Available Tools, Option B:
Charting Pathways to Reform
Estimated Time: 15 minutes.
Example of Use: Sample 1.5-Day Workshop
Agenda
List of Materials
Sample Presentation
TRANSPARENCY: Reforming
the Education System.
Presenter: The purpose of this activity is to examine how
Project 2061’s vision of science literacy for all fits into the larger
context of education reform. We will consider the implications of goals-based
reform for curriculum and instruction.
Like many reform projects, Project 2061 believes that true reform
requires paying attention to all aspects of the education system. We should
consider how we can serve the needs of ALL students, what kinds of teachers
we will need and how they should be educated, how schools can be organized,
what kinds of materials and technologies are needed, how all of this can
be paid for, and so forth. Groups have been commissioned to study the implications
of Project 2061’s recommendations for each aspect of the system. What distinguishes
Project 2061 from many other projects is its intense commitment to learning
goals as the basis for reform—in other words, recommendations for changing
various aspects of the education system should focus on what it will take
to produce science literate high school graduates.
TRANSPARENCY: SFAA, Benchmarks,
and Benchmarks on Disk Covers.
Presenter: Nearly 10 years ago, Project 2061 took the position
that reform in science, mathematics, and technology education should start
by clarifying what high school graduates should know and be able to do.
The Project has since produced a coherent set of learning goals for high
school graduates in Science for All Americans and for students by the end
of grades 2, 5, 8, and 12 in Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Project 2061
is developing additional reform tools, which I’ll tell you about later.
But for districts like yours that are committed to graduating students
who are science literate, how can Science for All Americans and Benchmarks
be of help?
TRANSPARENCY: Pathways to
K-12 Curriculum Reform.
Presenter: This figure shows pathways that schools
or school districts might take on their way to goal-oriented
reform. Let us assume that
-
there are different starting points.
-
several questions may be considered at the same time.
-
any question is likely to be revisited as individuals come to understand
the question more fully and as other individuals begin to ask the same
question.
Although a group isn’t likely to proceed linearly through the decisions
in the flowchart, Project 2061 believes that some questions should be considered
before others. For example, Project 2061 has argued that agreement on learning
goals (or on the importance of having a common set of learning goals) should
precede consideration of means. Similarly, consideration of how well an
existing curriculum matches learning goals should inform decisions about
curriculum revisions.
Point to each box as you discuss.
-
Do we agree that change is needed? Probably you think change is needed
or you wouldn’t be here. I’ll spend a little time clarifying the Project’s
view of the problem later in this session.
-
Do we agree on a coherent set of K-12 learning goals? This involves
studying one or more sets of recommended learning goals and possibly trying
some out, asking, for example, if they are necessary and sufficient to
make sense of everyday phenomena and news reports and to inform social
and personal decisions. If agreement cannot be reached, forget Project
2061, the National Science Education Standards, the Curriculum
and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, etc. If the answer
is yes, go to the next question.
-
Does our curriculum match the learning goals? This involves analyzing
the content of the existing curriculum with respect to the learning goals.
An analysis can be done at several levels of detail, with the more detailed
analysis providing more information but being more costly to carry out.
-
Do ALL students reach the learning goals? This involves agreeing on
assessment measures and then either estimating how students would do or
testing samples of students.
-
Can the curriculum be adapted to focus on the learning goals? This involves
considering whether the content match is good enough and whether students
learn some of it well enough to continue using parts of the curriculum.
Or. . .
-
Can we redesign the curriculum? This involves considering what human
resources—teachers and community members—and what financial resources can
be brought to bear on the task and how much curriculum change the community
will tolerate.
-
Can goal-rich resources be found or adapted by enhancing existing resources?
This involves analyzing existing resources (or making use of other people’s
analyses) and adapting the resources to local circumstances.
-
Can new learning materials’ development be focused on learning goals? Project
2061 is working with materials developers to encourage them to focus on
science literacy and with consumers to stimulate the demand for such resources.
A final but important question is not shown on the flowchart. It relates
to many of the boxes.
-
Are conditions suitable for implementation? Answering this question
involves considering what conditions are needed to implement a new curriculum
and how those conditions can be brought about. This question relates to
the entire flowchart. For example, in order for a school to agree on a
set of learning goals, district educators need time to examine and discuss
the goals. This requires that educators be willing to engage in such study
and have time and resources to support their study.
Note: Distribute the handouts at the end of this presentation or at the
end of the workshop.
