This year, I have taken on a new role in the education field and am working as a learning coach for a 7-12 school in the Canadian Arctic. I am also taking a Masters of Education and have been learning about conceptions of curriculum, educational philosophies, curricular designs, planning, instruction and evaluation, and how they all weave together.
Background Information
"According to McNeil (1996), conceptions of curriculum are based upon questions investigating "what should be taught? To whom? When and How?"" (Al-Mousa, 2013). Over time there have been four main conceptions, they include Academia, Technology, Society, and Individual. Individual and Academia fall under a traditional philosophy of education, and Society and Technology fall under a contemporary philosophy.
Traditional Philosophy---Academia---Perennialism---Realism---Subject Matter Design
Traditional Philosophy---Individual---Essentialism---Idealism---Learner Centered Design
Contemporary Philosophy---Society---Reconstructionalism and Progressivism---Pragmatism---Problem Centered or Society/ Culture Based Designs
Contemporary Philosophy---Technology---Technology based design
I have found that by having a deeper understanding of the different conceptions of curriculum and how they relate to the design of planning instruction and assessment, I am better prepared to have meaningful conversations with my colleagues. Being able to break down and understand the individual components of curriculum will lead to targeted planning, instruction, and assessment. This way teachers will be able to set goals and decide for themselves what direction they want to see their teaching go in. Are they going to stay with more of a traditional philosophy or will they turn towards the contemporary philosophy. I believe that my job is to help guide this process in order to figure out what will work best for individual classes and students.
At my current school we fall somewhere between traditional and contemporary. We struggle with the legacy of residential schools, and need to be mindful of the experience that we are providing our students. In many ways we are heading towards the curriculum designs of problem centered and learner centered. We are trying to put some of the onus back on the students and make the learning experience more of a community than a rigid subject centered design. This does not mean that we forget about the core subjects or never do tests or exams. This means that we look at how our students learn and how we can design a program that best suites where they are academically and how to help them grow.
My views
I believe that our students need to be challenged with critical thinking and problem solving skills. By breaking down a program into planning, instruction, and assessment, with a focus on learner and problem design, teachers can begin to look at specific needs in the class and ways they can be addressed. Through reviewing the different philosophies and how they connected, teachers can begin to self-assess their own teaching practices and whether they are truly working to meet the needs of their students. While many of these issues can be addressed by working with grade teams, subject teams, or the learning coach some of these issues stem from territorial policies that are not as easily changed at the school level. As a learning coach, I hope to make my colleagues aware of the different designs and how they are connected their own philosophies of teaching.
Something to Think About
While I believe that our school should begin focusing more on learner and problem based curriculum design, I am wondering how others in the learning coach field feel about this at the high school level. While students in high school are working towards credits in order to move towards post-secondary education, should the traditional philosophy be the main focus or is society moving towards the contemporary philosophy? Are we ready to make a change at the high school level and are we willing to change our thoughts of what high school should look like?
References:
• Al Mousa, N. (2013). An examination of cad use in two interior design programs from the perspective of curriculum and instructors, pp. 21-37 (Master's Thesis)
• Hayes, D. (2003) Making learning an effect of schooling: aligning curriculum, assessment and pedagogy, Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education, 24(2), 225-245
• Hill, A. M. (1994). Perspectives on philosophical shifts in vocational education: From realism to pragmatism and reconstructionism. Journal of Vocational and Technical Education, 10(2), 37-45.
• Hubball, H., & Burt, H. (2004). An Integrated Approach to Developing and Implementing Learning-centred Curricula. International Journal for Academic Development, (9)1, pp. 51-65.
• McMillan, J. H. (2014). Classroom assessment: Principles and practice for effective standards-based instruction (6th ed., pp. 1-20, 57-64,74-88). Boston, MA: Pearson.
• McNeil, J. D. (2006). Contemporary curriculum in thought and action (6th ed., pp. 1-13, 24-34, 44-51, 60-73). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
• Ornstein, A. C. (1990/1991). Philosophy as a basis for curriculum decisions. The High School Journal, 74, 102-109.
• Ornstein, A. C., & Hunkins, F. P. (2013). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. Read Chapter 6, pp. 149-173.
• Sowell, E. J. (2005). Curriculum: An integrative introduction (3rd ed., pp. 52-54, 55-61, 81-85,103-106). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
• Shepard, L. A. (2000). The role of assessment in a learning culture. Educational Researcher, 29(7), 4-14. doi:10.3102/0013189X029007004
Videos:
• A Teacher's P.O.V. on Starting Inquiry-based Learning in the Classroom.
I'm part of the international education team in a company called Reed Education. My colleague Vicky and I are heading out to Canada in January/February 2018 to attend a number of education fairs in various Universities across Canada.
Our main aim is to meet and engage with Canadian teachers who are looking for opportunities to teach in England. We have over 30 education offices in England, including London and the surrounding area, and we work closely with thousands of primary (elementary) and secondary schools throughout the country, so we have a massive range of schools and locations to choose from.
What can we offer? We can secure you a teaching post in your preferred location before you arrive in England, support you financially throughout your journey with flights, travel, visas, accommodation and training, as well as myself and Vicky being personally available to help you throughout your time in England. English schools also pay comparable, and often better, salaries for their teaching staff, so there are opportunities for you to make more money teaching in England!
This is an amazing opportunity to travel to a fascinating country, immerse yourself in a new culture and gain invaluable experience - and get paid well for it! And with England only a short trip away from the rest of Europe, during the school holidays you could visit Paris, Berlin, Milan, Rome and a range of other European hot-spots.
If you would like to meet us at your local University to discuss how we can help you, of you just have some questions you'd like to ask, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us on sean.gray@reedglobal.com or victoria.banks@reedglobal.com
3, Jul 2017 - 12, Aug 2017 (See sample itinerary of each camp session)
◆ Location: Taoyuan, Taiwan
◆ Salary: NT$33,000 (13 days / 1 session), totally of 3 session.
◆ Teacher's responsibility:
a. Conduct a placement test
b. Prepare teaching materials which include basic/intermediate grammar, vocabulary for excursions, and English language activities-material must be ready at least 2 weeks before the camp begins and email to: Karen@penta.tw
c. Correct children's English pronunciation and design the curriculum that includes listening, speaking, writing, and reading.
d. Create an interactive atmosphere for children to enjoy learning English.
e. There will be 3-hour class in the morning and 3-hour class in the afternoon.
f. Accept the assigned duties and work cooperatively with the fellow teachers/ counsellors.
g. Teachers are expected to be at the camp during the entire camp session(s) and participate in all activities with the students, such as parent day and graduation.
h. Set a good example for the campers at all times.
Teacher will have to arrive at the base at least 2 days before the camp starts to meet up with counselors. We will travel to our destination/ campsites together. At the first day of the camp, student will have placement test in the afternoon. From day 2 to day12, teachers will teach English in the mornings and afternoons. There are some special days during the camp that teachers have to attend and some of are optional. Day6 usually will be Parent day and Day 13 will be Graduation(teacher must be attend) ;Day 5 and Day 11 will be field trip (optional). In the general daily classes will be finished at 5 o'clock, it is optional for teachers keep staying with students or not, however, teachers need to be stay in school.For Taoyuan Camp, in the evening, teacher can join the activities that will be led by counselors.
If you are interested in the position, please prepare a sample lesson and we can arrange a Skype interview.
Hey, it is great to be back! I have not been on for a bit. Three weeks ago I found out I am teaching a 4/5 in September after teaching grades 2 and 3 for over 20 years. Any suggestions for websites or even paid sites where the units are great and highly recommended?
Welcome to the new home of the Canada Teachers Chatboard. Canadian teachers and teachers with an interest in Canada are encouraged to post here. Bookmark this resource and tell a friend!