Curriculum Design Brainstorming

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Curriculum Design Brainstorming

The Background Since the beginning of 2015, ThinQ (www.schoolofthinq.com) has been toying with the idea of a dual curriculum for schools. This means there is a coaching curriculum that ensures that students do well in their Board Exams, and an education curriculum to educate them. These two may have some overlap, but there is also some conflict between them. On 4 April 2016, about forty educators (education administrators, principals, heads of departments, teachers, and others) came together at IISER-Pune to form a group to brainstorm on the education curriculum. By way of preparation for the meeting, we had distributed a preliminary draft for a syllabus the education curriculum, articulating the understanding, abilities, predispositions, habits of thought, and mindset that we expect students to have acquired by the end of ten years of school education. The attached document is the second version of that draft, revised on the basis of the brainstorming on 4 April and subsequent discussion. A number of others joined us subsequently, resulting in a Discussion Forum for Curriculum Design for School Education (https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/curriculumdesign-in-school-education). By the end of May 2016, the number of the members of this group rose to about 120 members, and the number continues to grow. The goal of this group is to work out the details of items A-Z of section 5 of this document, expanding it to a 30- page or 50-page document, such that it will guide the production of • teaching-learning materials (textbook chapters, lesson plans), • teacher guided activities within and outside the classroom, • assessment, • education policies and so on. To do this, we have formed sub-groups to pursue the challenge of fleshing out A-Z. We plan to do this in a few months.

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Curriculum Design Brainstorming Syllabus Design as the First Step in Curriculum Design K P Mohanan and Tara Mohanan

1. Purpose of Education This document, and the project(s) that we expect it to trigger, are based on the premise that:

The ultimate purpose of education is the wellbeing of the individual, and the wellbeing of humanity, other creatures, and the planet that the individual can be empowered to contribute to. The English word ‘wellbeing’ may not convey what we wish to convey, so a note of clarification is in order. The Buddhist concept of wellbeing is expressed in terms of the Sanskrit word sukha. But finding this word to also be inadequate, some scholars use the term ‘lasting happiness’ (see http://cdp.sagepub.com/content/14/2/59.short ). The Aristotelean concept of wellbeing is called eudaimonia in Greek (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eudaimonia). The concept of wellbeing we are trying to convey in the context of the purpose of education may be stated as: the Buddhist-Aristotelean concept of wellbeing extending to the physical, emotional, intellectual, pragmatic, economic, societal, aesthetic, ethical, and spiritual dimensions. Physical wellbeing includes health as well as fitness, health being the absence of illness as the base line, and fitness as the physical traits that are of value but go beyond health (e.g., strength, stamina, agility, speed, and so on), called ‘flourishing’ in discussions of eudaimonia. Extending this meaning of wellbeing to the other dimensions, the purpose of education can be articulated as:

physical, emotional, intellectual, pragmatic, societal, aesthetic, ethical, and spiritual health and fitness. A society that oppresses women, or promotes hatred of other societies, suffers from ethical ill health; a society with strong empathy and compassion has a high degree of ethical fitness. Vengeance, though ‘natural’ in humans, is a symptom of ethical ill health; readiness to forgive is a sign of ethical fitness. A person who has total certainty of belief, and is disturbed by honest criticism, falls short of intellectual health; one who habitually doubts and questions her own positions and positions taken for granted by her peers and ‘authorities’, and actively seeks criticism as a means of self-correction, has greater intellectual fitness along that factor. A country that encourages terrorism is not healthy; so is a country whose activities provoke terrorist acts against it. A country that is intellectually, ethically, and economically fit, is unlikely to provoke or nurture fundamentalism and terrorism. Without adequate food, clothing, healthcare, and housing for even its lowest strata of society, a country cannot be economically healthy. And to be economically fit, it needs to go beyond that baseline, leading to at least a certain degree of equity in the distribution of resources. The conception of education that emerges from the preceding thoughts may be viewed as a synthesis of Buddha, Aristotle, Aurobindo, Krishnamurti, and Chomsky.

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Curriculum Design Brainstorming 2. Curriculum In this document, we use the terms ‘curriculum’, ‘syllabus’, and ‘pedagogy’ as follows: a. Syllabus: The GOALS — the outcomes of learning that our educational intervention aims at. b. Pedagogy: The MEANS — the strategies we use to achieve the goals: this includes learning activities guided by the teacher, in and outside the classroom; textbooks and other learning materials; assessment; policies; and infrastructure.1 c. Curriculum: The combination of (2a) and (2b). Every learning activity has both what students end up learning (learning outcomes) and how the teacher, textbooks, and assessment tasks guide them towards those outcomes (pedagogical strategies).2 In the first phase of the Curriculum Design Project, we will restrict ourselves to the syllabus as the first step in curriculum design.

3. Syllabus When thinking about syllabus design, it would be useful to pay attention to the following categories of syllabi: a.

Program-Final Syllabus: the outcomes of learning that we expect by the end of a program. The year-wise syllabi result from sequencing the program-final syllabus.3

b.

Coaching Syllabus: what students need to learn in order to do well in board exams and entrance tests. This can be compiled from the repeated patterns in past question papers or model exams. (The syllabi articulated in syllabus documents and embodied in textbooks are not needed for this.)

c.

Education Syllabus: what students need to learn to become educated people. This is what would be of life-long value in their personal, professional, and public lives, regardless of career and/or specialization.

d.

Core School-Final Syllabus: the minimum threshold of understanding, abilities, capacities, habits of mind, predispositions, attitudes, and values listed in Section 5 below. This is distinct from syllabi for (i) enhancing individual interests, passions, and talents, and (ii) serving individual needs of those who require special attention. In the first phase of the syllabus design project, we will restrict ourselves to the formulation of a core school-final syllabus (2d) for education (2c) in the form of the expected outcomes of learning at the end of the 10-year program (2a).4

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For instance, the article, “How Finland Broke Every Rule – and Created a Top School System” (at http://hechingerreport.org/how-finland-broke-every-rule-and-created-a-top-school-system/) has great things 2 Teacher training comes into the picture only after the teacher’s function is clearly defined, in terms of classroom pedagogy, in the context of the given syllabus, textbooks, and assessment. 3

A school final syllabus will need to be translated into a sequence of yearly syllabi (syllabus for class 6, 7, 8...); but we will not consider this challenge at this stage. 4

For instance, what ethical capacities, habits, and mindset, including emotional traits like empathy, integrity, truthfulness, and so on, do we expect the young to develop by the time they complete their tenth year of schooling?

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Curriculum Design Brainstorming 4. A Dual Syllabus System A school in India has a dual responsibility: A.

To help the young do well in board exams and entrance tests. For this, we need to identify the repeated question types (patterns) in the examinations and tests over five to ten years, and provide intensive practice in producing what the examiners judge as ‘correct’ answers.

B.

To help the young become educated. For this, we need a clear vision of (a) what would be of value to them in their future personal, professional, and public lives; (b) what would help them grow into adults who lead a fulfilling life; and (c) how to nurture in them the inclination and capability to contribute to the wellbeing of humanity, other creatures, and the planet.

If we accept both A and B as the responsibility of school education, we need to develop a dual curriculum, one oriented towards A, the other towards B. We will refer to a syllabus for A as the coaching syllabus, and that for B as the education syllabus. In the first phase of the Syllabus Design Project, we will restrict ourselves to the education syllabus.

Given what we have articulated above, the focus of the first phase of curriculum design can be expressed as in the following diagram:

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Curriculum Design Brainstorming 5. A Multidimensional School-Final Core Syllabus: A Broad Outline By around the age of sixteen, we expect children to have developed certain traits, at least to some extent (depending on the individual’s personality, strengths, talents, and inclinations). Here are some such traits, tentatively grouped into three broad categories: (i) knowledge and understanding; (ii) abilities and capacities; and (iii) attitudes, values, and habits of mind.

Understanding A

B

A broad understanding of the ideas that constitute the so-called ‘modern’ worldview (e.g., human rights; sustainability; Marxism; theory of gravity and motion; evolution, and so on) in an integrated manner (e.g., integrating evolution in the physical, biological, and human worlds, including the evolution of classical music and dance). (general knowledge) An understanding of the relevant evidence and arguments for and against the ideas in A above, and S (critical reading) and T (critical thinking) below. (critical understanding)

Knowledge and Abilities C

A rudimentary familiarity with the knowledge and information relevant for the challenges of practical life, and the ability to use appropriate strategies to accomplish one’s goals (e.g., knowing what to look out for, and what questions to ask, in various situations: finding a good doctor, or a good school for one’s child, and so on). (pragmatic capacity)

Abilities and Capacities D E

F

G H I J K

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The capacity to learn independently of teachers and classrooms.5, 6 The capacity to observe and interpret (‘listen to and read’) the world within and around us, and to connect/integrate all aspects of body, mind, and heart in our learning, including the senses, instincts, and experience. The ability to read and listen to, and understand written and spoken material meant for educated non-specialists (e.g., newspaper articles; TED talks; videos at Beyond Belief: http://thesciencenetwork.org/programgroup/beyond-belief ). The capacity to articulate and communicate ideas through speech, writing, and visualdiagrammatic-symbolic means (models, diagrams...) with clarity, precision, and coherence. The capacity to arrive at informed rational decisions and conclusions stemming from the values in W below. The capacity to engage in independent inquiry, both at the individual and collective levels. The capacity to arrive at conclusions through careful reasoning. The capacity to appreciate beauty (aesthetic sensibility) in a wide range of forms including literature, painting, sculpture, film, theatre, music, dance, mime, and so on, across a range of cultural traditions, through systematic exposure, and where feasible, through hand-on art creation.

We use the words ‘capacity,’ ‘ability,’ and ‘skill’ as follows: CAPACITY: includes skills, abilities, knowledge & information (all of which interact closely), needed to perform a complex task. Elements of a capacity are often transferable across domains. (e.g., the capacity to contribute to the current pool of knowledge) ABILITY: does not include knowledge & information; less complex than ‘capacity’; abilities, especially abstract ones, are often transferable. (e.g., the ability to communicate ideas clearly and precisely) SKILL: less complex, more specific, achievable through repeated guided practice. (e.g., the skill of highspeed multiplication) In this scheme, from skills to capacities is a continuum, with no sharp boundaries. An important consequence of accepting C is that everything that students ‘should’ know need not be crowded into the 10-year syllabus; much can be left for them to learn independently.

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Curriculum Design Brainstorming L

M

N O

P

Q R

The capacity to appreciate the world of ideas, including the beauty of a mathematical proof, the wonder and elegance combined with the uncertainties and heartaches of the process of discovery (e.g., the journey from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics and relativity) The ability to perceive and contemplate on different values along the intellectual (e.g., value of rationality), epistemic (e.g., value of truth), ethical (e.g., value of non-violence), aesthetic (e.g., value of ‘angashuddhi’), pragmatic (e.g., value of physical health), and other dimensions; to choose and practice personal and collective values to guide our lives. The ability to work harmoniously in teams towards shared goals. The capacity to work towards the vision of a better world (human and non-human) rooted in respect, peace, equity, justice, eradication of suffering, and so on. This includes the capacity, along with the necessary information, knowledge, and awareness, to actively engage with public issues of the environment and of sustainability, and contribute to the wellbeing of humanity and the earth through one’s choice of way of living. (collective wellbeing) The capacity to choose and pursue paths of higher learning, professional/vocational training, and careers that resonate with one’s inner being; and to overcome pressures to conform to parental, societal, and peer expectations. The capacity to attract, inspire, influence, and lead others to work together towards a shared vision and goal in all domains of life. The capacity to communicate ideas interestingly and persuasively.

Abilities and Mindset S

T

U

The ability and the mindset to engage critically with what one reads/listens to, and decide for oneself whether to accept, reject, or set aside for later review what the writer/speaker claims. (critical reading) 7 The ability and the mindset to think critically, to examine the relevant considerations for assessing the merit of knowledge claims, proposals for action, policies, products, and so on, where ‘merit’ includes truth, ethical goodness, usefulness, relevance, significance, and beauty. This calls for the mindset of doubting and questioning oneself as well as others; the ability to encourage and accept reasonable (and reasoned) objections. (critical thinking) The capacity and the mindset to accept oneself; to work with others in a spirit of cooperation, and also of healthy competition; and to find happiness (aananda / eudaimonia) within oneself, without looking for it in the external world. (individual wellbeing)

Attitudes, Values, and Habits of Mind V W X Y

Z

A joy of learning, and curiosity. The emotional mindset of ethics (empathy, compassion, consideration for other creatures, …) combined with a set of ethical values. A deep sense of citizenry, dignity of labour, and issues of safety (one’s own and others’). A commitment to gaining and maintaining physical and mental health (paying attention to hygiene, participation in sports and so on), together with emotional balance (e.g., practice of yoga), not only one’s own but also of others (civic sense). The spiritual bend of mind (regardless of theism and atheism) to explore the purpose and meaning of life, beyond one’s ‘self’.

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A consequence of S is the commitment to developing the students’ abilities, and then giving them freedom: the commitment to not tell them what to believe and what to do.

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Curriculum Design Brainstorming 6. Guidelines for Making Choices A curriculum has only finite time and resources available to it, so we have to select syllabus items carefully, excluding those that are not essential, and finding the relative importance among the included ones. Both these considerations would require paying attention to at least two factors. I.

How well do they lend themselves to the educating function? Take the challenge of designing a syllabus for the education function along the intellectual dimension. There is no reason why an educated adult should: be familiar with the workings of a dynamo; be able to find the Lowest Common Denominator or Highest Common Factor; or remember the molecular formula of common salt, the year of the first battle of Panipat, or the traditional definitions of noun and verb. After ten years of schooling, most individuals, even those who have tertiary degrees in math, physics, or engineering, don’t ever need to solve quadratic equations or use calculus. So, unless there are compelling reasons to include these in the syllabus for education, we should leave them out.

II. How much time and resources does each syllabus item require? We have to address questions like: If we allocate ten hours to help students understand the evidence and arguments for the statement that the earth revolves around the sun and spins on a tilted axis, what should we remove from the syllabus to free up those ten hours?

A commitment to items A-Z in the broad outline (Section 5) has far-reaching consequences for the choices that we make in syllabus design. For instance: Choice between (i) and (ii): Guided by Choice (i) the structure of atoms; item A (i) (ii) the structure of a motor (i) understanding of the evidence and arguments that have a bearing on evolutionary theory;

(ii) (i) (ii) (i) (ii)

familiarity with the names of plant hormones and the biological names of plants the distinction between causal and correlational hypotheses; series and parallel resisters the ability to engage in different modes of reasoning; the ability to calculate the trajectory of a cannon ball

item B

(i)

item I

(i)

item J

(i)

If we expect students to develop intellectual curiosity and joy of learning (V), and the capacity for independent learning (D), then we should also expect them to continue learning on their own after graduation. This means that we should adopt (I) as a general principle: (I) For a specific concept or body of knowledge, if students can acquire it from documented sources of knowledge after their schooling, then it should be left out of the syllabus, unless it is a pre-requisite or is helpful for some other concept or body of knowledge required in the syllabus independently. Arising from all the considerations examined above, we can state the fundamental criteria for inclusion of an item in the syllabus, and for allocation of time and resources, as follows: (II) Every item we include in the syllabus should be defended on the basis of: (i) its value for the learners’ subsequent life, or for collective wellbeing; or (ii) its usefulness to some other item included in the syllabus. (III) The syllabus items resulting from the above process should be allocated time and resources based on their importance along (I) and (II). This would mean allocating less time for certain items, and leaving out others for independent learning after schooling. If this project excites you, and you wish to join the forum, please write to [email protected]

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Curriculum Design Brainstorming

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