StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Curriculum Change and School Reform - Essay Example

Summary
The paper 'Curriculum Change and School Reform' tells that Throughout the author's educational career, he always felt guilty when he did well in a class but didn't internalize it or put off something, he found boring and uninteresting. This is why he was so vindicated when he read social and political critic Noam Chomsky's write…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.3% of users find it useful
Curriculum Change and School Reform
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Curriculum Change and School Reform"

Curriculum Change and School Reform: Challenges for Educators in the 21st Century [ID Throughout my educational career, I always felt guilty when I did well in a class but didnt internalize it, or put off something I found boring and uninteresting. This is why I was so vindicated when I read social and political critic Noam Chomsky write, “It doesnt matter how great the thoughts [being taught] are, if they are simply imposed upon you from the outside and youre forced through them step by step, after youre done youll have forgotten what they are” (2002). I realized that everyone can “[get] an A” and “a week later [not] even remember what the course is about” (Chomsky, 2002). And when students who appear to be failing or struggling get bad grades, the question always is: Would they have failed no matter what (in which case, they were in the wrong class or expectations were unrealistic), or did they fail because the material failed to be interesting? Approaches to curriculum design and reform must always take into account students real, lived experiences and their networks of actual interests and beliefs to be effective. Education has to make itself relevant for students. This is especially true for curriculum reform for special education students in the field of language arts in middle school: Techniques have to be calibrated to their realistic ability levels and actual interests. A philosophy I adopt as a rubric or general organizing principle, culled from the Deweyan literature, is essentially, “You dont know if you try”. When any student arrives in any classroom, it is almost impossible to predict, even with all the knowledge about their educational background and relevant family and personal background (which is never available to teachers in toto anyways), how they might do and what they might like about the class. Institutions can either choose to err on the side of optimism, knowing in advance they will waste some resources on students not ready for, not interested in or not capable of handling the material; or they can err on the side of pessimism, knowing in advance that they will waste opportunity and potential. The cost of the latter is too high to imagine. Limited curricula that underestimate the abilities of some students, then, should be rejected. One of the most major questions for educational advocates as regards middle school Special Education students is whether and how much they are included in regular class. It is virtually impossible to tell if this policy should be adopted in general: “Current legislation supports the concept of including students with disabilities in the general education classroom but leaves many wondering, Is this approach working? Determining the effectiveness of this practice is a task not easily accomplished. The term...is not found in any law and is used inconsistently..Inclusive programs differ greatly from district to district... [A]mount and nature of support provided to the regular classroom teacher differ dramatically from district to district” (Hines, 2001). In general, the primary justification for this reform approach is one of justice. Disability students should be in classes with their able-bodied peers: Its a form of de jure segregation based on ability status if theyre not. Legislators have embraced this reform influence whole-heartedly, which is a positive change from prior, less progressive views of students in general and Special Education students in particular. While this is a wonderful principle, and erring on the side of more inclusion and more optimism that they can participate meaningfully in the process given a chance is always good, the fact is that the analogy between racism and disability status is a poor one. Students with learning, mental, physical or educational disabilities have innate, not just social, roadblocks to academic success. Treating them exactly like their able-bodied peers is just as inappropriate as treating black or Latina/o students identically to white students with no regard to real difference in background and what that might do to goals, family support or values (Wise, 2010). Hines finds that the research is “scattered”, sporadic and paradoxical: There is evidence that putting disability students into the regular classroom hurts their self-esteem, presumably due to peer group interactions; there is also evidence that it helps, presumably by eliminating overt and subtle stigma. While legislation is going the way of inclusion as a general fact, then, I would say that each middle school honestly look at their budget, resources, and the type of disabilities they are dealing with and determine then if inclusion or different classes are the appropriate solution. The reform to a more integrated classroom is a fact of life, for better or for worse, so it is the goal of educators to find a way to make this new integrated classroom beneficial for both Special Education and main-track students (Hines, 2010). Curriculum design should be inclusive or differential based on the real needs of local communities, not abstract political principles. A district that only has thirty disability students among six hundred students could certainly afford to distribute Special Education students among the classrooms; one with a hundred Special Education students in a two thousand student middle school, on the other hand, might see a benefit at having separate classes due to the disparate needs of such a wide student body. Melodie Bitter recommends that Special Education curricula be flexible and expansive (Mandel, 1995). Special education students have unpredictable levels of energy and focus: Having a curriculum with many options allows teachers to be comfortable changing from, say, a word Bingo game to song singing if interest in the former wanes. She further recommends that extracurricular activities like singing, dance, sports and theater be emphasized, since special education students can often thrive in those environments and it can promote more interaction between Special Education students and main-track students. All this leads me to believe that a general approach to a curriculum for language arts would begin with entrance testing, wherein a teacher gets a feel for each students language mix. Some disability students are highly verbal and creative with language; others struggle. After this, “modules” can be pulled together, including songs, games, videos, worksheets, and so on, for salient content areas, such as Spelling, Vocabulary, Grammar, Creativity and Syntax. Ultimately, if teachers try as hard as possible and use creative tools, the vast majority of special education students should exceed their wildest dreams. References Bracken, L. On Equal Terms. TeachNet. Retrieved from: http://www.teachnet.ie/lbracken/disability/ . Accessed 1/16/2011. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2011). Teachers-Special Education. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved from: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos070.htm . Accessed 1/16/2011. Chomsky, N. (2002). Understanding Power. The New Press: New York. Hines, R. (December 2001). Inclusion in Middle Schools. ERIC Digest. ED459000. Mandel, S. (1995). Special Education. Retrieved from: http://www.pacificnet.net/~mandel/SpecialEducation.html . Accessed 1/16/2011. Richmond, W. (January 15, 2011). Stone principals journey to Fall River guided by passion for education. The Herald News. Wise, T. (2010). Color-Blind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity. City Lights Open Media. Read More

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Curriculum Change and School Reform

Change, School Reform And Curriculum

Curriculum Change and School Reform: Challenges for Educators in the 21st Century [Name [ID [Date Throughout my educational career, I always felt guilty when I did well in a class but didn't internalize it, or put off something I found boring and uninteresting.... Approaches to curriculum design and reform must always take into account students' real, lived experiences and their networks of actual interests and beliefs to be effective.... This is especially true for curriculum reform for special education students in the field of language arts in middle school: Techniques have to be calibrated to their realistic ability levels and actual interests....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Curriculum as Determinant to a Schools International Status

Most often, when a student is to transfer schools or apply for a new school, the curriculum of the school is what's being looked at.... Every school has its curriculum practices and theories to offer and one should closely look at them before deciding if this is what they want for their education.... Further, high school students that are graduating, would often look for schools in other countries to enroll in for their college education....
16 Pages (4000 words) Essay

Interviews on Reforms

What are the major problems in need of reform or improvement?... The numbers of students in a public school provide students with a different environment as compared to that provided by home schools and private schools.... Schools face challenges ranging from the structure, curriculum, the school's mission, experiences, and specifically.... The first problem faced by American public schools is the school size.... The missions of schools have hindered the progress of school improvements....
8 Pages (2000 words) Assignment

What Is Taught at Different Stages of Education

Recently, there had been a vigorous change in society, and the recent trend of globalisation with the booming media has increased these opportunities.... Goodson's statement that curriculum is a multi-faceted concept, constructed, negotiated at a variety of levels and in a variety of areas could be true because the curriculum is never stagnant; but a movement of many forces.... The curriculum is defined as the combination of the content of education, course of study, educational experiences, subjects to be studied, subject matter and educational activities (based on Taylor, p....
15 Pages (3750 words) Essay

Curriculum Review Project

The data categorizes the centre contents, the procedure, and evaluations of the subject areas used by the teacher in the curriculum.... This document looks at how a curriculum map can be utilized in teaching the selected subjects, and the changes carried on the curriculum map for distinguishing The curriculum map acts as a tool for enhancement of communication within the parents and communities in connection to the curriculum and everything that is covered by the teacher....
5 Pages (1250 words) Assignment

Supervision Related to Education

The author claims that perceptions of science teachers and school administrators on the impacts of science standards are different in all the instructional leadership areas.... What Effects Do Social Movements Have on Curricular reform?... This study focuses on how education district leaders of Connecticut translate educational reform acts to instructional practices.... The author further argues that the philosophy and practice of middle school are based on how teachers make judgments and what makes student learning....
7 Pages (1750 words) Annotated Bibliography

Curriculum Development in Saudi Arabia

The author of the paper under the title "Curriculum Development in Saudi Arabia" will make an earnest attempt to evaluate and present reasons that make curriculum change necessary in Saudi Arabia and implementation of reforms in Saudi's education curriculum.... easons that make curriculum change necessary in Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia is an Asian country that has had its fair share of problems affecting curriculum change in its education systems....
6 Pages (1500 words) Report

Development of Curriculum within Turning Points Schools

evelopment of Curriculum within Turning Points SchoolsMiddle school students have unique educational needs.... Such students perceive middle school years as their time of great vulnerability and responsiveness to change.... It is important to note that middle school years are highly influential for behavior patterns within the education and health sectors that provide enduring and lifelong significance.... The study focuses on how teachers can engage middle school students in a manner that helps them to meet their developmental needs, motivate them to learn significantly, and direct them for future education....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us