningful curriculum should undoubtedly include shared goals of the community. However, as in the “Saber-tooth” community, these vital decisions seem to often be made by outdated wise men whose ideas are rooted in obsolete theory and practice. So the answer is yes, changes in the curriculum should reflect needs of the community, yet these changes must be made with foresight and input from a variety of sources.
3. Should curriculum focus on skills or content knowledge as its primary focus?
I absolutely believe that between the two, skills should be the primary focus of curriculum. As an English teacher, with skills as an emphasis, I can have flexibility in my approach to teaching these skills. Although I would love to cover many great short stories, poems, a few more novels, and plays, I put my selfish needs aside, as I think of my students in the real world. As a result, I realize that knowing the basic plot of Hamlet will not help them as much as being able to interpret text, extrapolate meaning, and express themselves through writing. Although skills should be the focus, the content must be congruent to these skills. After all, in order to teach essential skills, students must be motivated by the content.
P.S I really enjoyed reading "The Saber-Tooth Curriculum"! Besides being clever, it is a perfectly simple reflection on our faulty education system.
I think the word “based” scares me. Should skills necessary to thrive in our society be included in all areas of education? Absolutely! Should the curriculum be based on those skills alone? I have to disagree. We have to strive to provide our students with skills that will not only help them get and then keep a job; we must also instill a sense of human decency, compassion, acceptance, respect, and global awareness.
2. Should curriculum change reflect the common goals of the community in enabling its members to function as citizens?
Creating a meaningful curriculum should undoubtedly include shared goals of the community. However, as in the “Saber-tooth” community, these vital decisions seem to often be made by outdated wise men whose ideas are rooted in obsolete theory and practice. So the answer is yes, changes in the curriculum should reflect needs of the community, yet these changes must be made with foresight and input from a variety of sources.
3. Should curriculum focus on skills or content knowledge as its primary focus?
I absolutely believe that between the two, skills should be the primary focus of curriculum. As an English teacher, with skills as an emphasis, I can have flexibility in my approach to teaching these skills. Although I would love to cover many great short stories, poems, a few more novels, and plays, I put my selfish needs aside, as I think of my students in the real world. As a result, I realize that knowing the basic plot of Hamlet will not help them as much as being able to interpret text, extrapolate meaning, and express themselves through writing. Although skills should be the focus, the content must be congruent to these skills. After all, in order to teach essential skills, students must be motivated by the content.
P.S I really enjoyed reading "The Saber-Tooth Curriculum"! Besides being clever, it is a perfectly simple reflection on our faulty education system.
7 comments:
Nicce blog Alla. I too agree with you when you say that curriculum should reflect that of the community; the community of the present and the future. Not of those from the past. I believe that we should look into the past but not revolve a curriculum around it.
I love this topic and what you have to say about it. I think that as teachers we have this notion about what kids are 'supposed to know' and we often assume that our age and experience prepares us to make judgements about everything that our students will need.
While some of these things are enduring skills, others may be obsolete or irrelevant in the lives of our students. The result is an oppressive curriculum, rather than a generative curriculum.
Some books of interest on this topic might be "Negotiating the Curriculum" by Garth Boomer and "Spectacular Things Happen Along the Way," by Brian Schulz.
Would you believe it was written int he 1930's!?!
Hi Alla- I'm having a bit of an issue with my E.D. Hirsch letter. My partner has not posted a blog site yet. We dont know if she is in the class. The professor suggested I contact someone to have a three group response. Basically, I just need to respond to someone. Could I piggy back with you & your partner?
Keri- Yes that's absolutely fine!
I like the point about "what kids are supposed to know". This is interesting to me because I think kids know more than we give them credit for.
The word "based" scares me also. The word makes it appear that the people constructing the curriculum are not reading too far into the subject matter. Additionally, I think teachers all too often become consumed with teaching "by the book" and forget about instilling the values in students that the need to become respectable, productive members of society.
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