Can the Curriculum Guide Both Emancipate and Educate
Teachers?
Can the Curriculum Guide Both Emancipate and Educate Teachers?An
Article Review by Muhammad Arif bin Mohd
Norkulis(2012459672)Radhiah Binti Mohd Hanafi (2013899754)JOURNALS
INFORMATIONJournals title is Can the Curriculum Guide Both
Emancipate and Educate TeachersWritten by Asher ShkediPublished in
1998Published by The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
What is this study about?Conducted via Qualitative-Ethnographic
InterviewThe article describes the impossibility of combining a
clear pedagogical-content approach while also allowing autonomy for
teachers using a curriculum. The main demographic (students) in
which the curriculum is designed towards are the Jewish youths and
their study of the Hebrew prophet, Jonah through the Book of Noah.
The 3 Main ApproachesDisciplinaryThe principles connected to the
composition of knowledge, known as structure of knowledge are
central to the curriculum. That is, there are principles, concepts,
basic assumptions, and methods of studying that distinguish each
content area from all other areas. The teachers function, according
to this understanding, is to provide students with the structures
of knowledge.NormativeThis conception assumes that the subject
matter presents ideas of truth and that the actions that follow
from them are good and desirable. In this approach, the role of the
teacher is first and foremost to ensure that the students learn the
subject matter and the messages implicit in it. Success is measured
by categories borrowed from a normative view of the subject
matterDidacticThis approach focuses the central message of the
curriculum on the proposed didactic system. This refers to
characteristics of learning activities, to the organization of
activities, to proposed learning tracks, and so forth. Accordingly,
the curriculum guide is seen as a means of exposing teachers to
appropriate didactic approaches.Didactic art was meant both to
entertain and to instruct. Didactic plays, for instance, were
intended to convey a moral theme or other rich truth to the
audience.What is the curriculum used here?There are three main
literature used in the curriculaCurriculum Awas written
centralizing on The Book of Jonah for the Middle Grades. The
curriculum package includes A student book with activities and
sources for studentsA teachers book that includes instructions for
teacher and solutions for activities in the student bookCurriculum
Bwas written for Jonah and Yom Kippur: Teaching Jewish Values. This
package is intended for Jewish youth living outside Israel,
although is used by some teachers in Israel. The curriculum package
includes Student sourcebookActivities workbook for students that
can be changed or added on toTeachers book that includes student
sources and activities and material guidelinesCurriculum Cwas
written for Jonah and Amos: For the Junior High School Student. The
package includesA teachers bookA source activities book for
student*Teachers book is essentially composed of the students book
with some additional comments and the side as well as several
introductoryu pages.
FINDINGSCurriculum A. Not one teacher (of twenty-three) thought
that the approach of this curriculum allows for or invites autonomy
by the teachers.Some even stated explicitly that the approach of
the curriculum does not allow them to be autonomous at
all.Curriculum B. Only three teachers (of thirty) felt that the
approach of the entire curriculum unit allows for autonomy.the
teachers distinguish, then, between the pedagogical-content
approach of the teachers guide, with its intellectual and
ideological message that is apparent nonautonomy, and the array of
activities that allow for a choice to relay autonomy.Curriculum C.
Only two teachers (of thirty) felt that the approach of the
curriculum limits their autonomy. the pedagogical-content direction
of the curriculum is seen by most of the teachers as general,
advised, nonobligatory guidelines only.Comment/OpinionCurriculum
must be clearly written/explainedCurriculum can be too rigid
Possibility to combine both pedagogical approach and autonomy to
the teachers in a curriculumAutonomy to the teachers (to what
extent)Teachers as curriculum developers
Autonomy to TeachersPOSITIVE Can exercise their creativity in
classAvoid from being predictable and too monotonousValue as a
teacher Cater to different learners styles
NEGATIVEWithout proper explanation, teachers might misuse the
freedom givenMight be difficult for new teachers with no
experienceOver-teaching/under-teaching
CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, the paper has uncovered several
facts:Teachers are able to identify the approaches that the writers
used when writing the curriculum (either disciplinary, normative
and didactic)The paper finds that Curriculum C is the most
autonomous, followed by Curriculum B which allows some autonomy and
finally Curriculum A which does not allow any autonomy
whatsoeverTeachers need to be involved in the curriculum writing
process, also, curriculum should be designed individually and
catering towards each teacher as everyone has their respective
preferences and style of teaching.
