what do/should we teach?

WHAT DO WE TEACH?

Tuğba Boz16th of December, 2011

1.) What are the functions of curriculum from a sociological perspective?2.) What do curriculum content include from an institutionalist perspective?3.) What are the elements of developing a modern curriculum content?

Introduction

EDUCATION- ALLOCATION OF PEOPLE INTO ROLES:WHAT ROLES?

Economic & Occupational

Political & Organizational

Personel & Familial

PRESERVING THE EXISTING CLASSES

It preserves the existing class, gender and ethical/ racial hierarchies.Dominant ethnic, cultural, gender forces may use the educational system to reinforce their dominance and gain advantages in educational selection.

2.) What do curriculum content include from an institutionalist perspective?

“Society can survive only if there exists amongst its members a sufficient degree of homogeneity; education perpetuates and reinforces this homogeneity by fixing in the child from the beginning the essential similarities which collective life demands.” Durkheim

CultureIndividualismELECTIVES IN THE CURRICULUM

By resting on a broad culture creating & emphasizing shared knowledge and values- language/ literature/

history/ religion and arts- music classes

SOCIETAL DEVELOPMENT- THE GOALS OF IMAGINED COMMUNITIES

All are to be citizen- persons leading to a democratic society.

SOCIETAL DEVELOPMENT- THE GOALS OF MODERN COMMUNITIES

Mass educational systems are fundamentally engaged in a project of constructing individuals.

CURRICULAR CHANGE IS often better predicted by evolving models in the world society than any local pressures of function and interest. These changes go on in extremely poor countries or third world more rapidly. Innovations in STS reforms find expression in primary school books much earlier than The USA, France or Germany.

Global Level

E F F E C T O F C H A N G E O NC u r r i c u l u m C o n t e n t

National Level

District Level

DISTRICT CONCERNS

PEOPLE’S UNIVERSALIZED

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

INDIVIDUALISM

TRANSNATIONAL ELEMENTS

MODERNENTELLECTUALS

NATIONAL CULTURE/ CONCERNS/ NEEDS

DEVELOPING MODERN CURRICULUM

Authors summarize their points/ arguments/ observations on

contemporary school curricula based on evidence and hypothesis.

IN TURKEY

I will integrate their findings with our contemporary school curricula based

on observation and research.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Traditional national and civilizational history built around

political and military development of the state and geography of the

sacred national territory are weakened and receive less

emphasis.

VS. The substance covers both local

and international matters, in part removed from tied boundaries of time and space; there is a chapter on the Dakota- a state in US-, then on African family and community,

then on local community.

IN TURKEY

covers both local and international matters, in part

removed from tied boundaries of time and space;

…..covers both local and international matters, in part removed from tied boundaries of time and space ?? DOES IT REALLY?

SCIENCE

Students learn to think about science as related to their own

identities, activities and interests, and are less obliged to know tight

bundles of official knowledge. They learn more about

• the rain forests, • drought,

• recycling and • less about the length of the

rivers, • the types of clouds long lists of

plants etc.

IN TURKEY

They learn more about • the rain forests,

• drought, • recycling and

• less about the length of the rivers,

• the types of clouds long lists of plants

etc.

DO THEY REALLY?

LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE

The literature is no longer the sacred canon of national and

civilizational texts; any text that engages students can be used to

spread beliefs and ideas and broaden understanding.

It lets students choose among literatures of all sorts: science

fiction, romance novels reflecting feminist/ ethnic perspectives from anywhere in the world.

IN TURKEY

MATHS

There is a shift from the most traditional and

deductive structures , like geometry and

trigonometry, toward an understanding and collecting of data,

applications of statistics, computer analysis and the

like.

CIVICS

The student is to learn broader principles of human rights and responsibility, of democratic- political

structure, and of the wider international and

ecological environment.

The students learns them from a validated individual

point of view. An understanding of political system is more important than detailed knowledge

of government.

IN TURKEY

The Traditionalists: • Curriculum is on the way of being destroyed. •Students no longer learn real history/ geography, or real disciplined science or literature or artistic cultural traditions.•American students cannot find Atlanta on map or cannot properly separate sentences into grammatical units and cannot make calculations correctly and do not know what the Civil War was or was about.

ANY QUESTIONS?

THANKS FOR LISTENING

Reference: THE CONTENT OF CURRICULUM:An Institutionalist PerspectivebyElizabeth McEneaney & John Meyer