Field experience: Curriculum Theory

Curriculum Theory | Field Experience: Study of Language Arts Curricula through specimen inspection and discussion with teacher | Seattle Public School, 10th Grade Language Arts| Aug 22, 2008 | 4 hours field work

Background

As my first field experience related to the Curriculum Theory course, I chose to study the curricula developed by a thoughtful and caring Seattle Public School teacher for 10th grade Language Arts.

Objective: Engage in a discussion with contemporary educators to achieve the following goals –

1.    Gain an understanding of the curriculum development process
2.    See examples of curricula, unit plans and lesson plans
3.    Learn tricks and tips for effective curriculum development
4.    Understand the application and impact of standards curricula
5.    See an example of the impact of standards on curriculum

The Curricula

1. One complete unit of the pre-assessment for the Reading WASL (Washington Assesment of Student Learning) as designed by WA State Department of Education (Download FatheratWorkPostassessment.pdf)
2. Journalism course curriculum for Fall 2008 (See Download assignment_sheet_script_critique.doc)

Method

I spent time studying the curricula on my own, making note of questions specific to the curricula. I also designed a set of interview questions covering three broad categories, namely, Curriculum Development, Impact of Standards and Curriculum Theory. I sent the questions to the teacher ahead of time and then met with him to discuss them. In an engaging and stimulating conversation, I learned about the deep inner workings of creating curricula and the impact of standards.

Questions for the teacher

Curriculum Development

1.    How did you develop your Journalism class curriculum?
2.    In what ways did you refer to standards in the development of the curriculum?
3.    In what ways do standards help the development of your (Journalism) curriculum?
4.    Is your curriculum reviewed or evaluated? If yes, how?
5.    How would your curriculum be different if there were no standards? Provide an example.

Impact of Standards

1.    In what ways does the presence of standards impact the development of your curriculum?
2.    Could you give an example of the impact of standards on curriculum
3.    How widely are all the (Reading) standards tested through the WASL?
4.    In what ways do standards support your work as an educator?
5.    In what ways do standards hinder your work as an educator?
6.    Do you think standards help students get educated? If yes, how? If no, why not?
7.    Could the standards be improved? How?

Curriculum Theory

Allow me to share with you 4 dominant curriculum theories – See the spreadsheet in the report at http://anoo.blogs.com/education/2008/08/comparison-of-curriculum-ideologies.html

1.    Which of these most closely relates to the curriculum practice you conduct?
2.    How does the application of the theory differ from its actual practice?
3.    Did you start out having an inclination towards a particular Curriculum Theory? Has your     inclination changed in yours years as a teacher? Why?

Responses to Questions

Teacher's responses to the questions are included here.

Reflection

It was eye-opening learning from this teacher, his method of developing curricula, the context of his classroom in the larger school community, the public education system prevalent today and the getting an insight into the actual workings of curricula and standards in a classic public school classroom. The only piece missing from this experience was the chance to observe the curricula being used in practice. I am hoping to close this gap once the school year has started.

The following were my key take-aways from this learning experience:

Social, Political Context and Standards

    * There is significant amount and importance given to talk about standards, their relevance and how they need to be implemented in classrooms by administrators. Most educators spend little effort on adopting standards. As the educator put it eloquently, "The standards are fine, but they’re really just common sense for anyone who cares about doing a good job."
    * The level to which standards are understood, applied and evaluated against depends on the specific school. Those schools that at risk of high failure rates are more likely to have teachers who pay close attention to standards, subscribe to the usage of curricula that lead to test preparation and so 'teach to the test'.
    * Outside of at-risk schools, there is little support for understanding, applying and evaluating the application of standards in actual classroom teaching.
    * There is no method in common practice for evaluating the application of standards.
    * Teachers have little or no interaction with parents. In some ways, it is avoided because most parents are focused on their child's grades, not necessarily on their learning experiences. As the educator said, "Given the choice between an easy A and a hard C, the latter being one in which the student is really challenged and walks away with a rich learning experience, most parents would choose the easy A. They really just want to get their children to college." This might be particular to this class which is made up of some of the brightest students heading out to Ivy League colleges. It would however not be a stretch to state that this is the motivation of most parents in most schools.

Curriculum Development

    * The process of creating a curriculum is highly organic and specific to the teacher, his style, his teaching ideology, his comfort with the subject matter and his knowledge of his students.
    * It is common for curricula to be very loosely defined at the start of the school year and then get more concrete only on a day-by-day basis. Based on this educator's personal experience and those of other educators he has worked with, it seems rare for a teacher to develop a semester-long curriculum ahead of time. This educator is an exception to this commonality. His Journalism course curriculum is almost completely defined at this point, one week ahead of the start of the school year.
    * The educator has chosen to develop his curriculum ahead of time because he says that in so many ways, it is not what he does that matters, what matters is 'how he is perceived'. He needs his students to see him as a serious educator who 'knows what he is doing'. Only then are they likely to take him seriously and potentially their learning from him seriously. Alternatively, especially given his personable nature, students look to be 'entertained' by him rather than be 'taught' by him. While being entertained provides basis for an easy-going and caring relationship, it doesn't always bode well for effective learn
ing experiences in the domain of public education.
    * The teacher did not start out developing whole curricula ahead of time. In the early years, he envisioned developing curricula in collaboration with students based on their inclinations. He soon found that this was not likely to work with most students who came with the attitude of wanting to be told what they needed to do to 'get through classes' and 'get their grades'. Students were not present to engage in a process of discovery. In observing this, he changed his stance to one of passing out relevant information to students and doing this in ways that could be meaningful to his students. For example, his Journalism course ends with students learning to write a screenplay. (See Download assignment_sheet_script_critique.doc)
He believes that good feature stories come alive with action and dialog. Writing screenplays brings these dynamic elements to non-fiction writing and gets students into the practice of writing non-fiction like it was fiction.
    * He designs most of his curricula on his own. This is not uncommon. Even though there are 4 other 10th grade Language Arts teachers and even though, theoretically they are meant to collaborate in the curriculum development, this doesn't happen often. Only recently has this teacher started collaborating with his colleagues. Their collaboration is on specific lessons and resources rather than on larger concepts of curriculum design and goals.
    * The Reading WASL Curriculum was handed to the teacher by WA State OSPI (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction). The curriculum walks students through pre-assessments and rubrics for how to answer particular questions on the test. It is focused on test-taking strategies, getting students familiar with specific terminology and methods of answering. The exercises are repetitive. Few students are truly engaged by the curriculum. The actual test though inspired by the curriculum and in theory correlated to it, is not based on the curriculum which leads to a frustrating experience for students and teachers.

Curriculum Theory

    * Most curricula are based on the Scholar Academic ideology (based on experience with this educator and studying UCDS, PSCS schools) but with less emphasis on the higher end of intellectual development aimed in the Scholar Academic ideology. The foundation of the ideology is then implemented through repetitive skills practice and in this way is closely connected to the Social Efficiency ideology.
    * Students are engaged in one specific aspect of the Scholar Academic ideology. They want to know trivia and factoids that can make them look smart. They are not as engaged in understanding the facts or digging deeper into concepts. They just want to know the cool terms and just enough about them to throw them around. Or as this educator put it, "They want to know the minimum number of facts that get them into the smart people's club."
    * This educator started out inclined towards the Scholar Academic ideology but has since departed from it to be more inclined towards the Learner Centered ideology. He has changed so because he noticed that the Scholar Academic ideology did not work in terms of getting students engaged in their learning. Students seem only focused on grades and 'getting through to them'. The absence of grades and then need to drive education based on student motivation is what made him change his inclination.

Conclusion

I went into this field experience expecting to be taught the ropes of curriculum development methodology, standards applications and so on. I was nervous about learning structured methods and the possibility of implementing them in my own work in the future. I have always believed that ultimately, real learning happens in the magical moments that transpire in a classroom. It all happens between the student, the teacher and the space they are. No administration, no external tests, no external pressures can come in between if the student and the teacher are engaged in those moments. It has been heart-warming to learn that much of the curriculum development process is organic and than much of it is left to the teacher. I recognize that this is specific to particular teachers, their classrooms and the schools they are at and even more that it is not intended to be so. However, in many ways, the failure to fully implement the application of standardized curricula is a blessing because it allows the possibility for learning to occur.