Before Reading:
I have had an understanding for quite a while that the curriculum has been solely government mandated and that all control and authority to make curriculum changes lie in the hands of the government. The teachers, school boards, communities, and especially the students, from my understanding, had and have no true influence in the curriculum. After Reading: I think that how the curriculum is created depends a lot on the area being looked upon. Levin discusses, “curriculum [is] developed by governments or other sanctioned authorities for standard use in schools across a state, province, or country” (pg.7). Sometimes including multiple perspectives into deciding how curriculum is created can cause problems. Levin raises a good point when he states, “people will disagree over what should be included in each subject and what should be included at various age levels for students. Should spelling be taught explicitly? If so, when? How much of their own country’s history and geography should students learn as opposed to that of other countries? Should all students learn algebra? Should all students- or any- be required to study Shakespeare?” (pg.14). I agree that if too many individuals are included in deciding curriculum, there can be too many opinions in the mix. What is both surprising and concerning to me is the number of responsibilities that the people who create and implement the curriculum have to account for. Levin elaborates, “schools are seen as the place where children will be inoculated against all social ills or taught all the virtues from street proofing to AIDS, anti-smoking, drinking, and drug abuse education. Schools are expected to prevent bullying, obesity, and anorexia while also eliminating racism and promoting equity in all its forms” (pg.14). I think that the amount of pressure to address so many needs, issues, topics, and various subjects provides a lot of pressure on both the people literally creating the curriculum and the teachers that have to work with it. I think it is concerning that teachers have no say in certain cases about anything that gets put into the curriculum. The teachers are the individuals that are directly assessing the needs that students have and learning about the things that interest them. To conclude, Levin states, “depending on national governance arrangements, schools or districts have varying degrees of control- from almost none to quite substantial- over the formal curriculum” (pg.16). I think that curriculum could use more input from teachers and those directly working with the students. Involving the students has its positives and negatives depending on the group. I think it would be better to provide students with options or the opportunity to express what they would like to see in curriculum and then have that input be considered when creating the document. Levin, B. (2008). Curriculum policy and the politics of what should be learned in schools. In F. Connelly, M. He & J. Phillion (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of curriculum and instruction (pp. 7 – 24). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.Available on-line from: http://www.corwin.com/upm-data/16905_Chapter_1.pdf
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