Curriculum should guide my teaching. I have talked to many other students and we have talked about having a set curriculum for the the first year or two and how that could be very helpful for a new teacher. I feel like I would be ok with a set curriculum for the first year. However, after that teachers should have the option to develop a curriculum with input and critique from others. Good input could come from fellow teachers and administrators. I have a good idea about what I want students to learn about art, but I am sure I would need some input to make the curriculum better.
If a curriculum is being developed by at team like in last week's reading, then compromise is necessary. I think it was critical how the 'bridge' teacher took an idea she wasn't fond of and was able to make it her own. I think as teachers we have to be open to other's ideas for curriculum, just do to the nature of the work. A teacher can always take his or her own spin on the lesson. I want to put a decent amount of emphasis on collaborative work, where students create their own projects, see them through, work as a team and then present. I feel like most curriculum's should move in this direction to prepare students for careers after school.
If I was given a set curriculum and I had to follow it for years, well. A teacher would have to adapt and think of ways to integrate what a teacher feels is critical to learn.
Katie, I agree with what you said about having curriculum as a guide to the way you teach in your room. Perhaps a set curriculum would be helpful for first year teachers becaause there are so many "unknowns" in your first year. I have only ever had experience at a charter school where teachers are allowed to pretty much have free-reign over what they use to teach students. I like this because although we have curriculum available to us, we are allowed to be creative in the way we teach.
ReplyDeleteHi Katie!
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea of collaboration with regard to curriculum. I think that working with a group of teachers often provides a better an well-rounded outcome because everyone brings different ideas and perspectives to the table. I too agree that curriculum should be a way of preparing students for careers after school, and I do not think that this is currently the case. It would be nice not to have to teach to a standardized test in public schools, and rather have the ability to prepare students for the future and the real world!
Hello Katie,
ReplyDeleteI like the way you put it "A teacher can always take his or her own spin on the lesson". I think this is absolutely critical! Because for me, it implies that you can take a subject and enrich it as much as you want and teach it in ways that are meaningful and engaging to your class. You can even emphasize some aspects of the lesson that you think deserve more weight. So, I think that a good teacher can take an apparently dry and boring subject and bring it to life for his or her students.
Katie: I also think it is good to have a curriculum for first year teachers, to help them adjust to their new endeavor. But for a teacher of all levels I agree that they need to have room to put their own spin on lessons. I liked your idea of using groups of colleagues and students to help input the curriculum. In fact I think a lot of problems that have arisen due to curriculum are mostly because they are not seeking out the input of the teachers.
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