Given Ozar's deceptively simple definition of learning, the list of common traits of successful adults (Figure 5.1), and the positive role that extracurricular activities have in regards to an adult's effectiveness, it's no wonder that an outcome-centered curriculum should reflect the broadest sense of idealism and a realistic grounding.
A few thoughts arise from this. Some years ago, I was given the chance to develop a curriculum for a course entitled,"Comparative Legal Traditions." This course was an examination of various legal systems around the world. When creating the course I did not have the benefit of exposure to the theory of an outcome-centered curriculum. So, I forged along, developing the syllabus/goals for the class largely from the text I chose and my knowledge of the area. It was that simple.
The class was mostly successful. There were, however, the constant challenges of keeping the students engaged in the study of ancient and medieval history and connecting that study to "beyond the school walls." (p. 67) This situation lead to my realization, overtime, that a curriculum encompassing a "totality of circumstances," i.e. outcomes reflecting "universal dimensions of living" (p. 74) was mandated. Outcomes eventually came to more specifically emphasize such aspirations as greater sensitivity towards cultural diversity, expanded understanding and appreciation of the impact of religion on a legal system and awareness of indigenous conflict resolution. In a way, choosing an outcome was not difficult. Finding the best strategy was.
In any event, the shift from the text-only basis of the curriculum evolved. Also, a search for more practical outcomes and strategies to assist the student in achieving a better grasp of discipline-related skills emerged. For example, role-playing and a series of mini-papers augmented multi-choice exams. In the final analysis, had I been following the outcome-centered process from the start, I believe that I could have improved, much more quickly and effectively, the relevance and usefulness of this course for the student .
I found your reflection to be thoughtful and interesting, and it made me think back to the various approaches I have used in developing programs over the years. I can only agree with you about the difficulty of finding the 'best' strategy to achieve the outcome. There are so many factors involved - availability of resources, prior knowledge and interest of students, time of day (and day of week) when the learning activity is scheduled, other personal commitments, energy level of the teacher, and the size of class are but a few of the factors that can influence the strategy. I think it is vital to have a strategy planned but also to have some alternatives in mind if the strategy does not achieve the intended outcome. I'm sure we have all had situations where a strategy has worked in one class and the same strategy has not worked in another class. Some of my better teaching and learning experiences have occurred when there is no textbook available for the subject and much greater thought has to be given to the strategies to be used in achieving the outcome.
ReplyDeleteI am struck by your reflections, especially the one that I'd hazard most of us have experienced, namely teaching a course through the textbook and finding the class to be "mostly successful." It made me think of the popular business book, "Good to Great," in which the author says, "good is the enemy of great." Why spend so much time and energy to make something "great" when it's already pretty good, or at least, good enough. At the end of your reflections, however, is the best answer to that question, a quicker and more effective improvement of the relevance and usefulness of the course for students. I also find that outcomes and strategies differ in how challenging they are depending on the number of people working on them. If it is just an individual, I think the outcomes are easier than the strategies. With several people, I find coming up with various strategies easier than agreeing on the central outcomes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience. Your ability to change and adapt your course as the semester progressed is a testament to your "thinking outside the box". I (and I am sure your students did too) appreciate your "on the fly" evaluating of how the class was responding to your method of instruction. Some teachers I have come across would never have adapted to include role playing or any other medium. They would much rather stick to the tried and true lecture, paper and test process. It is also interesting how you noted that you had in fact been following the outcomes based process since the beginning. Sometimes we do things because we know it to be right even though there may not be a name to what we are doing.
ReplyDeleteA nicely told story--a success story I think. One of the great perks of being a teacher, particularly of being a private school teacher, is the flexibility to adapt and adjust. But I am most grateful for the opportunity to begin anew every year. The best teachers learn from both their successes and their missteps. I have never gotten it "great", but I appreciate the opportunity to keep trying fresh every year. I love your final point--and I think it is important for anybody who is involved in staff development--particularly development of young teachers--everyone will flounder in the beginning,but some approaches to mastery are more effective and efficient than others.
ReplyDeleteI want to second Chris Valdez' comment about your post: "One of the great perks of being a teacher, particularly of being a private school teacher, is the flexibility to adapt and adjust."
ReplyDeleteI went through my teacher education program with a highly motivated teacher who works in a Los Angeles school that has been taken over by the state.
When I last talked to him, he was ready to quit. I was shocked and asked why. He said, "They tell me how to do everything... what to put on the board... the lesson and HW for every day... they might as well have a robot teach the class."
We seem to have gotten in an unfortunate situation where we sacrifice teacher autonomy for everyone, whereas it should be targeted to specific teacher who need more support. Clearly, Carla would not need that because she demonstrates a commitment to purposeful reflection.