Taking Ownership of curricular innovation

 

"..one of the consequences of our approach to reform is that the curriculum gets narrowed as school district policies make it clear that what is to be tested is what is to be taught" Eisner, (eds.) p.299.    

   I teach ELA and SAT/ACT prep. in various international schools- IB, IGCSE, and American- in Cairo, Egypt. In almost all of these schools, I was specifically asked by management to focus on preparing students for their finals i.e. SAT, ACT, or APs. When a department head is available s/he usually picks the lessons that address said finals. This meant that lessons that are not relevant to the finals have, in the eyes of school management, less value in class than others. For example, in my last school, I was specifically asked to include SAT exercises in every ELA session. Consequently, the lesson plan for a literature session, for example, must include set time for said exercises, significantly reducing the time allotted for literature. 

   This orientation is usually communicated, directly or indirectly, to teachers and students who start to intentionally neglect all other educational aspects that do not relate to the final tests. This means that non-core subjects like, Arts and PE, become neglected as they do not contribute to the final score. On one hand, teachers start to plan their lessons and activities around "training" students on taking the finals as opposed to "preparing" them to be life long learners. 

"..issues including dramatic demographic changes, policy changes, globalization, emerging technologies, and concerns surrounding refugees and immigration remain challenging for both school settings and teacher educators" (Hasan, A. et al., 2017). 

   This is exceptionally true in Egypt as the fees for international education have risen dramatically due to high demand from families who want the best education for their children. Consequently, this shifts the emphasis from wholesome education to mere training which, in turn, raises many questions about schooling real emphasis Smith, M. K. (2005). In the teachers' lounge, most of our conversations used to revolve around coming tests and how to prepare students for them. I should also mention here that teachers showed almost the same level worry about finals as much as the students themselves or their parents. 

   The reason for this, in my opinion, is multilayered: school districts emphasize only the role of common core; schools usually concentrate on students final results as an indicator to their success as an educational establishment which in turn means more applicants in the future and thus, more profit; teachers tend to follow school policy by orienting each lesson to serve the final test; students, in turn, regard all that is irrelevant to the final test as unimportant and unnecessary; parents are for the most part concerned with the graduation of their children rather than their development. 

    In my opinion, there is a need to make students cognitive development as important as their scores on their final tests. This should start with the policy makers. In other words, school districts should communicate, to all stakeholders, that curricular innovation alone is neither enough nor does it stop at the curriculum itself but transcends it to reflect educators own synthesization of it. Stakeholders in this situation are school management, educators, parents/guardians, and students. Said stakeholders should also strive to self educate about the underlying principles and/or theory behind curricular innovation in order to be able to see a clearer goal, each on his turf. 

References

 Eisner, E.  What does it mean to say a school is doing well?.  In Flinders, D. J., &   Thornton, S. J. (Eds.), The Curriculum Studies Reader, Fourth Edition (pp.297-305). New York, NY: Routledge. Retrieved from: https://chrisdavidcampbell.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/eisener-2001.pdf

Hasan, A. et al (2017)  Meeting the Challenges of Curriculum and Instruction in School Settings in the United States.  Journal of Social Studies Education Research. retrieved from  https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1162276.pdf

Smith, M. K. (2005) ‘Elliot W. Eisner, connoisseurship, criticism and the art of education’, The encyclopedia of pedagogy and informal education, www.infed.org/thinkers/eisner.htm

Jerick T., (2015), Curriculum development curriculum issues, concerns and responses. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/JerickTeodoro1/curriculum-development-curriculum-issues-concerns-and-responses-49630682

On Effective Learning Environments

I attended a French Jesuit school in Cairo, Egypt and I currently teach ELA and SAT/ACT prep. courses. I have been teaching/training for almost 15 years and have taught national and international curricula.

Oxford's Language Dictionary concisely defines learning as "the acquisition of knowledge and/or skills through study, experience, or being taught" and I believe this definition is applicable to all learners regardless of their diversity. Generally speaking, I have experienced, in one capacity or another, many of the challenges that could hinder the learning process. The causes of these challenges were sometimes management or student related and most of the times were teacher related. It is up to the teacher to construct an adequate learning environment conducive to effective learning. Further development of said environment has virtually no limits but it always has to start at the same place, the teacher's intention. In other words, it is the teacher who decides to choose a teacher-centered or a student-centered instructional approach. It is up to the teacher to choose to enrich the learning experience with engaging activities and look for and recognize different types of learners as well as their educational and developmental needs.

Factors like constructing adequate classroom design, setting the rules with students and reaching an agreement on academic and behavioral expectations, utilizing effective communication techniques, and being prepared and resilient are some of the key elements that affect students' learning process and are all in the hands of the teacher. A teacher's preparedness starts by learning different learning theorem to gain an understanding of the stages of the learning process as well as the factors that directly affect it. For example, understanding the Neuroscience behind learning will give the teacher an insight on how information and emotions are processed in a student's mind.

In conclusion, I believe that it is the teacher who has the responsibility and the power to construct, manage, and maintain an effective learning environment.

What Is Culture?

1.     What is culture and why is it important for business managers to have an understanding of cultural differences among countries?

I remember my English language teacher saying that culture and nature are the two most challenging words for lexicographers to define. Notwithstanding, I think one could endeavor and write own view of culture. On a macro level, culture is the sum of habits, beliefs, and artistic model accumulated and shared over several centuries by a large group of people. Language, religion, and geopolitical boundaries are factors we usually take into consideration when identifying culture types. On a micro level, culture is also synonymous to certain ideologies and/or behaviors one must adopt or adapt-to to be able to seamlessly fit into any society. The 20^th century witnessed an unprecedented technological revolution especially in the communication and transportation fields. These advancements resulted in an even bigger economic boom that encompassed literally every sovereign country worldwide. Politically, we see neighboring countries form regional commercial alliances on nearly every continent. The world is on its way to become one big hyper-market or department-store where customer is the undisputed king. Commercially-open borders and trade liberation treaties have encouraged many organizations to venture internationally. Having previously learned the hard way, international brands now know how important it is to invest in cultural awareness because it has a direct influence on the success of any international business transaction. We also see this in branding where international brands adapt to specific-market preferences. Furthermore, cultural awareness is important for companies that employ employees from different nationalities to ensure a homogeneous work environment.

 

2.     List and explain 3 different layers of culture.

Though there have been different interpretations of culture, the example where culture is compared to an onion, in terms of apparent and subtle layers, is the most frequently used analogy. In this analogy, culture is considered to have three different layers. the outer layer of the onion represents the most tangible or apparent aspect of culture like attire, language, and food. The second layer represents a less visible aspect of culture: typical customs and behavior (norms), and their justification (values). The innermost layer of the onion is what is called implicit or intangible culture. It includes sets of basic rules and methods deeply embedded in individuals that they have become second nature, yet challenging for an outsider to understand.

 

3.     Identify and discuss 5 different cultural universals.

Cultural universals are general commonalities that are shared by most cultures to some degree. In a way, they highlight attributes shared by different cultures around the globe. Examples of cultural universals are listed hereafter:

1.     Environment: all cultures have adapted to their environments in some manner. This is apparent in national dress and cuisine.

2.     Economics: every society has its own economic structure in which goods and services are provided. We always find set rules for everyday trade, barter, jobs, and forms of currency.

3.     Beliefs: every culture has a set of strong beliefs so embedded in the collective mind and believed to be undisputed facts. Religion and views on marriage and sexual morality are examples of such beliefs,

4.     Language: every culture has its own version of preferred communication language. Even in vast regions that host multiple cultures that share the same language, we find each individual culture has added its own twist to it.

5.     Art: all cultures have their own national treasure. Be it painting, myths, singsong, folktales that distinguish each culture from the rest.

 

4.     What relationship, if any, exists between culture and language?

One of the definitions of the adjective “Homologous” is “similar in position, structure, and evolutionary origin but not necessarily in function” (Google translation). The relationship between culture and language is often complex and entangled. Languages are inherently created by cultures yet we see evidence of cultures being greatly influenced by language. Some also view language as a key component of culture.

 

5.     Explain the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis of linguistic relativity!

Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf proposed the theory of linguistic relativity which hypothesized that a particular language may affect the speaker’s perception or own-model of the world. Similarly, there are certain thoughts that maybe understood more when conveyed in one language over another. In other words, people in a specific culture use language to convey thoughts that reflect said culture’s norms and values. This is also apparent in Semantic Relativity where certain words in a given language may trigger corresponding images or thoughts in the minds of native speakers of said language and not foreigners, even if they spoke that language fluently.  

Complete SAT resources and tests with answers

Click here to access SAT folder on my google drive