Curriculum Project

Curriculum Development Project

EDCI 5020

Some Thoughts…

You should recognize the following from the initial thoughts I wrote for Checkpoint 1:

One might argue that few things more fundamentally influence the course of education in America than what arises from curriculum development. One might argue as well that few things more fundamentally influence the success, or lack thereof, of our nation in regard to its economic, political, and social well-being. Am I overstating things? Perhaps, yes. Perhaps, no. The reading you are asked to do during this part of your project, among other things, is meant to have you think about just how significant the concept/process/idea of curriculum development is. What do we teach in America? Why do we teach those things? What should we actually teach? Why is it crucial that students learn those things? Are those not questions the answers to which determine our destiny, the fate of our children’s children, and so on? Overstatement? Perhaps, yes. Perhaps, no.

That is the backdrop for our exploration of curriculum development. One of the things I have noticed as a pretty common thing while I have been reading your work in this class is how many of you have expressed a belief in the significance of having a curriculum that covers things like economic literacy, vocational education or career and technical education, school-to-work practices, etc. For the purpose of our discussion, and in the setting of Louisiana, we will consider this career and technical education (CTE). I cannot say that I am surprised about this apparent theme. After all, curriculum has been designed to prepare students for life after school. Curriculum is developed when it is perceived that what is currently being taught in the schools is not preparing students for success. I think that is apparent in the education crises you have read about in the history of curriculum development in the United States. In The Saber-Tooth Curriculum, there are many examples of the author criticizing outdated curriculum that does not fulfill this worthwhile purpose. He talks about, among other things, how so many things are taught only because they have been traditionally taught and held in high esteem, regardless of their actual value to society.

As a result of your inclusion of this idea of CTE, our Checkpoint 2 will focus on the idea of how well our schools’ curricula prepare students for success in the workplace.

Checkpoint 2

Purpose

· Identify and explore the purposes behind the Jump Start initiative in the state of Louisiana.

· Identify the CTE opportunities provided to students in your area.

· Explore the concept of pre-vocational education in seven European countries.

· Explore curriculum development ideas in this area/field that interest you.

The Readings

· So far in this class, you have read through page 92 in The Saber-Tooth Curriculum. I bring that up to remind you that when you go through these readings and the assignment, there may be some reference points in the text that you may think are relevant to the discussion and your thoughts.

· Read through the following from the Louisiana Believes website. This will provide you with information about the Jump Start initiative in the state of Louisiana. This is the state’s response to the belief that schools in Louisiana had not been preparing students for college (or at least post-secondary education) and careers well enough. This response is a state-wide push for CTE in high-demand, high-paying jobs in Louisiana. The goal is to better prepare our students to meet workforce needs, not only with the technical skills to be successful, but also the “soft skills” needed to be successful in the workplace. Here are the things to read through with the aforementioned context in mind:

· BESE Bulletin 138 – Jump Start – I do not know that you have to read this word for word, but at least scan it to see the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s policy in regard to this initiative. This helps you to understand what the program is all about, how goals will be achieved, and it answers – at least to some degree – why this program exists in Louisiana.

· Jump Start Brochure – This provides a good, high-level overview and is considered promotional material to pique student and parent interest in the program.

· Louisiana’s Jump Start Program – This identifies the Industry-Based Credentials and the Pathways that students have access to in high school. I think it also helps to identify “why” this initiative exists.

· Jump Start Graduation Pathways – I think it would be interesting for you to see what students have access to and whether this access is available in your region

· Read Pre-Vocational Education in Seven European Countries: A Comparison of Curricular Embedding and Implementation in Schools . You have read about obsolete curriculum in The Saber-Tooth Curriculum. By exploring the information on the Louisiana Believe website, you have learned about the state of Louisiana’s response to teaching curricula that many people believe has little to do with preparing students for the workforce. I know that if you studied other states, you would see similar responses. It might be a good idea to also see what other countries are doing and thinking in regard to CTE and preparing students well for the workforce. Of course, feel free to read the entire article, but I am listing several things that I think are important here for you to think about as you read.

· What is the difference between a “prescribed” and an “enacted” curriculum (p. 26)?

· What is pre-vocational education (p. 27)?

· Why are the following competencies so important to consider in education and CTE: knowledge-based competencies, self-competencies, and social competencies (p. 27)?

· Do you believe it is important for “self-competencies with emphasis on entrepreneurial thinking” to be included in all school curricula (p. 27, Figure 1)?

· What do teachers perceive to be the barriers to teaching this kind of curriculum well (pp. 33-35)?

· Here is a quote from the article: “… in all the countries studied, the specific role of pre- vocational education is not just to help students to accumulate knowledge and facts but, rather, to prepare them holistically for the world of work and to help them become responsible economic citizens. In other words, pre-vocational education focuses much more on aspects of self-awareness, responsibility towards others, awareness of the world of work, a vocational orientation, and elements of general economic literacy (p. 35).” How important is this to our discussion surrounding curriculum development?

· Here is another quote from the article: “The main reason given for not having pre-vocational education as a separate subject within the curriculum was that it could not be accommodated within an already over-crowded core curriculum (p. 36).” How do we make tough choices between providing this type of education – if it is important to you – and the standard, content-oriented curriculum?

· I go back to the question I just asked in the previous bullet, especially when this may be true: “All the countries in the study identified the lack of confidence (or, in some cases, interest) that many teachers have in teaching pre-vocational education. For some, this was because they had not experienced the workplace themselves, but most saw teacher training as lacking in this area (p. 37).”

· Find an article, using a reputable source, that has to do with CTE, vocational education, work-place skills or readiness, economic literacy, etc. Find something that interests you in this context and about this content. Find something you would like to explore.

The Assignment

Based on your readings in The Saber-Tooth Curriculum, what you have found out about the Jump Start initiative, the article entitled, Pre-Vocational Education in Seven European Countries: A Comparison of Curricular Embedding and Implementation in Schools , and one more source of information, respond to the following:

· What are four interesting, thought-provoking questions that you think are important to ask in regard to curriculum development in the area associated with ensuring that students are prepared to enter the workforce? Why are these questions important and intriguing?

· In the format of an expository paper (see Format for Expository Paper in the Course Documents section in Moodle), ask and provide your answers to those questions. Your answers should be based on your readings. Justify the thoughts you propose.

Rubric for Checkpoint 2

Expository Paper	Total Points for Section	Content
	100	80-100	Accounts for all aspects required in the paper (four interesting, thought-provoking questions, why they are important and intriguing, the answers to those questions, with thoughts justified). References are made to at least four sources of information in APA format. Knowledge of the subject matter is comprehensive, in-depth and ranges over at least four specified sources of information. Understanding is demonstrated through an outstanding ability to grasp concepts and relate theory to practice. Writing skills include excellent mechanics, sentence structure, and organization. Application/analysis is demonstrated by grasping the inner relationship of concepts and excellent use of all specified supporting material.
		60-79	Accounts for most aspects required in the paper (four interesting, thought-provoking questions, why they are important and intriguing, the answers to those questions, with thoughts justified). References are made to less than four sources of information or there are issues with APA format. Knowledge of the subject matter is up to date and relevant. Understanding is demonstrated through a high level of ability to conceptualize essential ideas and relate theory to practice. Writing skills include significant mechanics, structure, and organization. Application/analysis is demonstrated by the ability to analyze and synthesize, independent analysis, and good use of specified supporting material.
		0-59	Accounts for some aspects required in the paper (four interesting, thought-provoking questions, why they are important and intriguing, the answers to those questions, with thoughts justified). References are made to some of the required sources of information and include APA formatting issues. Knowledge of the subject matter is relevant but not comprehensive. Understanding is demonstrated by some ability to conceptualize essential ideas and relate theory to practice. Writing skills include grammatical lapses and emotional responses are used in lieu of relevant points. Application/analysis is demonstrated through informed commentary with some evidence of genuine analysis and some use of specified supporting material.