Curriculum: What Will They Remember?
The past week was a difficult time for my 3rd grade son; within the span of three days, he had three “practice” tests, four “real” tests, and a presumably “real” quiz. I’ve shared my thoughts on assessment before, but our long study sessions at the kitchen table gave me cause to reflect on the nature of curriculum, particularly as it relates to content, skills, and long-term retention.
Although there is no shortage of cognitive research on the matter, my son’s study of “supply and demand” immediately brought to mind the now infamous “Five Minute University” bit from Saturday Night Live alum Father Guido Sarducci. I first came across this gem about a year ago thanks to Kathy, our Learning Specialist, and recently saw it again on Vicki Davis’ blog. If you’ve never seen it before (or are in need of a Bachelor’s Degree but are pressed for time and money), it’s definitely worth a look:
In all fairness, you might remember more about Spanish, economics or theology than the good Father asserts, but for many of us, he’s spot-on in describing our college experience. But what about K-12 education? Surely our students will take away more than “como esta usted” or “God is everywhere” after 13 years of following a carefully-crafted curriculum?! The short answer is that it depends on how we balance and approach the teaching of content and skills.
Content is important; you can’t scaffold knowledge unless you have some building blocks of information with which to work. Unfortunately, there is an abundance of content that is taught in isolation from any skills that would make the material meaningful and relevant. The quiz on the Amish my son prepared for is a prime example; none of the facts on any of the worksheets we reviewed were tied to anything that would engage his mind beyond rote memorization. Within a month, the Amish unit will be reduced to “buggies and straw hats” and he will have retained nothing of their rich cultural heritage.
For those who may take issue with the idea that much of our curriculum is completely forgettable, I will again refrain from scholarly citations and instead share a clip made in the spirit of Sarducci by a student at San Francisco State University. Although his film is dedicated to Middle School history, I think there is a lesson there for all of us:
March 9th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I read somewhere that school should spend more time on overarching concepts rather than specific events.
For example, a unit on “Revolution” might compare the American Revolution to the French and Russian Revolutions. An even more open unit might explore “wars” and include anything from the Battle of Trafalgar to Vietnam.
At some point in the educational process, students need to be able to make comparisons, draw conclusions grasp the larger picture.The United States only occupies a small corner of the globe; it’s history is not the entire history of civilization.
If they are to function as global citizens, our children need to expand their vision.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
It would seem that something like Understanding by Design aims to combat this notion of covering material for the sake of doing so. What is truly important for students to comprehend, to understand? Identifying these strands and operating a more “intentional” curriculum, one that shows the links between concepts, as opposed to compartmentalizing, out to be our goal. Elementary schools have a system in place that would seem to allow this to happen more easily. Students have a difficult time making connections between what we, as instructors, teach and present. Taking skills from one class and applying them to the next is a challenge. Whether it requires being more transparent, or helping them to draw these connections, teaching must be more intentional.