Week Five: Curriculum Policy and Politics
[Curriculum Policy and the Politics of What Should Be Learned in Schools] Although curriculum is a fundamental part of the framework of schooling, curriculum decisions and choices are shaped in large measure by other considerations-ideology, personal values, issues in the public domain, and interests. Curriculum decisions are often part of a much larger public debate that often extends beyond education to larger questions of public goods.
Putting the topic of politics in schools can often be a very touchy subject. People often keep political views to themselves, especially if they may be the minority in the area that they live in. When I was in high school (NOT old enough to vote), I remember them doing a ‘studied election’, which basically gave students an opportunity to vote. This would allow for statistical results of what young adults were thinking for the future of Canada. Personal views can play a role here and the influence from a teacher’s perspective can be huge. Personally, I do not believe that teachers should share their political views with their classes in the sense of being completely one sided. Rather, I think that they should clearly state factual information from every side and allow the children to independently make that decision based off the content given. For example, “Curriculum politics and policy choices are also increasingly related to larger issues of school change and improvement and to varying theories of what it is that shapes the outcomes of education” (14). I understand that it may be a challenge for some people to do this when you may completely disagree with one side of the party. It is only fair to allow students an opportunity to develop their own personal values in this aspect and a ‘right’ way to vote should not be blended into the curriculum.
[The Saskatchewan Way: Professional-Led Curriculum Development] Curriculum is complicated. At first glance, one might think that curriculum is just a set of documents to be taught to students. However, as you delve deeper and consider everything that is taught and learned in a classroom, curriculum becomes much more involved… Curriculum is ‘a complicated system of interpretation, interactions, transmissions-planned and unplanned’. Curriculum is complicated-particularly when examined within its relationship with teaching.
My perspective on curriculum as ‘set in stone’ has definitely shifted from this article. We are taught the curriculum is a set of ‘rules’ that teachers follow and must teach, but in reality, it can be more flexible and interactive. Sometimes topics get overlooked and messages get missed. Giving lenience on this topic “allowed teachers to see curriculum as something dynamic and relevant, not an immutable imposition from above” (5). It permits freedom in some areas of teaching and places a positive aspect on many factors being taught. The relationship between curriculum and the teacher needs to stay healthy, to encourage learning and growth. A more simply structured and less over-worded curriculum may lead to better changes than what is seen now. That may be a good route to take to help support the next generation coming forward. It begins with the material being taught within the classroom.
Amber Smith
Levin, B. 2007. Curriculum Policy and the Politics of What should be Learned in Schools. [Article]. https://us.corwin.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/16905_Chapter_1.pdf
The Saskatchewan Way: Professionally Led Curriculum Development. 2016. [Article]. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FwQqfod6RqG_c73DP7a2kZGttSjDwghP/view
Great responses Amber! I totally agree with you that teachers shouldn’t influence their students politic opinions, but educate them factually about all sides. A flexible curriculum is great for allowing for diverse ways to teach concepts that that help to keep students engaged and interested in the material.
Hi Amber,
I agree with your comment about teachers and staff leaving their opinions out of decision making for something like the studied election that your school did. Because young minds are so impressionable, someone who is older than them and who has more knowledge on a subject could really sway their opinion which is not right. Like you said, students should be given facts and then they can form opinions. Enjoyed reading your blog post!
Hi Amber!
I completely agree with your stance on politics in schools. They have no place for me and teachers really shouldn’t be giving out any sort of opinion or bias about it either. Unfortunately, I was unable to read the articles before class this week so i’m not too confident about disagreeing with much (especially because we seem to have similar views about both articles). I especially agree about overworded curriculums, I have seen a few and they are really hard to work with. Some of the concepts are just so out of left field that I just don’t even think its relevant and some stuff is so broad that you could pretty much do anything and have a justification.
Great post!
Carter
Amber,
I agree that educating children in a way that is informative but allows them to develop their own views is important. You gave a great example to make your point – the importance of teaching “factual information” rather than opinion. How do you think a teacher can manage this in a politically charged climate if they have a strong viewpoint themselves and the stakes to the wellbeing of others’ lives appear high?
Hi Amber!!
I really like your post, I agree with you about the election process because it was also done in my school. It’s funny because just last month I was thinking back to that unit and how I remember nothing, but I think it is because the content was not relevant for me in Grade six (as much as it is now). My school did give incredibly biased information, so much as not to include the Bloc Quebecois as one of the PM Elects (which is odd, considering they do take up a significant amount of seats every year). My teacher also did not disclose who she votes for, and I think this has to do with the politics in the classroom– likely who she votes for did not align with who was in power at the time.
I also found it interesting that curriculum is not “set in stone”, and there is power to actually change things that need changing. I remember in the Janzen article that there was a paid leave for teachers to pursue academic reform. I wonder if this fund is still available today, and also if teachers need to make lesson plans for their subs while they pursue the reform. Nonetheless, it is still interesting that there is power to change things, teachers do not need to feel hopeless teaching materials they don’t believe in forever.
Thanks for your post, Amber!