Miss Morgan Karmin-Daly

 This week, we were assigned to read articles about the three learning theories. The three learning theories are behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism. In class, we have been learning about the models of curriculum, product, process, and praxis. In my blog, I will discuss what I understand of the three learning models and how they connect with the curriculum models.  The first learning theory is behaviourism, which has an objective learning approach. The "objectivist teacher" controls what the students learn and how they are taught in the classroom. The theory is based on teachers reinforcing rewards or punishments. Students are rewarded for doing what is expected of them and are punished or considered "bad" if they do not learn how they are expected. Behaviourism was developed in the 1920s and is similar to the product model of curriculum. In the product model, students have no voice and are expected to listen and memorize what the teacher is lecturing. I h...

 According to Levin's article, school curricula development has lots to do with the political systems like the government. They spend time examining the existing curriculum, and try to meet a agreement about a new curriculum. The curriculum process can take several years for a new curriculum to be made. Before reading this article I did not think the government had this much to do with the development of curriculum, but it is all depended on the government systems like jurisdictions. It is surprising that higher expertise help make the curriculum with subjects because most teachers cannot teach how they do. We have to get away from the formal curriculum, and build one based on reality in the school systems. For the development of curriculum it is good to see the government is allowing more forms of nonexpert participation in reviewing curricula. It is shocking how little educators have to do with curriculum, since they are the ones who teach it to the students.   After re...

 In "What it Means to be a Good Student" by Kumashiro, according to commonsense, to be a "good" student means to show good behaviour and follow a teacher's classroom expectations. A good student is one mainstream society and schools want them to be. A good student follows all directions given to them without having any trouble doing what they are told. Kumashiro teaches a student who is the opposite of a "good" student. Student M struggled to follow instructions. We learn that M learns differently than a "good" student is "supposed" to. The students that are privileged by this definition of good student are the ones who follow a teacher's instructions and always are on their best behaviour. These students gain more knowledge at the end of the school year than when they first entered. The students M and N were not privileged because they did not meet the standards society wanted them to be. We learn that some students have more p...

  In " The Problem of Common Sense"  by Kumashiro, Kumashiro defines common sense as what everybody should know regarding the society and community they belong in. Common sense is the normalcy for different cultures where things are only done in a certain way that everyone follows. There are different views of common sense throughout other parts of the world. An example of common sense in Nepal was Kumashiro not cooking with rice, veggies, and lentils and the neighbours saying Kumashiro did not know how to cook because it was common in the Nepal community. In Nepal's schools, the lecture-practice-exam approach towards teaching was incorporated as common sense to the students and teachers in Nepal. Kumashiro is there to help share new teaching methods, but the students need clarification and question Kumashiro because they learn in ways that challenge their common sense.    It is so important to pay attention to common sense because it becomes the norm for differ...