Cycle Two: What Should The Content Of Curriculum Be?

         As I read through the three articles for Cycle Two I came to the realization (as I feel many of us will as we read the articles) that the content of curriculum needs to be a balance of traditional key concepts and an opportunity for flexibility and openness.  John Dewey suggests that curriculum and education should be child centered and based on experiences.  John Dewey states, “The case is of Child.  It is his present powers which are to assert themselves; his present capacities which are to be exercised; his present attitudes which are to be realized.”  As educators we can teach our students facts and concepts, but we must also provide opportunities for our students to ingest the knowledge and experience it in a personally meaningful manner.  This is one way to look at the content of curriculum.

             

           Hirsch has presented us with a different approach. Hirsch suggests that we teach our students traditional concepts (a big picture), but to also allow for flexibility in teaching the traditional, or big picture, concepts further.  He describes this in terms of an extensive curriculum and an intensive curriculum.  Where an extensive curriculum explores the big picture concept (“traditional, literate knowledge, the information, attitudes, and assumptions that literate Americans share- cultural literacy).  And intensive curriculum delves deeper (“Intensive study encourages a fully developed understanding of subject, making one’s knowledge of it integrated and coherent.  It coincides with Dewey’s recommendation that children should be deeply engaged with a small number of typical concrete instances.  It is also that part of the total curriculum in which great flexibility in contents and methods can prevail.” (Hirsch)

           
           A common bond in both of these schools of thought and the news article we read regarding video games and the classroom is the idea of making the curriculum relevant and interesting to students.  I can remember so many times in my own K-12 education, and even college to be honest, where myself or a fellow classmate said out loud “When am I ever going to need this?!”  Having that attitude makes the absorption of potentially pertinent information that less feasible.  I say potentially pertinent because there are some cases where certain components of curriculum really could be omitted.

             

             The elementary art curriculum where I teach is basically a Hirsch dream come true.  Each and every elementary art educator in my district follows what we call “The Ten Essentials”.  Let me explain what these “Ten Essentials” are.  As an elementary art educator group (about 10 teachers) we met in the beginning of the school year to look over the new state standards for elementary education.  As we looked over the new list of standards and benchmarks, we consolidated the list into the ten essentials- the ten most important concepts from the new standards- for each grade.  Here is an example of the ten essentials for second grade:

2nd Grade
1. Students will use a variety of art media and tools to create line.
2. Students will identify and use warm, cool and neutral colors in a composition.
3. Students will create a gray value scale to express five different values. Students will identify by name and use value as being an element of art.
4. Students will arrange geometric and organic shapes and forms to create a piece of art.
5. Students will identify and name different types of textures.
6. Students will work with space to show the illusion of depth.
7. Students will examine and reflect upon the artwork of self and others as a record of human kind.
8. Students will use sculptural materials appropriately, and clean up in a safe manner.
9. Students will identify and use emphasis as being a principle of art.
10. Students will compare symbols, trademarks, icons, emblems, and other visual motifs in various cultures.

As you can see, the ten essentials are similar to Hirsch’s idea of the extensive curriculum.  It is then up to each elementary art educator to develop and put in action the intensive curriculum. I personally begin developing my intensive curriculum by reflecting on my own current interests, remembering what interested me in the past and lastly by surveying my students and finding out what interests them.  For example, I just recently taught a unit on value.  We discussed that value is the lightest of lights and darkests of darks of a color and can be used to trick the eye into thinking something is 3-d.  From there we practiced drawing spheres on white paper.  As we were developing our spheres I mentioned to my students that you can apply the rules of value to many different things- not just spheres.  I suggested the idea of fruits, vegetables, bottles, and then I suggested something that just about blew their mind- THEY CAN MAKE 3-D LOOKING ANGRY BIRDS BY USING HIGHLIGHTS AND SHADOWS (value) IN THEIR DRAWINGS!!!  Now, when I look through my students’ sketchbooks I am sure I am going to find many attempts of Angry Birds with value.  This is just one example of how my curriculum affords me the ability to relate the core concepts to my students’ personal interests.

To summarize, I feel that the content of curriculum should be relatively universal, but should also allow for flexibility and personalized translation depending on the environment and the individuals who are being taught.

Resources:

http://eprints.oum.edu.my/408/

This article by Zoraini Wati Abas and Yun, Yun Chow describes the experience of an art classroom who has introduced technology into the classroom.  I feel that this article is similar to the one we read regarding using video gaming in the curriculum.

http://blog.mondrianwall.com/2011/03/21/benefits-to-your-school/

This resource can be used to help revitalize your curriculum.  This is a program you have to pay for.  I found it interesting that I was able to find a tool like this on the internet- It seems almost like signing up for someone to do your taxes through an online program.

http://www.edutopia.org/neuroscience-brain-based-learning-relevance-improves-engagement

This article discusses the science of the brain and how relevancy really matters.

“Students need a personal connection to the material, whether that's through engaging them emotionally or connecting the new information with previously acquired knowledge (often one and the same). Without that, students may not only disengage and quickly forget, but they may also lose the motivation to try.”

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/23/tech/innovation/ipad-solid-education-tool/index.html?iref=allsearch

This article discusses how a classroom has improved their math scores by having the student use IPads instead of textbooks.  The article later goes on to say that IPads are making access to knowledge easier and that using an IPad may be less daunting of a task for students.

http://mcpopmb.ning.com/

“A resource sharing community for educators interested in best practices and teaching with/about pop culture.” You must become a member to access.