The Curriculum – October 19
Education shaped our future, so it makes sense that politics has its way in the curriculum. Looking back, I never thought of politics being a part of the curriculum. It does make sense that the government has a part in the curriculum, as they have a say in everything, but think the teachers and school boards should have a bit more of a say. It mentions, “The result is that important decisions are often made very quickly with quite limited information and discussion.” That makes sense with how some of the curriculum is. Not all of the curriculum has been thoroughly thought out. Comparing some high school classes from when I was in high school to now with my sister, many classes make more sense now. The curriculum that is taught needs to be thought out; there cannot be limited information and discussion. Students rely on the information being taught to them so they can be active members of society.
I remember in my ECS 100 field placement, the teacher I worked with letting us know about the kindergarten curriculum. She mentioned that it is not always the easiest to do. She has had students that cannot complete what is expected from them because of minor or major setbacks. She needed to change a few things in her classroom to make the curriculum work for all students, which some teachers need to do to succeed. Teachers know what is best for teaching their students. Teachers need to be heard better when making the curriculum; they already have to change it.
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. Available on-line from:
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Hello Kennedie,
I like how you incorporated the importance of education because of it’s ability to shape the future. I feel like you could have elaborated on that idea and made some connections to the Ben Levin reading because it is such a big concept, for example even the idea of who gets voted into power has an impact of the education system which then in turn impacts those involved in the education system. I also feel like you made good personal connections with your experience with curriculum as a student and also so far as a pre-service teacher.
Hi Kennedie,
I really like your response to this week’s reading. I agree that “the curriculum that is taught needs to be thought out; there cannot be limited information and discussion.” However, I would had that it needs to be clear where the information being taught is coming from. While in school, I also did not know that the government was as involved with curriculum planning as it is. I believe, like you that “students rely on the information being taught to them so they can be active members of society” and for them to be truly informed, they need to understand the underlying biases within the curriculum.
In addition, I agree that teachers do have a unique understanding in regards to how curriculum is taught and that they should continue to have this freedom.