Curriculum Change Plan Chart
Subject Area Targeted:
We are targeting Social Studies as a curriculum change. This change is designed to follow through the elementary levels through high school, to be integrated not just in a factual approach, but to reflect newer ideas surrounding critical thinking, vetting of sources, use of electronic data, and events that have occurred in the era of globalization.
Specific to this is the issue surrounding globalization. We must, in fact, prepare the study of today to be the global leader of tomorrow. Globalization, or the idea that there is increased cooperation (economic, political, social and cultural) between nations, contributes immensely to the idea of diversity management within the public and private sectors. This should not be surprising, since with the removal of trade barriers, organizational culture and the movement of employees and stakeholder expectations change as well. Global societies, thus global public management, is more pluralistic as well as diverse. One effect of this is that diversification within organization combined with globalization causes fewer boundaries when hiring. New cultural and ethnic demographics and psychographics also encourage this by adding additional variables into the equation. In fact, research suggests that each sub-group (gender, lifestyle, ethnicity, etc.) be placed more into a cultural inclusion model rather than considered part of an affirmative action paradigm (Fine, M., et al., 1990).
The literacy standards within the new curriculum should target:
Key ideas in the modern world
A way to reinvent the past as relevant to the future
Integration of data in primary sources
Movement from rote to synthesis and analysis of big ideas
Themes instead of micro-facts
Encourage and incorporate writing in all grades (Barge, 2011)
In addition, the curriculum must revolve around the importance of studying the social sciences in order to promote civic competency. Within the school curriculum, social studies provides a more coordinate and systematic study of multi-disciplinary activities and contexts, as well as a merging of the humanities, mathematics...
As society continues to evolve, so must the classroom in order to maintain the rubric necessary -- to educate and prepare students for the challenges of the modern world. There remains a set of challenges, though, for educators, parents, and students alike. With so much new information available, how does the modern school add important new subjects into the curriculum while not crowding the basics and diminishing the ability to provide important tools that each student needs? Thus, the political, social, and cultural changes, most especially those that have occurred since 1970, are in direct conflict with skills in reading, math, and science -- all of which show an uncomfortable stagnation in America's school systems (Garofalo, 2009).
Time Frame
Curriculum change is a lengthy process. For teachers to become familiar with the new curriculum, training and development must begin at least within the Spring prior to the implementation year. For instance, if we plan to launch September 2014, our Seminars and training materials should be distributed in February, with training taking place March through June, and an introductory refresher in August.
Goals
When reviving or changing a Social Studies curriculum, one must ask about goals and deliverables. In this case, we might indicate that our overall goal in changing the Social Studies curriculum is to nurture students who can think ecologically, understand the interconnectedness of human and natural systems, and have the skills and courage to act as global citizens in an increasingly complex world.
In addition, the change in curriculum is not really just about changing the nature of social studies and history; it is more about learning a methodology for critical thinking and applying those skills to the modern world. Students are besieged by data, but this information overload is immaterial unless the learner understands what to do with that information. Instead of looking at the goals…
