New Concepts of New Concepts of CurriculumCurriculum

ByByDR. Magdy M. AlyDR. Magdy M. Aly

Professor of Curriculun and EFL Professor of Curriculun and EFL InstructionInstruction

FoE ,Ain Shams UniversityFoE ,Ain Shams Universitymaly2007@yahoo.com maly2007@yahoo.com

Our world has shifted away from Our world has shifted away from an industrial model of society to a an industrial model of society to a learning society. These changes learning society. These changes require education to develop require education to develop individuals with the knowledge, individuals with the knowledge, problem solving-skills, cognitive problem solving-skills, cognitive processes, intellectual dispositions processes, intellectual dispositions and habits of mind necessary to and habits of mind necessary to engage in life-long learningengage in life-long learning..

Students entering the new millennium Students entering the new millennium must come fully equipped with the must come fully equipped with the skills that enable them to think for skills that enable them to think for themselves, to be self-initiating, self-themselves, to be self-initiating, self-modifying and self-directing. They must modifying and self-directing. They must acquire the capacity to learn and acquire the capacity to learn and change consciously, continuously and change consciously, continuously and quickly. They will require skills beyond quickly. They will require skills beyond that of content knowledge. They must that of content knowledge. They must possess process skills beyond just possess process skills beyond just fixing problems, rather, they must fixing problems, rather, they must anticipate what might happen and anticipate what might happen and search continuously for more creative search continuously for more creative

solutionssolutions..

Five thoughts about a Five thoughts about a thought-full curriculumthought-full curriculum

11 . .Learning to thinkLearning to thinkAll of us think. Indeed, we come All of us think. Indeed, we come

to this earth with the capacity, to this earth with the capacity, ability and inclination to think. ability and inclination to think. Nobody has to “teach us how to Nobody has to “teach us how to think” just like no one teaches think” just like no one teaches us how to move or walk. We do it us how to move or walk. We do it innately when we are ready. innately when we are ready. Thinking, therefore, may be Thinking, therefore, may be taken for grantedtaken for granted..

Learning to think is enhanced Learning to think is enhanced when teachers teach them directly when teachers teach them directly by make thinking skills explicit, by make thinking skills explicit, labeling cognitive processes and labeling cognitive processes and habits of mind and habits of mind habits of mind and habits of mind when they occur, employing when they occur, employing thinking maps and diagrams, and thinking maps and diagrams, and modeling the steps of problem modeling the steps of problem solving and decision makingsolving and decision making..

22 . .Thinking to learnThinking to learn Learning is an engagement of Learning is an engagement of

the mind that changes the mindthe mind that changes the mind . .Martin HeiddegerMartin Heiddeger

Learning is an engagement of the mind that changes the mind .Martin Heiddeger

Meaning making is not a Meaning making is not a spectator sport. Knowledge is a spectator sport. Knowledge is a constructive process rather than constructive process rather than a finding. The brain's capacity a finding. The brain's capacity and desire to make or elicit and desire to make or elicit patterns of meaning is one of the patterns of meaning is one of the

keys of brain-based learningkeys of brain-based learning..

Meaning making is not a Meaning making is not a spectator sport. Knowledge is a spectator sport. Knowledge is a constructive process rather than constructive process rather than a finding. The brain's capacity a finding. The brain's capacity and desire to make or elicit and desire to make or elicit patterns of meaning is one of the patterns of meaning is one of the

keys of brain-based learningkeys of brain-based learning..

Content, therefore, should not Content, therefore, should not be viewed as an end of be viewed as an end of instruction, but rather as a instruction, but rather as a vehicle for activating and vehicle for activating and engaging the mind. Content is engaging the mind. Content is selected to serve as a vehicle for selected to serve as a vehicle for experiencing the joy ride of experiencing the joy ride of learninglearning..

Furthermore, meaning making is not Furthermore, meaning making is not just an individual operation. The just an individual operation. The individual interacts with others to individual interacts with others to construct shared knowledge. There is construct shared knowledge. There is a cycle of internalization of what is a cycle of internalization of what is socially constructed as shared socially constructed as shared meaning, which is then externalized to meaning, which is then externalized to affect the learner's social affect the learner's social participation. Constructivist learning, participation. Constructivist learning, therefore, is viewed as a reciprocal therefore, is viewed as a reciprocal process in that the individual process in that the individual influences the group and the group influences the group and the group

influences the individualinfluences the individual( ( VygotskyVygotsky, 1978, 1978.).)

Instructional strategies and techniques Instructional strategies and techniques that encourage successful that encourage successful participation in group activities assists participation in group activities assists students in constructing their own and students in constructing their own and shared meanings. Teachers engage shared meanings. Teachers engage students’ thinking by posing students’ thinking by posing challenging questions and relevant challenging questions and relevant problems, inviting student assessment problems, inviting student assessment of their own learnings, and maintaining of their own learnings, and maintaining a safe, non-judgmental classroom a safe, non-judgmental classroom atmosphereatmosphere..

33 . .Thinking togetherThinking together

““Friendship is one mind in two Friendship is one mind in two bodiesbodies ”. ”.

MenciusMencius A great problem facing education A great problem facing education

is caused by the fragmentation of is caused by the fragmentation of thinking and acting—a way of thinking and acting—a way of thinking that divides and fails to thinking that divides and fails to see the interconnections and see the interconnections and coherence of divergent viewscoherence of divergent views

Therefore, another purpose of a Therefore, another purpose of a thought-full curriculum is to thought-full curriculum is to stimulate dialogue as a means of stimulate dialogue as a means of building an “ecology of thoughtbuilding an “ecology of thought ” ”

((Isaacs, 1999Isaacs, 1999—)—)

Humans, as social beings, Humans, as social beings, mature intellectually in mature intellectually in reciprocal relationships. reciprocal relationships. Collaboratively, individuals Collaboratively, individuals generate and discuss ideas generate and discuss ideas eliciting thinking that surpasses eliciting thinking that surpasses

individual effortindividual effort..

Baker, Costa, and Baker, Costa, and ShalitShalit (1997) (1997) identify identify norms which may serve as standards norms which may serve as standards that are understood, agreed upon, that are understood, agreed upon, adopted, monitored and assessed by adopted, monitored and assessed by each participant when working as each participant when working as

contributing member of a groupcontributing member of a group.. 11 ) )PausingPausing: Taking turns is the : Taking turns is the

ultimate in impulse control )Kotulak, ultimate in impulse control )Kotulak, 1997(. In a discourse, space is given 1997(. In a discourse, space is given

for each person to talkfor each person to talk..

22 ) )ParaphrasingParaphrasing: Covey )1989( : Covey )1989( suggests we seek to understand suggests we seek to understand before being understood. before being understood. Paraphrasing lets others know Paraphrasing lets others know that you are listening, that you that you are listening, that you understand or are trying to understand or are trying to understand and that you careunderstand and that you care..

The use of probing and clarifying The use of probing and clarifying is intended to help the listener is intended to help the listener better understand the speaker. better understand the speaker. In groups, probing and clarifying In groups, probing and clarifying increases the clarity and increases the clarity and precision of the group's thinking precision of the group's thinking by clarifying understandings, by clarifying understandings, terminology and interpretationsterminology and interpretations..

Paying attention to learning Paying attention to learning styles, modalities and beliefs styles, modalities and beliefs when planning for, facilitating of when planning for, facilitating of and participating in group and participating in group meetings enhances group meetings enhances group members’ understanding of each members’ understanding of each other as they converse, discuss, other as they converse, discuss, deliberate, dialogue, and make deliberate, dialogue, and make decisionsdecisions..

Thinking together demands a Thinking together demands a shift away from the confines of shift away from the confines of our own traditional obsolescent our own traditional obsolescent thinking conception of “me” to a thinking conception of “me” to a

sense of “ussense of “us.”.”

44 . .Thinking about our own Thinking about our own thoughtfulnessthoughtfulness

““I thank the Lord for the brain He put I thank the Lord for the brain He put in my headin my head . .

Occasionally, I love to just stand to Occasionally, I love to just stand to one side and watch how it worksone side and watch how it works ”. ”.

Richard BollesRichard Bolles Human beings, to the best of our Human beings, to the best of our

knowledge, are the only form of life knowledge, are the only form of life with the capacity for metacognition—with the capacity for metacognition—the ability to stand off and examine the ability to stand off and examine their own thoughts while they engage their own thoughts while they engage

in themin them..

Thinking involves the whole of usThinking involves the whole of us—our emotions, our ways of —our emotions, our ways of feeling in the body, our ideas, our feeling in the body, our ideas, our beliefs, and our qualities of beliefs, and our qualities of character and our visions of being. character and our visions of being. Learning to think begins with Learning to think begins with recognizing how we are thinking recognizing how we are thinking now. Generally we are not all that now. Generally we are not all that conscious of how we are thinking.conscious of how we are thinking. ( See Metacognitive questions on p( See Metacognitive questions on p::

Teachers can cause students to Teachers can cause students to reflect on their own thoughtfulness reflect on their own thoughtfulness by posing challenging problems by posing challenging problems and then having students describe and then having students describe their plans and strategies for their plans and strategies for solving the problem, sharing their solving the problem, sharing their thinking as they are implementing thinking as they are implementing their plan and then reflectively their plan and then reflectively evaluating the effectiveness of the evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy that they employedstrategy that they employed..

55 . .Thinking bigThinking big

““I learned to make my mind I learned to make my mind large, as the universe is large, as the universe is large, so that there is room for large, so that there is room for paradoxes.” paradoxes.” Maxine Hong KingstonMaxine Hong Kingston

A thought-full curriculum serves a A thought-full curriculum serves a larger, more spiritual agendalarger, more spiritual agenda..

A thought-full curriculum, A thought-full curriculum, therefore, builds a more thoughtful therefore, builds a more thoughtful world as an interdependent world as an interdependent learning community; where all learning community; where all people are continually searching people are continually searching for ways to trust each other, to for ways to trust each other, to learn together, and to grow learn together, and to grow

towards greater intelligencetowards greater intelligence..

““The best way to predict the future is to The best way to predict the future is to invent itinvent it ”. ”.

If we want a future that is much more If we want a future that is much more thoughtful, vastly more cooperative, greatly thoughtful, vastly more cooperative, greatly more compassionate and a lot more loving, more compassionate and a lot more loving, then we have to invent it. The future is in then we have to invent it. The future is in our schools and classrooms todayour schools and classrooms today . .

““Destiny is not a matter of chance–it is a Destiny is not a matter of chance–it is a matter of choicematter of choice . .

It is not a thing to be waited for–it a thing to It is not a thing to be waited for–it a thing to be achievedbe achieved ”. ”.

William Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings Bryan