KaraStucky

EDCI803
Summer2015

ResponsestotheReadings

#1KindsofCurricula/HiddenCurriculum
WhenIhearthewordcurriculum,Itypicallythinkofthecontentweteach,
selectedfromthestandardsandtextbooksforacourse.Whilethisexplicit,orofficial,
curriculumisessentialtoourinstruction,thisisnotallthatweteachourstudents.
Thereisalsoanimplicit,orhidden,curriculumthatistaughtthroughtheculturecreated
bytheexpectationsandrulesofaschool.Forexample,considersomeoftheskillsthat
schoolsencouragestudentstodeveloptwooftheseskillsbeingcompliantbehavior
andcompetitiveness.Inatraditionalclassroom,studentsareusuallyexpectedtositin
theirdesks,dotheirwork,andonlyspeakwhencalleduponbytheteacher.Students
learnprettyquicklythattheymustmeettheexpectationsoftheteacherandgivethe
teacherwhathe/shewants,otherwisetherewillbeconsequences.Inordertobe
successfulinschool,studentsmustnotonlybecompetentinreading,writing,and
arithmetic,butalsobeabletoconformtotheexpectationsoftheinstitution.Forsome
students,theirpersonalitieseasyadapttotheschoolsystem,forothers,thisismuch
moredifficult.Schoolsalsofostercompetitivenessamongstudentsthroughgrading
practicesandadmissiontohonorscourses.Asaresult,studentsseemakingacertain
gradeasthegoalofeducation,ratherthanlearning.Bothcompliantbehaviorand
competitivenessarepartoftheimplicitcurriculumthatschoolsteach.
InTheThreeCurriculaThatAllSchoolsteach,Eisner(2002)explainsother
portionsoftheimplicitcurriculumincludingaschoolsrewardsystem,organizational
structure,andphysicalcharacteristicswhicharepervasivefeaturesofschoolingand
thereforewhattheyteachmaybeamongthemostimportantlessonsachildlearns
(Eisner,2002,p.97).Beforereadingthis,Ihadntseriouslyconsideredwhatstudents

werelearningfromschooloutsideoftheexplicitcurriculum.Itisapparenttomenow
thateverythingwesay,do,orevenimplyspeakstoourstudents.Thiscanbeanything
fromthecoldanduncomfortablefurnituretotheschedulethatwesticktowithoutfail
dayafterday.
Asteachers,wemakedecisionsdailyonwhattoteachinourclassrooms.These
decisionsincludewhatstandardsorportionsofthetextbooktofocusonandthetypes
ofactivitieswewillhaveourstudentsengagein.Administratorsandstate
representativesalsomakedecisionsonwhatcoursesstudentsshouldtakeandhow
muchtimeshouldbededicatedtoclassessuchasmathematics,English,andthearts.
Thisbegsthequestion,howarethesedecisions,whichwillgreatlyimpactstudent
learning,made?Eisner(2002)statesthatcertainsubjectmattershavebeen
traditionallytaughtinschoolsnotbecauseofacarefulanalysisoftherangeofother
alternativesthatcouldbeofferedbutratherbecausetheyhavetraditionallybeentaught
(Eisner,2002,p.103).Whyisitthatschoolscontinuetoteachthesamecontentoutof
habit?Consideringthemanychangesthathavetakenplaceinoursociety,itseemsan
updateinthecurriculumisnecessary.Lookattechnology,forexample,andhowitis
dramaticallychangingourdailylivesandthetypesofjobsthatareavailable.Many
schoolarerealizingtheneedfortechnologyinschoolbut,howaretheyintegrating
technology?Areschoolschoosingtoaddtechnologyintothecurriculumtheycurrently
have,oraretheyexaminingtheskillsstudentswillneedinthefutureandtherefore
developinganewcurriculumtomeettheneedsoftheworkforceofthefuture?While
schoolschoosewhattoteach,theyalsomakedecisionsonwhattoleaveout,thisis
calledthenullcurriculum.
Thisreadingassignmentopenedmyeyestoabroaderperspectiveofcurriculum.
Ibegantoseehoweveryaspectofschool,includingwhatisleftout,contributestoa
student'slearningexperience.Teachersthereforeneedtobeintentionalwhen
designingthephysicalarrangements,rules,andexpectationsfortheirclassroom.
Beforefocusingonwhattheydointheclassroom,wemustexaminehowstudentsfeel
aboutschool.(Jackson,2013,p.126)WhenIthinkbacktomyschooling,Idont

rememberthespecificlessonsmyteacherstaught,butratherhowmyteachersmade
mefeelintheirclass.Ifondlyrememberthoseteacherswhocreatedasafe
environment,gavemeaningfulassignments,andchallengedme.Icanrememberthe
PythagoreanTheorem,butIcannotrememberwhichteachertaughtittome.Ithinkits
alsoimportanttonotethatJacksonmentionsexamininghowstudentsfeel
before
decidingwhatstudentswilldo.ImalreadybeginningtothinkofchangesIwantto
maketomyownclassroom,butIwonder,howcanwe,aseducators,beadvocatesto
makepositivechangestotheimplicitandnullcurriculumtaughtinourschools?

References
Eisner,E.(2002).Chap.4TheThreeCurriculathatAllSchoolsTeach.TheEducational
Imagination:Onthedesignandevaluationsofschoolprograms(pp.87107).
UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:Pearson.
Jackson,P.(2013).Thedailygrind.InFlinders,D.J.&Thornton,S.J.(Eds.),
The
curriculumstudiesreader
(4thed.,pp.117126).NewYork,NY:Routledge.

#2CurriculumHistory
Marsh&Willisgiveusanoverviewofthehistoryofcurriculum,lookingthrough
thelensofthreefocalpoints.Thefirstfocalpoint,subjectmatter,placedanemphasis
onwhattopicsshouldbetaughtandorganizingtheminalogicalway.Creatinga
subjectcenteredcurriculumstartedintheColonialEraandhascontinuedtodrive
curriculum,evenuptotoday.Thesecondfocalpoint,society,hasthegoalofhelping
studentsfitintosocietyanddesirestomakeacurriculumthatcanbeappliedinthe
world.ThiswasintroducedbytheFranklinAcademyandthenlaterencouraged
throughthecommonschoolmovement.Thethirdandfinalfocalpoint,theindividual,
desirestomeettheinterestsandneedsofeachuniquestudent.TheUnitedStates
seemedreadytoshifttowardstheindividualfocuswithamorebalancedapproach
calleduponbyJohnDeweyintheearly
20th
century,butunfortunatelythisdidntlastfor
long.EventssuchasWorldWarII,Sputnik,andothercurriculummovementscontinued
topushtheUStoasubjectfocusedcurriculum.
AsIreadMarsh&Willischapteroncurriculumhistory,Ibegantobetter
understandhowcurriculumhasevolvedovertheyearsintheUnitedStates.Ihave
generallythoughtofcurriculuminafixedsensebecauseithasntchangedmuchsinceI
wasinschoolinthe1990s.MarshandWillisstatethatcurriculumshouldbeviewed
astheendpointofaseriesofhumandecisions,andassuchitissubjecttoconstant
reviewandrevision(Marsh&Willis,2007,p.24).Throughreadingthis,Istartedto
thinkaboutthehundredsofdecisionsthataremadebeforeacurriculumisfinalized.
Justashumansarenotperfect,neitherareourdecisions,whichleadstoanimperfect
curriculum.Whatshockedmethemostisthatmuchoftheresearchthathasbeen
doneconcerningcurriculumhasbeencompletelyignoredwhilecreatingthecurriculum
ofthe21stcentury.
Ifoundmyselfgettingveryinvolvedinthestory,justlikeIwasreadingagood
book.EventhoughIknowourcurrentsituationwithcurriculum,Iwasreadingintently
waitingfortheheroofthestorytocomeandsavetheday,bringreformtoour
curriculumandtakingusbacktoDeweysbalancedviewofcurriculumwithallthree

focalpoints.AsIcontinuedthroughthe70s,80s,and90s,thisheroorheroinewas
nowheretobefound.Iwasleftfeelingfrustratedanddisappointed.Accordingto
MarshandWillis,inthehandsofanaccomplishedteacher,pedagogycouldbe
childcenteredyetstillhonorallthreefocalpointsofthecurriculum(Marsh&Willis,
2007,p.46).ThisiswhenIrealized,wearetheoneswhohavetheopportunityto
makethechangeinourschools,districts,states,andbeyond.Wehavea
responsibility,knowingthatAmericaisonthewrongtrack,touseourunderstandingof
thepasttomakepositivechangestocurriculuminthefuture.
Peoplemakingcurriculumdecisionsareoftenprisonersoftraditionandtheir
ownunexaminedbeliefsusuallybecausetheydonotknowwhatcurriculahavebeen,
theyfailtoanticipatethemanywayscurriculacanbe(Marsh&Willis,2007,p.25).I
knowIwillapproachmylessonandunitplanninginadifferentwayasaresultof
readingthischapter.Iwillseektohaveamorebalancedapproachconcerningthe
subject,society,andtheindividual.IwillnolongerthinkaboutAlgebraasthecourse
thatItookinthe90switharigidsetofcontent.Instead,Iwilltakeintoconsideration
ourcurrentsocietythatismoreadvancedintechnology,whilealsomodifyingthe
curriculumtomeettheindividualneedsofmystudents.Ihavemorefreedomtomake
thesekindsofchangesinmycurriculumbecauseIteachinaprivateschool,butIm
wonderingforeachofyou,whatchangesyoudesiretomakeasaresultofreading
aboutthehistoryofcurriculum?Whatdoyoufeelisthemostimportantchangethat
needstobemadeto21stcenturycurriculum?

Reference
Marsh,C.&Willis,G.(2007).4thEd.Chap.2.Curriculumhistory.
Curriculum:
alternativeapproaches,ongoingissues
(pp.2367).UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:
Pearson.

#3ApplicationofEducationalPhilosophiestoCurriculum
Justasinthepreviousreadings,IwasintroducedtonewideasthroughApples
chapter,ControllingtheWorkofTeachers.Heexamineseducation,lookingat
changesinhowworkisorganizedovertimeand,justassignificantly,whoisdoingthe
work(Apple,1986,p.178).Concerningthewho,Applesharesthatthe
overwhelmingmajorityofschoolteachersarewomen[and]manymoremenare
headsorprincipals(Apple,1986,p.168).ThisisntsomethingthatIhavenoticedin
theschoolsthatIhaveworkedinoverthelasttenyears.Itseemstomakesensethat
overthepast30years,therehasbecomeamoreequaldistributionofmenandwomen
inleadershiprolesinschools.Iwonderthough,hastherebeenmuchchangeinthe
numberoffemaleteachersascomparedtothenumberofmaleteachers?Imina
uniquesituationnextyearbecause4ofthe7middleschoolteachersthatIworkwith
willbemale,whileonly3,includingmyself,willbefemale.WhenIstartedatthisschool
fiveyearsago,weonlyhadonemaleteacher.Ibelievethatitisimportantforchildren
tohavebothmaleandfemaleteachers,gettingamorebalancededucationand
allowingforavarietyofrolemodels.
Thenlookingathowworkisorganized,Appleexplainstheprocessof
intensificationandfalsefeelingsofincreasedprofessionalism.IfoundthatIcouldrelate
tothissectionandthedescriptionsofteachersspendingmostoftheirtimeon
administrativetasks,leavingverylittletimeforanythingelse.Duringmyfirstfouryears
ofteachinginapublicschoolinHouston,Ispentmostofmyplanningtimesequencing
thepremadelessonsandgradingpapersforaround120students.But,inmycurrent
position,aprivateinternationalschool,Ihaveseenashiftinmyroleasaneducator.
MyprincipalhasplacedusinProfessionalLearningCommunities(PLC)andwemeet
twiceamonthwiththesolefocusbeingprofessionalgrowth.Oneofourreadingsfor
ourPLCisKenOConnorsbook
ARepairKitforGrading:FifteenFixesforBroken
Grades
.Ourteachingteamhasstartedtomakechanges,takingfewergrades,allowing
forretakes,andusingformativeassessmenttoguideourinstruction.Throughthis,I
feelempoweredasaprofessionaltomakedecisionsconcerningthecurriculumtomeet

theindividualneedsofmystudents,ratherthanworkingthroughaprescribedsetof
lessonsinalinearmanner.
Innextreading,ThePaideiaProposal,Adlersuggestsacourseofstudythat
willgivethesamequalityofeducationtoallstudents.Onthesurfacethisideaseemsto
havemerit,butuponfurtherinspection,itisapparentthataonetracksystemwillinno
waybeabletomeettheneedsofAmericasdiversepopulation.AccordingtoNoddings,
givingallofourchildrenthesameeducation,especiallywhenthatsamenessis
definedinamodelofintellectualexcellence,cannotequalizethequalityofeducation
(Noddings,1983,p.190).SchoolsintheUnitedStatesaretypicallysetuptoproduce
academicstudentswhowillgoontostudyinuniversity.Theyusuallyvaluestudents
whoaregoodatlisteningandmemorizingfacts,insteadofotherskillssuchas
creativity.Instead,curriculumshouldbemorebalancedbetweenthesubjectmatter,
relevancetosociety,anddifferentiationtomeettheneedsofindividualstudents.
Theanswerisnottospendmoreandmoretimeonbasicsbuttorevitalizethe
basicsinabroadschemeofgeneraleducationthatislaidoutboldlyalongtheentire
continuumofhumanexperience(Noddings,1983,pp.191192).HereNoddingsis
stressingtheimportanceofrelatingthecurriculumtosociety,keepingitgroundedinthe
actualworld.Forexample,shementionsthatschoolsarerequiredtoteacheveryone
algebra(Noddings,1983,p.191).Whilealgebradoesteachproblemsolvingskillsand
isessentialforstudentswhowillgoontostudyfieldsinvolvingmathematics,isit
necessaryforallstudentstocompleteAlgebraIIbeforegraduatinghighschool?And,
whydoschoolsfailtoteachstudentspracticalskillssuchasborrowingandsaving
money?Havingtaughthighschoolmathinapublicschool,Isawmanystudentswho
hadbeenpassedoninmathallthewaythrough8thgrade,butlackedtheprior
knowledgeandskillsnecessarytobesuccessfulinAlgebraI.Someofthesestudents
workedhardandgotthesupporttheyneedtobesuccessfulinAlgebraI,butmany
othersendupdroppingoutofhighschoolbecausetheydontfinditapplicabletotheir
livesandtheyarentwillingtoplaythegameofschool.

Toprovideequalityofqualityineducationforallourchildrenrequiresthatwe
startwithequalrespectfortheirtalentsandaspirationsandthatwehelpthemtochoose
wiselywithinthedomainoftheirinterests(Noddings,1983,p.194).Inthisquote,
Noddingsisemphasizingthatcurriculumneedstobecreatedwiththeindividualstudent
inmind.Noteverychildisthesame,thereforecurriculumshouldnotbeuniform,but
moreflexibletoappealtoeachuniquestudent.Byremainingacademicallyfocused,
schoolsarecateringtoaspecifictypeofstudent.Academicsareimportant,butthere
aremanyotherskillsthatwillhelpourstudentsbecomesuccessfulmembersofsociety.
Whataresomeoftheseskillsthatyoufeelcurriculumandschoolstodayshouldfoster
inchildren?

References
Adler,M.(1982).Thepaideiaproposal.InFlinders,D.J.&Thornton,S.J.(Eds.),
The
curriculumstudiesreader
(4thed.,pp.183186).NewYork,NY:Routledge.
Apple,M.(1986).Controllingtheworkofteachers.InFlinders,D.J.&Thornton,S.J.
(Eds.),
Thecurriculumstudiesreader
(4thed.,pp.167181).NewYork,NY:
Routledge.
Noddings,N.(1983).Thefalsepromiseofthepaideia:acriticalreviewofthepaideia
proposal.InFlinders,D.J.&Thornton,S.J.(Eds.),
Thecurriculumstudies
reader
(4thed.,pp.187194).NewYork,NY:Routledge.

#4DeweysChildCentered,ProgressiveApproach
Deweybeginshisbook
ExperienceandEducation
withacomparisonof
traditionalandprogressiveeducation.IexpectedthatDeweywouldbeinfavorof
progressiveeducation,butinsteadfoundthathecalledforamoredetailedlookatthe
reasonsbehindeachformofeducation.Whiletraditionaleducationisrootedinhabits
createdinthepast,progressiveeducationgoestotheotherextreme,seekingtobethe
oppositeofeverythingtraditional.DeweyexplainsthisEitherOrphilosophy,where
theprinciplesofprogressiveeducationhavebeendevelopednegativelyratherthan
positivelyandconstructively(Dewey,1938,p.20).Forexample,traditionaleducation
requiresmuchstructureanddisciplinecreatedbytheteacher.So,progressive
educationwouldseektogivecompletefreedomtothestudentwithoutrestrictions
placedbytheteacher.Deweychallengeseducatorstocriticallythinkthroughthe
decisionstheymakeconcerningtheirschoolsandclassrooms,framingandadopting
anintelligenttheoryor,ifyouplease,philosophyofexperience.Otherwisetheyareat
themercyofeveryintellectualbreezethathappenstoblow(Dewey,1938,p.51).It
wouldbeeasyforeducatorstostickwithwhattheyhavealreadyknownortomindlessly
goalongwithanychangesthataremade.Insteadofbecomingcomplacentoreasily
persuaded,teachersneedtobecomeinformedconcerningcurriculum.Thiswillallow
themtomakethebestdecisionsfortheirspecificstudents.
Next,Deweygoesontoexplaintheroleofexperienceineducation.Thebelief
thatallgenuineeducationcomesaboutthroughexperiencedoesnotmeanthatall
experiencesaregenuinelyorequallyeducativeforsomeexperiencesare
miseducative.(Dewey,1938,p.25).Ibelievethisspeakstothehiddencurriculum
thatschoolsteachthroughtheirrulesandexpectations.Traditionaleducation,for
example,providesmoraltrainingbyrequiringconformitytorulesandstandards.This
typeofclassroommightmodelmoreofadictatorshipthanademocracy.Instead,
Deweychallengesteacherstocreateacommunitythatfostersgrowthinthestudents.
AsIreadaboutthis,Ithoughtofteacherstakingontheroleofafacilitatorinthe
classroom.Iveheardquiteabitlatelyaboutteacherbecomingfacilitators,but

apparentlythisisnotanewidea!Intraditionaleducation,theteacherwouldbetheone
whohastheknowledgeandthestudentsgototheteachertogetinformation.When
theteacherbecomesafacilitator,theirjobistocreateexperiencesandguidestudents
throughthelearningprocess.Thestudenttakesownershipoftheirownlearningand
theteacherisonthesidehelpingthemreachthelearninggoals.Deweyagain
challengeseducatorstocriticallythinkaboutthetypesofexperiencestheycreatefor
theirstudents.Whathiddenmessagesarewegivingourstudentsthroughhowwe
speakandtheexpectationswecreate?
ThenDeweygoesontorelateeducationalexperienceswithsocietyasafocal
pointinthecurriculum.Hesharesthateducationissodisconnectedfromtherestof
experiencethatitisnotavailableundertheactualconditionsoflife(Dewey,1938,p.
48).Ithinkinmanywayseducationisstillverysubjectcenteredandnotapplicableto
everydaylife,butIdoseethischangingthroughtheuseoftechnologyinschools.With
theaccessthatstudentshavetotechnology,teachershavetoconsiderifwhattheyare
teachingistrulynecessary.Forexample,Ihaveseenlessemphasisplacedon
memorizingfactsandmorefocusplacedonhigherorderthinkingskillssuchas
applicationandcreation.Studentswhoareabletotakeinformation,synthesisit,and
createsomethingnewwillbebetterpreparedforourcurrentsociety.Deweyalso
suggestscollaterallearning,wherestudentsformenduringattitudes,oflikesand
dislikes,maybeandoftenismuchmoreimportantthanthespellinglessonorlessonin
geographyorhistorythatislearned(Dewey,1938,p.48).Lately,Ihavealsoseen
muchwrittenongrit,whereteachersarebeingintentionaltotrainstudentshowto
perseverethroughdifficultsituations.Studentswillexperienceobstaclesatsomepoint
intheirlives,anditwillbetheoneswhopressonanddontgiveupthatwilleventually
havesuccess.Thisisamoreimportantskillthanknowingfactsthatcanbelookedup
onGoogle.
Finally,Deweydiscussesfreedomandsocialcontrol.Whileitmightbetempting
torejecttraditionaleducationscontrollingandcomplaintnature,Deweywarnsusthat
thisextremewillnotbebestforstudents.Heusestheillustrationoftherulesofagame

toshowusthatsomecontrolisnecessaryineducation.Agamewithoutrulesisnota
gameatall.Childrendonotfeelimposeduponwhenplayingagamebutunderstand
thatsomestructureisnecessarytodetermineguidelinesandagoalforthegame.
Studentswillseekanadultwhentheyfeelthatsomethingisunfair.Theaimofthe
teachershouldbetocreateacommunitythatissafeforstudentstolearnandalso
guidesthemtowardslearning.Theteacherdoesntreignoverthestudents,forcing
themtoact,butinsteadcreatesanenvironmentthatisconducivetolearningandwhen
necessaryisarefereetokeepthegameinorder.Whenwehavespokenaboutthe
gameofeducationearlier,itwasinthenegativesensethatstudentshavetojump
throughhoopstomeettheexpectationsoftheteacher.Throughthissection,Icansee
howthecurriculumintermofagamebecomesmoreengaging,allowingthestudents
toparticipateinasocialcommunityandworktowardsacommongoal.
Thesechaptersreiteratedtometheneedforbalanceinourcurriculum.Justas
thereshouldbeabalancebetweenthethreefocalpointsofcurriculum,wealsoneedto
findbalancebetweenstructureandfreedom.Teachersneedtoplanandsetgoals,
whilealsoprovidingstudentsvoiceandchoiceintheirlearning.Iwasalsosurprisedas
IreadthesechaptersbecauseIfeltitcouldhavebeenwrittentodayaboutourcurrent
stateineducation.Myquestionforeachofyouiswheredoyoufindyourschoolalong
thecontinuumoftraditionaltoprogressiveeducation?Also,inwhichdirectionwould
youliketoseeyourschoolchange?

Reference
Dewey,J.(1938).
Experienceandeducation
.NewYork,NY:KappaDeltaPi.

#5DeweysChildCentered,ProgressiveApproach(continued)
Throughthesereadings,Imbeginningtoseewhyachildcenteredcurriculumis
necessaryandhowitcanpracticallybeimplementedinschools.Deweycontrastsa
childcenteredcurriculumwiththatofatraditionalschool.Hedescribeschildcentered
schoolsasanactivecommunityofchildrenwhoparticipateinpracticalexperiencesand
explorationstofacilitategrowth.Deweymentionsthatstudentsaredoingavarietyof
things,andthereistheconfusion,thebustle,thatresultsfromactivity(Dewey,1915,p.
12).Inmyclassroom,Iliketocallthisproductivechaos.Therearetimesthat
someonecouldwalkintomyclassroomandthinkthestudentsareoutofcontrolandoff
task.But,ifyoustopandlistentothestudentsdiscussions,youwillseethattheyare
engagedinthelearningprocess.Iwantmystudentstofeelfreetoexpressthemselves
andgetexcitedaboutlearning.Ontheotherhand,Deweydescribestraditionalschools
asformal,lackingconnections,dominatedbylistening,andpresentinginformationfor
thepurposeofmemory.
Dewey(1915)goesontosaythatthechildisalreadyintenselyactive,andthe
questionofeducationisthequestionoftakingholdofhisactivities,ofgivingthem
direction.Throughdirection,throughorganizeduse,theytendtowardvaluableresults,
insteadofscatteringorbeinglefttomerelyimpulsiveexpression(Dewey,1915,p.25).
Thishighlightsthatinchildcenteredcurriculumtheteachertakesonadifferentrolein
theclassroom.Insteadofbeingthesourceofknowledgeandpouringinformationinto
students,theteachersjobbecomestheorchestratorofexperiences.Healsoexplains
thattheteacherwilllayholdupontherudimentaryinstinctsofhumannature,and,by
supplyingapropermedium,sotocontroltheirexpressionasnotonlytofacilitateand
enrichthegrowthoftheindividualchild(Dewey,1915,pp.3738).Theteacherisno
longergoingthroughapredeterminedsetofmaterial,butratherseekingtostimulate
theinterestofeachchildanddirectittowardsomethingvaluable.Igetexcitedthinking
aboutthistypeofcurriculumthatengagesstudentsinterestsinpracticalactivities.At
thesametime,Ialsofeeloverwhelmed,thinkinghowcanitbepossibletocreatea
curriculumthatissoindividualized?Deweyprovidesanexampleusingwoolandcotton

fiberonpages1416thatIfoundveryhelpful.Thisexampleshowedhowthestudents
hadafirsthandexperiencethatallowedthemtoinvestigateandlearnhistory,science,
andpracticalskillslikesewingandweaving.ItseemedverysimilartoProjectBased
Learning(PBL)andmademewonderifPBLwasbasedonDeweysideas?
Deweyalsousesamapasanexampleofhowauthenticlearningtakesplace.
Heexplainsthatamapisafinishedproductthatomitsthemoreorlessaccidentaland
deviouspathstracedbytheexplorer(Dewey,1902,p.115).Tomakeamap,the
explorermustinvestigatenewareaswithoutknowingwhathewillfind.Then,asa
resulthebeginstounderstandtheterrainandeventually,aftermuchexploration,hecan
createamap.Oftentimes,traditionaleducationneglectstheprocessandconsiders
[only]theoutcome(Dewey,1902,p.115).ThisisaninterestingideathatIhavent
considereduntilreadingDeweyswritings.ThemathcurriculumthatIteachissoneatly
packagedintologicalportions.Lookingatthetextbook,studentsonlyseethefinal
result.Forexample,hereisthePythagoreanTheorem,useittofindthemissingsideof
arighttriangle.Studentsaregiventhemethodforsolvingwithoutrealizingtherewasa
needorexperiencinganauthenticinvestigation.DanMeyerisamatheducatorthatI
greatlyadmire.Herecentlywroteablogposttitled
IfMathIsTheAspirin,ThenHow
DoYouCreateTheHeadache?
thatspeakstothisidea.
IalsofoundwhatDeweyhadtosayabouttheintellectualrevolutioncreatedasa
resultoftheindustrialrevolutionveryinteresting.AccordingtoDewey(1915),
knowledgeisnolongeranimmobilesolidithasbeenliquefied(Dewey,1915,p.18).
Heisillustratinghowefficientlyinformationandideasareabletobesharedthrough
printsuchasbooks,magazines,andpapers,andalsothroughrapidcommunication
suchasthetelegraph.Itisradicalconditionswhichhavechanged,andonlyanequally
radicalchangeineducationsuffices(Dewey,1915,p.9).ThereasonIfoundthisso
interestingisbecauseoftherapidchangesweareexperiencingcurrentlydueto
technologysuchastheinternetandmobiledevices.Manyeducatorsarenowcalling
formajorchangestobemadeineducationduetotechnologyseffectonsociety.I

wonder,willeducators,administrators,andlawmakersfinallyhearDeweyscry100
yearslater?

References
Dewey,J.(1902).
Thechildandthecurriculum
.Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress.
Dewey,J.(1915).
Theschoolandsociety,
(Rev.ed.).Chicago,Ill.:TheUniversityof
ChicagoPress.

#6BasicPrinciplesofCurriculumDevelopment
ReadingTylers
BasicPrinciplesofCurriculumandInstruction
wasaperfectnext
stepforthiscourse.AfterstudyingDeweyswritingsonchildcenteredcurriculum,we
nowmoveintopracticalprinciplesfordevelopingsuchacurriculum.Tylerbeginsby
pointingoutthatschoolsneedtohaveapurposeorgoalthattheyareworkingtowards.
Thispurposewillallowteacherstodevelopandselectobjectives,whichaccordingto
Tylerarethemostcriticalcriteriaforguidingalltheotheractivitiesofthe
curriculummaker(Tyler,1949,p.62).IfoundmyselfagreeingwithDeweyswritings,
butwonderingWhatsnext?.Tyleranswersthisquestioninthefirstchapter,showing
thereadervariousmethodsofsourcesforobjectivesandalsotheuseofphilosophyand
philosophyinselectingobjectives.Nosinglesourceofinformationisadequateto
provideabasisforwiseandcomprehensivedecisionsabouttheobjectivesofthe
school(Tyler,1949,p.5).Iwasremindedagainoftheneedforbalancewhencreating
acurriculum.Someexamplesofsourcesincludethelearnersthemselves,the
contemporarylifeoutsideofschool,andsubjectspecialist.Hereweagainseethethree
focalpointsofcurriculumtheindividual,society,andsubject.Whatstoodouttomethe
mostinthischapterwastheideaofcollectingdatafromthecommunityandusingthe
datatoguidedecisionsonwhatobjectivesshouldbeselected.Frommyexperience,
thecurriculumhasbeenaprescribedsetoflessonsandobjectscreatedbysomeone
quitefarfrommyimmediateschoolcommunity.WhileIhavemadeadjustmentstothe
curriculumtomeettheneedsofmystudents,Ihaveneverconsideredhowimportantit
istoknowthecommunityinordertoteachthestudentsfromthatcommunity.
TylerexpoundsonDeweysexplanationofaneducationalexperience.Itis
essentialtoseethateducationprovidesopportunitiesforthestudenttoenteractively
into,andtodealwholeheartedlywith,thethingswhichinteresthim,andinwhichheis
deeplyinvolved,andtolearnparticularlyhowtocarryonsuchactivitieseffectively
(Tyler,1949,p.11).Thissentencehighlightsthatthestudentisbeingactivewhile
learning,butevenmoreso,heisdeeplyandwholeheartedlyinvolved.Thiskindof
learningismuchmorethanmemorizationforshorttermrecall.Also,Ithinkitis

importanttonotoverlooktheimportanceofincorporatingstudentinterest.Interestcan
drawstudentsintoalearningexperience,buttheseactivitiesshouldalsodevelopa
deeperinterestinstudentstolearnmoreaboutasubject.Then,Tylermakesthe
distinctionof
who
isdoingtheactivity.Learningtakesplacethroughtheactive
behaviorofthestudentitiswhathedoesthathelearns,notwhattheteacherdoes
(Tyler,1949,p.63).WhenIplanlessons,ItendtothinkmoreaboutwhatIamdoing,
ratherthanwhatthestudentisdoing.Tylerpointsoutthatifthestudentsarentdoing,
theyarentlearning.
Inthethirdchapter,Tylerexplainsthatlearningexperiencesneedtobe
organizedeffectivelyintermsofcontinuity,sequence,andintegration.Whenobjectives
arearrangedtoreinforceeachotheracrossandbetweengradelevels,therewillbea
greaterdepthandbreadthindevelopment(Tyler,1949,p.84).Throughreadingthese
chapters,Iamremindedoftheneedforteacherstobeintentionaltoprepareauthentic
experiencesforstudentsthatwillguidethemtoaspecificobjective.Forteachers,this
canbedifficultbecausewerarelyseedrasticchangesinourstudents.Insome
respectseducationalexperiencesproducetheireffectsinthewaywaterdrippingupona
stonewearsitaway(Tyler,1949,p.83).Theerosionofthestonetakesyears,justas
doesgrowthinachild.Thisshowshowimportantitisforschoolstoverticallyaligntheir
curriculumsothatthesechangesareaimedinthesamedirection.Overall,Ifound
thesechapterstobehelpfulinthattheyprovidedmuchpracticalinformationfor
developingacurriculum.Myquestionis,whatroleshouldtheclassroomteacherplayin
thisprocess?Inotherwords,howmuchcontroldoyoufeelteachersshouldtheyhave
inwritingandselectingtheobjectivesfortheircourse?

Reference
Tyler,R.(1949).
Basicprinciplesofcurriculumandinstruction
.Chicago:Universityof
ChicagoPress.

#7ContemporaryCurricularIssues
ThefirstchapterthatIchoosetoreadisOutsidetheCore:Accountabilityin
TestedandUntestedSubjectsbyLeslieSiskin.Siskinwritesaboutstandardsand
testingfocusingonmusiceducationinhighschools.Ifoundthischaptertobevery
interesting,especiallysinceIjustvisitedafewfriendsinHoustonwhoteachband.
Siskinbeginsbycomparingtheinitialpositionsofmath,English,andbandinschools.
Mathholdsahighstatuspositionbecauseitisverystableandteachersacrossthe
nationconsistentlyagreeonthesequencingoftopicsbetweengrades.English,onthe
otherhand,doesnothavethesametightnessinitsparadigm,stabilityinitscurriculum,
orsolidifiedsequence(Siskin,2003,p.271).Finally,lookingatmusic,ithasapretty
highstatusinthatteachersagreeaboutorderandsequencingoftopics,butmusicis
largelymarginalizedinschools.Thereismuchtolearnfrommusicteachersbecause
theyhavebeennotonlystandardsbased,butperformancebasedaswell(Siskin,
2003,p.272).Studentsinmusicpracticewithaperformanceinmind.Theyarenot
assessedonthepractice,butrathertheirperformance.Siskinexplainshowaband
directorwillbeevaluatedbythecommunitybasedonthehalftimeperformanceatthe
footballgame.Shealsopointsoutthatstudentsareworkingtogethertocollectively
presentsomethingofvaluetoothers.ThisremindedmeofDeweysideathatschools
shouldbeminiaturesocietieswherestudentsarecontributingtosomethingmorethan
themselves.Thisalsoremindedmeofsportsteamsthatpracticemanyhours,butare
assessedbasedontheirperformanceinthegame,notpractice.Practiceisjustthat
anditshouldntcounttowardsastudentsfinalgrade.
Movingoutfromthesubjects,Siskinthendiscusseshowteachersaresplitinto
departmentsandhavelittleinteractionwithteacherswhodonotteachtheirsubject.
Manytimesmusicteachersareplacedindepartmentswithotherartsteachersoreven
foreignlanguageteachers.Onequotethatstoodouttomeinthissectionstatedthat
musicteachersareactiveparticipantsintheirfield,notjustassubjectteachersbutas
practitionersandperformersofmusic:musicteachersaremusiciansinawaythat
physicsteachersarenotphysicists(Siskin,2003,p.275).Iwasremindedofmy

friendswhoteachbandandhowtheyarebothactivelyinvolvedinorchestrasintheir
community.Asamathteacher,Ihavebasicallynointeractionwithanymathematicians.
WehavebeendiscussingtheneedforsignificantexperiencesforlearningandIcansee
howitwouldbevaluableforstudentstobeconnectedtomathematicianswhoare
actuallyworkinginthefield.Withthemoreaccesstotechnologyinclassrooms,
studentshaveopportunitiestoconnectwithexpertsthroughvideoconferencing.
Havingstudentsconnectwithexpertsandpresenttheirlearningtoarelevantaudience
arecoreaspectsofProjectBasedLearning(PBL).Forteachers,thesecanbedifficult
toorganize,butIfeelitisworthwhiletocreateanauthenticandengagingexperiencefor
students.
IwasflippingthroughTheCurriculumStudiesReader,tryingtodecidewhich
chapterwouldbemysecondonetoreadforthisassignment.Ihappenedonthe
followingquotefromArchilocus,asstatedbyHlebowitshinchapter20titledCentripetal
ThinkinginCurriculumStudies.Thefoxknowsmanythings,butthehedgehogknows
onebigthing(Hlebowitsh,2010,p.223).AssoonasIreadthis,Iwasimmediately
intriguedandbeganreading.Ihavetoadmit,Iwassomewhatconfusedbythischapter.
Overall,IthinkthatHlebowitshwastryingtoshowhowcurriculumstudieshaveevolved
throughouthistoryandwhereweshouldbeheadedas
curricularist
.Ifcurriculum
studiescanbetaught,wefirstneedtoidentifywhatitis(Hlebowitsh,2010,p.229).
HlebowitshcomparesthechallengeofidentifyingcurriculumstudieswithPlatos
discussiononhumanvirtuein
Meno
.Isvirtuemanythingsoronebigthing?
(Hlebowitsh,2010,p.228).Thisalludestotheideaofthefoxandthehedgehog.While
thethefoxismoreconcernedwithdetailssuchasdesigningobjectives,constructing
instructionalplans,andformulatingevaluativemechanisms,thehedgehogis
concernedwithacohesivevision(Hlebowitsh,2010,p.223).Hlebowitshgoesonto
explainthattobeahedgehog,onealsohastobeafox.Ourproblemisthatwehave
fortoolongbeennothingbutfoxes(Hlebowitsh,2010,p.232).
ThischapterresonatedwithwhatIhavebeenlearninginthiscourse.Rather
thanfocusingsolelyonthespecificsofhowtodevelopacurriculum,wehavebeen

lookingatthebigpicture.Wehavediscoveredtheimplicit,explicit,andnullcurriculum
thatschoolsteach.Wehaveexploredhowcurriculumshouldbefocusedbetweenthe
subject,thesociety,andtheindividual.WehavealsolookedbroadlyatDeweys
conceptionofachildcenteredapproachtocurriculum.Itwasntuntilourlastreadingby
Tylerthatwelookedatspecificssuchasobjectives.Thisreiteratestomethatas
educators,weneedtobegroundedinstrongfoundationofeducationaltheory.
Otherwise,wecanbesweptawaybythenewesttrendsineducation.Ifeelthatthrough
thisclass,Iamsolidifyingmyphilosophyofeducationandcanbetterarticulatemy
beliefs.
Questions:
Howcanmath,English,science,andsocialstudiesteachersimplementamore
performancebasedcurriculum,similartomusic,thatfocusesonpracticewithina
communitytowardsac
ommongoal?
Thinkingaboutmusicteachersbeingmusicians,howcanwemakeoursubjects
morerelevanttolifewithoutbecomingtoospecializedandtechnical?
Doyouconsideryourselfmoreofafoxorahedgehogwhenitcomesto
curriculumstudies?Hasyourstancechangedthroughoutthiscourse?Ifso,
how?

References
Hlebowitsh,P.(2010).Centripetalthinkingincurriculumstudies.InFlinders,D.J.&
Thornton,S.J.(Eds.),
Thecurriculumstudiesreader
(4thed.,pp.223234).New
York,NY:Routledge.
Siskin,L.(2003).Outsidethecore:Accountabilityintestedanduntestedsubjects.In
Flinders,D.J.&Thornton,S.J.(Eds.),
Thecurriculumstudiesreader
(4thed.,
pp.269277).NewYork,NY:Routledge.