Cheryl Wood (Blog 5)

This week the chapter was based off of the role of curriculum. Within this chapter some topics were repeated such as Canadian education being provincially run rather than federally run as in other countries. Due to the provincial and territorial jurisdiction that Education falls under there are curriculum guides for teachers to follow (page 23).

I always knew that parental influence was present but I never realized how much influence parents have on the curriculum (page 131). It makes sense that parents do have such say as it is their children that are being influenced by the curriculum that we as educators teach. Some of the reading topics that parents wanted to be removed from reading lists surprised me. Many of the books mentioned (on page 131) were present in my schooling and we actually read The Handmaid’s Tale, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Underground to Canada. Harry Potter Books were quite popular but were never actually tied into the curriculum as a class reading.

   

“Alberta, which has the most extensive assessment system in the country, also has the lowest percentage of high school graduates progressing into post-secondary institutions.” (Page 144). This was very interesting to me and made me wonder about the other factors that may be involved as to why this is true. It gets one wondering if large scale assessments are that beneficial.

Discussion Question:

As an Educator would you be for or against large scale assessment? Discuss your reasoning.