Civics: a social science dealing with the rights and duties of citizens. It is one of the most important subjects in our schools, teaching students about the rule of law, the basics of government, and how to become productive participants of our democratic society. According to actor Richard Dreyfuss, civics needs a little pizzazz (He hates the word-and we agree) and that is exactly what he aims to bring to civics classrooms across the country. Dreyfuss is famous for films such as What About Bob?, The American President, and Mr. Holland ‘s Opus. Recently, he spent time at Oxford University developing a civics curriculum for U.S. Schools. Dreyfuss, who is also a Civil War buff, would include scholarly presentations and storytelling as part of his curriculum “to engage, enlighten, and empower students of all ages in an entertaining way. “He intends to work with civics and education groups to promote his teaching tools. Why? Because Dreyfuss fears “that future generations will view our freedoms as a fairy tale.” Well put. Dreyfuss’ civics curriculum is not available yet; but, once it is, we will review it and let you know what we think!
Posts Tagged ‘curriculum’
What About Civics?
Monday, June 22nd, 2009Make Learning More Relevant to Students
Friday, October 24th, 2008Providing cash incentives to students for good grades, passing standardized tests, attending school, and completing homework has been a hot topic. Read about it here and here.
“In Chicago, the nation’s third-largest school system distributed payouts on Oct. 16 totaling more than $265,000 to 1,650 freshmen in 20 high schools as part of the privately funded “Green for Grades” program unveiled last month. Freshmen and sophomores receive $50 for A’s, $35 for B’s and $20 for C’s every five weeks.”
“In the District of Columbia, meanwhile, students at 15 public middle schools received their first reward checks for good grades and behavior. On Oct. 17, students earned $137,813 from the Capital Gains program, a new venture between the school district and Harvard University. Under the program, students are eligible for up to $100 month for attendance, homework, good behavior, and good grades.”
Instead of experimenting with cash incentives for improving student achievement, why not look for ways to make learning more relevant to students? It is important while children are young to instill a love for learning, rather than growing a “what do I get for it?” mentality. Children are born with an innate sense of curiosity, exploring the world around them and yearning to learn new skills. Somewhere along the way, it seems, schools are squelching this yearning. Why is that?
Perhaps it is boredom. One of the reasons students often cite for dropping out of school is a lack of interest in what they were learning and how it was relevant in the “real world.” A growing number of anecdotal accounts about narrowing curriculum suggest a possible reason that children lose interest. Many schools emphasize the mindless repetition of basic reading and math skills, conduct endless test preparation, and demand only the regurgitation of factoids about historical people and events presented in hopelessly dull textbooks created by committees. Children of all ages are capable of more, and examples abound of schools that both embrace a rigorous, well-rounded curriculum and that perform well on standardized tests as a byproduct rather than an end in and of itself.
I’d venture to say that schools providing a full liberal arts curriculum including sciences, social studies, the arts, technology, and math do not need to offer cash incentives to entice their students to do better.
It is inconclusive whether these cash incentive programs actually make gains in student achievement, but it is likely that they do not espouse a love for learning-and after all, isn’t learning what school is all about?