The curriculum is a very large topic when it comes to student’s education and the curriculum is what teachers are supposed to use when teaching students. Each course or subject has a certain goal by the end of the class on what the students should have learnt. although this is a nice way of looking at curriculum, it is often looked at and judged based on who is making the curriculum at the time and what seems important to them. The amount of outcomes in indicators throughout a course is often difficult for teachers to finish and they will most times not cover all of the information. there is a common misunderstanding between what the students should be learning and what needs to be taught.
The “Curriculum Policy And The Politics of What Should Be Learned In Schools,” article focuses on what is wrong when it comes to the curriculum. the article focuses a lot on how the curriculum is shaped and what goes on behind closed doors to get a curriculum and who decides on what is happening. The role that government plays is quite important because the Saskatchewan government gets to choose the kind of what is taught through the schools. the article says “Governments do attempt to shape as well as respond to public opinion. Sometimes they want to give the perception of action even when they are not doing much, and sometimes they want to give the perception that changes are less significant than they are so as to reduce opposition”. I found this quote interesting because it talks about the relationship that is between the Canadian government and the public. Although the public gets to give their input and opinion, it doesn’t mean that it will always listen to.
“The Saskatchewan Way: Professionally Led Curriculum Development,” article is all about protecting the Saskatchewan way of teaching. An important quote I found was “it is important that actions and advocacy be undertaken to ensure that the experience of Saskatchewan teachers (and the Saskatchewan public education system writ large) does not mirror the experience Durkacz articulated but, instead, is rooted in positive aspects of Saskatchewan’s educational policy history for laying a strong foundation for teaching and learning”. I found this quote very interesting as it is looking out for the Saskatchewan teachers and the students in Saskatchewan.
Having read both of these articles, I feel that I have a better understanding of how the curriculum works. Although I have taken other education classes, I feel like this is the first class I have attended throughout the university that I have researched what the Saskactweahn curriculum is and how it operates.
The Saskatchewan Way: Professional-Led Curriculum Development. Available on-line from: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FwQqfod6RqG_c73DP7a2kZGttSjDwghP/view
Levin, B. (2008). Curriculum policy and the politics of what should be learned in schools. In F. Connelly, M. He & J. Phillion (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of curriculum and instruction (pp. 7 – 24). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.