Curriculum 21 - Chapter 1
A New Essential Curriculum
Welcome to the Future
The opening paragraph poses the question about how our students feel when entering our classrooms and buildings. Do they feel like they have stepped back in time? The above video was shown by a superintendent at a leadership breakfast I attended two years ago. He asked us just to sit back and take in the powerful message the video presents. Think about your own educational experiences and compare that to the children in this video.
Are we restricted by what we know and what are are able to do? Are we trapped by our own experiences of school and curriculum which restrict growth?
How did we end up with all these standards?
The Committee of Ten shared these findings in 1892 in an attempt to move away from an agriculture into one that fit the current needs of an industrial society. These standards are still shaping our classrooms today. The question the book presents is are these standards serving the students are attempting to create kids who are best suited for living in a world that no longer exists?
The author talks of creating a set of standards that all 50 states would follow in an attempt to have a clear and uniform system for educating our students. Only three years after the book was published we are still having the same types of conversations on the eve of implementing a set of national standards, are these really what is best for our students?
The author suggests that we have plenty of change that stretches back to 1835 but not enough true growth. The way we use our physical and virtual space needs to be examined as we look towards building a modern curriculum. To do this we need to dispel the myths that shape how our own teachers and parents see school.
Myth 1 - The good old days are still good enough.
There is some level of truth to that, good old fashioned values are precisely what we we want for our children. The feeling of acceptance and happiness we felt while attending school is what we hope still continues today. Can we build a school that hold true to those values while recreating a curriculum that will fit their future needs?
Myth 2 - We're better off if we all think alike - and not too much.
This appears to be based out of fear. Fear of not knowing where to begin and not knowing where to go to get some answers. It can be difficult to ask our peers the burning questions we may have about the curriculum in fear of looking silly. There is an easy solution that may not be fully utilized. Creating a Digital Personal Learning Network any teacher can learn and ask questions without fear. (See below for more DPLN resources.)
Myth 3 - Too much creativity is dangerous - and the arts are frills.
I do not believe this myth is one that is widespread as the others. I see classes we offer that honor the arts and are steeped in creativity but these seem to be only offered to middle and high school students.
DPLN - part of the solution
The creation of a Digital Personal Learning Network seems to be one way to help the teaching and administrative staff overcome some of the issues facing education today. How do you reach out and solve the issues you are currently facing inside your building? Where do good ideas come from and how to help them take root?
presentation
(Colin's notes)
Heidi Hayes Jacobs - TEDx Talk
The author talks of creating a set of standards that all 50 states would follow in an attempt to have a clear and uniform system for educating our students. Only three years after the book was published we are still having the same types of conversations on the eve of implementing a set of national standards, are these really what is best for our students?
The author suggests that we have plenty of change that stretches back to 1835 but not enough true growth. The way we use our physical and virtual space needs to be examined as we look towards building a modern curriculum. To do this we need to dispel the myths that shape how our own teachers and parents see school.
Myth 1 - The good old days are still good enough.
There is some level of truth to that, good old fashioned values are precisely what we we want for our children. The feeling of acceptance and happiness we felt while attending school is what we hope still continues today. Can we build a school that hold true to those values while recreating a curriculum that will fit their future needs?
Myth 2 - We're better off if we all think alike - and not too much.
This appears to be based out of fear. Fear of not knowing where to begin and not knowing where to go to get some answers. It can be difficult to ask our peers the burning questions we may have about the curriculum in fear of looking silly. There is an easy solution that may not be fully utilized. Creating a Digital Personal Learning Network any teacher can learn and ask questions without fear. (See below for more DPLN resources.)
Myth 3 - Too much creativity is dangerous - and the arts are frills.
I do not believe this myth is one that is widespread as the others. I see classes we offer that honor the arts and are steeped in creativity but these seem to be only offered to middle and high school students.
DPLN - part of the solution
The creation of a Digital Personal Learning Network seems to be one way to help the teaching and administrative staff overcome some of the issues facing education today. How do you reach out and solve the issues you are currently facing inside your building? Where do good ideas come from and how to help them take root?
presentation
(Colin's notes)
Heidi Hayes Jacobs - TEDx Talk
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