From what I have witnessed in my own schooling experience I believe one of the biggest flaws in looking at curriculum as a product is its inevitable exclusion of different students. As stated in the article, this model is keen on measurability. Therefore students that have learning disabilities are seen as outcasts in the statistics. In reality these students are not unintelligent, they simply need different modes of delivery, and a teacher that truly cares about their development.
A quote that really stuck out to me was “In order to measure, things have to be broken down into smaller and smaller units….resulting in a long list of trivial skills or competencies. This can lead to a focused approach on small parts rather than the whole; on the trivial, rather than the significant.” (pg 5) It leads to an assessment that resembles a shopping list. “When all the items are ticked, the person has passed the course and learnt something.” (pg 5) I definitely witnessed this first hand in high school, from my peers and myself too. Sure, our punctuation in scholarly essays was polished, but we never really learnt the art of public speaking in a professional environment. We were taught Shakespeare but not taxes.
Being that this is a system based on judgement, it is crucial to have readily prepared teachers that are equipped to assess not only the academic but also the behavioral development of a student. Educators should be given a curriculum that is concerned with creating a well-rounded student. Like mentioned earlier, we cannot just check the boxes, we need to look at the big picture and ask ourselves if we are doing a good enough job at setting our students up for success in the real world.
I really like the aspect of assessing behavioural development of a student because really that can determine why a student might not be hitting those expected academic marks. Instead of seeing that student as “not as smart” as others it puts the focus on what they’re actually gaining from their education. If it were up to you, how would a curriculum create a “well-rounded” student?
Hi Nicole, I completely agree with your point on how Tyler’s rationale could be problematic and a disservice to students that have learning disabilities or are neruodivergent. My question is, which model of curriculum do you view as more effective, curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted, curriculum as process or curriculum as praxis?
Hello Nicole! I definitely agree with you about the exclusion of different students seen at a curriculum as a product. Many different children have different backgrounds and these children will all have different learning styles. The curriculum should be able to accommodate these children instead of excluding them.
Hi Nicole,
I loved your outlook on students with disabilities. I think you demonstrated an alternative side to this theory. In my schooling experience I struggle with Attention Deficit disorders and Hyper-Active Disorders (ADD/ADHD). Many of my teachers where uneducated with how these disabilities affected my learning process. I needed extra support from classmates and teachers in order to see my success. I think it should be mandatory for all teachers to expand their knowledge on different ways to educate younger generations in case they come a cross students with any sort of disabilities. My question for you is, what do you think teachers could do better to help students who have disabilities?