Curriculum Policy:
“Every education policy decision can be seen as being, in some sense, a political decision” (Levin, 8). Although this makes sense now, in elementary and high school I had never considered that the education I received had been so influenced by politics. Levin sees politics as unequal and often, unfair. Levin says, “politics is about power. Since not all can have what they want, the question is who does get what they want and who does not” (8). Because politics is ultimately about power, the ones with the least amount of power have the least amount of influence. Relating this to curriculum, a certain view of politics can be displayed in the classroom which would sway the future generation of voters to think a certain way about political parties. I do not believe this is right. Students should be able to form their own opinions. The curriculum should not be bias. Rather, it should give facts relating to all parties and allow the students to form their own beliefs.
The Saskatchewan Way:
Although an important part of curriculum is being able to effectively teach your students what is in the curriculum, it is much more than that. Henry Janzen was effective in his ability to convey this message. He took the failed scientific management era of curriculum and implemented his own way of teaching, “The Saskatchewan Way.” He acknowledged that education should be relevant and have teachings that coincide with where you are from. As stated in the reading, it should be dynamic and relevant, not just an unchangeable curriculum set by higher people. What is important to note is that the teachers have been able to collaborate with others to design and change the curriculum. This is important because teachers see firsthand what students struggle with and how they overcome those obstacles. Although The Saskatchewan Way was implemented by Henry Janzen in the 1940’s, it is changing and is committed to “listening to, and deliberating on, diverse perspectives.” (The Saskatchewan Way, 8).
Hi Amber!
I really like your post, and I agree with you– I had no clue how much influence politics played into the classroom. My classroom also had a “mock election” in grade six, and the teacher was not allowed to say who she voted for, because she was not allowed to influence students in any capacity. While I somewhat agree with this idea of not sharing voting records, I do think this might have been influenced by politics because the person she voted for was not in power at the current time. I agree with what you say, information about all parties should be given to students in an unbiased manner, and allow students to make educated opinions about who they want to vote for. The information that a student is given in grade six may very well impact their thought process throughout life, so it is important to give students all of the information… not just what seems beneficial for one party.
I naively had believed that education and politics only really intersected when it came to finances, however I now see how much of education is influenced by politics.
I also agree with what you say about the Saskatchewan Way article. It is interesting to me that teachers do have the ability to implement change where it is seen fit. However, I think that these processes to make changes have become far too much for the average teacher to find time in their schedule. If it was as simple as writing an email, or attending a meeting, I think we would see a lot of change occurring– however, I would assume that to see actual change occur from a teacher opinion on curriculum, it would be probably a 40+ hour commitment with meetings, research, collaborating with other teachers, etc. The reason that the Henry Janzen article explains the wonderful system of teachers giving their say and change occurring, is likely because the 1940 systems were easier for teachers, and it also explains that teachers were given paid time for time spent on education reform. I do not believe that teachers have access to funds like this anymore, and if they do, it is likely very difficult to access (and teachers would likely still have to create lesson plans for subs for all time missed, which would amount to roughly two full time jobs). It’s like teachers input is wanted… but not wanted enough to be easily listened to.
I think that this influence of politics in education is wrong, and it will shape so much of our lessons over the years, depending on who is in power.
Thanks again, Amber!!
I like how you were able to pull out some of the main points that stood out to you and analyze them and connect them to your own beliefs. This was something I struggled with this time around for these particular readings.
Hello Amber,
I enjoyed reading your response. Thinking of the curriculum from a political view was also something that I had never really considered. Since they are seen as unequal and unfair, it is hard to imagine the difficult pressure that it places on the education system. Do you think the curriculum is less or more respected when people are aware that politics are involved? That is an interesting question to ponder as it leads to many other aspects within the education system. Thanks for sharing.
Amber Smith
Week 5 post response:
You have a very clear and concise way of presenting your post. The information seems to outline the main points of each article well.
No bad note.
Good balance of quotation and your own words.
I asked my eldest daughter’s mother, who is a teacher how she felt about the hidden curriculum. She simply replied with “I don’t know how I feel about the actual curriculum let alone the hidden one”. This stems a lot from the bearucrats in government buildings who see what works on paper and believe it works in the classroom. When it comes to policy you are correct, it is always about power and one thing we have learned through history is that everyone who has power wants to keep it. This creates a Unions Vs Policy makers dichotomy, and often the union represents the Unions best interests and not the teachers. Food for though perhaps! interesting read.
Rob