How is Power Evident in the Curriculum?
How is power evident in the curriculum that is taught in our schools?
Power is evident in the curriculum that is taught in our schools in many ways.
Curriculum designing involves people of different levels from the Government,
curriculum leaders, researchers, school districts, the principal and teachers. Students
are actually involved because they want to learn what they are interested in. The people
involved in curriculum planning and delivering come from various cultures and bring a
wealth of knowledge and experiences with them. They convey different ideas and
opinions when adopting what is going to be implemented in the curriculum and this is
going to have an impact on the quality of education the students receive.
The tested curriculum has the greatest influence on what is being taught. In the
supported curriculum where the text book is the major source of content, it has a
very “strong influence on the taught curriculum” (p.1, Glatthorn, Carr, & Harris). When it
comes to the perceptions of the students, the hidden and excluded curriculum have a
very powerful influence. If it is stressed that a certain subject is important but only thirty
minutes per week is given to that subject when ninety minutes is given to another
subject, it conveys a strong message that that subject really doesn’t matter. Curricula in
how it is delivered, instils attitudes about what is significant to teach and what isn’t.
The most important curriculum of the various types is the Learned Curriculum
because it is what the students learn. There would be power in this type of curriculum,
because this is going to determine what knowledge the students are going to acquire to
prepare them with the skills and knowledge in a highly competitive world. How the
curriculum is structured is going to determine if the students are going to acquire the
basic skills and knowledge of the subjects taught. Curriculum responds to the individual
differences of the students. How curriculum is structured will help to recognise the
students multiple intelligences.
When the curriculum includes both practical and academic, the students are going to
understand the material better, because they would be learning by experiencing.
However, “experience is the application of understanding” (p.2, Glatthorn, Carr, &
Harris).
Increasing importance of National & State standards will help to improve the quality
of schooling and ensure that all citizens will have shared knowledge and values
necessary to make democracy work. Educational equity is a must.
Students are getting to learn by the hands on approach where they demonstrate their
learning in a real manner. There is a greater interest in the Constructivist Curriculum
where real learning takes place.
There is power that is evident in the curriculum when many districts are now
asserting their own “authority over the curriculum” (p.2, Glatthorn, Carr, & Harris). They
are using their own authority to create and deliver curricula of their own. They make the
decisions of what is going to be taught and what isn’t. Each school district has its own
way of delivering the curriculum. Not every jurisdiction delivers the curriculum in the
same manner.
Power is evident when we look at what is discussed about curriculum history and its
importance. It considers what societies feel is valuable to “pass on to younger
generations”(p.3, Garret). According to Garret, curriculum is a very highly significant
artifact of any culture.
Power is evident in curriculum in how it is always being revised to sort out what
schools should be teaching. Knowledge is power and what is being delivered in the
learned curriculum is going to have a great impact on the students and how successful
they will be. Students are also taught of how to view the world and the various attitudes
they adopt from what is delivered to them from the curriculum is going to have a great
influence on how they relate to others.
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My Teaching Philosophy
As an educator, I feel that teaching involves deep commitment to the
learning needs of all the students’.
It involves the careful planning and deciding what is significant to
teach the students so that they can relate to the material in the real
world. Teaching is not just standing in front of a class and providing instruction to students learning at
one level. It is looking at all the issues involved in helping students to grow and flourish in such a way that they
will overcome the many obstacles that they will come in contact with throughout their learning. Every student can
learn and as a teacher, I feel that I should employ the needed strategies so that each student may grow to their full potential.
Designing curriculum plays an important role when it comes to teaching. Planning lessons that
are tailored to meet the students’ learning needs is a constant goal of mine as an educator.
I believe that it is important to let the students know that I have a great interest in the subject matter that I am trying to teach them, because the
attitude of the teacher has a great impact on the students’ inspiration in learning it. I learned through experience that this is true.
When I taught the concept of making change in a grade three math class several years ago, I didn’t really show a true interest in the learning material and found that some students adopted a negative attitude towards mathematics. They became bored and not interested when there was no relevance connected to it. When I encouraged students to appreciate the importance of math and how it revolves around our everyday lives and showed that I did have a keen interest
in it, they were eager to learn the material. The importance of learning how to make correct change teaches students the importance of not being ripped off in a
store. I always show the students that I enjoy the material and inspire them. This makes a significant difference in the students’ learning.
How can students expect to learn if they feel unwanted or insecure in the learning environment? It is important to create a secure, safe learning environment where the students are made to feel accepted and wanted. Respecting all students and reinforcing them that there is goodness in everyone is at the forefront of my teaching philosophy. As a teacher, it is my goal to help build the students’ self-identity. When students’ know that the teacher believes in them, it facilitates the growth of self-confidence that leads to self-directed learning. Every student is unique with his/her individuality that they bring to the learning environment.
I strongly believe in the fostering of multiculturalism in the classroom where students of minority ethnic groups are respected and treated as contributing individuals with the capability to learn. I don’t believe that the teacher should lower learning expectations of the student because of what race or ethnic group they are in.
The learning standards should be set high for them the same as it is for other students, to make the learning challenging enough for them to want to
learn. It is important to continue exploring and celebrating cultural diversity and having activities in the classroom that involve the learning about other cultures so students may learn to adopt an appreciation of the uniqueness of them.
Every student has a different level of learning and in order for all students to learn, it is important to provide levels of text that are conducive to the learning needs of the students. I make it my practice to prepare lessons and activities that are varied to fit each learning style of my students. Every child has the right to learn and I believe it is my responsibility to make sure that no student is left behind in my classroom.