I don't know what kind of curriculum I would create. I would hope that as a classroom teacher, I would stay true to KNOWLEDGE rather than to a personal agenda. In anticipation of such an endeavor, I have to admit that I am quite hard-headed and can see myself falling prey to certain behaviors that the state board of education (or certain individuals) exhibit. However, because I do not have strong religious beliefs nor ever vote a straight party ticket, I believe I would be more open-minded about not stream-lining curriculum to a rigid point of view.
But then I take Edward's comments to my original post into consideration. Would having a more open mind make it more difficult for teachers to teach every part of this kind of curriculum. As it is, we have to be creative on how we hit, referring strictly to Texas, the TEKS. Would creating a more "open-minded" curriculum pose still a greater problem for teachers in terms of meeting the required instructional elements?
Tyler discusses filling the gaps in student development (1949, p.8). What, then, do we do in communities where, due to low socioeconomic circumstances, the gap is greater than it would be elsewhere. Does the bigger gap lead to still more delays in meeting the requirements of any state's curriculum? In addition, if we wait for the studies which determine where the gaps are, are we not missing the mark with an entire group of students? By the time the necessary information gets into the hands of a classroom teacher, the students to whom studies may be directly related are gone.
I attended a conference about a month ago where one of the breakout sessions was "student research." My impression was that the results of some study were going to be presented. Instead, the teachers presenting focused on Tier II instruction and discussed how the classroom teacher should research activities and strategies to meet student needs once those needs were determined. It implied more work for a classroom teacher, but the idea was to act now rather than wait around to see what resources became available. "The importance of seeing the implications of the data in the light of
acceptable norms cannot be overemphasized because the same items of data
permit several possible interpretations (Tyler, 1949, p.14). Herein
lies the trick. Where one teacher will put forth great effort in research and implementation another teacher may not even initiate research or not be willing to do the same. A teacher should take more control over the delivery
of curriculum in a classroom. This is the person who knows what lies
within the confines of their four walls. It seems to go somewhat against
the "team work," "work smarter, not harder" mindset, true, but a general collaboration can still exist without glossing over
certain skills and concepts because one teacher is trying to keep pace
with all the others. Besides, the odds in pacing are bound to even out
as "simple" skills and concepts come along which will not take as long
to master as others.
I believe there should be more teachers on state curriculum development boards. I can see how this has its own set of problems as teachers are not available for extended periods of time until the summer months, but there really needs to be a strong representation of people who are "in the trenches," present, and accounted for when it comes to curriculum development.
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