Grade 11 and 12 Curriculum Critique Curriculum a term with a wide range of definition, for example, Bobbitt explains curriculum as “series of things which children and youth must do and experience by way of developing abilities to do the things well...” (Flinders & Thornton, 2017, p.13). Another explanation by Harden who states curriculum is “a formal course of study that the students completed” (as cited by Wayne Au, in Flinders & Thornton, 2017, p.295). Overall (combining both explanations) the definition of curriculum is “the lessons and academic content taught in a school or in a specific course or program” (The glossary of Education Reform). The curriculum is one of the fundamental elements of effective schooling and teaching. The Curriculum …show more content…
Also, it explains that when planning a science class teachers need to put into consideration other factors such as ELL students, students with special needs, culture, and many more.
This document lists all the expectations that teachers need to meet for each form of Grade 11 and 12 science courses (Physics, chemistry, biology, etc…), but I will be concentrating on the grade 11 and 12 university level Biology course. This paper will be critiqued using the perspectives of the following
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“…Curriculum standards that specify what students are to learn. (Flinders & Thornton, 2017, p.279)
Biology is not a subject that should not be confined only to the general facts such as DNA structure, cell structure, etc. But it should be more open to informing students about the discoveries that are made in biology. That way children especially grade 11, and 12 students will be aware of what is happening in the world and the findings that have occurred.
Overall, “The Ontario Curriculum Grade 11 and 12; Science” document will be observed from four different angles, first how to teach biology in a “spirited” way (Montessori), second the organization of the topics (Eisner). Third, the effect of high-stakes testing and there effect on curriculum (Au). Finally how standardized curriculum does not have to be confined but a bit more open (Sleeter and Stillman).
Reference:
The glossary of Education Reform. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.edglossary.org/curriculum/
Flinders, D. J., & Thornton, S. J. (2004). The curriculum studies reader. Psychology
Giving this opportunity, I can say when it comes to being a scientist my small teacher focuses more on the bigger picture than the actual findings of assignments. For example, during the Owl Pellet observation he focused more on the overall owl pellet like how it looked, smelled, etc. but instead of wanting to analyze what was inside of it. Realizing how much his focus normally is on the bigger pictures shows how much teachers should stress how important other things such as predictions, hypothesis, etc. are when it comes to analyzing science experiments.
The Australian curriculum has been designed for children in their schooling years from foundation to year twelve. Currently the curriculum has covered four learning areas (English, Mathematics, Science and History) from kindergarten to year ten. “The Australian Curriculum describes knowledge, skills and understanding organised by learning areas.” (ACARA, 2010 d). Each learning area contains a: rationale – describing the nature of learning, aims – the intended result of learning from the curriculum, year level description, strands – interrelated broad organisers for the content in each learning area, content descriptions – describe what teachers are expected to teach, content elaborations – content description sup...
Franklin Bobbitt in The Curriculum writes: ‘The central theory [of curriculum] is simple. Human life, however varied, consists in the performance of specific activities. Education that prepares for life is one that prepares definitely and adequately for these specific activities. People need the abilities, attitudes, habits, appreciations and forms of knowledge and these will be the objectives of the curriculum. The curriculum will then be that series of experiences which children and youth must have by way of obtaining those objectives.’ (Bobbit...
I had the pleasure of observing Mrs. Smith 11tth and 12th grade AP Biology course at St. Paul School for girls. During my observation, I noticed that Mrs. Smith displayed a strong interaction between her and her students. There were no challenges that hindered her ability to effectively communicate and interact with her students. She had a great communication with her students because she listened to their concerns and problems and guided them through numerous strategies that helped strengthen their problem solving skills. For example, a student was working with a microscope and had a difficult time cell staining a certain cell component. Mrs. Smith encouraged her to repeat her process and listened to her while she verbally explained the procedure
...m while having freedom to choose how to teach it. This allows the curriculum to become more personable. Teachers currently associate curriculum with government mandates. They believe that curriculum is what they are told to teach instead of what is desired to learn. Curriculum in the educational setting, according to Pinar, is intended to be used to teach us to think intellectually, sensitively, and with courage to prepare us to be individuals committed to other individuals.
This course and as in Honors Biology, we were taught in a more oneself teaching rather than a lecture. I like the idea of not having a lecture, but when the teacher took a day to do a quick overview of each chapter, I learned the material and understood the material the best. I wish that we had that in each unit because I truly do like biology and when I understand a new concept fully it made me feel 10 times more comfortable on the test and the
When children are getting ready for their first day of school, they have no idea what is in store for them. Their mom’s and dad’s take them to get their first school supplies and new backpacks. What they don’t realize is that at the same time, their soon-to-be teachers are making the curriculums for the upcoming school year. When the word curriculum is used people have a general idea of what it means, but there has never been an agreed upon definition of the word. It has been said “Educational practitioners, theorists, and researchers have used the term curriculum in various ways, with no definitions universally accepted. Among the definitions currently used are the following: A course of study; derived from the Latin Currerere, meaning to run a course, Subject matter; the information or knowledge that students are to learn, Planned learning experiences, Intended learning outcomes; the results of instruction as distinguished from the means of instruction, All the experiences that students have while at school or in a non school educational program, and The experiences, both planned and unplanned, that enhance (and sometimes impede) the education and growth of students.”(Parkay and Hass, 2000 p. 2) All of those definitions are correct. A curriculum can have many differing definitions, but each definition has the common theme that a curriculum allows for some type of experience that expands intellect. The importance of Early Childhood Curriculums is a huge part in a child’s learning that can set the stage for their entire academic career.
Researchers (Morris & Hamm, 1976; Ellis, 2004; Beauchamp, 1982) assert in their research that although literature around curriculum theory provides definitions that are inconsistency, school districts, and scholars who emerge themselves in the study of curriculum reach some consensus on its definition. To that in, our initial research question stems from examining if The Oxford English Dictionary definition of curriculum proves sufficient in providing a detailed justification of the term or does it merely scratch the surface of age-old discussion about why is there such controversy centered around the variance in the meaning of curriculum theory? Having a Latin origin equaling that of a course or career, Ellis (2004) records The Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of curriculum as “a course: specifically, a regular course of study or training, as at a school or university,” (p.
Students in America have been lacking on science scores compared to the international scores from other countries. It is well-known that science can help move civilization to the next level, but it all starts in school.
Curriculum is the organized framework that explains the content that children are to learn, the processes through which children achieve the identified curricular goals, what teachers do to help children achieve these goals and the context in which teaching and learning occur. The best curriculum for early childhood teacher is developmentally appropriate curriculum that allows teachers to set-up an effective learning environment for children.
Pratt, H., Bybee, R. W., National Science Teachers Association, & National Research Council (U.S.) (2012). The NSTA reader's guide to a framework for K-12 science education. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
By incorporating NOS in science textbooks, not only we will be addressing the problem suggested by Sutton (1998), but, also, as teachers, we will be reinforcing scientific expertise needed in to develop active citizens while attaining two roles in scientific understandings that are “knowing how” science was established and “knowing that” which is constituted of facts and scientific knowledge (Bellous &Siegel, 1991). Finally, Sutton’s chapter provides a concise framework for teachers and research scholars to view science teaching and scientific knowledge from a different perspective. Such that the science content and teaching should be viewed from the scientists’ perspective to the extent that collaboration between scientific community is needed to reach such
The rationale for teaching elective biology at the SHS level include the fact that the survival of humans and the development of nations would ever depend more and more on science and technology. Biology however, as a branch of natural science is devoted to the study of life and activities of all living things from bacteria to high plants and animals. The survival of humans nevertheless depends greatly on the knowledge and understanding of the structure and functions of organisms and how they interact with one another and the environment. Therefore, the need to teach biology ultimately is to explain the living world in terms of scientific principles although
Since then, Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction has been a standard reference for anyone working with curriculum development. Although not a strict how-to guide, the book shows how educators can critically approach curriculum planning, studying progress and retooling when needed. Its four sections focus on setting objectives, selecting learning experiences, organizing instruction, and evaluating progress. Readers will come away with a firm understanding of how to formulate educational objectives and how to analyze and adjust their plans so that students meet the objectives. Tyler also explains that curriculum planning is a continuous, cyclical process, an instrument of education that needs to be fine-tuned.
A curriculum is a compilation of study materials that are used at all grade levels, classroom and homework assignments and a set of teacher guides. It could also include a list of prescribed methodology and guidelines of teaching and some material for the parents etc. It is generally determined by an external governing body. However, there are some cases where it may be developed by the schools and teachers themselves.