Portfolio Artifact: Curriculum Theory Part II

Learner Centered Ideology

Aims: Stimulation and growth for students, teachers and other stakeholders is
the priority. Interactions among curriculum and all stakeholders is important.
Everyone must grow!

Child: The needs of children take priority over all adults, which highly
influence the school. They should be members of planning school programs
and have a voice in the curriculum and overall pulse of the school. Students
learn by experiences inside and outside of the classroom. Children are good
and possess innate traits to grow.

Learning: Learning is based on experiences which facilitate growth of

individuals and provides meaning to them. Knowledge is attained as a result of
growth through experiences. Learning is a natural response to peoples’
interaction with achievements.

Teaching: Teachers in this ideology do not just give knowledge to others;

instead they provide experiences which help students grow. Thus, they obtain
the knowledge. Teachers provide three things: careful assessment of student
needs, setting up the environment to support emotional, social, intellect and
physical needs, and facilitate a student's growth by interviewing during
experiences. They are facilitators.

Knowledge: Knowledge is what a student makes of something. It is meaningful

to them. Nobody has identical knowledge because it is one's representation of
the real world. Knowledge is a result of experiences. Knowledge is unique to
individuals.

Evaluation: Constant monitoring is necessary for continued progress. Teachers

observe, record, and document the learning progress to know how to set up
future learning experiences. It is not meant to compare students. Letter grades
and numerical grades are frowned upon; instead, written reports and portfolios
are valued in this ideology.
 Social Reconstruction Ideology

Aims: Social Reconstruction educators believe in eliminating the bad aspects

of their culture. They want to make it a more democratic society. They want to
reconstruct their current society and improve it. There is always a vision and
the vision is never really final. It just keeps evolving.

Child: Children are not viewed as children but products of society and
contributors to the vision of reconstruction. Social reconstruction educators
believe children are "born helpless" and grow over time, which contributes to
the reconstruction of society.

Learning: Learners in this ideology are active participants in their

environment. Knowledge is not just passed on to them. It is acquired by astute
assimilation, so students create meaning of their experiences and come to
understand their perceptions of reality. Learning takes place through
interactions such as spontaneous communication between teachers and
students.

Teaching: Teaching is the opportunity for students to reconstruct themselves,

so they aid in the process of reconstructed society. They must make meaning
out of things in order to help society. Discussion method is often used as an
instructional tool in this ideology. Teachers are partners in learning with
students instead of authoritarians.

Knowledge: Knowledge is important in this ideology because it contributes to a

future good society. Knowledge is truth and may be different for individuals as
it is also what we perceive. Knowledge is derived from educators' personal
analysis of their world.

Evaluation: Subjective evaluation is the primary form of assessment in this

ideology. Student performance is based on how they analyze, understand,
envision and act in social situations. Social reconstructionists believe
assessment is necessary but not to benefit the corporate world. Assessment
control should be in the hand of teachers and students and varies from testing
forms.
 The Texas Education Agency (TEA) uses accountability programs to monitor academic

achievement across the state in hopes of promoting continuous improvement in all public

schools. The Texas Accountability Ratings System (A-F), a system based on multiple measures,

was established to monitor the progress of students, schools, and school districts. Additionally,

teachers use the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to prepare students academically.

The purpose of this response is to examine the relationship of the Learner Centered Ideology and

Social Reconstruction Ideology to the current accountability system and TEKS.

The Learner Centered Ideology partially appears in the rating system for schools. For

example, a focus of the rating system is to monitor student achievement and monitor the progress

of students over time. Learner centered educators believe in monitoring students over time so

they can prepare for future learning experiences; however, learner centered teachers prefer

evaluating students by using portfolios rather than formal assessments such as standardized

exams. Giving letter grades is not the preferred method.

The Social Reconstruction Ideology also appears within the accountability rating system

for Texas educators. Social Reconstruction educators believe in the constant improvement of

society. Continuous improvement of a democratic society is necessary to them. Parts of the

accountability system focus on specific sub groups and their success on student achievement

tests to ensure a reduction in achievement gaps. Addressing students from various backgrounds

and needs helps decrease achievements gaps; thus, equity in schools contributes to improving life

for all and results in a more democratic society. Other than this example, the Social

Reconstruction Ideology is non-existent in the rating system.

The TEKS, or Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, include the Learner Centered

Ideology. When looking at the specific standards outlined for English I, all the strands focus on
the learner and what the student must do. Additionally, one of the introductory statements

emphasizes the expectation for students to demonstrate choice in their activities. The teacher in

the Learner Centered Ideology decides what student will experience by creating the learning

environment. The TEKS present a guideline of standards for teachers to follow, but the teachers

design activities for students to engage in.

Some evidence in the English I TEKS support the Social Construction Ideology. The

purpose of this ideology is to improve the bad aspects of our culture and create a better society.

In the English I TEKS, only one strand mentions that a student should make connections to

personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society. Additionally, learning in the Social

Construction Ideology takes place through student to teacher conversations and discussions so

students can make connections to their experiences. If teachers design activities such as Socratic

Seminar to teach a standard, the possibility of it taking on a social reconstruction attitude is

likely. Other than these two examples, none of the English I TEKS or introductory statements

indicate a need to learn items for the benefit of creating a better society.

After researching TEKS in subjects other than English I, Learner Centered Ideology

appears the most, and the Social Reconstruction Ideology is present in a few subject areas.

Curriculum ideologies play an influential role in the creation of such systems, and the Learner

Centered Ideology and Social Reconstruction Ideology appear throughout the systems of

education in Texas.