It was fascinating to look back over the last few months’ worth of writing. Denis was right...there were enough pages of quality thinking to justify turning the last assignment from a paper into a presentation. Here's what I found.
April 7th - Table of Contents & Reflections - Final Post
April 7th - The Last Post
A couple of thoughts to fill in the blanks from my final presentation
March 31 - Random Assortment of Thoughts
Trying to make sense of Beaudrillard.
Picking up on thoughts regarding Media and its influence on teenagers
March 17th - Post Modernism & Gender Studies Course
I would have loved to spend more time talking about this in class. I was really surprised how my views changed over the course about these issues. I remember Graham making a strong point that (although well intentioned) teachers are not trained or qualified to teach many of the topics we are expected to (sex education, mental illness, gender studies etc). I am sure we would have had some interesting discussion if we had more time in class.
March 4th- Thoughts from the Recovery Bed-
Beethoven & Bach used as a discipline tool...what is this world coming to?
- Example of Post Nationalism based on the speculated nationality of Chinese NBA star Yao Ming.
February 24th - Can you learn to Appreciate Art?
- personal anecdotal stories about how one can learn to appreciate art
- highlighting differences between the words LIKE and APPRECIATE
February 17th – Google at your Fingertips
- is information at your fingertips making the next generation smarter or is it robbing them of the opportunity to problem solve?
This was another topic that kept popping up throughout the course. I am sure there is enough material and opinions out there to fill and entire Master’s course….is there one Denis?
February 10th – Curriculum Theory vs. Instructional Theory
- reflections from Graham’s presentation on Beauchamps and Posner. Is the banter between academics or terminology and semantics productive?
February 3rd- Shackles of Language
Curriculum as a metaphor was a powerful concept that kept recurring throughout the course. I think we all realized that a definition of curriculum is so vague and elusive it can best be represented by metaphor.
- discussion and examples from Biblical text how myth and metaphor can convey truth where language struggles
Jan 27th- Are we over Analyzing Curriculum
Ha! I loved Lana’s consistent responses….why do we need to over analyze everything! Lana…your thoughts are refreshing….sometimes I think we just need to go with what works and not worry so much about how or why!
Jan 25th- Curriculum Design – define that one
- personal reflections – while in Thailand…was I a curriculum designer or a curriculum writer?
January 21st – New Method of Assessment – genius or catastrophe?
- personal musings over the changes in focus regarding assessment
- prediction on how that might change schooling, university entrance etc
January 14th – Reflections from the first class
Wow…that seems like so long ago.
In summary, I really really enjoyed my Tuesday nights with you all and I appreciate all of your thoughtful and critical comments on my blog and during class discussion. My only regret is that Vicki couldn’t be with us for the journey (Rest in Peace Vicki…we miss you).
I wish you all the best in your future studies and I sincerely hope we cross paths again soon!
Ryan
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The last post...
Perhaps it is because i am (or was) personally invested in the material from my final presentation that i am going to spend half of this blog filling in some of the details that i did not have time to share.
Alot of you asked the question "how did you get involved in such a big project?"
Initially, the project began with a team of teacher's creating ONE central Hands on/Constructivist Project/Activity for each unit in the science curriculum. These pre-prepared projects were meant to be a starting point from which teachers could plan their units around. All projects were provided in digital format and teachers had the flexibility to change/adjust them to fit the specific needs or timing of their classes.
As the scope of the overall project increased we began to flesh out a over-arching framework for the course. This framework effectively linked minor concepts together and overall themes were tied together by the pre-prepared ideas for Major Projects and Hand on activity.
Graham mentioned in his AP Biology Presentation (which was well done i might add) that he was required to send in his course plan of implementation to be approved before his school was allowed to teach the AP Bio course. In essence, the TSAL programs) are my personal course plans for implementation for each level of the Thai Science curriculum. I understand that my personal thoughts and ideas for the plan of implementation are not the only right way to teach each course. In response to this, I tried wherever possible to build in wiggle room that would allow the personal skills, attitudes, and creativity of each teacher to shine through. This wiggle room, at times, was limited by the fairly strict expectations of the Thailand Ministry of Education and (i must admit) to some extent the suggestions for timing, projects, assessment which make up the TSAL framework.
In my opinion, the positives, (teacher support, performance, ease of transition, resources, accountability, etc) far outweighed the possible negatives.
But or course you know that's only my opinion...which is why i was curious to present to you guys!
Thanks for the positive feedback and respectful criticisms!
The end result,
Alot of you asked the question "how did you get involved in such a big project?"
Initially, the project began with a team of teacher's creating ONE central Hands on/Constructivist Project/Activity for each unit in the science curriculum. These pre-prepared projects were meant to be a starting point from which teachers could plan their units around. All projects were provided in digital format and teachers had the flexibility to change/adjust them to fit the specific needs or timing of their classes.
As the scope of the overall project increased we began to flesh out a over-arching framework for the course. This framework effectively linked minor concepts together and overall themes were tied together by the pre-prepared ideas for Major Projects and Hand on activity.
Graham mentioned in his AP Biology Presentation (which was well done i might add) that he was required to send in his course plan of implementation to be approved before his school was allowed to teach the AP Bio course. In essence, the TSAL programs) are my personal course plans for implementation for each level of the Thai Science curriculum. I understand that my personal thoughts and ideas for the plan of implementation are not the only right way to teach each course. In response to this, I tried wherever possible to build in wiggle room that would allow the personal skills, attitudes, and creativity of each teacher to shine through. This wiggle room, at times, was limited by the fairly strict expectations of the Thailand Ministry of Education and (i must admit) to some extent the suggestions for timing, projects, assessment which make up the TSAL framework.
In my opinion, the positives, (teacher support, performance, ease of transition, resources, accountability, etc) far outweighed the possible negatives.
But or course you know that's only my opinion...which is why i was curious to present to you guys!
Thanks for the positive feedback and respectful criticisms!
The end result,
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Random assortment of thoughts.....
My usual routine was to finish class on Tuesday, make a few notes on what i was going to write about and then complete my Blog on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday while the thoughts were still fresh in my mind. Unfortunately I was a little sidetracked with parent teacher interviews and the beginning of Spring Break that its now been over a week. When i looked at my notes I had no idea what they meant.....kinda like when i read Beaudrillard!
My first note read --> From dust you were made and to dust you will return...
I know it is a Bibilical reference (in Ecclesiates i think)but i'm not sure exactly why that struck me during our class discussion. oh well...i'll return to it if it comes back to me.
Second note: Tiger Woods vs. Alex Bilodeau
Again, seemed like an abstract reference but I think it was made during our discussion of the news. I remember Denis commenting on the fact that the news in not real...or at least not real news. I think that launched us into another Beaudrillardian discussion on the reality as portrayed in the media, advertising, and television. And finally i'll get to my point. I just finished teaching a unit on Advertising and Media to my grade 9 English students. We spent an entire week discussing advertising, manipulation techniques used in advertising, with a focus on product association and celebrities. We used Tiger Woods, and his recent escapades, as the basis of our discussion of the following quesitons.
1. Why are celebrities used so much in advertising?
2. Are celebrtities role models?
3. Do celebrities, after accepting million dollar cheques, have an obligation to act like roles models (behave)?
4. Should Nike, Gillete, Buick etc keep Tiger Woods on as the face of their ad campaigns?
I got a lot of interesting discussion with one student replying with something along the lines of "being a good golfer has nothing to do with cars, shaving, or running shoes so if companies are going to use famous people to sell their products they should at least use good people."
I steered the discussion to Canadian Olympic athletes and asked the question (knowing who they would choose) which Canadian athlete have you seen on TV that would be a better role model for in an advertising campaign. It only took a few seconds for everyone to shout in unison "Alexander Bilodeau!"
My response to that was as follows
"You guys would be dissapointed to hear that Alex Bilodeau was arrested in Vancouver last night."
They then asked me "do you know what he was arrested for?"
I replied "I think he hit his girlfried."
Needless to say, they were all dejected as they had built him up in their minds as this amazing person. This after seeing a 3 minute special clip of him hanging out with his brother (who suffers from Cerebral palsy) and watching him ski jump for 30 minutes.
Of course at the end of class i levelled with them and told them. I told them that i had lied about Bilodeau....he hadn't been arrested (at least to my knowledge).
It did help me make my point which was....that he could have....they really know absolutely nothing about what he is like on a day to day basis. All of them saw a 3 minute clip and decided he was the world's greatest role model....a few weeks after they should have learned their lesson from Tiger Woods. They all set themselves up to be crushed if he ever slipped up and made a dumb mistake (like most people do).
It seems that the advertisers create a false sense of reality that public accepts...or is their portrayal the reality? Was Tiger Woods incident a necessity for society to re-establish a sense of morality?
I don't remember exactly but i'm pretty sure that was the line of thought i had when i wrote down "Tiger Woods vs. Alex Bilodeau"
My first note read --> From dust you were made and to dust you will return...
I know it is a Bibilical reference (in Ecclesiates i think)but i'm not sure exactly why that struck me during our class discussion. oh well...i'll return to it if it comes back to me.
Second note: Tiger Woods vs. Alex Bilodeau
Again, seemed like an abstract reference but I think it was made during our discussion of the news. I remember Denis commenting on the fact that the news in not real...or at least not real news. I think that launched us into another Beaudrillardian discussion on the reality as portrayed in the media, advertising, and television. And finally i'll get to my point. I just finished teaching a unit on Advertising and Media to my grade 9 English students. We spent an entire week discussing advertising, manipulation techniques used in advertising, with a focus on product association and celebrities. We used Tiger Woods, and his recent escapades, as the basis of our discussion of the following quesitons.
1. Why are celebrities used so much in advertising?
2. Are celebrtities role models?
3. Do celebrities, after accepting million dollar cheques, have an obligation to act like roles models (behave)?
4. Should Nike, Gillete, Buick etc keep Tiger Woods on as the face of their ad campaigns?
I got a lot of interesting discussion with one student replying with something along the lines of "being a good golfer has nothing to do with cars, shaving, or running shoes so if companies are going to use famous people to sell their products they should at least use good people."
I steered the discussion to Canadian Olympic athletes and asked the question (knowing who they would choose) which Canadian athlete have you seen on TV that would be a better role model for in an advertising campaign. It only took a few seconds for everyone to shout in unison "Alexander Bilodeau!"
My response to that was as follows
"You guys would be dissapointed to hear that Alex Bilodeau was arrested in Vancouver last night."
They then asked me "do you know what he was arrested for?"
I replied "I think he hit his girlfried."
Needless to say, they were all dejected as they had built him up in their minds as this amazing person. This after seeing a 3 minute special clip of him hanging out with his brother (who suffers from Cerebral palsy) and watching him ski jump for 30 minutes.
Of course at the end of class i levelled with them and told them. I told them that i had lied about Bilodeau....he hadn't been arrested (at least to my knowledge).
It did help me make my point which was....that he could have....they really know absolutely nothing about what he is like on a day to day basis. All of them saw a 3 minute clip and decided he was the world's greatest role model....a few weeks after they should have learned their lesson from Tiger Woods. They all set themselves up to be crushed if he ever slipped up and made a dumb mistake (like most people do).
It seems that the advertisers create a false sense of reality that public accepts...or is their portrayal the reality? Was Tiger Woods incident a necessity for society to re-establish a sense of morality?
I don't remember exactly but i'm pretty sure that was the line of thought i had when i wrote down "Tiger Woods vs. Alex Bilodeau"
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Postmodernism and the Gender Studies Course...
SO much to write....so little time!
The article Ontario Bishops Reject High School "Gender Studies" Course could not have been introduced any better than a class discussion on Postmodernism. The situation certainly highlights that multiple voices (or multiple discourses) are present in a postmodern society.
A couple thoughts...I really found my train of thought interesting while dealing with the article.
Pre-reading - My first reaction (even before reading the article) was a snap judgment against the Catholic Church for rejecting the course. I admit, although i fully understand that at times the Church need not align itself with mainstream society, I'm sensitive in these issues because of the stereotypes many people have with the Church (close minded, judgmental, etc). I guess i just don't appreciate being lumped in with a close minded fundamentalist...so when an article like this comes out i tend to have a knee-jerk reaction.
During Reading - while reading the article i found a greater understanding of the possible objections to the course content. I can see if the Catholic doctrine regarding homosexuality, abortion etc does not align completely with the discussion topics and content they would have to be very careful as to how the course would be implemented.
Post Reading - I'd imagine that the Catholic Church would have no objections if the course was to implemented as history course outlining the major figures regarding Gender Issues and Equality. That type of a course avoids assigning values or "correctness" to the issues but rather focuses on the content. However, the course outline is pretty clear that many objectives in the course are aimed to foster higher levels of thinking which inevitably leads to influencing attitudes, thoughts, values, etc....does it not?
I found it interesting that Chelsea, Lana, and Brad's presentation on the Grade 9 Social Studies Curriculum centered on the fact that, although values were integrated into the curriculum, they rarely are actualized in the classrooms as teachers get wrapped up in the content, lack the ability, or run short of time. Perhaps, the Catholic school board is wasting their time in the objections...most teachers would probably find there was too much content, not enough resources, and too little time to actually develop the open minds intended by the course. They'd default to teaching only the content in a dry boring manner that would do little to change the attitudes or behavior of the students.
I know...i know...i'm being a little facetious but i thought i'd try to tie together all the ideas, thoughts, and discussion from last class into one giant blog! I look forward to hearing your comments!
The article Ontario Bishops Reject High School "Gender Studies" Course could not have been introduced any better than a class discussion on Postmodernism. The situation certainly highlights that multiple voices (or multiple discourses) are present in a postmodern society.
A couple thoughts...I really found my train of thought interesting while dealing with the article.
Pre-reading - My first reaction (even before reading the article) was a snap judgment against the Catholic Church for rejecting the course. I admit, although i fully understand that at times the Church need not align itself with mainstream society, I'm sensitive in these issues because of the stereotypes many people have with the Church (close minded, judgmental, etc). I guess i just don't appreciate being lumped in with a close minded fundamentalist...so when an article like this comes out i tend to have a knee-jerk reaction.
During Reading - while reading the article i found a greater understanding of the possible objections to the course content. I can see if the Catholic doctrine regarding homosexuality, abortion etc does not align completely with the discussion topics and content they would have to be very careful as to how the course would be implemented.
Post Reading - I'd imagine that the Catholic Church would have no objections if the course was to implemented as history course outlining the major figures regarding Gender Issues and Equality. That type of a course avoids assigning values or "correctness" to the issues but rather focuses on the content. However, the course outline is pretty clear that many objectives in the course are aimed to foster higher levels of thinking which inevitably leads to influencing attitudes, thoughts, values, etc....does it not?
I found it interesting that Chelsea, Lana, and Brad's presentation on the Grade 9 Social Studies Curriculum centered on the fact that, although values were integrated into the curriculum, they rarely are actualized in the classrooms as teachers get wrapped up in the content, lack the ability, or run short of time. Perhaps, the Catholic school board is wasting their time in the objections...most teachers would probably find there was too much content, not enough resources, and too little time to actually develop the open minds intended by the course. They'd default to teaching only the content in a dry boring manner that would do little to change the attitudes or behavior of the students.
I know...i know...i'm being a little facetious but i thought i'd try to tie together all the ideas, thoughts, and discussion from last class into one giant blog! I look forward to hearing your comments!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thoughts from the recovery bed............
PART 1: Beethoven and Bach….the great disciplinarians!
Ashley…I am eagerly awaiting your response to this post.
Last night I was sitting around chatting with my parents about school, kids, university classes, and a variety of other education topics. I mentioned our class blog assignment as well some of the topics I/we’ve all discussed in class and on our blogs. I mentioned that I had referenced the Europe trip and how the tours of Art museums contributed to an appreciation of art history. Then….to my utter shock my parents mentioned this story that they heard on CBC radio a few days ago.
CBC Story: There is a school in England that has been using Classical Music as a punishment for student behaviour. If students misbehave during the school day they have to spend an hour in a detention room with nothing but Beethoven and Bach. Teachers claim that the strategy is working as students will do anything to avoid having to spend time listening to that music. Upon hearing this I thought to myself…."well…it’s probably not the music that is the deterrent but rather the fact that they have to stay after school.”
Hang on…it gets crazier. Apparently word got out to some local businesses in the community that the trouble making students didn’t like to hear that kind of music so shop owners, who had been complaining about graffiti, vandalism, and unwanted loitering, began playing loud classical music on speakers outside their shops…and get this…the problems stopped. Apparently kids didn’t want to hang out at their old meeting spots if they would have to listen to classical music.
What does this say about music education in England?
Would that work in Winnipeg?
Even if it would work….would that be a reasonable approach? Is it offensive to use it…or just pragmatic?
Do we need to spend more time in schools teaching kids to appreciate classical music? Art? Literature?
I was thinking about these questions and then it hit me…. If the situation was flipped I would act the same way. I would stop going to Cousins Deli (my favourite pub) if they started playing Taylor Swift and Mily Cyrus (sp?). I am not saying that Taylor Swift is this generations.... but it does point out that some music sounds good to some people and can turn the stomach of others.
PART 2: Post-Nationalism – Baby Ming …. Chinese or American?
To continuing our discussion on post-nationalism and provide a current example from the sporting world….i found this article on ESPN.com yesterday.
“BEIJING -- Chinese basketball fans want to know -- will Yao Ming's baby be an American?
The Houston Rockets center, who is sidelined this season with a broken left foot, recently returned to the United States with wife Ye Li. That prompted speculation among his followers that the baby girl due this summer could be born in America.
Yao's personal life is closely followed by his many fans at home, from his 2007 Shanghai wedding to the former basketball player to reports last month the couple is expecting a baby girl in July.”
Yao Ming and his wife Ye Li were both born and raised in China. They began their amateur and professional basketball careers in China and both competed for China in the last Olympics. Yao now lives and works in America….and makes quite a bit of money at it I might add….16.4 million dollars to be exact. So, his national pride and allegiance are aligned with China but his occupational and financial allegiance is to the States. His daughter is due to be born this summer and if born in the US will be eligible for citizenship. Because Yao and Ye are both Chinese citizens their daughter can also be granted Chinese citizenship, however, Chinese law that does not allow for anyone to hold dual citizenship with another country.
The following quotes were given from Chinese basketball fans…
"Yao Ming is an individual, not a political tool”
"Only an idiot would pass up American citizenship"
However, the quote that I found most interesting was "He has the right to choose where his child is born and what kinds of medical care and education will be available to her. His child's citizenship has nothing to do with loyalty."
What then does have to do with loyalty? What has a bigger impact on developing loyalties than education?
Do the Chinese fans really think a child could be born and raised in the lifestyle of an NBA star in a private (or public) high school in Houston Texas and still develop her biggest loyalty to China?
Wishful thinking….but I doubt it.
PS. my surgery went well. i'm really sore and moving really slow but feeling pretty good!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Can you learn to appreciate Art?
Our discussion about art appreciation was fascinating. (I loved Lana's story about hanging her husbands Horizon painting verticle and upside down!)
What really peaked my interest was Lana's explanation of her Art class activity. She questioned whether she should have told her students what the paintings were about? I fully agree with the importance of letting children think, critique, and evaluate art work on their own. Teaching kids that their opinion matters is a valuable lesson in and of itself. However, I also believe that it is possible teach someone to appreciate something even if they don't necessarily like it. Often what starts as only an initial appreciation may later turn into a greater appreciation, like, or even a passion.
For example, my appreciation (and later love) of art was taught to me by my father. When i was 10 years old my family took the entire year of 1990 and travelled around the world. My parents applied for permission to home school my brother and I and the four of us spend 6 months in Europe, 1 week in Sinapore, 2 months in Australia, 1 month in New Zealand, and 2 weeks in Fiji. As a 10 year old I had the opportunity to wander the halls of the Louvre, Vatican Galleries, and stare at the Sistine Chapel. Pretty cool experience and i have some great memories....but in retrospect, i don't think i would have enjoyed those experiences at all unless my father (who was an art teacher) was there to explain WHY certain paintings were famous or regarding as genius.
He would point out that Da Vinci is know for aerial perspective and his ability to use color and fading to give the impression of depth, or how Rembrant was the master of light and got us to compare several different portraits to notice how well he used shading to create a life-like face, and explained the development of impressionism in the words of Monet.
I found it all extremely interesting. There were plenty of parents running all over the Louvre begging their kids to stop fighting, making noise, or whining....they always asked "how come your kids seem interested?" Initially i didn't find the paintings interesting....it was the stories behind all the paintings....who painted it? why? who commissioned it? how long did it take? what controversy took place surrounding the project? These are the stories are that make any content interesting. Is this is what teachers are supposed to do for all content....math, science, Shakespear, poetry, history.....
Nine years later when i spent 10 weeks in Europe backpacking with friends found myself planning my itinerary around which museums i wanted to see. I knew that i could see some El Greco's, Dahli's, and Picasso's if i made a stop in Museo del Prado in Madrid....i knew that Da Vinci's Last Supper has just finished being restored so i needed to make it to in Milan. I sure that i would not have done this, or enjoyed it as much as i did, if my parents had just let me wander the halls of the Louvre and make up my own mind about each paiting. It was because my father had taught me how to appreciate art at a young age....i'm sure of it!
What really peaked my interest was Lana's explanation of her Art class activity. She questioned whether she should have told her students what the paintings were about? I fully agree with the importance of letting children think, critique, and evaluate art work on their own. Teaching kids that their opinion matters is a valuable lesson in and of itself. However, I also believe that it is possible teach someone to appreciate something even if they don't necessarily like it. Often what starts as only an initial appreciation may later turn into a greater appreciation, like, or even a passion.
For example, my appreciation (and later love) of art was taught to me by my father. When i was 10 years old my family took the entire year of 1990 and travelled around the world. My parents applied for permission to home school my brother and I and the four of us spend 6 months in Europe, 1 week in Sinapore, 2 months in Australia, 1 month in New Zealand, and 2 weeks in Fiji. As a 10 year old I had the opportunity to wander the halls of the Louvre, Vatican Galleries, and stare at the Sistine Chapel. Pretty cool experience and i have some great memories....but in retrospect, i don't think i would have enjoyed those experiences at all unless my father (who was an art teacher) was there to explain WHY certain paintings were famous or regarding as genius.
He would point out that Da Vinci is know for aerial perspective and his ability to use color and fading to give the impression of depth, or how Rembrant was the master of light and got us to compare several different portraits to notice how well he used shading to create a life-like face, and explained the development of impressionism in the words of Monet.
I found it all extremely interesting. There were plenty of parents running all over the Louvre begging their kids to stop fighting, making noise, or whining....they always asked "how come your kids seem interested?" Initially i didn't find the paintings interesting....it was the stories behind all the paintings....who painted it? why? who commissioned it? how long did it take? what controversy took place surrounding the project? These are the stories are that make any content interesting. Is this is what teachers are supposed to do for all content....math, science, Shakespear, poetry, history.....
Nine years later when i spent 10 weeks in Europe backpacking with friends found myself planning my itinerary around which museums i wanted to see. I knew that i could see some El Greco's, Dahli's, and Picasso's if i made a stop in Museo del Prado in Madrid....i knew that Da Vinci's Last Supper has just finished being restored so i needed to make it to in Milan. I sure that i would not have done this, or enjoyed it as much as i did, if my parents had just let me wander the halls of the Louvre and make up my own mind about each paiting. It was because my father had taught me how to appreciate art at a young age....i'm sure of it!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Google at your fingertips.....brutal!
Several times during the course Graham has referred to the sad situation of the girls who drowned in the car while trying to call for help on their cell phone.
This begs the question....are our students missing out on other more valuable lessons because of our over reliance on technology? The following story (although it starts off topic) illustrates one important lesson i think they are missing out on....
I must admit that I inherited the gift of bullsh*ting from my father who had a long winded explanation for every question I ever asked...even if he hadn't the slightest clue about the formal answer. My Mother would always say..."Peter you are so full of &*%$ ...you have no idea what the answer is!" This would send him off in a scurry off to find an encyclopedia and look up the information. The thing is, more often than not he was pretty close. I was lucky that he usually took the time to explain how he reasoned out a probably answer by combining previously learned knowledge, making reasonable predictions, and deducing the most likely answer.
The odd times that he was wrong (and there were plenty) I realized the power of well crafted argument. The thing was, i believe him everytime because he answers seemed so ....well....believable. At a young age i realized (or was taught) that a carefully articulated arugument, even in incorrect, was usually enough to win over someone who wasn't as confident.
One of my favorite pastimes in school was arguing and debating. I never joined a debate team but loved stirring the pot in the hallways, cafeteria, or on the school bus. It used to drive my friends (one in particular) bonkers as they would often know that I didn't know the answer but couldn't find a weakness in my stance. In most cases, no one would ever go out of our way to actually find out the right answer. In this case, i would argue, that the process of formulating an educated guess or stance for the simple sake of arguing was more important than knowing the right answer. I think that google at our fingertips is robbing our students of those opportunites.
There is nothing i hate more than when i am a party arguing with someone about something and then a random bystander, who is uninvolved in the conversation, chimes in "actually... i just looked it up on my Iphone...and you are wrong."
My response is usually as follows "Damn it...i knew i was probably wrong (or at least incomplete) but i had this guy almost convinced!"
This begs the question....are our students missing out on other more valuable lessons because of our over reliance on technology? The following story (although it starts off topic) illustrates one important lesson i think they are missing out on....
I must admit that I inherited the gift of bullsh*ting from my father who had a long winded explanation for every question I ever asked...even if he hadn't the slightest clue about the formal answer. My Mother would always say..."Peter you are so full of &*%$ ...you have no idea what the answer is!" This would send him off in a scurry off to find an encyclopedia and look up the information. The thing is, more often than not he was pretty close. I was lucky that he usually took the time to explain how he reasoned out a probably answer by combining previously learned knowledge, making reasonable predictions, and deducing the most likely answer.
The odd times that he was wrong (and there were plenty) I realized the power of well crafted argument. The thing was, i believe him everytime because he answers seemed so ....well....believable. At a young age i realized (or was taught) that a carefully articulated arugument, even in incorrect, was usually enough to win over someone who wasn't as confident.
One of my favorite pastimes in school was arguing and debating. I never joined a debate team but loved stirring the pot in the hallways, cafeteria, or on the school bus. It used to drive my friends (one in particular) bonkers as they would often know that I didn't know the answer but couldn't find a weakness in my stance. In most cases, no one would ever go out of our way to actually find out the right answer. In this case, i would argue, that the process of formulating an educated guess or stance for the simple sake of arguing was more important than knowing the right answer. I think that google at our fingertips is robbing our students of those opportunites.
There is nothing i hate more than when i am a party arguing with someone about something and then a random bystander, who is uninvolved in the conversation, chimes in "actually... i just looked it up on my Iphone...and you are wrong."
My response is usually as follows "Damn it...i knew i was probably wrong (or at least incomplete) but i had this guy almost convinced!"
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Curriculum Theory vs. Instructional Theory (+ Assessment Theory)
Beauchamp vs Posner - who would i side with?
I must admit, I found the presentation of Beauchamp fairly dry (the material...not you Graham!). I understand the value of the statement "We must know what curriculum is before we discuss curriculum theory." However, as Graham alluded to, theorists can at times use arguing semantics as an easy way to get published and i think the debate between Posner and Beauchamp teeters along that line.
It seems that what Posner argues as Curriculum Theory Beauchamp would argue are two separate fields....curriculum theory and instructional theory. I think Beauchamp, if asked to elaborate, would certainly argue the importance of instructional theory as well as perhaps another specialized field of Assessment theory.
A couple questions i would have for Beauchamp would be...
1) Does he feel curriculum theorists can perform double duty as instructional theorists?
To clarify...does he think that a person should sit down first (put on a hat saying curriculum theorist) and decide "What is to be taught?" after which the same person should (after changing their hat to say instructional theorist) think of "how might this taught?" Furthermore, should the same person (after changing their hat a third time to say assessment theorist) investigate how the instruction could be assessed?
OR
Would Beauchamp feel that the jobs of curriculum, instruction, and assessment development /theory be done by three separate specialists?
If he does, i would beg the question....does it not seem impossible to be a specialist in one without intense knowledge of the other two components?
This line of twisted logic leads me to side with Posner and perhaps begins to point to where on the spectrum i sit in the futile attempt to define curriculum.
The field of curriculum includes the need to consider how it will be instructed and assessed.....so says Mr. Wiebe.
I must admit, I found the presentation of Beauchamp fairly dry (the material...not you Graham!). I understand the value of the statement "We must know what curriculum is before we discuss curriculum theory." However, as Graham alluded to, theorists can at times use arguing semantics as an easy way to get published and i think the debate between Posner and Beauchamp teeters along that line.
It seems that what Posner argues as Curriculum Theory Beauchamp would argue are two separate fields....curriculum theory and instructional theory. I think Beauchamp, if asked to elaborate, would certainly argue the importance of instructional theory as well as perhaps another specialized field of Assessment theory.
A couple questions i would have for Beauchamp would be...
1) Does he feel curriculum theorists can perform double duty as instructional theorists?
To clarify...does he think that a person should sit down first (put on a hat saying curriculum theorist) and decide "What is to be taught?" after which the same person should (after changing their hat to say instructional theorist) think of "how might this taught?" Furthermore, should the same person (after changing their hat a third time to say assessment theorist) investigate how the instruction could be assessed?
OR
Would Beauchamp feel that the jobs of curriculum, instruction, and assessment development /theory be done by three separate specialists?
If he does, i would beg the question....does it not seem impossible to be a specialist in one without intense knowledge of the other two components?
This line of twisted logic leads me to side with Posner and perhaps begins to point to where on the spectrum i sit in the futile attempt to define curriculum.
The field of curriculum includes the need to consider how it will be instructed and assessed.....so says Mr. Wiebe.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Shackles of Language
Two thoughts from latest discussion on language.
Metaphors, Myths, Legends and the Truth?
Seems like so many of our discussions have winded their way back to a discussion as Curriculum as metaphor. Graham’s point, that for some concepts, curriculum being one of them, we are limited by the language which we are using to describe them.
I have plenty of experience discussing this concept in a variety of different contexts. I spent a few years studying Theology at Province College and Theological Seminary. Along with classes aimed to foster personal growth and development many of the courses offered focused on historical analysis of Biblical texts. The most interesting (and controversial for some) class was on Biblical stories as myth and metaphor which dealt with the stories, parables, and other books of the Bible in a non-literal fashion. For some, myself not included, this was a controversial if not blasphemous statement. For the rest of us this was a reaffirmation that true truth can, at times, be impossible to capture in language. There was a reason why parables were used to capture and discuss issues of the supernatural….the reason being because simple language is incapable of doing so.
My discussion here was not intended to stimulate a theological debate as to the literal or non literal interpretation of religious text. However, I did feel that this topic provides a great example of how metaphor and myth have been used for 1000’s of years to capture and describe concepts that push the limits of our language.
Different languages – can curriculum be found in translation?
My 4 years in Thailand provided plenty of opportunities to experiment and analyse the differences between the Thai and English languages. It didn’t take me long to notice that it took a Thai person twice as long to give directions in Thai as it would have in English. When I first moved there and needed directions in a taxi cab I would call a friend and have them talk to the taxi driver…it often took several minutes to give simple directions. As I learned more and more Thai I began to listen in when directions were being given and I realized that Thai is a very non-descript language. There are no tenses and none of the verbs are conjugated….instead they add markers or combine several different words to create the intended meaning. At times, they need to rephrase a concept several times to convey their intended meaning.
This got me thinking…..how does English measure on the power of description scale? I’ve heard that English is regarded as a very descriptive language but are we missing some words/concepts that other language have that might make it easier to define or describe curriculum? Just a thought?
Do any of you speak another language fluently enough to try to define curriculum using that language?
What would the results be?
I’d be interested to hear your take.
Metaphors, Myths, Legends and the Truth?
Seems like so many of our discussions have winded their way back to a discussion as Curriculum as metaphor. Graham’s point, that for some concepts, curriculum being one of them, we are limited by the language which we are using to describe them.
I have plenty of experience discussing this concept in a variety of different contexts. I spent a few years studying Theology at Province College and Theological Seminary. Along with classes aimed to foster personal growth and development many of the courses offered focused on historical analysis of Biblical texts. The most interesting (and controversial for some) class was on Biblical stories as myth and metaphor which dealt with the stories, parables, and other books of the Bible in a non-literal fashion. For some, myself not included, this was a controversial if not blasphemous statement. For the rest of us this was a reaffirmation that true truth can, at times, be impossible to capture in language. There was a reason why parables were used to capture and discuss issues of the supernatural….the reason being because simple language is incapable of doing so.
My discussion here was not intended to stimulate a theological debate as to the literal or non literal interpretation of religious text. However, I did feel that this topic provides a great example of how metaphor and myth have been used for 1000’s of years to capture and describe concepts that push the limits of our language.
Different languages – can curriculum be found in translation?
My 4 years in Thailand provided plenty of opportunities to experiment and analyse the differences between the Thai and English languages. It didn’t take me long to notice that it took a Thai person twice as long to give directions in Thai as it would have in English. When I first moved there and needed directions in a taxi cab I would call a friend and have them talk to the taxi driver…it often took several minutes to give simple directions. As I learned more and more Thai I began to listen in when directions were being given and I realized that Thai is a very non-descript language. There are no tenses and none of the verbs are conjugated….instead they add markers or combine several different words to create the intended meaning. At times, they need to rephrase a concept several times to convey their intended meaning.
This got me thinking…..how does English measure on the power of description scale? I’ve heard that English is regarded as a very descriptive language but are we missing some words/concepts that other language have that might make it easier to define or describe curriculum? Just a thought?
Do any of you speak another language fluently enough to try to define curriculum using that language?
What would the results be?
I’d be interested to hear your take.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
"are we over analyzing curriculum?"
A couple things caught my attention last class. A few were on topic and a few are kind of following a tangent that may (or may not) be clearly aligned with the topics of EDUB 7560.
Lana’s discussion question of “Are we analyzing curriculum too much?”
The discussion of to who (or what) do people pledge allegiance in different countries?
Are we analyzing curriculum too much?
I guess my first question for Lana (and the rest of you) would be “who are you defining as we?” If you are placing only traditional classroom teachers in that group of “we” then I agree, classroom teachers, especially those in survival mode or in the first few years of teaching, don’t have the time or energy left to engage in the philosophical questions of the Null curriculum. Their days are full enough with prep, extra-curricular activities, making connections with students (for isn’t that the purpose of teaching?…but that’s for another post), and marking stack of papers.
However, if the “we” referred to above is meant to include us, a group of educators who have made the decision to study curriculum at a higher level, then I believe it IS our responsibility to contemplate these questions. If not us, then who else? By joining the program are we not committing (or at least attempting) to consider these tough questions, propose solutions, research answers, and make strive to make changes to the inadequacies of the system?
Pledging Allegiance to the _____________.
I found the discussion about Discover Canada quite interesting. It was odd that much of what the creators of Discover Canada deemed important a group of graduate level thinkers didn’t know. Perhaps they should poll Canadians to gather what information they feel is most important for inclusion. This would at least give the new Canadians more knowledge that is in line with current Canadian thought.
I also found it odd that an immigrant applying for citizenship of a country needs to recite an Oath or Pledge of Allegiance but a born and raised citizen never needs to recite anything. Do any other countries make children of a certain age recite a pledge or oath? How many Canadians right now would feel comfortable reciting the oath? Should Canada integrate a citizenship program into elementary school? Middle school? High school? Or does the provincial curriculum documents effectively 'citizenize' us already?
On the same train of thought (but slightly less on topic) I’ve always hated it when I hear US Presidents say “we must return to the ideas and values of our founding forefathers.” Why? Who made them God? Were those not the same people that legalized slavery? Why does everyone think that they had it all figured out? Just a thought………..
Lana’s discussion question of “Are we analyzing curriculum too much?”
The discussion of to who (or what) do people pledge allegiance in different countries?
Are we analyzing curriculum too much?
I guess my first question for Lana (and the rest of you) would be “who are you defining as we?” If you are placing only traditional classroom teachers in that group of “we” then I agree, classroom teachers, especially those in survival mode or in the first few years of teaching, don’t have the time or energy left to engage in the philosophical questions of the Null curriculum. Their days are full enough with prep, extra-curricular activities, making connections with students (for isn’t that the purpose of teaching?…but that’s for another post), and marking stack of papers.
However, if the “we” referred to above is meant to include us, a group of educators who have made the decision to study curriculum at a higher level, then I believe it IS our responsibility to contemplate these questions. If not us, then who else? By joining the program are we not committing (or at least attempting) to consider these tough questions, propose solutions, research answers, and make strive to make changes to the inadequacies of the system?
Pledging Allegiance to the _____________.
I found the discussion about Discover Canada quite interesting. It was odd that much of what the creators of Discover Canada deemed important a group of graduate level thinkers didn’t know. Perhaps they should poll Canadians to gather what information they feel is most important for inclusion. This would at least give the new Canadians more knowledge that is in line with current Canadian thought.
I also found it odd that an immigrant applying for citizenship of a country needs to recite an Oath or Pledge of Allegiance but a born and raised citizen never needs to recite anything. Do any other countries make children of a certain age recite a pledge or oath? How many Canadians right now would feel comfortable reciting the oath? Should Canada integrate a citizenship program into elementary school? Middle school? High school? Or does the provincial curriculum documents effectively 'citizenize' us already?
On the same train of thought (but slightly less on topic) I’ve always hated it when I hear US Presidents say “we must return to the ideas and values of our founding forefathers.” Why? Who made them God? Were those not the same people that legalized slavery? Why does everyone think that they had it all figured out? Just a thought………..
Monday, January 25, 2010
Curriculum Design - define that one?
I just finished reading/skimming the three articles in preparation for this weeks class and thought i'd share a few thoughts. (Not too many as i want to save some thoughts and questions for class discussions)
On the Meaning of Curriculum Design struck a chord with me as I mentioned my previous experience in Thailand working with curriculum and programming. I was about half done reading the article and i found myself saying "Ok..makes sense. So what I was doing Thailand was actually more curriculum design writing than writing a new curriculum." I did very little work with the content matter or objectives but spent most of my time focusing on how to organize the documents in a user friendly way with clearly outlined activities that could be used (not mandatory) if teachers were struggling for ideas.
Just when i was prepared to think of myself as a curricular designer instead of a curricular writer then article ends by saying curriculum design can't really be defined "until agreement is reached on the meaning of terms, particularly of 'curriculum.'"
Like i said. Don't want to waste all my observations regarding the articles...just wanted to a few initial thoughts out there.
On the Meaning of Curriculum Design struck a chord with me as I mentioned my previous experience in Thailand working with curriculum and programming. I was about half done reading the article and i found myself saying "Ok..makes sense. So what I was doing Thailand was actually more curriculum design writing than writing a new curriculum." I did very little work with the content matter or objectives but spent most of my time focusing on how to organize the documents in a user friendly way with clearly outlined activities that could be used (not mandatory) if teachers were struggling for ideas.
Just when i was prepared to think of myself as a curricular designer instead of a curricular writer then article ends by saying curriculum design can't really be defined "until agreement is reached on the meaning of terms, particularly of 'curriculum.'"
Like i said. Don't want to waste all my observations regarding the articles...just wanted to a few initial thoughts out there.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
New Methods of Assessment - genius or catastrophe?
To begin class Dr. Hlynka shared four relatively current blunders in the field of education and curriculum. I immediately asked myself the question...
What are we doing in today's classroom that we may/will regret in the future?
I couldn't help but think of the provincial educational debate regarding assessment. Teachers are no longer allowed to include behavior or participation when assessing assignments or deduct marks for late assignments. In theory this makes sense as each students mark would then represent their abilities or achievements regarding course content. For example, the report card marks I am in the process of calculating should represent the students abilities in English, NOT their classroom behavior. However, personal experience during this entire semester has shown it a struggle to motivate students to hand work in "on time." Students, contrary to popular belief, are quite bright, and it didn't take them very long to realize that I couldn't punish them for late assignments. Many people stronlgy disagree with this movement claim that we losing the chance to teach students the valuable lesson that deadlines are important.
Despite the frustrated tone you may have noticed in the above paragraph I am actually personally in favor of this new trend. That is, of course, as long as there is additional areas (in report cards, progress reports etc) for reporting and assessing student participation and behaviour. This format would give the best of both worlds....it would provide feedback on the students actual abilities in the subject as well as comment on his "student-ness."
I asked myself the question - If report card marks still include behaviour/participation and i found two students with identical 55%'s....from an outside perspective would that give me any indication of their abilities? What is one student was a bright kid who didn't hand assignments in on time and the other an ESL student who tried enough to fill the participation column of the rubric of each assignment but achieve few of the actual outcomes. Would it not be more valuable to see the two students' reports broken down the following way
Student #1 -
Academics --> Met all grade level expectations
Behaviour/Participation --> Rarely on task, struggles with attendance and participation
Student #2 - Not yet meeting grade level expectations
Behaviour/Participation --> on task, attends and participates in all activities
I feel that in time, as Universities will have to adjust their acceptance criteria as the traditional "marks" will have changed. Perhaps students motivation to hand in assignments in on time will increase if university screening processes take behaviour into consideration. Would they ever?
If you were a university would you rather have a "rough student" with potential or a slightly less gifted student with proven motivation? Any ideas?
Our discussion on the 3 methaphors of curriculum
What are we doing in today's classroom that we may/will regret in the future?
I couldn't help but think of the provincial educational debate regarding assessment. Teachers are no longer allowed to include behavior or participation when assessing assignments or deduct marks for late assignments. In theory this makes sense as each students mark would then represent their abilities or achievements regarding course content. For example, the report card marks I am in the process of calculating should represent the students abilities in English, NOT their classroom behavior. However, personal experience during this entire semester has shown it a struggle to motivate students to hand work in "on time." Students, contrary to popular belief, are quite bright, and it didn't take them very long to realize that I couldn't punish them for late assignments. Many people stronlgy disagree with this movement claim that we losing the chance to teach students the valuable lesson that deadlines are important.
Despite the frustrated tone you may have noticed in the above paragraph I am actually personally in favor of this new trend. That is, of course, as long as there is additional areas (in report cards, progress reports etc) for reporting and assessing student participation and behaviour. This format would give the best of both worlds....it would provide feedback on the students actual abilities in the subject as well as comment on his "student-ness."
I asked myself the question - If report card marks still include behaviour/participation and i found two students with identical 55%'s....from an outside perspective would that give me any indication of their abilities? What is one student was a bright kid who didn't hand assignments in on time and the other an ESL student who tried enough to fill the participation column of the rubric of each assignment but achieve few of the actual outcomes. Would it not be more valuable to see the two students' reports broken down the following way
Student #1 -
Academics --> Met all grade level expectations
Behaviour/Participation --> Rarely on task, struggles with attendance and participation
Student #2 - Not yet meeting grade level expectations
Behaviour/Participation --> on task, attends and participates in all activities
I feel that in time, as Universities will have to adjust their acceptance criteria as the traditional "marks" will have changed. Perhaps students motivation to hand in assignments in on time will increase if university screening processes take behaviour into consideration. Would they ever?
If you were a university would you rather have a "rough student" with potential or a slightly less gifted student with proven motivation? Any ideas?
Our discussion on the 3 methaphors of curriculum
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Reflections from first class (Jan 12, 2010)
I’ve been lucky (or unlucky… depending on your view of curriculum work) to have had the chance to work on some curriculum and program development while living in Thailand. Although grossly under qualified I was given the responsibility of revising and editing the schools Manitoba Based English, Math, and Science curriculum. This experience forced me to investigate and familiarize myself with many of the Manitoba curriculum documents. That experience helped me learn and solidify some basic theoretical knowledge regarding curriculum and I decided to return to Canada and begin a more formal study in curriculum. However, since beginning my formal studies it seems that every course and class discussion leaves me less and less able to formally define curriculum. The more I learn what curriculum is, has been, and could be, the more I struggle with a definition….funny how that works!
I look forward to discussing these issues with you all this semester!
I look forward to discussing these issues with you all this semester!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
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