Part 1) 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?
According to the “Curriculum policy and the politics of what should be learned in school” article, the curricula is developed through understanding the influence of federal and provincial government officials, Minister of Education, universities, and the public opinion. This article talked about how the role of the actual teachers and educators are at the bottom of the list, in which it is surprising to me to know that the people who are most likely to influence the students had little or no voice about their concerns for the students. I am also surprised to know that there are individuals who are demanding for more service and changes but expects to pay lower tax. If these individuals are expecting more from the government they should also help contribute for the materials and funding needed for a better service.
Part 2) After reading pages 1-4 of the Treaty Education document, what connections can you make between the article and the implementation of Treaty Education in Saskatchewan? What tension might you imagine were part of the development of the Treaty Education curriculum?
Both of the documents are influenced by experts that are most likely to see and teach based on their expertise. The treaty education curriculum also talked about building relationships, adding values to historical content, and acknowledging the importance of treaties. Both of the article is also greatly influenced by the government officials in which the decisions and curriculum is dependent on the knowledge of higher officials. In the article of treaty curriculum, it is stated that it is “mandatory instruction in history and content of the Treaties in the K-12 curriculum” (3). The problem that might occur in this curriculum is that there are individuals that does not acknowledge new development in the system because of the majority of White European ancestry in an education setting.
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