Cycle Two: How Should a Curriculum Be Created? How Should Its Success Be Evaluated?

Ralph W. Tyler believes that “learning takes place through the experiences which the learner has.”  The teacher’s role is to set up a structured, stimulating environment in which the student can be an active participant in the learning process.  By identifying major elements of content to design learning activities around and deciding on an organizational plan to provide a framework that guides instructional practices, teachers are providing learning experiences for students to engage in.  Interestingly enough, it is often the case that no two students in the same class (receiving the same learning opportunities) will have the same learning experiences. 

In this sense, I introduce yet another metaphor for curriculum (that seems to be my theme for this course!) – the development of curriculum is comparable to the creation of a quilt.  Quilt makers begin with a design in mind and stitch together several pieces of fabric of varying shapes, sizes, and colors to create a whole product.  Teachers plan for learning experiences by developing a design suitable for their students’ interests and needs.  The students are then responsible for the majority of the legwork – understanding course elements by creating meaning, making connections, and asking questions.  This active process allows students to bond their learning into a coherent whole.  This can explain for the variety in sizes, patterns, and colors of quilts – each represents the unique needs, interests, and motivations of students.  This metaphor really clicks for me as it highlights the responsibility of teachers to be prepared yet flexible in providing different opportunities and has students take ownershipof their learning experiences.

Although different patterns and stitches may be used (representing different connections made by students), students should be afforded the opportunity to build a strong and durable quilt.  Their education should provide them with a solid grasp of content knowledge and cultural knowledge so that they can live life successfully – develop and nurture personal relationships, support themselves financially, and positively contribute to their community. 

Standards are increasingly impacting curriculum development.  As Siskin claims, the establishment of standards identifies which subjects and content will be tested, therefore, determining what type of knowledge counts.  Consequently, this creates a narrowedcurriculum in which only the core subjects are valued.  I would argue that this “one size fits all” approach is unhealthy for our students and removes (to some degree) the ownership they possess over their learning experiences.  With a narrowed curriculum, we will have less of a variety of quilts our students produce during their K-12 experience.  There will no longer be different patterns, colors, and stitching to admire; rather each students will produce (or attempt to produce) the same quilt to reflect their same experiences within the narrowed curriculum.  In essence, a narrowed curriculum allows for no creativity or exploration and sacrifices the beauty that often accompanies a path less traveled.

I am going to step away from the quilt metaphor as I sum up my post on the topic of evaluation of curriculum.  The current educational system uses test scores to evaluate curriculum, teachers, and schools.  I admit, a single test score representing the “average student” is quite advantageous as it is easy to calculate.  However, by using student test scores as an evaluation measure, we are placing more emphasis on performing well on tests and less of a focus on using what students learn to help them be successful in life outside of school.  Our students have mastered how to take a standardized multiple-choice exam…great.  How is this going to help them in the workplace?  How is this going to help them be collaborative and engage in meaningful conversation with others?  How are students going to be able to apply what they learned in school to real life situations?

Eisner challenges the current evaluation system by asking, “Are test scores the criteria we want to use?”  He suggests several other questions that should be driving evaluation in the educational system:

• ·      What is the intellectual significance of the ideas our students encounter?
• ·      What connections are students making between what they study in school and the world outside of school?
• ·      What kinds of problems/activities do students engage in?
• ·      What opportunities do students have to work cooperatively?
• ·      Are students encouraged to raise questions about what they have studied?
• ·      To what degree are students engaged in what they do?

Perhaps a more holistic approach (combining some or all of these guiding questions) can be utilized for an evaluation tool, one that will provide a clearer picture of areas of strengths and areas in which there is room for improvement.  Such an approach will provide guidance in the continual modification, tweaking, and revamping of curriculum in order to provide the best possible learning experiences for students.

Cycle One: What is curriculum? What is its purpose? What is the relationship between student and curriculum?

William H. Schubert, educational scholar, best encompasses the ideal of curriculum when he wrote, “Curriculum, at its root, deals with the central question of what is worth knowing, …experiencing, doing, and being.”  As I read through each piece of text for this cycle, I kept returning to this statement.  When I grapple with questions of “What skills are most important for my students to learn?”  “Why is it important that I teach these skills?”  “What order should I teach course concepts in order to maximize student learning experiences?” and “What resources do I have available and/or can I access to add to student learning experiences?”  I’m contemplating the role of curriculum in my teaching and my students’ learning.

I found myself relating to John Dewey’s metaphor of curriculum providing a map that outlines students’ previous experiences and provides a guide for future experiences.  A teacher can use a curriculum map to gain insight into what students should have learned (skills, behaviors, etc.) and provide direction on what students should learn in a particular course.  Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), the more that I considered this metaphor, I came to realize that thinking of curriculum as a map reinforces the “one size fits all” view of education.  I know that a “one size fits all view” is unrealistic in a school environment as our students are diverse in their abilities, skills, interests, and motivations.  For instance, when I taught 7^th graders, those students who had attended the same elementary school had access to the same academic resources within the same curriculum, yet there were vast differences in the skill sets they entered my classroom with.  Technically, students were exposed to the same curriculum, but they came away with different experiences with course content (some had a very strong number sense, whereas others demonstrated a strength in geometric principles).  Although a map may provide insight into a group as a whole, it does not shed light on individuals – strengths, weaknesses, learning style, etc.  Therefore, as educators it is important to remember that while curriculum maps may be helpful in providing a general framework, we need to insert the children as a key component in determining what should be taught.

Dewey touches upon the divide between the child and the curriculum.  He highlights three areas of divergence.

1. The chasm between the narrow, personal world of a child and the huge, impersonal world of facts.  (I would argue that this divide is decreasing in size due to the Internet’s power to break down barriers and allow for people to easily share ideas.  Nevertheless, the chasm still exists.) 
2. Children consider their life as a whole experiences, whereas curriculum is divided into specializations (i.e. math, science, social studies, English, music, art, …)
3. Children are concerned about the practical and emotional connections they can create, while curriculum is built upon the logical classification of facts. 

As a math teacher, I really struggle with the first and third divergences.  How can I provide learning experiences for students in a way that is relevant and meaningful to their life?  (Being able to address this question will allow me to better be able to answer that all-too-famous student question directed toward math teachers:  “When am I ever going to be able to use this???)  This past year I had my Algebra 2 students construct a rollercoaster during our unit on polynomials.  Many of my students enjoyed this hands-on learning activity as they worked in teams on applying math, physics, architecture, and engineering principles.  Although I try to plan engaging learning activities for every lesson, sometimes I don’t feel that I am narrowing the divide between my students’ experiences and interests and the subject matter.  According to Sir Ken Robinson's TED Talk on Changing Education Paradigms, are these lessons doing more bad than good?

Knowing that our students’ experiences should be a driving force in shaping curriculum, should children have a say in making curriculum decisions?  That is, should our students’ interests and concerns shape what they learn in school?  If so, to what degree?  To pose a broader question:  Who should be responsible for deciding, “…what is worth knowing, …experiencing, doing, and being” – students, parents, teachers, administrators, businesses, community members, politicians?  And at what level should these decisions be made – school, district, regional, state, or national?  Understanding who the role players are in making curriculum decisions is a gray area for me as I seek to gain a deeper understanding of curriculum. 

Regardless of who is responsible, those charged with the great responsibility of curriculum development need to continually discuss, evaluate, and reflect upon the underlying educational aims:  What should the curriculum accomplish?  Who benefits from the development of the curriculum – the individual students or society as a whole?

As I reflect on the questions shared at the beginning of the post, I know that “What?” and “Why?” go hand-in-hand in developing curriculum and planning appropriate instruction to align with curricular objectives and goals.  It is only after I consider these two aspects that I will be able to take subject matter and prepare instruction that is within the range and scope of my students’ lives.

Introduction

Hello fellow TE 818 colleagues!  As the title suggests, this blog is a work in process as I intend to use this as a forum to share my opinions, thoughts, and insights about education from both the perspective of a teacher and student.  This blog was originally set up with the goal of using it as a means of communicating my ideas for graduate courses through Michigan State University.  

Before we begin this journey together, here's a little about me:

I grew up in Canton, MI and attended the University of Michigan - Dearborn, where I majored in mathematics and minored in psychology.  I graduated in December 2012 with my bachelors degree and secondary teaching certificate.

I was hired as a math teacher in Livonia Public Schools (LPS) in February 2013.  Since that time, I have taught at both the middle school and high school levels.  I absolutely LOVE working with young adults on a daily basis - getting to know them on a personal level and watching them grow as they discover who are they as a person and start thinking about who they want to be.  I learn just as much from them as they do from me! I am also very fortunate to be part of such an amazing group of teachers!  I have been in five buildings so far in my tenure in LPS and this experience has allowed me the opportunity to watch and learn from more experienced teachers as I still continue to refine my teaching repertoire as a beginning teacher.

When I'm not in "teacher mode," I enjoy exercising (a good way to take some time for ME!), watching sports (I'm a huge University of Michigan sports fan, particularly Michigan football…GO BLUE!), reading, and scrapbooking.  I must say, I’ve taken advantage of summer vacation to dive right into some good books!

As a student in TE 818:  Curriculum In Its Social Context this semester, I am excited to learn more about the role of curriculum in shaping learning and teaching.  I think of curriculum as providing a framework outlining knowledge and skills that students are expected to learn.  Lesson standards and learning objectives provide a blueprint in which a teacher employs their content and pedagogical knowledge to develop appropriate learning experiences that will best meet the needs of their students.  Curriculum can be explicit – written guidelines, documents, resources, and materials that are geared toward students mastering specified learning objectives.  It can also be social – providing students opportunities to model and learn from people in their educational environment.  While the explicit curriculum is most often associated with educational curriculum, the social curriculum should not be devalued as there are a lot of social and societal norms that students acquire via social interactions with teachers and peers in the school setting.

Looking forward to working with you and learning from you this semester!  Best of luck this semester and hope you are enjoying your summer! :)