Reflection on Cycle 1

“Curriculum” surely stirs up many ideas about education from simple to really complicated ones. It inevitably involves value-laden issues, therefore it should be tough to decide what is worth teaching and learning. It is assumed that the idea of curriculum is based on the formal education setting: a school. I’d like to mention how curriculum is decided for schools in Korea. Most of them in Korea are governed by the Ministry of Education, and Office of Education of the local government in each province, which means that curriculum is designed and determined by the central office and all schools follow the rule. No wonder a lot of teachers regard curriculum as textbooks they are assigned to teach, since they don’t have full independence or flexibility to modify their school’s curriculum without authorized permission – teachers don’t have to worry about the curriculum. But it should not take away the opportunity to think about the true nature of curriculum and its purpose. When thinking about curriculum, the first thing comes to my mind is what John Locke said “Tabula Rasa” (a blank slate) that the mind of the individual was born “blank”. It implies that the mind of human being is open to educational potentiality. In this perspective, curriculum should stand on pretty serious position, because it would affect what we think and live in the long run, given that we all receive regular education.

Readings and questions of Cycle 1 made me rethink about what I’ve had as the taken-for-granted-ideas about learning. The story of Donovan and Perspectives on four Curriculum Traditions made me think about what curriculum would mean to both Donovan and the instructor and how I should view whole concept of curriculum. As William H. Schubert pointed out that the four traditions do have contradictory positions on certain claims, but it is possible to see each position as complementary to one another. (1996, p.176) So I’d like to consolidate what curriculum and its purpose is like this.

Table. 1 Curriculum and its purpose

It may sound quite broad-meaning, but I believe that it can cover almost everything as to what and why children need to learn. While I was thinking that way, I tried to figure out what curriculum mean to Dewey. He emphasizes the children’s experience and the process of providing them with meaningful way of interpretation about what they experience. In The Child and the Curriculum, he notes that “Development is a definite process, having its own law which can be fulfilled only when adequate and normal conditions are provided.” (1902, p.113) It may be fair enough to say that curriculum has been established in a reliable manner. Dewey didn’t deny the reliability of the subject matter, but he questioned about the way it was organized and delivered to children; torn-apart knowledge delivered to children with integral mind. There lies an important implication. It could be more important to know how our students will perceive and receive curriculum, so we can facilitate their learning and help them reconstruct their knowledge and experience in a meaningful way as Dewey suggested. In the case of Donovan, can we know how he might perceive and receive curriculum? Without proper response or progress, can we decide whether he should stop receiving special curriculum? In the article of Sharon Otterman, Donovan’s mother, his aide, and the school principal expressed all different opinions about Donovan but one thing in common; Donovan should have the chance to be exposed to various possible environment, even if he will show little progress. I believe that that may be what he exactly needs; being cared, loved and connected.

I am an ESL teacher, dealing with literacy related curriculum every day. Reflecting on my daily instruction, I can dare say that I’m practicing interdisciplinary curriculum in my classroom (what Dewey thought desirable curriculum!). ESL reading texts cover a wide variety of subjects: literature, science, history, economics, politics, arts and so on. I can say that almost all kinds of branch of knowledge – very basic one – have been covered in my class. Moreover, I always try to find further about those subjects and provide my students with intriguing and necessary background knowledge. For instance, when we encounter a short account of the fall of the Roman Empire, I would find the information about the major theories of the fall of the Roman Empire and brief timeline of rise and fall of it. I have a firm belief that every branch of knowledge is interconnected to make us think more creatively and organically, ultimately getting us to engage in the process of finding significance of today and tomorrow of our lives. Well, it could be “hidden” curriculum in this case; my belief and care about students. In fact, the primary goal of the class should be mastering the academic English vocabulary, acquiring the ability to read and understand the meaning of given texts, and eventually becoming a good English language speaker. However, I am very skeptical about the last one because of the curriculum that lacks emphasis on speaking and writing skills ironically. As a matter of fact, this asymmetric curriculum is my biggest concern and dilemma at the same time. Therefore, I try to use multiple texts to stay balanced among these formal (vocabulary and reading skills), null (speaking and writing skills) and hidden curriculum (thinking about why we should know what). That is an ongoing process for me.

Reference site :
Curriculum and practice
The Null Curriculum and its Theoretical Basis and Practical Implications
Eric list of William H. Schubert