ECS 203

In this week’s readings we got to take a closer and deeper look at theories of learning and if we can connect those theories to different curriculum models. The first theory we looked at was behaviourism which focuses on how the environment influences our behaviour. Behaviorism is also connected to the objectivist learning theory which is when the teacher has control of what and how the students learn, this can be seen as the teacher lecturing and using the textbook. Which concluded that the student must learn the content themselves. This theory looks deeper into human behaviour and the stimuli that is involved. It was stated that, "Human behaviour is above all seen as predictable and controllable. Behaviourism thus stems from a strongly objectivist epistemological position", (Pressbooks). The behaviourism theory is connected to the product model. They both show how the teachers are like robots and do not want to challenge their students. They also both show that curriculum i...

According to the Levin article, how are school curricula developed and implemented? What new information/perspectives does this reading provide about the development and implementation of school curriculum? Is there anything that surprises you or maybe that concerns you?     In Curriculum Policy and the Politics of What Should be Learned in Schools Ben Levin describes the curricula being built by different people which include the government, teachers, experts in certain fields ... But overall the government has the larger authority of the curriculum and what it is supposed to be composed of. The school curriculum goes through a long process of getting produced that can take up to several years. It brings together experts and sector representative to create a draft. Teachers and staff are also included in this as well but they do not get much authority. They will also look at the old curriculum to see what they can add on to, improve or cut out of the education s...

During the two readings for this week in A History in Education and Against Common Sense, I was able to gain a deeper knowledge of commonsense, why students have certain behaviors in the classroom and the history of education. There are a lot of ways to show your teacher that you are a good student according to common sense. If you show up to class on time, only talk when you are asked, participate in classroom discussions, submit your work on time, sit still, and much more.  Overall society has shaped what students should behave and act like in the classroom. But this thought does not go with every student, therefore, creating "bad" students. Kumarshio stated,"M did not followinstructions well... M was resrless if requred to sit for too long and rowdy if reqiured to sit quietly for to long, and often spoke loudly, espexially when unwilling to take turns speaking". Kumarshio was dealing with a student that was going against Kumarshio's class expectations, ther...

During this week's readings, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum, common sense, and certain benefits and drawbacks of the curriculum. During the reading of The Problem of Common Sense  Kumashiro defines common sense as what everyone should know and was taken for granted. It is important to pay attention to common sense because common sense can be different for different parts of the world and cultures. Common sense can be accepted and used in one society but can be very different from another's society. Kumashiro stated, "Like life in the village, at first life at the school was equally disconcerting, and it simply took me time to learn what to others was simply common sense". Kumashiro was from a US school which compared to the Nepal schools had very different common sense teaching and learning practices. This soon created issues between Kumashiro and the students and also the faculty. The teacher and faculty had different ideas about how to l...