Curriculum Development Project EDCI 5020

EDCI 5020

Some Thoughts…

One might argue that few things more fundamentally influence the course of education in America than what arises from curriculum development. One might argue as well that few things more fundamentally influence the success, or lack thereof, of our nation in regard to its economic, political, and social well-being. Am I overstating things? Perhaps, yes. Perhaps, no. The reading you are asked to do during this part of your project, among other things, is meant to have you think about just how significant the concept/process/idea of curriculum development is. What do we teach in America? Why do we teach those things? What should we actually teach? Why is it crucial that students learn those things? Are those not questions the answers to which determine our destiny, the fate of our children’s children, and so on? Overstatement? Perhaps, yes. Perhaps, no.

Notice in the aforementioned four questions, the generation of a sort of cycle. At any given time, there is a curriculum (influenced by what is going on in society?). At any given time, people question the merits of that curriculum (influenced by some perceived failure in the current education system?). Something new and different (better?) arises as a result of changes or differences in society, its purpose being to cure what ails us. It is an interesting cycle. It is based on how society itself influences education, and very importantly, on how education influences society. I hope, at the very least, these thoughts make you go, “Hmmm. Interesting. And I thought this class was going to be boring!” That last little joke aside, I would like for you to have these things in mind as you go through the readings for this part of the project. I also think the readings might just affirm what I have written.

Of course, on the other hand, one might argue that this cycle of curriculum development that seems to run throughout the course of American History means little to nothing. Really? Perhaps, yes. Perhaps, no. You will read about the innumerable “crises” that have existed in the American education system in the readings for this part of the project, what became the solutions to them, what became the new problems, the latest and greatest solutions to those, and so on. So, what might some argue is the evidence that regardless of the condition the American education system is in (is it not always perceived to be in crisis?), regardless of what curriculum is in place, there is nothing to worry about? That evidence, some would say, is that this country continues to be the most successful economically, the most powerful politically, and the most influential socially. Test scores have reportedly declined throughout numerous periods in American history. Scores relative to other developed nations have reportedly declined over the years. Yet, America is still #1. Is this accurate? Perhaps, yes. Perhaps, no. Perhaps that argument is best left to conversations among politicians. Nevertheless, what I would argue is accurate is that we have continually developed curriculum in America with the desire, at its very core, to do better for our kids!

Checkpoint One

Purpose

· Gain an understanding of the history of curriculum development in America.

· Gain an appreciation of the significance of curriculum development in any society.

· Research and explore current issues in regard to curricula used in today’s schools.

· Begin to research what experts identify as the best curricula and why.

· Begin to formulate ideas about what you perceive to be the best curricula to be used in today’s schools.

The Readings and a Video to Watch

· In your text, The Saber-Tooth Curriculum, read the Introduction written by Hornbake (pp. xiii-xxxvii). I think the introduction here provides a great deal of information about the history of curriculum development in America, at least through the early 1970s. As you read through this, please pay particular attention to the cause-effect phenomenon of curriculum development. In other words, the way society influenced curriculum development in education and the way curriculum development in education influenced society. One thing I thought of as I read this was the old question, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Another thought that kept coming to mind for me was that even though this is a historical perspective of curriculum development spanning a great number of years, and even though it was written in the early 1970s, everything sounded so familiar to me. It was as if these stories of issues from past history could be about today. You will see the following mentioned:

· Shifting moral standards

· New leadership in business and government

· The status of womankind

· Public and private medicine

· Early childhood education

· Hungry and poorly clothed children

· The value of a democratic society

· Recognizing individual differences in students

· The importance of vocational education

· Lack of funding

· The role of local, state, and federal governments in education

Do these not sound familiar?

· Read The Evolution of Curriculum Development in the Context of Increasing Social and Environmental Complexity (pp. 1311-1318). First, please note the journal the article was written in and the title/job of the author of the article. I bring this up because you should always be aware of who or what is the source of your information. This is not an education journal. The author is not in the education field. His work is in conservation. Might these things influence what he says? I write that not at all to discredit him. I really, really like the article. You will notice that he references The Saber-Tooth Curriculum throughout the paper as well. I ask that you read the article for its historical perspective of curriculum development in America. Also, because I think it provides many examples of just how significant the whole concept of curriculum development is. Furthermore, I think it provides you with ideas about what might be, the potential for what can be, in regard to the next evolution of curriculum development. After all, one of the purposes of this section of the project is for you to read about curricular issues, discover more about what the experts have to say, and begin to formulate your own ideas for what would be the “best” curriculum. What happened for me is what I am hoping will happen for you throughout this project. Namely, my desire is for something to stand out to you, something about curriculum development that you would want to explore more deeply, something that will spark in you a desire to influence what students should learn and why. For me, that came with reading the article. I have looked further into the idea of systems-oriented instruction and plan to explore it in more detail. In fact, reading this led me to watching what I describe next. Where will your explorations take you?

· Once again, as we move through this project, my desire is that you will go on to explore curriculum that interests you and that you believe can be a response to what are perceived to be the problems with education today, or at least things that will advance the learning of students in our present-day context. That is how I found the following video, entitled Systems Thinking Frame . You will notice that it will stop playing during the middle of the video unless you subscribe to the company that produced it. There is no need to subscribe – unless you would just like to. My reason for including it in this part of the project is because I will ask you to begin to explore what interests you and what you believe to be worthwhile in regard to curriculum development. I hope that this exercise is useful as you influence curriculum development in your current role – and future roles – in school. I am going to learn more about systems-oriented instruction.

The Assignment

In the format of an expository paper (see Format for Expository Paper in the Course Documents section in Moodle), respond to the following for your Checkpoint One assignment:

· Historical Perspective – in your readings, you came across examples of shifts in curriculum development that resulted from societal influences and/or how education was influencing society. Choose two historical shifts/movements that you perceive to be very significant in the history of education.

· Describe what the shifts were, why they occurred, and what resulted from them. For each shift, find at least one additional source of information (beyond what I have listed as reading assignments) to dig a little more into causes, the actual curriculum that resulted, and the effects of the shift.

· Justify why you chose this as a shift that you perceive to be significant. In other words, explain why what happened was so very important to American society.

· Exploration – After what you have read and what you have written so far, where does this take you? What are some curricular ideas out there that provide a response to the current state of education in America? Is it something that other countries are doing? Is it some novel approach to learning, like systems-oriented instruction or Hackschooling, as seen in this TED Talk (by the way, I highly recommend watching this video about hacking school – it makes one think!)? Is it better implementation of the Common Core State Standards or Louisiana Standards?

· What is the current state of education where you exist (in your district, your state, and the nation)? Provide evidence that there is some issue when it comes to all students attaining high expectations in regard to academic achievement. The evidence needs to come from some reputable source of information. Include that source – or sources – in your reference section.

· Explore at least one of your ideas about a useful development in curriculum. Find at least two articles that support this being a good curricular move. Be sure to use a reputable source of information when searching for articles. My recommendation is to search for articles through the NSU library, the ERIC database, or Google Scholar.

· Describe what this curricular movement is about, what it is designed to improve, and why/how it is supposed to work. How will this work for the students you serve? Why is this so?

Rubric for Checkpoint One

Expository Paper	Total Points for Section	Content
	100	80-100	Accounts for all aspects required in the paper (Historical Perspective – two shifts, description, why occurred, and what resulted, significance, and two additional sources and Exploration – current state of education, two additional articles in support of a curricular development, description, why it will work, and your context). References are made to at least six sources of information in APA format. Knowledge of the subject matter is comprehensive, in-depth and ranges over at least four specified sources of information. Understanding is demonstrated through an outstanding ability to grasp concepts and relate theory to practice. Writing skills include excellent mechanics, sentence structure, and organization. Application/analysis is demonstrated by grasping the inner relationship of concepts and excellent use of all specified supporting material.
		60-79	Accounts for most aspects required in the paper (Historical Perspective – two shifts, description, why occurred, and what resulted, significance, and two additional sources and Exploration – current state of education, two additional articles in support of a curricular development, description, why it will work, and your context). References are made to less than six sources of information or there are issues with APA format. Knowledge of the subject matter is up to date and relevant. Understanding is demonstrated through a high level of ability to conceptualize essential ideas and relate theory to practice. Writing skills include significant mechanics, structure, and organization. Application/analysis is demonstrated by the ability to analyze and synthesize, independent analysis, and good use of specified supporting material.
		0-59	Accounts for some aspects required in the paper (Historical Perspective – two shifts, description, why occurred, and what resulted, significance, and two additional sources and Exploration – current state of education, two additional articles in support of a curricular development, description, why it will work, and your context). References are made to some of the required sources of information and include APA formatting issues. Knowledge of the subject matter is relevant but not comprehensive. Understanding is demonstrated by some ability to conceptualize essential ideas and relate theory to practice. Writing skills include grammatical lapses and emotional responses are used in lieu of relevant points. Application/analysis is demonstrated through informed commentary with some evidence of genuine analysis and some use of specified supporting material.