October+22nd

~Meg

Curriculum as the "weak " link? Seems incredulous, but true. The analogy of learning a new instrument every hour that is not connected to a single piece of music really brings really paints a picture for how insane schools' approach to curriculum can be (Tchudi & Mitchell, p. 69). Where is the "orchestration" of content areas? I find it interesting that E/LA teachers are the most guilty of not presenting elements of "English" as a symphony, rather it is greatly fragmented, particularly at the elementary level. Speaking, listening, viewing, reading and writing can be seamlessly accomplished throughout all lessons in the ELA classroom. Although, once again, it may take a "seductive teacher" to actually make that a reality in the classroom. Teacher regress to the mean; it is "easier" to do mini-lessons than to synthesize instruction that incorporates all learner outcomes found in ELA curriculum.

Middle school is ripe with opportunities to take advantage of "blended" learning as much of the instruction across disciplines are organized by units. High schools, driven by nationalized partitions of I II III & IV, fairs no better. The problem lies in the view that curriculum is a "thing" or "product" verses "action" or "process". ELA curriculum is not fixed. It must be flexible enough to meet the unique strengths and needs of students in a given context. According to T &M, ELA must be deconstructed via collaboration, experimentation and new construction. Most important is the integrity is which teachers possess to reconnect the broken pieces of ELA scope and sequence.

The "developmental" approach is really a homage to the work of Dewey, where students' voice drive curricular choices. In this way, teaching becomes a prepositional phrase where teachers teach //through, around, under, over, & within// mandated local curriculum that appropriately scaffolds ALL students in purposefully connected ELA content. Why is this so hard? Again it falls back to integrity; teachers' ethical and moral compass. Blurg.

~ Lisa