Our Curriculum

Ayers talks about questions he asks of himself, in chapter 5 titled "Liberating the Curriculum" in his book To Teach, to help him develop curriculum. I like this idea immensely; asking myself questions weekly or even daily to make sure the curriculum I have for my students is reaching the goals I have for them. With the ultimate goal of becoming lifelong learners with an active role in the community, I have come up with the following questions to ask myself when I am planning curriculum for my students.

Are my expectations and the students' expectations high? Studies have shown that if teachers have high expectations for their students the students in turn progress more than if teachers did not have high expectations. I want to take this a step further and have my students hold themselves accountable with high expectations. This does not mean not making mistakes but when a mistake is made to understand that it is part of learning and use that mistake to better ourselves and our learning.

Are multiple different learning styles being utilized? I want to have hands on materials used for discovery, as well as movement, group work and independent reflection so to help all different learning styles benefit from the curriculum. Group work is especially important as to supporting a community and many students will need to be able to work with a wide variety of individuals in the work place later on in life.

Is the work productive? Is the work my students are doing engaging but also getting us to our goals? I remember on many occasions when in middle school or high school the teacher would give us "busy work", work to fill the time and keep on busy on the topic that was being discussed. But this work was not engaging or of much interest to me. And even more importantly I am not sure how much it really helped me learn or think critically. I want the curriculum I have to engage my student s but still help them reach their goals in learning.

Is the work engaging and of interest to the students? I keep thinking engaging, engaging, engaging, but what does this mean? I do not want my students to sit passively through their education. To have the opposite occur I need to be on topics that are of interest to them, to create an environment of engagement and not one of idle learning. I want my students to be able to pick topics of learning and discussion and not as Ayers says, "take-this-pill-because-I-know-its good-for-you," type of learning.

Are students aware of problems within the school, classroom, and community? To be an active member in a community I would want my students to be aware of issues and problems that arise in communities. To start this kind of class discussion I need to create a welcoming, respectful and diverse environment. Does my curriculum reflect this diversity? Will all students feel welcomed in my classroom? Moreover because of this I need to know my students and develop a relationship not just with the group as a whole but each individual. I am also not suggesting that we solve all the world's problems overnight but have a "revolving door" on discussion. Also the issues discussed may range from war and the moral ethical ramifications to what it means to be a friend.

Realistically these questions are challenging and may not always be answered in a positive way every day. But by having these questions I hope to not only challenge my students but myself as a teacher daily to do the best teaching and provide the best learning I can to my students. I would also want my students to be aware of what I am trying to do for them with the curriculum. Communicating to them my goals may help them reach their own as well. Overall I want my students to be able to take an active role in their education and learning. I want to be the facilitator but not always the leader. This kind of a classroom would be very energetic, messy, challenging, and engaging from the students having an active role in their education. I like to think that the students and I are a team trying to ask more questions and learn more together.