Dissertation

\You are Here in Time and Space\: An instructional plan for integrating metacurriculum and content

Gardner, Sharon Suzanne McPherson

1994

Overview

Ten years after A Nation At Risk (1983), educators are still trying to find ways to meet needs identified by the U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education. Their report caused an increased interest in thinking as an educational outcome. In 1991 a report released by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills reiterated the need for creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, seeing with the mind's eye, knowing how to learn, and reasoning--skills Ackerman and Perkins (1989) refer to as metacurriculum. Despite general agreement on educational goals, debate persists about how to accomplish them. While some experts defined thinking skills and determined how to teach them, others developed ways to increase student achievement. Resulting instructional models spurred staff development programs, with mixed results. Recently, a view of teachers as learners that incorporates collaboration, inquiry, and reflective practice has emerged along with a theory of learning that acknowledges the brain's natural proclivity for making meaning of random sensory input and its tendency to socially construct understandings. Constructivism, however, requires a variety of instructional modifications (Perkins, 1992). To help teachers envision these alterations, I developed a curriculum module with (1) a constructivist approach and (2) a dual focus on content and metacurriculum. You Are Here in Time and Space consists of 3 introductory chapters and 5 units for sixth grade. The module integrates the disciplines to eliminate duplication, make content connections, and gain time needed for students to construct meaning. A formative evaluation, solicited opinions from three experts, six classroom teachers, and 51 sixth-graders to determine the module's appropriateness. The response was positive. Experts suggested improvements, but said the developmental goals were met. Teachers reviewed the module and independently tried various units, demonstrating a high level of willingness to use practices presented by the module. They were pleased with classroom results. Students demonstrated an ability to perform the tasks; they expressed interest in the content and pleasure with the projects. As a result of the formative evaluation, I identified factors that influence the implementation of such instruction and needs for further development of the module.

• Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subject: Curricula / Curriculum development / Elementary education / Geography / Teaching
• ISBN: 9798208911143