While reading Ben Levin’s article “Curriculum Policy and the Politics of What Should Be Learned in Schools” many different thoughts went through my head. Most of what I read mostly confirmed how I thought the curriculum was put together but some of it was surprising. The biggest thing that surprised me is the fact that the “formal curricula may have only a vague relationship to actual teaching and learning practices” (Levin, 2008, p. 17) Meaning that when creating the curriculum, how teachers will present these ideas in classrooms is not really thought about. I believe that how these concepts will be presented in classrooms should be a part of the discussion when creating the curriculum. Knowing that there is only a vague relationship between the formal curriculum and actual teaching practises leaves me to wonder how the creators of the curriculum expect teachers to follow their guidelines? It was also eye-opening to read about how politicians will create conflict in order to gain attention (Levin, 2008, p. 13). If the curriculum is so closely connected to politics what does this mean then for the creation of the curriculum. Do people create conflicts about different subjects to gain attention? For example, Sex Education in schools is controversial so does this mean that people will create conflict relating to Sex Education to remove it from the curriculum? It is my belief that although the creation of the curriculum is a part of a large debate it should focus around what is in the best interest of the students. How teachers will present the ideas in the curriculum and how students will learn it should be the number one concern.
In “Professional-Led Curriculum Development” it makes clear the fact that teachers have very little involvement in the creation of the curriculum. This concerns me because in my opinion teachers should play a large role in its creation since they are the ones presenting it. Since the curriculum is so complicated it would only make sense to allow teachers to be involved in its creation so they know how to go about interacting with it. Not only should the curriculum’s creation involve teachers but through this reading I have discovered the importance of involving parents, people from the community, and even students. Before reading this article, I was not aware of who was involved in the curriculum’s creation but after reading this I have a better understanding of not only its creation but its importance. This article leaves me questioning why teachers do not have a larger involvement and why is their involvement not a priority? It only makes sense to involve teachers because they have the skills and knowledge to create a master piece.
References
Levin, B. (2008). Curriculum policy and the politics of what should be learned in schools. In F. Connelly, M. He & J. Phillion (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of curriculum and instruction (pp. 7 – 24). Los Angeles, CA: Sage. Available on-line from: http://www.corwin.com/upm-data/16905_Chapter_1.pdf.
The Saskatchewan Way: Professional-Led Curriculum Development. Available on-line from: https://www.stf.sk.ca/sites/default/files/the_saskatchewan_way_professional_led_curriculum_development.pdf
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