I have always viewed curriculum as the backbone of every school district. Good curriculum can make bad teachers better and good curriculum can make good teachers outstanding. Schools so often believe they should completely control the curriculum. As a parent I have always appreciated when my kid's school district would ask, by questionaire, what did I think of the k-12 math, social studies,art or even gym program(just to name a few). It was my opportuntity to give my opinion, and boy do I enjoy giving my opinion! I enjoyed telling the district that the elementary art curriculum should try introducing students to different art modalities. Year after year of weaving yarn did not make much sense to me not to mention the kids hated it! I was able to question what was the point of memorizing the entire 5th grade social studies book. What is the point of testing memorization skills instead of knowledge?
Curriculum should be a cooperative enterprise from the State, the school district, the teacher and the parent, and when old enough the student. Shouldn't some of it be fun?
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2 comments:
I agree with your statement that good curriculum can make bad teachers better and good teacher outstanding. Some curriculums are tough to follow and comprehend by students and teachers. Some curriculums leave little room for creativity. Teachers can become lost in this "bad" curriculum and become known as "bad teachers". Especially for novice teachers who are still learning the ropes.
I am glad that your child's school district values the opinions of the parents. A good curriculum begins when everyone involved is on board. I also agree that students should also be given the opportunity to give their opinion about curriculum. I think high school is a good time to begin this practice.
I'd be interested to how your opinions were used in curriculum re-design. It's a great idea to solicit opinions but it's much more powerful when the district demonstrates how the opinions were used.
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