It seems to me that all of these academics are afraid to come to a decision; no one wants to give a definitive definition of curriculum. When we studied culture, no one wanted to give a definitive definition for culture. I think curriculum should be a series of outcome expectations, not the method of delivery. I believe the best curriculums use the Understanding by Design model offered by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (1998). They suggest that curriculum writers begin with the end in mind. Decide what we believe our students need to learn, and then design the best program to help the teacher and students achieve those goals. Each teacher will use different strategies and methods to achieve the end result.
As far as social skills training, that is one of the buzzwords in education these days. All schools in the OCDSB are now required to have a character education program in place. A recent CBC back to school survey revealed that social skills training is one of the highest priorities for parents with regards to their children's education.
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Lauren…
The fact that you use the model suggesting that curriculum writers should begin with the end in mind is the way that authors in general tend to write. By knowing what the destination is can help guide you in the direction you need to take. Knowing where you want to go, even with curriculum writing, gives you plenty of opportunity to find new and challenging ways of arriving there.
vincent
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