BCM final

What does a curriculum involve?

Types of Curriculum

1. explicit - intended to be learned

2. implicit - unintended learning through educational environment

3. null - what schools don’t teach

Curriculum vs. Course of Study

Curriculum: Broader learning goals; the experience of the student

Course of Study: The way in which the student will achieve these outcomes

8 definitions of curriculum

1. content/subject matter

2. tasks

3. a program of planned activities

4. intended learning outcomes

5. experience'

6. cultural reproduction

7. an agenda for social reconstruction

8. “currere” - learning and reflecting on one’s own educational process

3 types of learning objectives

Behavioristic/Instructional: specific, observable, measurable. Must be known in advance, something the student can perform.

Problem-solving: solution is not definite (there are many possibilities)

Expressive: the consequence of a planned activity, the purpose need not precede the activity, it can be formulated in the process or grow out of the action.

Consequences of the Behavioristic, Positivistic, Scientific Tradition

Behavioristic: Emphasizes observable behaviors; often used in reward systems

Positivistic: Empirical observation and scientific methods

Scientific: Aim to understand how learners process information

Confusion in Church Curriculum (9 points)

1. Rigidity of tradition

2. Prevalence of Moralism

3. Imbalance of burden

4. Inadequacy of time

5. Subordination of priorities

6. Quality of program

7. Timidity of curriculum

8. Fragmentation of revelation (verse to verse)

9. Confusion of purpose

Shared Praxis: Definition and Theological Foundations

Def: Action or Practice…an exercise or practice of a skill, art, or science. Customary practice/conduct.

Theo: God is actively revealing himself to usher in His Kingdom, God’s self-disclosure occurs in and through human existence< revelation occurs through active engagement as agents of the Kingdom, revelation occurs through reflection on life more than exercises.

5 movements of Shared Christian praxis

• naming present action, critical reflection of present action, making accessible Christian story and vision, appropriate God’s story to student’s story, response for Christian faith.

The process of Learning (avenues of learning)

➢ Social Family Avenue: Structured Modeling—Spontaneous Modeling

➢ Conditioning Family Avenue: Cue Learning—Consequence Learning

➢ Info-Processing Family Avenue: Identification Learning—Inquiry Learning

Theories of Education

Bill McNabb: Perennialism – Acquiring Knowledge, Humanism – Personal Meaning/Values, Cognitivism – Thinking Process, Social Reconstruction – Meeting Social Needs.

Jim Wilhoit: Transmissive, Romantic, Developmental, transformational

George Knight: Perennialism, Humanism, Behaviorism, Reconstructionism

Experiential Education: (fill in the blank) and the 3 people who influenced him.

John Dewey

• Thomas Jefferson: students should have input/a voice! Democracy.

• William James (Harvard Prof): something practical must come from knowledge. "Knowledge for sake of knowledge is useless"

• Charles Darwin: environment matters! (animals adapt - humans do too) Evolution through natural selection-"survival of the fittest".

Dewian Principals

o Education finds its purpose in students

o Student is active, not passive

o Teachers role is advisor, coach, guide, mentor

o School is microcosm of larger society

o Atmosphere should be connective and democratic

3 Types of Learning Objectives

➢ Behavioral: Must be measured, so something the student can perform. Most useful in

transmissive education. I can teach you, give you the knowledge, even if you don't

believe it or can even discuss it. But you know it...like teaching the ten commandments.

➢ Problem Solving: must be measurable, but there can be multiple correct solutions. You

can set up at the beginning, and have a definite problem, and there is criterion: something

must be accomplished. But, the solution is open-ended.

➢ Expressive Outcome: The experience or activity precedes the defining of the outcome.

The outcome is what you end up with. It's basically justifying at the end what you learn

after the experience you put your students through. Example is going to a movie. Lends

itself towards a humanistic/cognitive philosophy of education.

8 Myths of Learning

➢ Learn best seated upright at a desk

➢ Perform better on tests in quiet environments

➢ Learn best in well illuminated areas

➢ Learn difficult subjects best early in the day

➢ Those who are not sitting still are not ready to learn

➢ Whole group learning is the best way to teach

➢ Students learn best in blocks of 40-55 minutes

➢ Students learn only what is on the screen

Learning Styles

➢ Accommodating - learn primarily from hands-on work. Enjoys carrying out plans and trying new things/new challenges. Prefers working with others in learning environments. Strengths = Getting things done, leading, taking risks, initiating, being adaptable and practical.

➢ Diverging - best at viewing concrete situations from many different points of view. Observe rather than take action. Strengths = being imaginative, understanding people, recognizing problems, brainstorming, being open-minded.

➢ Converging - best at finding practical uses for ideas and theories. Ability to solve problems…prefers technical tasks over interpretational issues. Strengths = solving problems, making decisions, reasoning, defining problems, being logical.

➢ Assimilating - best at understanding a wide range of information and making it concise and logical. Likes abstract concepts and ideas. Strengths = planning, creating models, defining problems, developing theories, being patient.

Lefever’s Creative Process

➢ Preparation: essentials, helps lay the foundation

➢ Incubation: you get an idea, then let it incubate. Think about it. Other

ideas come to mind.

➢ Illumination: Eureka stage, where you just can't write down your ideas fast enough

➢ Elaboration: The planning of it. The extensive working out of the details

➢ Verification: An evaluation stage. Does it fly? Did it meet your educational goal?

McNabb's Creative Teaching Methods

➢ The Eureka Principle: People are motivated to learn by learning itself.

➢ The Conehead Principle: People learn better when they experience

➢ The Sierra Club Principle: People learn better in a comfortable environment.

➢ The Yakety-Yak Principle: Discussion type setting helps people to learn better.

➢ The Action-Attitude Principle: People believe what they do more than they do what

they believe.

➢ The Agatha Christie Principle: People are motivated to learn when the answer is not

obvious.

➢ The Concrete Principle: People believe concrete stories much more than the data.

➢ The Travel Agent Principle: People learn most when they choose what to study.

➢ The Emoi Hellenike Estin Principle: Speak to People in their own language.

➢ The Show and Tell Principle: People learn better when they are challenged to be

creative.

➢ The Rotation Principle: People learn in a variety of situations by making memories

➢ The Samuel Principle: People learn better one-on-one

➢ The Who Cares Principle: People learn better from teachers who care about them

The Master Teacher (objectives, qualities, engaging teaching)

➢ Qualities of a Teacher: Jesus was congruent, reality oriented, and relational

➢ Objectives of Jesus: Holy Character, Priestly Service, Caring Community

➢ Christian Formation

➢ Community Formation

➢ Believing in People

➢ Servant-Teacher

➢ Engaging Teaching: Relevant, Authoritative, Effective, Creative, Engaging,

Developmental