Curriculum 21: Chapter 1

Curriculum 21: Chapter 1

A new essential curriculum

Do students feel like they have time traveled when entering your school building?

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Where are the roots?

• In the late 1890's, The national

  The Committee of Ten was formed.

• Consistency was needed within education.

• This began the standards movement.

Multiple Select

What are some educational norms developed by The Ten we still see today?

• 12 years of schooling

• 180 instrictional days

• curriculum should be the same for college bound and trade bound students

• High school subjects should include English, History, Civics, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics

• 6 hour school day

Education Across the Country

Though the US is made of 50 states, the education systems across the country are more like 50 parallel universes. The educational standards and procedures within the United States are nowhere close to united.

Multiple Choice

In what year did Common Core begin?

• 2007

• 2008

• 2009

• 2010

Updating Curriculum

• Growth model; not change model

• Gradually introduced in a non-threatening manner

• More engaging with real-world and cross-curricular applications of new content and concepts

Structures That Affect Curriculum

• Schedule (long-term and short-term)

• Grouping Learners

• Personnel Configurations

• Use of Space (physical and virtual)

Poll

Poll Time: Which structure do you think affects the curriculum the most?

• Schedule (long-term and short-term)

• Grouping Learners

• Personnel Configurations

• Use of Space (physical and virtual)

Myths That Shape Our Operational Visions of School

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Myth#1 - The good old days are still good enough.

• Teachers are nostalgic and want to teach concepts the way they learned them.

• The real danger is being shackled by memories.

• New kinds of education create insecurity but the real insecurity comes from not growing and improving.

Myth#2 - We're better off if we all think alike - and not too much.

• Intellects are scoffed at.

• Only certain types of learners are thinkers and that should be accepted.

• "The greatest American tradition is to deliberately expose ourselves to those with whom we do not agree."

• We should be fearless about ideas and openly engage in discussions and debates.

Myth#3 - Too much creativity is dangerous - and the arts are frills.

• Arts curriculum is still seen as non-essential - leaving out many learners.

• Those that want to enter a field in the arts are judged because of the preconceived notion of the starving artists.

• We should be aggressively foster a culture that supports creativity and out-of-the-box thinkers.

• This should apply to adults as well as children within an organization, and bold ideas should not be shunned.

Poll

Which of the myths do you find most prevalent in your school?

• Myth #1 - Good Ol' Days

• Myth #2 - Stop Thinking

• Myth #3 - Creativity is Dangerous

• A Mix of Two or More