Curriculum and Pedagogy

            
            Ideas and perspectives possess merit; however, ideas and perspectives hold little value unless one acts upon them.  Therefore, the aims of education previously discussed must translate to the curriculum and pedagogy utilized in schools in order to possess value for education reform.   

            In regard to curriculum, educators must ask the following question: what is worth knowing?  Operating under the belief that human experiences construct realities, the curriculum of education must align with the human experience; in other words, the subject matter of education should extend to all areas of human existence in order to inform and prepare individuals for past, present, and future experiences.  Education should strive to unite the mind with the heart, the past with the future, and the individual with the collective society.  Therefore, the curriculum must also unite knowledge that transcends the constraints of time and proves applicable to every human experience, with knowledge that allows individuals to successfully function within individual realities and specific experiences of the social world. 

            A common core of knowledge must exist at the core of the curriculum.  Knowledge related to literature, history, sciences, philosophy, and the arts proves applicable to the aesthetic and intellectual elements of the general human experience.  By nature, this common core of knowledge will withstand the test of time, applicable in the experiences of individuals and societies in the past, present, and the future.  This common core of knowledge can include, but is not limited to, the following:

·         Texts with themes related to social justice, equality, and the human condition.

·         Historical lessons that teach students “pearls” of the past in order to create moral and ethical futures for the collective society.

·         Scientific discoveries imperative to understanding the functions and experiences of human life.

·         Philosophical perspectives that bring together interpretations of human existence and promote the discovery of the self in relation to society.

·         Art and aesthetically relevant experiences that enable an individual to engage in self-discovery and develop a better understanding of humanity.

            However, the curriculum must also equip students with knowledge and skills essential to the construction of present and future realities; without knowledge and skills applicable to individual experiences, students will engage with the world in a passive manner, allowing the world to transform society without active human choice or validation.  The curriculum must teach students vocational and functional skills (i.e. reading, writing, mathematics, history, and language); however, educators must teach these skills in authentic contexts, enabling students to employ this knowledge in present and future experiences.  Teaching a student addition without teaching the skills necessary for the student to apply addition in human experiences proves analogous to teaching a fisherman about fish, but never teaching the fisherman the skills necessary to successfully engage in fishing experiences.  In addition, educators must extend education beyond academic subjects and teach students social and relational skills, empathy, emotional consciousness, and self-efficacy.  To engage in the world as responsible citizens and work towards a social reality of justice and equity, students must learn how to engage ethically, both internally and externally.  Students must grow internally to initiate growth externally in the social world.  As society grows towards the ideals of equity and justice, the social world will reciprocally create experiences that enable individuals to construct personal realities founded upon these same ideals. 

            In regard to pedagogy, educators must ask the following question: how do we teach and learn?  To teach the common core of knowledge and to facilitate the unification of the self with the collective social world, educators must engage students in conversations, discuss diverse interpretations, and allow students to learn through relational experiences (i.e. modeling).  Since the common core of knowledge should relate to the life experiences of every individual, teachers should utilize pedagogical strategies that capitalize upon student perspective and collaboration.   Through interactions and engagements with realities beyond the self, students have the opportunity to relate individual realities to the shared realities of the collective social world. 

            To teach knowledge and skills essential for individual and societal experiences, educators must utilize more individualized and structured pedagogical strategies.  Educators must teach practical knowledge and skills vital for present and future experiences using pedagogical strategies that ensure the individual student can acquire and effectively apply learned knowledge and skills in authentic contexts.  Educators must assess individual student mastery of knowledge and skills in order to assess the individual’s ability to successfully engage in experiences at both the individual and societal level.  Individualized assessment, self-directed inquiry, and other individualized pedagogical strategies will help students cultivate the internal self and ultimately enable students to knowledgeably construct individual and collective realities.