There is a reason we live the way we do, and think the way we think and teach the way we teach. Some actions exist because in our minds it just makes sense to do it that way. However, there are many actions in society that do not make sense. Committing crimes, hate, and racism should not be considered sensible. So is Project Based Learning sensible?
Many theorists would argue the affirmative. Students can cater the project to their own needs and interests. “Learning is a personal activity which each student must carry on for himself” (Ebel, 1972, p. 7). Personalized Learning, Differentiated Learning, and Individualized Learning currently seem to be quite popular. Basically, students are looking for an education that fits their learning style and we know that all students learn in slightly different ways and paces so we should have a multitude of entry points to the curriculum. Projects allow students to fuse their passion with the curriculum.
Skills versus content. Student-centred versus subject-centred. Does project based learning follow one viewpoint more than the other? One of Eisner’s five orientations to curriculum is the development of cognitive processes which focus on the ‘how’ rather than the ‘what’ of education and lead to the development of, “a set of cognitive skills that can be applied to learning virtually anything” (Eisner, 1974, p. 6). Content is not deemed the most important and in the age of technology in which nearly any type of information can be found on the World Wide Web, why would we focus on informational content? In the past, we have relied on finding books at the library to seek out the information we need. Now the same information can be accessed via laptops or phones that can be accessed nearly everywhere due to the advent of modern technology like wireless internet communication and hand held computers. The ever expanding body of knowledge that we hope that our students will know is growing at such a pace that we cannot expect them to know the information but rather where to find it and what to do with it. This relationship between the learner and the material makes schooling open-ended and growth oriented so education is essentially equipping students with the intellectual skills to adapt and shape future situations (Eisner, 1974). This is crucial considering educators cannot forecast the future to know what students will need to survive in our society in the years to come. We don’t know what problems our students will face so we must ensure that they have the toolbox of skills necessary to analyze the situation and take action as necessary. Project-based learning is essentially giving students practice at gathering and analyzing information and implementing the best possible solution. That best solution may not be found in a textbook and will require the learner to explore the information. In fact, Eisner, who studied the relationship of curriculum objectives to curriculum activities and outcomes, argues, “Many of our most productive activities take the form of exploration or play. In such activities, the task is not one of arriving at a preformed objective but rather to act, often with a sense of abandon, wonder, curiosity” (Eisner, 1985, p. 117). Eisner continues to demonstrate the importance of problem-solving objectives because the students are able to find an infinite number of solutions to their problems and be engaged by the open dialogue and the lack of knowing what the outcome will be (Eisner, 1985). Students are generally intrigued by the fact that they are discovering the answer or solution rather than merely being told by a teacher or textbook. There is an intrinsic feeling of worth when they have a purpose. Project based learning can be compared to curriculum theorizers in their approach to learning. Marsh and Willis, in their study of curriculum theorizers would define System-Supporting Explorers, both Literary Artist and Deliberative, as those who believe that learning is personal and emphasize the “interaction between the enacted curriculum and the experienced curriculum” (Marsh and Willis, 1995, p. 94).
Throughout history, curriculum has been constructed by people who think they know what is best for the learner, the society and the interaction between the two. However, predicting what knowledge and skills the learner will need in life is just that; a forecast. Meteorologists predict the weather so that citizens will be prepared whether it is donning hats and sunscreen, carrying big umbrellas, lacing up boots or bundling up in warm scarves and toques. Like weatherman, we must ensure that our students have the skills necessary no matter what the storm-like future will bring. These skills recur in school reform and are at the core of skills based teaching. Problem solving, critical thinking, collaborating, and communicating form the base for project-based learning and are crucial skills that are necessary in life and work.
The complex relationship between curriculum and student is important in the case of project-based learning since the teacher does not have the same role as a standard classroom. According to Miller and Seller, students in a project-based learning style of learning would go beyond simple transmission and fall into the transaction process where the student reconstructs knowledge through the dialogue process and the emphasis is on strategies that facilitate problem-solving, development of cognitive skills and application of these skills in social contexts (1990). They go on to say that this position of curriculum based on building student’s intellectual abilities through problem-solving rather than rote learning was developed by Pestalozzi, Horace Mann, and John Dewey (Miller & Seller, 1990). You can add Socrates to this list as he modeled how to learn through questioning, inquiry and critical thinking and believed that learning is grounded in experience and driven by student interest (Boss, 2011).
To summarize, Ungerleider argues that the BC public school “should exhibit the following four attributes; it should be meaningful, enabling students to connect what they learn in class with their lives outside of school; students should be challenged by the curriculum to reach beyond previous boundaries in knowledge and experience; the curriculum should stimulate student’s curiosity, prompting them to want more; the curriculum must require students to think deeply, to invest mental effort in their learning (2003, p. 108-109).” This quote seems to mirror the goals of the project based learning classroom. Various school reformers have agreed on what education is and what is should be. Project based learning appears to fit with numerous aspects of these educators and should be considered effective. Although, I suppose, only the student can make the final conclusion of whether there education was effective.
References
Apple, M. A. (1995). The Politics of a National Curriculum. Eds. Cookson, Peter W. Jr. & Schneider, Barbara. Transforming Schools. New York: Garland.
Boss, S. (2011). Project-based learning; a short history. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-history
Cuban, L. (1982). Persistent Instruction: The High School Classroom, 1900-1980. Phi Delta Kappan. P. 113-118.
Doll, W. E. Jr. (1993). A Post-Modern Perspective on Curriculum. New York: Teachers College Press.
Ebel, R. L. (1972). What are schools for? Phi Delta Kappan, 54, 1, p 3-7.
Eisner, E. W. (1985). The educational imagination on the design and evaluation of school programs. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.
Eisner, E. W. (2002). The educational imagination, on the design and evaluation of school programs. (3 ed.).New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Marsh, C. & Willis, G. (1995). Curriculum: alternative approaches, ongoing issues. Miller,
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Merrill
Miller, J.P. & Seller, W. (1990). Curriculum: Perspectives & Practice. Toronto : Copp Clark Pitman.
Osbourne, K. (1999). Education: a guide to the Canadian school debate – or who wants what and why? Toronto, Ontario: Penguin Group.
Ungerleider, Charles. (1995). Failing Our Kids: How We Are Ruining Our Public Schools. M&S.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The Global Achievement Gap
Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap, why even our best schools don't teach the new survival skills our children need--and what we can do about it. Perseus Books Group.
Understanding By Design
McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2004). Understanding by design, professional development workbook. Assn for Supervision & Curriculum.Virginia: ASCD.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Letter from Suzy (and the response)
Dear School Reformer People,
I am a grade 9 student at Random Middle School in Heresville, B.C. and I took the time away from my home work to write a letter as I have been doing some reading on educational change and I have a few questions. I know you are always trying to make education better but it still feels the same. I was chillin’ with my peeps at recess the other day and all they were doing was complaining about school. Here are a few of our biggest peeves that I thought I would share with you.
First, school is Boring. Yup. Capital B. I go from Math to Science to English to PE. It is the same thing every class and every year. Teacher talks for a bit, we do some exercises and then we have time to do a worksheet or assignment that they created or I just talk to friends and take the work home. The exercises are simple and don’t allow for any of my creativity. Plus, when in life am I going to be given worksheets? Not at any job I want to do. Occasionally we get to do a project or watch a video but not very often. I want to get out in the community and see things and meet people other than my friends and boring old teacher (who seems really stressed these days and I am pretty sure he sleeps in the bookroom). The same thing in school over and over is sapping the life out of me. I used to be motivated to learn but so much information doesn’t seem relevant to me. Who cares about the British North America Act of 1867, conjunctions, or the difference between mitosis and meiosis? I asked my parents if they knew and they don’t and my Dad is like reeeeeally smart. I want to learn about things that matter to me. Not just Facebook privacy settings and Bieber rumours. I want to research why we spend 17 billion on the space program and why some people are great leaders and how people can still be suffering from poverty in this day and age.
In just over three years, I am going to graduate and enter the real world. Am I going to be prepared for jobs? For life? I keep hearing from my parents that the world is different now. But from what I can tell, education is basically the same so how can I be prepared for what the 21st Century holds for me? What if I – like – fail? Will I have the skills that employers want or just the meagre amount of knowledge that actually stayed in my head from all those worksheets? I don’t want to be some broke burger flipper. I want a job that interests me and where I can make a difference in society. I don’t even know if I am meeting the goals of school. What are the school goals? What is the purpose? I get good grades but what do they actually mean? Are the numbers for me to track my progress or are they merely to please parents and guide administrators? Plus, I think the percentage is more reflective of my effort and not my knowledge or skills.
I know I am only 14 (but I will be 15 in like 2 months) but I can tell that school is not designed by students. But it is all about us, isn’t it? I mean, we are supposed to be the learners who receive all the education. Right? How come we are never asked for input? Seems like the people who make all the changes are people who have gone through the system already and can’t see the forest for the trees (whatever that means – my teacher always used the expression and I think he means that we need fresh ideas to try to alter schooling). Why do we have 12 grades? I seem to learn the same things over and over each year. Plus, I find it easy and could finish school way faster than Billy Anderson (his friends call him Dial-up cuz he’s so slow). Why do we have to go at his pace? It bugs me that there are like 30 other kids in my class. I wish it was just Rachel, Sally, Betty, Veronica and me...oh and maybe Stevie ( so cute n’dreamy! OMG). Then the teacher would have time to help guide my individual learning needs rather than getting mad at Randy for talking during instructions or Brad for never doing his homework or bringing a pen for that matter. Why can’t we have smaller classes or even just give us time to learn on our own? Why are the dinosaurs designing our curriculum anyway? They can’t even use computers or multi-task like I can so why am I learning from them?
Then there is the prison...er...school. I feel like a sheep getting herded around at the sound of a bell. We are crammed into these tiny hallways like cattle ready for slaughter (which would be only slightly worse than Math). DING DONG! They don’t have bells in any jobs I know. How is this getting me ready for life? Plus, I see work places on TV and when I visited my Mom’s office one day during some Take Your Kid to Work Day and they are comfortable. I mean the chairs and desks in school are so 1900. How are we supposed to learn strapped to a desk in neat little rows? I feel restricted and I do not think well when I am restricted...or tired. Why do I have to go to school at 8:30? I perform best in the evenings just like my Dad – that is why he chose a profession where he can work later on. (Something about circadian rhythms he always says – I guess I will learn about that next year). Then there is the stress of being a teenager at school where everyone talks about everyone and you have to dress in the ‘proper’ clothes and bullying is a way of life. Boys are always ogling us girls – it feels like a meat market. Hah – meatmarket, slaughterhouse. Feel like they are just raising animals in a pen. Scheduled feeding times even – I can’t eat in several of my classes and I am a growing girl – I need food. How are we supposed to actually concentrate and learn in these conditions? Who decided this was the best way? What part of life exactly are they training us for? No wonder people commit crimes and go to jail. It just makes them feel like they are back in school!
Some things about school are good so don’t change things like gym and art. I like those classes as I get to use my hands and be active. I just really want to know why things are the way they are. WHY? I just want to know for sure why we learn in this way and where it is written that is has to be this way. Can we change? Can I help? Please.
Sincerely,
Suzy Q
<3
Dearest Suzy,
I can only guess where the Q comes from in your name. You ask a lot of questions and I had to ask several curriculum theorists to aid me in answering your queries. I sincerely hope that our response satisfies you. Please refer to the following articles to help you answer your questions.
(Holmes, M. (1998). The reformation of canada’s schools: breaking the barriers to parental choice. Montreal: McGill-Queens Univ. Press.) According to Holmes, your job prospects are not great as finding a ‘fulfilling’ job is difficult especially in Canada but you should work to finding satisfaction in other aspects of life such as leisure and family life.
Your concern about Billy Anderson is a valid one as equal educational outcomes are difficult in our ever-changing society. Perhaps his religion, social class, race, or genetic inheritance played a role as it often does on academic achievement. School is merely a mirror of society and as such, will always showcase the changes, positive or negative and it is unlikely that any grand change will result in your lifetime. Be receptive to the help and advice from your parents as the school cannot always provide guidance on values to you. You were right Suzy, your world is changing and I can’t say that it is always better so you will need to work hard to maintain your standard of life and those that follow you.
Sumara, D., Davis, B.& Laidlaw, L. (2001). Canadian identity and curriculum theory: ecological, postmodern perspective. Canadian Journal of Education 26, p. 144–163.
You describe a postmodernism school Suzy but you are seeking universal truths to some of your questions. Remember that although you can’t define everything around you or even yourself and your goals, you can define what you aren’t – Billy Anderson – hopefully that helps you sleep at night (or in your case, the morning). Perhaps the relevant knowledge that you crave is of an ecological nature. I sense a need for you to understand the relationships that surround you and you should ask your teacher about geoepistemology. Also, I couldn’t help but notice that you made reference to Justin Bieber. I find it interesting that you picked a Canadian artist. I should also point out that knowing the BNA Act helps you understand your culture as a Canadian and will lead you to developing your own purpose as to why schools run the way they do. You will likely notice as you read that the authors acknowledge various shareholders and members that collaborate to construct the educational process and they never mentioned students. Well, Suzy, you seem like the right type to step up and get involved. You deserve your say.
Radford, M. (2007). Passion and intelligibility in spiritual education. British journal of Educational studies. Vol. 55. No. 1, March 2007. P. 21-36.
Suzy, you are definitely involved in some serious pondering and searching. Radford may be what you really need to read to understand your purpose on a different level. One specific point I wanted to draw your attention to was the notion of character and how it might put your ‘future’ in perspective. Radford writes, “the ‘spirit’ of an individual may be associated with qualities of character, being honourable, decent, having sound motives, and good heartedness, generosity, pride and courage.” These might be the things that you find mean more to you than a job and it can help you toward Holmes’s ‘fulfillment.” The content that you find boring should be considered the avenue to study other dimensions of your educational experience. The informal curriculum, which includes the social and moral culture of the school, may be less obvious and less assessed in school but is still very important to consider. You may want to reflect on your friendships, relationships with your parents and also your thoughts on cute and dreamy Stevie. Radford also argues that spiritual education “is central in our understanding of the nature of human self-consciousness, our ability to reflect on our own being, our behaviour, and our lives in the context of the lives of others and in relation to the larger environment of which we find ourselves.” You may find that all those physical or visible elements of the school that you dislike so much could be solved or forgotten with a focus on the spiritual aspect.
I wish you luck in your future endeavours and urge you to continue your journey into understanding school, knowledge, education and your own identity and how they all interrelate. I hope these readings will shed some light on your serious concerns and you can work to solve them over time. Just remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day but that numerous cities have crumbled in chaos and I hope you are there to build them back up.
Thank you for your interest,
Mr. Scuhl-Refourmir
I am a grade 9 student at Random Middle School in Heresville, B.C. and I took the time away from my home work to write a letter as I have been doing some reading on educational change and I have a few questions. I know you are always trying to make education better but it still feels the same. I was chillin’ with my peeps at recess the other day and all they were doing was complaining about school. Here are a few of our biggest peeves that I thought I would share with you.
First, school is Boring. Yup. Capital B. I go from Math to Science to English to PE. It is the same thing every class and every year. Teacher talks for a bit, we do some exercises and then we have time to do a worksheet or assignment that they created or I just talk to friends and take the work home. The exercises are simple and don’t allow for any of my creativity. Plus, when in life am I going to be given worksheets? Not at any job I want to do. Occasionally we get to do a project or watch a video but not very often. I want to get out in the community and see things and meet people other than my friends and boring old teacher (who seems really stressed these days and I am pretty sure he sleeps in the bookroom). The same thing in school over and over is sapping the life out of me. I used to be motivated to learn but so much information doesn’t seem relevant to me. Who cares about the British North America Act of 1867, conjunctions, or the difference between mitosis and meiosis? I asked my parents if they knew and they don’t and my Dad is like reeeeeally smart. I want to learn about things that matter to me. Not just Facebook privacy settings and Bieber rumours. I want to research why we spend 17 billion on the space program and why some people are great leaders and how people can still be suffering from poverty in this day and age.
In just over three years, I am going to graduate and enter the real world. Am I going to be prepared for jobs? For life? I keep hearing from my parents that the world is different now. But from what I can tell, education is basically the same so how can I be prepared for what the 21st Century holds for me? What if I – like – fail? Will I have the skills that employers want or just the meagre amount of knowledge that actually stayed in my head from all those worksheets? I don’t want to be some broke burger flipper. I want a job that interests me and where I can make a difference in society. I don’t even know if I am meeting the goals of school. What are the school goals? What is the purpose? I get good grades but what do they actually mean? Are the numbers for me to track my progress or are they merely to please parents and guide administrators? Plus, I think the percentage is more reflective of my effort and not my knowledge or skills.
I know I am only 14 (but I will be 15 in like 2 months) but I can tell that school is not designed by students. But it is all about us, isn’t it? I mean, we are supposed to be the learners who receive all the education. Right? How come we are never asked for input? Seems like the people who make all the changes are people who have gone through the system already and can’t see the forest for the trees (whatever that means – my teacher always used the expression and I think he means that we need fresh ideas to try to alter schooling). Why do we have 12 grades? I seem to learn the same things over and over each year. Plus, I find it easy and could finish school way faster than Billy Anderson (his friends call him Dial-up cuz he’s so slow). Why do we have to go at his pace? It bugs me that there are like 30 other kids in my class. I wish it was just Rachel, Sally, Betty, Veronica and me...oh and maybe Stevie ( so cute n’dreamy! OMG). Then the teacher would have time to help guide my individual learning needs rather than getting mad at Randy for talking during instructions or Brad for never doing his homework or bringing a pen for that matter. Why can’t we have smaller classes or even just give us time to learn on our own? Why are the dinosaurs designing our curriculum anyway? They can’t even use computers or multi-task like I can so why am I learning from them?
Then there is the prison...er...school. I feel like a sheep getting herded around at the sound of a bell. We are crammed into these tiny hallways like cattle ready for slaughter (which would be only slightly worse than Math). DING DONG! They don’t have bells in any jobs I know. How is this getting me ready for life? Plus, I see work places on TV and when I visited my Mom’s office one day during some Take Your Kid to Work Day and they are comfortable. I mean the chairs and desks in school are so 1900. How are we supposed to learn strapped to a desk in neat little rows? I feel restricted and I do not think well when I am restricted...or tired. Why do I have to go to school at 8:30? I perform best in the evenings just like my Dad – that is why he chose a profession where he can work later on. (Something about circadian rhythms he always says – I guess I will learn about that next year). Then there is the stress of being a teenager at school where everyone talks about everyone and you have to dress in the ‘proper’ clothes and bullying is a way of life. Boys are always ogling us girls – it feels like a meat market. Hah – meatmarket, slaughterhouse. Feel like they are just raising animals in a pen. Scheduled feeding times even – I can’t eat in several of my classes and I am a growing girl – I need food. How are we supposed to actually concentrate and learn in these conditions? Who decided this was the best way? What part of life exactly are they training us for? No wonder people commit crimes and go to jail. It just makes them feel like they are back in school!
Some things about school are good so don’t change things like gym and art. I like those classes as I get to use my hands and be active. I just really want to know why things are the way they are. WHY? I just want to know for sure why we learn in this way and where it is written that is has to be this way. Can we change? Can I help? Please.
Sincerely,
Suzy Q
<3
Dearest Suzy,
I can only guess where the Q comes from in your name. You ask a lot of questions and I had to ask several curriculum theorists to aid me in answering your queries. I sincerely hope that our response satisfies you. Please refer to the following articles to help you answer your questions.
(Holmes, M. (1998). The reformation of canada’s schools: breaking the barriers to parental choice. Montreal: McGill-Queens Univ. Press.) According to Holmes, your job prospects are not great as finding a ‘fulfilling’ job is difficult especially in Canada but you should work to finding satisfaction in other aspects of life such as leisure and family life.
Your concern about Billy Anderson is a valid one as equal educational outcomes are difficult in our ever-changing society. Perhaps his religion, social class, race, or genetic inheritance played a role as it often does on academic achievement. School is merely a mirror of society and as such, will always showcase the changes, positive or negative and it is unlikely that any grand change will result in your lifetime. Be receptive to the help and advice from your parents as the school cannot always provide guidance on values to you. You were right Suzy, your world is changing and I can’t say that it is always better so you will need to work hard to maintain your standard of life and those that follow you.
Sumara, D., Davis, B.& Laidlaw, L. (2001). Canadian identity and curriculum theory: ecological, postmodern perspective. Canadian Journal of Education 26, p. 144–163.
You describe a postmodernism school Suzy but you are seeking universal truths to some of your questions. Remember that although you can’t define everything around you or even yourself and your goals, you can define what you aren’t – Billy Anderson – hopefully that helps you sleep at night (or in your case, the morning). Perhaps the relevant knowledge that you crave is of an ecological nature. I sense a need for you to understand the relationships that surround you and you should ask your teacher about geoepistemology. Also, I couldn’t help but notice that you made reference to Justin Bieber. I find it interesting that you picked a Canadian artist. I should also point out that knowing the BNA Act helps you understand your culture as a Canadian and will lead you to developing your own purpose as to why schools run the way they do. You will likely notice as you read that the authors acknowledge various shareholders and members that collaborate to construct the educational process and they never mentioned students. Well, Suzy, you seem like the right type to step up and get involved. You deserve your say.
Radford, M. (2007). Passion and intelligibility in spiritual education. British journal of Educational studies. Vol. 55. No. 1, March 2007. P. 21-36.
Suzy, you are definitely involved in some serious pondering and searching. Radford may be what you really need to read to understand your purpose on a different level. One specific point I wanted to draw your attention to was the notion of character and how it might put your ‘future’ in perspective. Radford writes, “the ‘spirit’ of an individual may be associated with qualities of character, being honourable, decent, having sound motives, and good heartedness, generosity, pride and courage.” These might be the things that you find mean more to you than a job and it can help you toward Holmes’s ‘fulfillment.” The content that you find boring should be considered the avenue to study other dimensions of your educational experience. The informal curriculum, which includes the social and moral culture of the school, may be less obvious and less assessed in school but is still very important to consider. You may want to reflect on your friendships, relationships with your parents and also your thoughts on cute and dreamy Stevie. Radford also argues that spiritual education “is central in our understanding of the nature of human self-consciousness, our ability to reflect on our own being, our behaviour, and our lives in the context of the lives of others and in relation to the larger environment of which we find ourselves.” You may find that all those physical or visible elements of the school that you dislike so much could be solved or forgotten with a focus on the spiritual aspect.
I wish you luck in your future endeavours and urge you to continue your journey into understanding school, knowledge, education and your own identity and how they all interrelate. I hope these readings will shed some light on your serious concerns and you can work to solve them over time. Just remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day but that numerous cities have crumbled in chaos and I hope you are there to build them back up.
Thank you for your interest,
Mr. Scuhl-Refourmir
Monday, November 7, 2011
The 'Business' of Teaching
I should preface this entry by stating that it comes across as a complaint but is merely a reflection on my feelings which like all human beings can sway across the negative-positive spectrum.
Are teachers effective? Can we improve their effectiveness? Can we assess their effectiveness? I made the mistake of reading the viewers comments on a recent post about the labour strike in an online paper. After my initial anger from the statements of incorrect facts subsided, I tried to take a step back and assess what teachers do in the classroom and make a decision on whether they can do more in (and out of) the classroom to increase student learning. This led into a glimpse of how education is like a business and how employees or teachers are pushed to the limit to increase productivity.
Some may say teachers have a relaxing occupation full of naptime, paints, field trips and assemblies. This is true to some extent so I wonder if the online comments are true about teachers being whiny greedy brats. However, Apple reaffirmed my thoughts on teachers work output with his notion of intensification. He describes it as sacrificing quality for quantity, isolating yourself, mistrusting your own expertise and quite simply just not having the time to do the job right (Apple, 1993, p. 124). Do teachers suffer from intensification? If so, does this intensification negatively affect the student’s learning? Apple goes on to state that this intensification leads to only the essential aspects of the task to get completed and things merely get done rather than done well (1993, p. 124). Is this one of the leading problems of our education system? Or are teachers just another hard done by group of employees complaining about work at their water cooler?
First of all, water cooler should be substituted by photocopier. I have never found conversations happening as employees sit by the water cooler killing time until 5 pm. Rather, teachers huddle around the sole copier at the school and curse leaving their photocopying to the last minute and wonder why Mr. Smith is taking so long. I have a hunch that the last minute photocopying is a combined result of individualizing or altering a lesson at the last moment to increase learning and that there is simply too much on the teacher’s plate. I know that teachers only work 9-3 and have summers off so how can there be too much on their plate? Are they merely lazy? I am sure some are. But the majority spend 9-3 focusing on helping the students. Most teachers help students before school, after school and on their lunch breaks. They make phone calls home to discuss learning with parents, plan engaging and differentiated lessons, photocopy resources, update websites, mark products and provide feedback to students all on their one hour preparation block. Coaching, committees, student meetings add on average a few minutes a day but that is still reasonable. Furthermore, teachers have to keep up with influx of new resources and technological equipment that has been added to their plate (Ungerleider, 1995, p. 120). The reason that some teachers may feel that there is too much work is because the task is never over and very rarely does anything get taken off the plate.
I fully believe that all teachers have the skills, knowledge and ability to teach every student to the highest level of achievement. So why are the students not all fully meeting expectations? I am getting the majority to this stage so why can’t I get all of them? Perhaps class sizes of 15, preparation time each day, one-on-one conversation time with students and parents, and collaboration time with teachers built into the timetable would help. Few would argue that these things would help so why don’t we do it? I great rapper one sang, “CREAM – Cash Rules Everything Around Me, Get the money, dolla dolla bills ya’ll.” I don’t remember who sang it as it dates back to my pimply face, backward hat and baggy jean wearing days of high school. But I always remember that lyric and I think he had a point in that money and resources are central to many scenarios and in this case could improve the education system greatly. More money won’t guarantee better results but should aid in helping the teacher and the student on a daily basis. Technology, more teachers, educational assistants, resources could be useful. Who decided the optimal number of students in a classroom was the magic number of 30? So why throughout all the cutbacks in schools, do teachers get blamed for the majority of the problems? Poor teachers and curricula have been blamed for putting the nation at risk and that teachers were seen as, “holding on to a curriculum that was ill-suited to modern technological and industrial needs (Apple, 1993, p. 119). Is it the teachers that are holding back the educational process or the lack of resources (time, money, skills) that is holding back the teachers?
Teachers spend a lot of time on continuing their own learning and refining, infusing, and reflecting on their practice. Most are up to date on the current research and latest innovations or strategies. So why are all teachers not practicing what they read? I can only say for one person that is very close to me but their reason is simple – not enough time. They know what to do and could be a master teacher but there isn’t enough time in the day. Furthermore, they are isolated and could pursue new and innovative techniques if they could increase collegiality by helping each other (Cuban, 1982, p.117). Ungerleider explained that most teachers’ philosophical preference is to follow a progressive model which includes collaborative interdependent relationships and professional/collegial relationships (1995. P. 94). Built in time for collaboration should be beneficial for teachers to further hone and share their skills with their colleagues. This could replace the standardized test as the accountability mechanism to ensure that teachers are teaching and students are learning. Of course, one would need to look at the cost to gauge its usefulness.
Every successful store, business and company utilizes Taylorism to cut costs and increase profit. Apple argues that Taylorism has entered the teaching profession by decreasing teacher autonomy, widespread standardized testing, and increased accountability systems (Apple, 1993, p. 121-122).
In the business world, you can monitor the effects that changes or modifications have on the business through the sales book. A cost benefit analysis should inform management where they can cut corners. How does this work in education? We can only measure student achievement to see how we are faring. Shouldn’t we then infuse the education profession with funding and resources to increase results (student achievement) rather than further cut funding? Can the teachers be held accountable for increasing this achievement? Cuban explains that, “the current organizational structure of the high school forces us to concentrate our attention on what teachers will probably do daily in their classrooms” (1982, p. 117). How much difference can the average teacher make on student achievement in our current system? I liken this to a Sandwich Artist employee at Subway as they are responsible for putting the sandwich together in front of the customer but can’t control the types of ingredients or products that Subway sells. As many times as you ask the Sandwich Artist to add caviar, fresh lobster and truffles, they can only direct you to the menu and say ‘I’m sorry.’ Of course, we all know who bears the complaints from the customers.
The education system is interesting in that it is a public domain controlled by society to instil values, knowledge and skills on our children but in a world that is increasingly run by economics and businesses. As a result, schools are caught in the middle as programs and resources are sacrificed due to funding shortfalls and not based on whether they are actually needed or not. Expectations on teachers are rising to meet the needs of the students as school funding is dropping. Can this intensification continue without catastrophic results? Can teachers rise up and become more effective and lead reform from the bottom up?
So can teachers.....or students....or parents....or government do more - that can only be answered by each individual. Can you?
References:
Apple, Michael. A. (1993). Official Knowledge: Democratic Education in a Conservative Age. New York: Routledge.
Apple, Michael. A. (1995). The Politics of a National Curriculum. Eds. Cookson, Peter W. Jr. & Schneider, Barbara. Transforming Schools. New York: Garland.
Cuban, Larry. (1982). Persistent Instruction: The High School Classroom, 1900-1980. Phi Delta Kappan. P. 113-118.
Ungerleider, Charles. (1995). Failing Our Kids: How We Are Ruining Our Public Schools. M&S.
Are teachers effective? Can we improve their effectiveness? Can we assess their effectiveness? I made the mistake of reading the viewers comments on a recent post about the labour strike in an online paper. After my initial anger from the statements of incorrect facts subsided, I tried to take a step back and assess what teachers do in the classroom and make a decision on whether they can do more in (and out of) the classroom to increase student learning. This led into a glimpse of how education is like a business and how employees or teachers are pushed to the limit to increase productivity.
Some may say teachers have a relaxing occupation full of naptime, paints, field trips and assemblies. This is true to some extent so I wonder if the online comments are true about teachers being whiny greedy brats. However, Apple reaffirmed my thoughts on teachers work output with his notion of intensification. He describes it as sacrificing quality for quantity, isolating yourself, mistrusting your own expertise and quite simply just not having the time to do the job right (Apple, 1993, p. 124). Do teachers suffer from intensification? If so, does this intensification negatively affect the student’s learning? Apple goes on to state that this intensification leads to only the essential aspects of the task to get completed and things merely get done rather than done well (1993, p. 124). Is this one of the leading problems of our education system? Or are teachers just another hard done by group of employees complaining about work at their water cooler?
First of all, water cooler should be substituted by photocopier. I have never found conversations happening as employees sit by the water cooler killing time until 5 pm. Rather, teachers huddle around the sole copier at the school and curse leaving their photocopying to the last minute and wonder why Mr. Smith is taking so long. I have a hunch that the last minute photocopying is a combined result of individualizing or altering a lesson at the last moment to increase learning and that there is simply too much on the teacher’s plate. I know that teachers only work 9-3 and have summers off so how can there be too much on their plate? Are they merely lazy? I am sure some are. But the majority spend 9-3 focusing on helping the students. Most teachers help students before school, after school and on their lunch breaks. They make phone calls home to discuss learning with parents, plan engaging and differentiated lessons, photocopy resources, update websites, mark products and provide feedback to students all on their one hour preparation block. Coaching, committees, student meetings add on average a few minutes a day but that is still reasonable. Furthermore, teachers have to keep up with influx of new resources and technological equipment that has been added to their plate (Ungerleider, 1995, p. 120). The reason that some teachers may feel that there is too much work is because the task is never over and very rarely does anything get taken off the plate.
I fully believe that all teachers have the skills, knowledge and ability to teach every student to the highest level of achievement. So why are the students not all fully meeting expectations? I am getting the majority to this stage so why can’t I get all of them? Perhaps class sizes of 15, preparation time each day, one-on-one conversation time with students and parents, and collaboration time with teachers built into the timetable would help. Few would argue that these things would help so why don’t we do it? I great rapper one sang, “CREAM – Cash Rules Everything Around Me, Get the money, dolla dolla bills ya’ll.” I don’t remember who sang it as it dates back to my pimply face, backward hat and baggy jean wearing days of high school. But I always remember that lyric and I think he had a point in that money and resources are central to many scenarios and in this case could improve the education system greatly. More money won’t guarantee better results but should aid in helping the teacher and the student on a daily basis. Technology, more teachers, educational assistants, resources could be useful. Who decided the optimal number of students in a classroom was the magic number of 30? So why throughout all the cutbacks in schools, do teachers get blamed for the majority of the problems? Poor teachers and curricula have been blamed for putting the nation at risk and that teachers were seen as, “holding on to a curriculum that was ill-suited to modern technological and industrial needs (Apple, 1993, p. 119). Is it the teachers that are holding back the educational process or the lack of resources (time, money, skills) that is holding back the teachers?
Teachers spend a lot of time on continuing their own learning and refining, infusing, and reflecting on their practice. Most are up to date on the current research and latest innovations or strategies. So why are all teachers not practicing what they read? I can only say for one person that is very close to me but their reason is simple – not enough time. They know what to do and could be a master teacher but there isn’t enough time in the day. Furthermore, they are isolated and could pursue new and innovative techniques if they could increase collegiality by helping each other (Cuban, 1982, p.117). Ungerleider explained that most teachers’ philosophical preference is to follow a progressive model which includes collaborative interdependent relationships and professional/collegial relationships (1995. P. 94). Built in time for collaboration should be beneficial for teachers to further hone and share their skills with their colleagues. This could replace the standardized test as the accountability mechanism to ensure that teachers are teaching and students are learning. Of course, one would need to look at the cost to gauge its usefulness.
Every successful store, business and company utilizes Taylorism to cut costs and increase profit. Apple argues that Taylorism has entered the teaching profession by decreasing teacher autonomy, widespread standardized testing, and increased accountability systems (Apple, 1993, p. 121-122).
In the business world, you can monitor the effects that changes or modifications have on the business through the sales book. A cost benefit analysis should inform management where they can cut corners. How does this work in education? We can only measure student achievement to see how we are faring. Shouldn’t we then infuse the education profession with funding and resources to increase results (student achievement) rather than further cut funding? Can the teachers be held accountable for increasing this achievement? Cuban explains that, “the current organizational structure of the high school forces us to concentrate our attention on what teachers will probably do daily in their classrooms” (1982, p. 117). How much difference can the average teacher make on student achievement in our current system? I liken this to a Sandwich Artist employee at Subway as they are responsible for putting the sandwich together in front of the customer but can’t control the types of ingredients or products that Subway sells. As many times as you ask the Sandwich Artist to add caviar, fresh lobster and truffles, they can only direct you to the menu and say ‘I’m sorry.’ Of course, we all know who bears the complaints from the customers.
The education system is interesting in that it is a public domain controlled by society to instil values, knowledge and skills on our children but in a world that is increasingly run by economics and businesses. As a result, schools are caught in the middle as programs and resources are sacrificed due to funding shortfalls and not based on whether they are actually needed or not. Expectations on teachers are rising to meet the needs of the students as school funding is dropping. Can this intensification continue without catastrophic results? Can teachers rise up and become more effective and lead reform from the bottom up?
So can teachers.....or students....or parents....or government do more - that can only be answered by each individual. Can you?
References:
Apple, Michael. A. (1993). Official Knowledge: Democratic Education in a Conservative Age. New York: Routledge.
Apple, Michael. A. (1995). The Politics of a National Curriculum. Eds. Cookson, Peter W. Jr. & Schneider, Barbara. Transforming Schools. New York: Garland.
Cuban, Larry. (1982). Persistent Instruction: The High School Classroom, 1900-1980. Phi Delta Kappan. P. 113-118.
Ungerleider, Charles. (1995). Failing Our Kids: How We Are Ruining Our Public Schools. M&S.
Monday, October 24, 2011
The Beginning
So as I sit down to ‘reflect’ I am realizing that I am analyzing everything I do and read. When I left class on Wednesday I was excited with where my mind had voyaged to. Contemplating why things are the way they are at school since then has got me quite excited and personal reflections have stretched beyond the average. Average reflections amongst teachers at my school generally focus on what is wrong, whose fault it is, how others could improve it and all this is said with a few expletives. Now I find myself going beyond the micro (why we are teaching this or how do you control Student A’s behaviour) and examining the larger scale systems and ideas. I don’t want it to sound like I am tooting my own horn, I just want you to know that only one class in I feel better already about the journey and how it has made me more aware of my view on various aspects in education.
The elements in education web that we constructed in class was not only eye-opening but raised a certain fear in me. You spoke of how difficult but prevalent educational reform is and it all makes sense when examining how complex of a system it is. So how does one make positive change? A person would have to design or form a new system that was accepted by all the stakeholders (or at least enough that could control the other participants) and then somehow find the resources and means to introduce it to the group. No wonder we are stuck in an archaic system that reflects not who we are as a society currently but one of previous generations. How do we change this and create a paradigm shift? The novel ideas are out there but we are still stuck in our current system.
Your point about ‘needing numbers to assess students’ and ultimately everything has intrigued me. I don’t use numbers in my assessment of students work (save the use of the 5/3/1 scale in the 6+1 Writing Traits rubric and I know it is strictly ordinal) and it has transformed my assessment and my students approach to work. How anyone could look at an essay and arbitrarily say “it is an 86% or 87%” is ridiculous. From not yet meeting expectations to exceeding expectations is where I want my students to travel. But....why then must a final percentage be added to the report card? Is it because it is always the way it has been done? Is our reporting system falling behind our assessment system? Do we provide numbers for the students or the parents because that is waht they know and recognize? I have had long discussions with parents on why I don’t have a number next to their child’s name. Does it reflect the need for the ministry (or Fraser Institute) to assess and rank school’s performance? Or does it merely reflect the need of post-secondary institutions to screen their applicants? Are we as teachers quantifying all our learning objectives for 12 years so that a university can easily choose which applicant is likely to succeed without ever meeting them in person? I started to wonder if this is all the fault of Frederick Taylor. Taylorism is one of the only things that stuck in my head from an early economics course and I find myself analyzing everything to see how I can do it more effectively. So are the universities just trimming costs and time by screening applicants in this way? On a side note, I have seen a number of people asked to leave or removed from the STEP program during their practicum in the past years because they were not suited to the profession. However, many other student-teachers could have predicted based on their social skills, organizational skills, or work ethic. Should there be a one on one interview prior to acceptance? Has society gone too far in saving money? Do economic resources have a larger weight in the educational system web than other factors? I compare it to the game Kerplunk in that many straws (systems) can be taken out and the marbles (students education) still remain but eventually one straw is removed and the system collapses. Perhaps a complete overhaul is needed to permit education to transform into a system built for the 21st century (pardon my use of this cliché).
The topic of 21st century skills is prevalent in our school these days. Our principal was on the ‘One District – One Vision – One Goal’ committee to design the attributes of a School District No. 23 Learner for Success in the 21st and we are working hard to apply or include these 5 outcomes or objectives to our curriculum. The document (which surprisingly is not available anywhere on the School district website so I will bring you a copy) lists the attributes (Learner, Thinker, Innovator, Collaborator, Contributor) that a student should possess to succeed in our current society. Most are behavioural objectives that certainly would make specific criterion levels difficult. It definitely puts the emphasis back on the students though. Throughout the readings I see a wide spectrum of who is the focus in our quest for achieving the ‘goal of education’. Students? Teachers? A happy midpoint? Is it the students who control their progression and teachers are mere pawns to distribute resources or are students the raw materials with that are created by teachers and school boards? Bobbitt and his followers seem to argue that most change can be done top-down by systems and leave little room for the role of the student. Whereas, Ebel writes that, “learning is a personal activity which each student must carry on for himself.” It reminds me of my previous career in the wine industry. There were two distinct views on producing a great product. Great wine was either the result great grapes from great soil, climate and growing conditions – the terroir – or it was the result of a great winemaker who could turn any grape to greatness by controlling the fermentation process, aging, and oak influences. So what makes a great education? What roles do students, teachers and systems play in the process?
I understand my bias or lens views the system differently due to my role as a teacher but is broadened now by my concurrent role as a student and my very near future as my role as a parent. My realities are that teachers are an important variable and that every student is very different (from each other, not just different ;) and we must acknowledge this fact when teaching them. Ebel stated that “individual learning is greatly facilitated by group instruction” and I struggled with this statement. Is it greatly facilitated because a 1:1 teacher student ratio is impossible due to Taylorism or is he missing the importance of differentiated or individual instruction? Who says 30 students is a proper number for instruction? Is it determined by the overhead costs or what is best for the average students learning? Reading through The Third Teacher I saw no benefit of having large class sizes. Do we have the necessary resources to facilitate our curriculum? To this I question our use of technology.
I was my school’s technology lead teacher and was often approached by teachers who wanted to use a new software or technology in their classroom just for the sake of using it. I would ask them what their end goal was and how this new resource would aid in achieving it. There was frequently no answer as they just wanted to use it. This is reinforced by Robert Mager when he states that when clearly defined goals are not available, teachers can get lost in their instruction and resources. We need to start with the end in mind and work backwards.
At the end of it, I am still struggling with how change can be effectively implemented in our school system. Is this system so large and complex that drastic change is impossible? I believe I sit with many others in the waiting room for educational reform.
References
Despres, Blane R. (2003). Family of Related Systemic Elements (FoRSE) Matrix.
Ebel, Robert L. (1972). What are schools for? Phi Delta Kappan, 54, 1, p 3-7.
Eisner, Elliot W. (1985). The Educational Imagination on the Design and Evaluation of School Programs. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.
How do BC schools compare? Retrieved September 18, 2011, from Fraser Institute Web site: http://www.fraserinstitute.org/report-cards/school-performance/british-columbia.aspx
Kerplunk (game). Retrieved September 18, 2011 from the Wikipedia website. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KerPlunk_(game)
79 ideas for using design to transform teaching and learning. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from The Third Teacher website: http://www.thethirdteacher.com/
The elements in education web that we constructed in class was not only eye-opening but raised a certain fear in me. You spoke of how difficult but prevalent educational reform is and it all makes sense when examining how complex of a system it is. So how does one make positive change? A person would have to design or form a new system that was accepted by all the stakeholders (or at least enough that could control the other participants) and then somehow find the resources and means to introduce it to the group. No wonder we are stuck in an archaic system that reflects not who we are as a society currently but one of previous generations. How do we change this and create a paradigm shift? The novel ideas are out there but we are still stuck in our current system.
Your point about ‘needing numbers to assess students’ and ultimately everything has intrigued me. I don’t use numbers in my assessment of students work (save the use of the 5/3/1 scale in the 6+1 Writing Traits rubric and I know it is strictly ordinal) and it has transformed my assessment and my students approach to work. How anyone could look at an essay and arbitrarily say “it is an 86% or 87%” is ridiculous. From not yet meeting expectations to exceeding expectations is where I want my students to travel. But....why then must a final percentage be added to the report card? Is it because it is always the way it has been done? Is our reporting system falling behind our assessment system? Do we provide numbers for the students or the parents because that is waht they know and recognize? I have had long discussions with parents on why I don’t have a number next to their child’s name. Does it reflect the need for the ministry (or Fraser Institute) to assess and rank school’s performance? Or does it merely reflect the need of post-secondary institutions to screen their applicants? Are we as teachers quantifying all our learning objectives for 12 years so that a university can easily choose which applicant is likely to succeed without ever meeting them in person? I started to wonder if this is all the fault of Frederick Taylor. Taylorism is one of the only things that stuck in my head from an early economics course and I find myself analyzing everything to see how I can do it more effectively. So are the universities just trimming costs and time by screening applicants in this way? On a side note, I have seen a number of people asked to leave or removed from the STEP program during their practicum in the past years because they were not suited to the profession. However, many other student-teachers could have predicted based on their social skills, organizational skills, or work ethic. Should there be a one on one interview prior to acceptance? Has society gone too far in saving money? Do economic resources have a larger weight in the educational system web than other factors? I compare it to the game Kerplunk in that many straws (systems) can be taken out and the marbles (students education) still remain but eventually one straw is removed and the system collapses. Perhaps a complete overhaul is needed to permit education to transform into a system built for the 21st century (pardon my use of this cliché).
The topic of 21st century skills is prevalent in our school these days. Our principal was on the ‘One District – One Vision – One Goal’ committee to design the attributes of a School District No. 23 Learner for Success in the 21st and we are working hard to apply or include these 5 outcomes or objectives to our curriculum. The document (which surprisingly is not available anywhere on the School district website so I will bring you a copy) lists the attributes (Learner, Thinker, Innovator, Collaborator, Contributor) that a student should possess to succeed in our current society. Most are behavioural objectives that certainly would make specific criterion levels difficult. It definitely puts the emphasis back on the students though. Throughout the readings I see a wide spectrum of who is the focus in our quest for achieving the ‘goal of education’. Students? Teachers? A happy midpoint? Is it the students who control their progression and teachers are mere pawns to distribute resources or are students the raw materials with that are created by teachers and school boards? Bobbitt and his followers seem to argue that most change can be done top-down by systems and leave little room for the role of the student. Whereas, Ebel writes that, “learning is a personal activity which each student must carry on for himself.” It reminds me of my previous career in the wine industry. There were two distinct views on producing a great product. Great wine was either the result great grapes from great soil, climate and growing conditions – the terroir – or it was the result of a great winemaker who could turn any grape to greatness by controlling the fermentation process, aging, and oak influences. So what makes a great education? What roles do students, teachers and systems play in the process?
I understand my bias or lens views the system differently due to my role as a teacher but is broadened now by my concurrent role as a student and my very near future as my role as a parent. My realities are that teachers are an important variable and that every student is very different (from each other, not just different ;) and we must acknowledge this fact when teaching them. Ebel stated that “individual learning is greatly facilitated by group instruction” and I struggled with this statement. Is it greatly facilitated because a 1:1 teacher student ratio is impossible due to Taylorism or is he missing the importance of differentiated or individual instruction? Who says 30 students is a proper number for instruction? Is it determined by the overhead costs or what is best for the average students learning? Reading through The Third Teacher I saw no benefit of having large class sizes. Do we have the necessary resources to facilitate our curriculum? To this I question our use of technology.
I was my school’s technology lead teacher and was often approached by teachers who wanted to use a new software or technology in their classroom just for the sake of using it. I would ask them what their end goal was and how this new resource would aid in achieving it. There was frequently no answer as they just wanted to use it. This is reinforced by Robert Mager when he states that when clearly defined goals are not available, teachers can get lost in their instruction and resources. We need to start with the end in mind and work backwards.
At the end of it, I am still struggling with how change can be effectively implemented in our school system. Is this system so large and complex that drastic change is impossible? I believe I sit with many others in the waiting room for educational reform.
References
Despres, Blane R. (2003). Family of Related Systemic Elements (FoRSE) Matrix.
Ebel, Robert L. (1972). What are schools for? Phi Delta Kappan, 54, 1, p 3-7.
Eisner, Elliot W. (1985). The Educational Imagination on the Design and Evaluation of School Programs. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.
How do BC schools compare? Retrieved September 18, 2011, from Fraser Institute Web site: http://www.fraserinstitute.org/report-cards/school-performance/british-columbia.aspx
Kerplunk (game). Retrieved September 18, 2011 from the Wikipedia website. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KerPlunk_(game)
79 ideas for using design to transform teaching and learning. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from The Third Teacher website: http://www.thethirdteacher.com/
To what extent, do teachers choose the curriculum?
Introduction
This week as we pondered what exactly curriculum is and how it has developed or evolved in the past century, I am intrigued by who really sets the present curriculum. For this reflection, I will use Doll’s definition of curriculum which states it is the “formal and informal content and process by which learners gain knowledge and understanding, develop skills and alter attitudes, appreciations and values under the auspices of that school.” We know that the Ministry of Education sets the curriculum as they state the following: The prescribed learning outcomes set the learning standards for the provincial K to 12 education system and form the prescribed curriculum for British Columbia. They are statements of what students are expected to know and do at the end of an indicated grade or course.
Schools have the responsibility to ensure that all prescribed learning outcomes in each IRP are met; however, schools have flexibility in determining how delivery of the prescribed learning outcomes can best take place. It is expected that student achievement will vary in relation to the prescribed learning outcomes. Evaluation, reporting, and student placement with respect to these outcomes are dependent on the professional judgment and experience of teachers, guided by provincial policy. (http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/plo.php)
This raises two questions, one being who provides input (both directly and indirectly) to the ministry and secondly, how much autonomy do teachers really have? Due to the time constraints of contacting the government and going through the bureaucratic red tape especially during job action, I have elected to pursue an answer to my second question. So how much of our curriculum is dictated by individual teachers? The sub-question of whether this is good thing will be left for you to decide. To provide adequate research I decided to use an upcoming department collaboration time to assess the learning that goes on at my school.
Part 1: Predictions
Note: I am writing this paper in two separate sittings as in between I am involved in two interesting exercises during our school’s implementation day. The first exercise involves me and another curriculum leader guiding our department in planning a scope and sequence for grades 7-9 in English, English Writing, Social Studies and Social justice. Our end goal is to have courses based on ‘big ideas’ rather that the content driven nature of the Integrated Resource Packages. The students will still be expected to demonstrate all the prescribed learning outcomes but in a form that involves more inquiry based learning across the entire Humanities spectrum. This would be considered more Transaction than Transmission if you were following Miller and Seller. Now I state that I am writing this in a different organization format (pre and post implementation day) as I want to test my hypothesis of how closely teachers at my school follow the PLO’s. With no disrespect intended, I believe that many of the staff, when posed with the task of putting a finger on the big picture, will still be stuck in the regular ‘old school’ (pardon the pun) way of chunking the content and planning the year along the borders of the textbook.
The second task involves the same teachers to brainstorm a final summative project for the humanities area that assesses a different curriculum: Gardner’s Six Facets and the SD No. 23 Attributes of a Learner – a higher level skills assessment that would make Bloom happy. In this case we will need to think outside of the box or more ‘Steve Jobsesque’ if I may. Will it be similar to past summative assessments and resemble our final exams which we have eliminated this year? Will it include a larger framework? I find myself looking at the FoRSE matrix and wondering how broad a spectrum the teachers will cover in thinking about this new aspect of our schools curriculum. What values will come across? Will the students be engaged?
Part 2: The Aftermath
I know this carried the same suspense as revealing a winner on a reality TV show but the wait is over. When faced with the task of going over the curriculum as a group, it was easy to see who were covering the content and who were looking at the deeper understandings. For example, breaking down the Social Studies 9 curriculum and basing it on one idea – Revolution – shows that teachers could get away from the standard content. There were also some quiet, blank look teachers who were happy to see the courses summarized into simple ideas that they still felt comfortable teaching. Going back to how the Ministry states that the school has flexibility over how the IRPs are met and that teachers have control over the assessment and evaluation of the PLOs, I did determine that although our school is now on the same page, we haven’t been for years and teachers still have a large amount of control over the what and how of the curriculum. It would appear to me that the variation of what is going on in one classroom or school to the next is immense. No one ever visits my classroom to see if I am teaching certain things or more importantly, if the students are learning those things. There are no provincial exams to monitor learning in middle school and standardized tests may not be the um...er...most ‘authentic’ assessment of learning. We are professionals and I assume then that trust put into teachers is enough for all involved in the education process to sleep at night.
The second task of building a new ‘presentation of learning’ as it has been termed at my school had mixed results. I guess saying ‘think outside the box’ needed clarification as one teacher spent time finding the picture on the right and showing the rest of the group. Our group had difficulty with how students could demonstrate the deeper understandings and 21st century skills in a presentation. Some were suggesting that rolling a dice in a mock-civilization activity could dictate their grade while others couldn’t get away from current practices of multiple choice tests based on information rather than learning. One group did start to expand the purpose to include the community and the form/design included original ideas. This is our first year where we have decided as a staff to eliminate our usual final exams in the last week of the school year and create a new assessment of learning so I suppose I knew this would be a difficult task especially when my eyes have been opened so much to curriculum issues since starting this masters course.
Conclusion:
Teachers do have significant autonomy over both what and how they teach students. This is crucial if we want to continue to improve the educational system. Beyer and Apple state that ‘meaningful curriculum reform must occur within those institutions, and by those people, most intimately connected to the lives of students: teachers, administrators...’ and I agree that educational professionals are in the best position to know what the students need to succeed. Teachers need autonomy to truly cater to certain students needs. In a world that is constantly becoming more regulated and where life is becoming more dictated, teaching is one area that needs to stay open to individuals making choices and decisions. However, this can make things difficult for some involved as accepting variation when choosing teachers or schools for their children can be stressful. People don’t accept chance when it comes to education. Will you get the teacher who is eager, knowledgeable, fair, interesting, patient, dedicated and engaging or will you get the teacher who is just getting a paycheque? Will both of those teachers ensure that the Ministry curriculum is met? Will both of those teachers meet the values of society that Beyer and Apple speak of?
Field trips or videos, technology or chalkboards, discussions or solo work or collaborative learning, experiments and hands on or textbooks, assignments or tests – there are so many teacher variables. I know in my school that there are teachers that I would prefer my child to learn from. However, it is a preference and we are entitled to our thoughts. If there was a teacher that did not meet the requirements of the Ministry, I would not want them teaching and I fear that they still would be. Can we authentically measure the informal content of curriculum? Does the Ministry have requirements on the hidden aspect of curriculum? Does the formal outweigh the informal content if the Ministry can’t adequately prescribe its content?
Teachers do have autonomy and I stand by that whether this is appropriate or not is a personal choice. So, what do you think?
Resources
Beyer, Landon E. & Apple, Michael W. (1988). The Curriculum: Problems, Politics & Probabilities. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
British Columbia Ministry of Education. Retrieved from: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/plo.php.%20%20%20Oct.%2010, 2011.
Cookson, P. W., & Schneider, B. (1995). Transforming schools. New York: Garland.
Doll, R. C. (1989). Curriculum Improvement: Decision Making & Process, 7th Ed. Boston, MA: allyn and Bacon.
Miller, J.P. & Seller, W. (1990). Curriculum: Perspectives & Practice. Toronto : Copp Clark Pitman.
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/plo.php
This week as we pondered what exactly curriculum is and how it has developed or evolved in the past century, I am intrigued by who really sets the present curriculum. For this reflection, I will use Doll’s definition of curriculum which states it is the “formal and informal content and process by which learners gain knowledge and understanding, develop skills and alter attitudes, appreciations and values under the auspices of that school.” We know that the Ministry of Education sets the curriculum as they state the following: The prescribed learning outcomes set the learning standards for the provincial K to 12 education system and form the prescribed curriculum for British Columbia. They are statements of what students are expected to know and do at the end of an indicated grade or course.
Schools have the responsibility to ensure that all prescribed learning outcomes in each IRP are met; however, schools have flexibility in determining how delivery of the prescribed learning outcomes can best take place. It is expected that student achievement will vary in relation to the prescribed learning outcomes. Evaluation, reporting, and student placement with respect to these outcomes are dependent on the professional judgment and experience of teachers, guided by provincial policy. (http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/plo.php)
This raises two questions, one being who provides input (both directly and indirectly) to the ministry and secondly, how much autonomy do teachers really have? Due to the time constraints of contacting the government and going through the bureaucratic red tape especially during job action, I have elected to pursue an answer to my second question. So how much of our curriculum is dictated by individual teachers? The sub-question of whether this is good thing will be left for you to decide. To provide adequate research I decided to use an upcoming department collaboration time to assess the learning that goes on at my school.
Part 1: Predictions
Note: I am writing this paper in two separate sittings as in between I am involved in two interesting exercises during our school’s implementation day. The first exercise involves me and another curriculum leader guiding our department in planning a scope and sequence for grades 7-9 in English, English Writing, Social Studies and Social justice. Our end goal is to have courses based on ‘big ideas’ rather that the content driven nature of the Integrated Resource Packages. The students will still be expected to demonstrate all the prescribed learning outcomes but in a form that involves more inquiry based learning across the entire Humanities spectrum. This would be considered more Transaction than Transmission if you were following Miller and Seller. Now I state that I am writing this in a different organization format (pre and post implementation day) as I want to test my hypothesis of how closely teachers at my school follow the PLO’s. With no disrespect intended, I believe that many of the staff, when posed with the task of putting a finger on the big picture, will still be stuck in the regular ‘old school’ (pardon the pun) way of chunking the content and planning the year along the borders of the textbook.
The second task involves the same teachers to brainstorm a final summative project for the humanities area that assesses a different curriculum: Gardner’s Six Facets and the SD No. 23 Attributes of a Learner – a higher level skills assessment that would make Bloom happy. In this case we will need to think outside of the box or more ‘Steve Jobsesque’ if I may. Will it be similar to past summative assessments and resemble our final exams which we have eliminated this year? Will it include a larger framework? I find myself looking at the FoRSE matrix and wondering how broad a spectrum the teachers will cover in thinking about this new aspect of our schools curriculum. What values will come across? Will the students be engaged?
Part 2: The Aftermath
I know this carried the same suspense as revealing a winner on a reality TV show but the wait is over. When faced with the task of going over the curriculum as a group, it was easy to see who were covering the content and who were looking at the deeper understandings. For example, breaking down the Social Studies 9 curriculum and basing it on one idea – Revolution – shows that teachers could get away from the standard content. There were also some quiet, blank look teachers who were happy to see the courses summarized into simple ideas that they still felt comfortable teaching. Going back to how the Ministry states that the school has flexibility over how the IRPs are met and that teachers have control over the assessment and evaluation of the PLOs, I did determine that although our school is now on the same page, we haven’t been for years and teachers still have a large amount of control over the what and how of the curriculum. It would appear to me that the variation of what is going on in one classroom or school to the next is immense. No one ever visits my classroom to see if I am teaching certain things or more importantly, if the students are learning those things. There are no provincial exams to monitor learning in middle school and standardized tests may not be the um...er...most ‘authentic’ assessment of learning. We are professionals and I assume then that trust put into teachers is enough for all involved in the education process to sleep at night.
The second task of building a new ‘presentation of learning’ as it has been termed at my school had mixed results. I guess saying ‘think outside the box’ needed clarification as one teacher spent time finding the picture on the right and showing the rest of the group. Our group had difficulty with how students could demonstrate the deeper understandings and 21st century skills in a presentation. Some were suggesting that rolling a dice in a mock-civilization activity could dictate their grade while others couldn’t get away from current practices of multiple choice tests based on information rather than learning. One group did start to expand the purpose to include the community and the form/design included original ideas. This is our first year where we have decided as a staff to eliminate our usual final exams in the last week of the school year and create a new assessment of learning so I suppose I knew this would be a difficult task especially when my eyes have been opened so much to curriculum issues since starting this masters course.
Conclusion:
Teachers do have significant autonomy over both what and how they teach students. This is crucial if we want to continue to improve the educational system. Beyer and Apple state that ‘meaningful curriculum reform must occur within those institutions, and by those people, most intimately connected to the lives of students: teachers, administrators...’ and I agree that educational professionals are in the best position to know what the students need to succeed. Teachers need autonomy to truly cater to certain students needs. In a world that is constantly becoming more regulated and where life is becoming more dictated, teaching is one area that needs to stay open to individuals making choices and decisions. However, this can make things difficult for some involved as accepting variation when choosing teachers or schools for their children can be stressful. People don’t accept chance when it comes to education. Will you get the teacher who is eager, knowledgeable, fair, interesting, patient, dedicated and engaging or will you get the teacher who is just getting a paycheque? Will both of those teachers ensure that the Ministry curriculum is met? Will both of those teachers meet the values of society that Beyer and Apple speak of?
Field trips or videos, technology or chalkboards, discussions or solo work or collaborative learning, experiments and hands on or textbooks, assignments or tests – there are so many teacher variables. I know in my school that there are teachers that I would prefer my child to learn from. However, it is a preference and we are entitled to our thoughts. If there was a teacher that did not meet the requirements of the Ministry, I would not want them teaching and I fear that they still would be. Can we authentically measure the informal content of curriculum? Does the Ministry have requirements on the hidden aspect of curriculum? Does the formal outweigh the informal content if the Ministry can’t adequately prescribe its content?
Teachers do have autonomy and I stand by that whether this is appropriate or not is a personal choice. So, what do you think?
Resources
Beyer, Landon E. & Apple, Michael W. (1988). The Curriculum: Problems, Politics & Probabilities. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
British Columbia Ministry of Education. Retrieved from: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/plo.php.%20%20%20Oct.%2010, 2011.
Cookson, P. W., & Schneider, B. (1995). Transforming schools. New York: Garland.
Doll, R. C. (1989). Curriculum Improvement: Decision Making & Process, 7th Ed. Boston, MA: allyn and Bacon.
Miller, J.P. & Seller, W. (1990). Curriculum: Perspectives & Practice. Toronto : Copp Clark Pitman.
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/plo.php
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