Personal Curriculum Research Articles

City of London School and Communities that Care: Researching Pupil Experience to Inform Policy and Practice in the Independent Sector

This article is an account of the decision by an independent school to participate in its local Healthy Schools Scheme. One of the factors that influenced this decision was the value the school gained from a pupil survey. The same survey was used to track the impact of the school's Personal, Social and Health Education curriculum and pastoral work on pupils' experience of the school, and academic achievement. In particular, the authors explore the role of survey analysis and consultancy advice in interpreting survey results and developing school practice. The survey contributed to pupil participation in school development. The use of an external consultant as critical friend was perceived as an aid to school reflection and self-review.

Personalized curriculum sequencing utilizing modified item response theory for web-based instruction

Curriculum sequencing is an important research issue for Web-based instruction systems because no fixed learning pathway will be appropriate for all learners. Therefore, many researchers focused on developing e-learning systems with personalized learning mechanism to assist on-line Web-based learning and adaptively provide learning pathways. However, although most personalized systems consider learner preferences, interests and browsing behavior in providing personalized curriculum sequencing services, these systems usually neglect to consider whether learner ability and the difficulty level of the recommended courseware are matched to each other or not. Generally, inappropriate courseware leads to learner cognitive overload or disorientation during learning, thus reducing learning effect. Besides, the problem of concept continuity of learning pathways also needs to be considered while implementing personalized curriculum sequencing. Smoother learning pathways increase learning effect, avoiding unnecessarily difficult concepts. This paper presents a prototype of personalized Web-based instruction system (PWIS) based on the proposed modified Item Response Theory (IRT) to perform personalized curriculum sequencing through simultaneously considering courseware difficulty level, learner's ability and the concept continuity of learning pathways during learning. In the proposed modified IRT, the information function is revised to consider the concept continuity of learning pathway as well as considering the difficulty level of courseware and individual learner ability. Experiment results indicate that applying the proposed modified IRT for Web-based learning can construct suitable learning pathway to learners for personalized learning, and help them to learn more effectively.

A critical examination of clinical teaching in undergraduate nurse education

Reports on the complex work of Australian clinical nurse teachers, identifying the influence of a range of socio-political factors. Teachers worked from personal curricula and often developed maternal relationships with students. They used time to descipline student learning whilst simultaneously being desciplined in their teaching practices by time.

‘Symbiotic niceness’: constructing a therapeutic relationship in psychosocial palliative care

The concept of symbiotic niceness illustrates a mutually shared advantage in the nurse–patient relationship. This relationship is premised on the co-production of niceness through the doing of psychosocial care. This paper presents an account of ‘symbiotic niceness’ produced in palliative care nurses’ talk. The data are collected from two hospices and one general hospital for the dying. The analysis of talk demonstrates how psychosocial care can be understood as the collaborative practice of ‘niceness’ in the daily activities of participants, and how they collaboratively achieve reciprocal and therapeutic relevance for their talk. Participants co-engage in a ‘selling game’. Through the activities of selling, a set of personal assets that constitute their personal Curriculum Vitae (CV) are revealed. It suggests that nurses’ assets, when combined with patients’ assets, function as marketable ‘products’ to produce an impression of nice patients and professionals. This in turn leads to the production of an impression of ‘nice’ organisations. Impression management is presented as a key strategy for the production of marketable niceness. Through the co-performance of niceness in talk, both nurses and patients are constructed as people who are somewhat charismatic, friendly, informal, understanding and concerned. This paper argues that underpinning the co-enactment of symbiotic niceness is the sharedness of patients’ and nurses’ experiences and a reciprocal notion of therapeutic help. It serves as a means of managing relations between palliative care nurses and dying patients. Symbiotic niceness thus represents a core component of professional and patient identity which works to maintain social orderliness as well as to advance personal, professional and organisational aspirations.

Computer simulations enhance experimental demonstrations in the underwater acoustics and sonar course

Underwater acoustics and sonar (SP411) is a 3 hour course that is offered to midshipmen in their senior year. Typically, general science and oceanography majors, totaling 110 students/yr, enroll. Since this course is offered without a lab, the ‘‘in class’’ experience has been enhanced with the development (over many years) of our demo carts and computer workstations which surround the classroom. In a studio classroom atmosphere, students perform a variety of experiments in small groups. How can scientific visualizations best develop learning of complex interactions? Two examples are presented. PC–IMAT (personal curriculum interactive multisensor analysis training) simulations of multielement array steering support the theory and enhance the experiments that are performed in class such as the two-element array. Mathematica simulations involving the programming and animation of a point source in a rigid–rigid infinite parallel wave guide are used to stress the method of images, superposition, group and phase velocity and far-field modal pattern that is observed as a function of depth and source frequency. Later, students have fun using a ripple tank with an eye dropper to generate a point source between two adjustable parallel boundaries, and their understanding of ‘‘underwater sound’’ is greatly enhanced.

Exploring the Long- and Short-Term Planning Practices of Head Start Teachers for Children With and Without Disabilities

This investigation explored the long- and short-term planning practices of 21 Head Start teachers from three Head Start grantee programs. A structured face-to-face interview protocol was used to gather information about (a) primary purposes for short-term and long-term planning, (b) sources of information the teachers used in their planning, (c) contextual factors influencing planning, and (d) differences in planning for children with disabilities. Descriptive analysis procedures were employed to analyze the data. The teachers engaged in several different levels of both long- and short-term planning. The calendar, the classroom environment, the schedule, and classroom activities appeared to be the primary foci of the teachers' planning decisions across all levels. The teachers primarily used personal files, curriculum books, and other teaching personnel as planning resources for their classrooms. Few differences were reported in the planning process or resources used when planning for children with disabilities. Practice issues emerging from this investigation included individualization, ownership, and cohesive and connected planning systems.

Personal safety curriculum in junior primary classrooms: Are teachers teaching it?

Previous studies have revealed that the teaching of personal safety strategies to children is spasmodic and selective, avoiding vital information that would help children to identify and report sexual abuse. In this study a questionnaire was used to explore the views of 33 South Australian junior primary teachers regarding the teaching of personal safety to children.Results showed that most of the participating teachers claimed to teach some personal safety skills, using a variety of materials and methods, but it would appear that they concentrated on ‘safe’ topics such as road safety and avoided topics relating to child sexual abuse and violence. It was also found that 50% had not undertaken any training within the last two years even though the overwhelming majority felt that further training was required in order to teach topics effectively. This suggested that motivation for teaching personal safety was low. These and other findings are discussed and recommendations for greater emphasis on training of teachers and further research into this area are made.

The Interfacing of Preservice and Inservice Experiences of Reform-Based Teaching: A Longitudinal Study

This article contrasts four elementary teachers who were graduates of a teacher education program that incorporated a reform-based mathematics methods course. The report provides results from a four-year longitudinal study that extended from the time that the participants were preservice teachers until the end of their second year of teaching. The article provides background information of each teacher, vignettes from her teaching, excerpts from interviews, and an analysis of each teacher's case. Results from the case studies indicate that two of the four teachers sustained their cognitively-based conceptions about mathematics teaching and learning, and implemented these conceptions into practice. The analysis suggests that there were several factors that influenced the teachers' conceptions and the choices they made in their teaching: personal commitment, professional strength, curriculum, planning, assessment, beliefs, knowledge, and support from school administration. The article concludes with implications for teaching and questions about the nature of what might be required in the beginning years of teaching if new teachers are expected to implement reform-based mathematics teaching practices.

Developing an emotional awareness programme for pupils with moderate learning difficulties at Durants School

Emotional awareness programmes and initiatives in education have a high profile. Training courses in emotional literacy and emotional literacy projects are being promoted nationwide. However, whilst many successful projects and programmes have taken place in the context of mainstream school settings, by comparison relatively fewer projects have been reported in special school settings. A seven-week emotional awareness project was designed for seven pupils in a Year 8 form group (12–13 years of age) who were presenting with emotional and emotional/behavioural difficulties in Durants School, which caters for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. The project drew upon principles of circle time and placed emphasis on multisensory activities and role play. The purpose of the project was to identify whether an emotional awareness programme would lead to an increase in the pupils’ awareness and understanding of their own emotions, and whether an awareness of other people’s feelings/emotions could be integrated as a core module of the school’s personal, social and health education curriculum. This project illustrates that an emotional awareness programme can be adapted creatively for pupils with special educational and learning needs without involving expensive resources, and can give pupils life skills that can be applied both in and out of the classroom.

Development of a guidebook for senior students applying for residency training in obstetrics and gynecology

This article describes a detailed residency guidebook that I developed over the course of 4 years based on interaction with 42 student advisees. Questions most frequently asked by the students were recorded, and comprehensive written responses were prepared that addressed their specific concerns. The completed guidebook contains several major sections. The introductory portion provides a general description of the discipline of obstetrics and gynecology, outlines the format of residency training programs, and assesses the competitiveness of residencies in obstetrics and gynecology compared with other disciplines. The second section lists deadlines for completing various tasks, such as selecting an adviser, planning the senior curriculum, requesting and submitting applications, preparing the curriculum vitae and personal statement, and soliciting letters of recommendation. The next section of the guidebook provides suggestions for the senior curriculum and specifically addresses the issue of "audition electives" in obstetrics and gynecology. The next two sections present formats for the student's personal statement and curriculum vitae. Next, guidelines for requesting letters of recommendation are presented. Thereafter, information is provided to help students determine the number of applications they should submit, and training programs targeted by the student are classified by size, type, and competitiveness. Finally, the guidebook addresses questions related to scheduling and preparing for interviews.

Children′s Views of Bullying

Describes a draw and write project on bullying in six inner‐London primary schools. Summarizes children′s views on topics such as what bullies look like, what they do, how bullied children feel and why some children are bullies. Concludes that children believe that bullies often behave the way they do because they are reacting inappropriately to some injustice they have suffered themselves, and that schools need to help children vent their anger in safe and constructive ways. Encourages schools to tackle the emotional health of their pupils through a planned and well resourced personal, social and health education curriculum.

Curriculum Change in Technology Education: A Theoretical Perspective on Personal Relevance Curriculum Designs

Personal relevance curriculum designs are compatible with most mission and philosophical statements for technology education; yet, there are few, if any curriculum plans that emphasize this design. The experience-based nature of technology education suggests a certain affinity with personal relevance. Practice and theory within the profession has influenced and has been influenced by personal relevance designs and their inherent humanistic theories. While this interaction is apparent through any historical survey of the profession and evident in contemporary literature, the nature of personal relevance designs have been only partially examined. Within the profession, there is little information in the way of adequate description and implementation of personal relevance or other humanistic curriculum designs (Herschbach, 1989; Horton, 1985; McCrory, 1987; Moss, 1987; Zuga, 1989). The purpose of this article is to provide insight into personal relevance curriculum designs through a discussion of a theoretical perspective on their nature, underlying rationale and application to a study of technology, source of content, organizational structure, and use in technology education. Most of the discussions are limited to a micro-curriculum as opposed to a macro level. However, inferences can be drawn to include both. The focus of the discussions is on middle, junior, and senior high levels of schooling. Personal relevance designs are grounded in humanistic theory; consequently, it was necessary to summarize and generalize a number of humanistic views, beliefs and convictions.

Keeping ourselves safe: A personal safety curriculum examined

Keeping ourselves safe: A personal safety curriculum examined

Experiencing Ethnicity as a Japanese Canadian Teacher: Reflections On a Personal Curriculum

A few years ago at the curriculum conference in Richmond, British Columbia, devoted to Multiculturalism, Ethnicity and Curriculum, I asked an assembled group of about two hundred, How many of you are ethnics? About fifty hands went up. I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that the remaining one hundred fifty considered themselves nonethnic. I thought it likely the latter group felt that ethnics are those people over there, about whom we write, about whom we talk, about whom we film, about whom we package into curriculum, about whom we conference. So much of what we see and read about ethnicity are object studies about ethnic people and by being factual, they tend to conceal the experiences of life-as-lived earthly. Hence, my interest here is to disclose even to some extent that which we tend to conceal, by attempting to bring into fuller view, reflection upon what, for me, experiencing ethnicity has been like. I regard experiencing ethnicity as experiencing subjectively one's lived situation from one's own ethnic perspective. From my personal standpoint, and this is the only standpoint I experientially know, experiencing ethnicity has been and is experiencing being a Japanese Canadian in the time-space coordinates of my own historical situation into which I was born, and within which I have lived and am now living.

Continuous Progress and Nongraded Schools

This paper describes four schools in which the emphasis is placed upon developing an appropriate pace of learning according to individual needs. In practice this means that a pupil's progress is assessed continually and his/her personal curriculum adjusted accordingly.

Experiencing Ethnicity as a Japanese Canadian Teacher: Reflections on a Personal Curriculum

Experiencing Ethnicity as a Japanese Canadian Teacher: Reflections on a Personal Curriculum

Continuous Progress and Nongraded Schools

This paper describes four schools in which the emphasis is placed upon developing an appropriate pace of learning according to individual needs. In practice this means that a pupil's progress is assessed continually and his/her personal curriculum adjusted accordingly.

Self-Education: The Process of Life-Long Learning

The authors worked together for three years developing Walkabout-Challenge-SelfEducation concepts and practices. In this article they describe the growing acknowledgment world-wide that educational services must train people and provide support systems for life-long self-directed education. To manage the difficult transition from authority-directed to self-directed learning, they developed a four stage program: influential parenthood; initiative training for elementary school students; challenge education for secondary students; and self-education training and support services for adults. All are now in various stages of implementation. Drawing on the literature and their experience, they outline ten basic elements of programs designed to teach self-education, including visualization, learning-style, personal curriculum planning, risk experiences, and self-culture.

A Study of Networks Among Professional Staffs in Secondary Schools

What is the network of interactions among the staff of secondary schools and how does that network affect the curriculum? Field methods were used to answer these questions in two large comprehensive secondary schools in a metropolitan area. The term "network" was divided into parts: the first a field, denoting the ego-centered set of relations around an individual or group; the second, a network, or the sum of all the interactions of a certain kind in a certain place. The concluding model drawn from the description contains three parts. The first part is a teacher's individual and ego- centered field from which he orshe constructs an approach to students and teaching; the second is a set of relationships between the teacher and some particular students who respond to and justify that teacher's approach; and the third is the network or sum of all these fragmented approaches to teaching and students. The curriculum of a school is composed of the sum of all these disparate fields of individual teachers. Implications of a fragmented and personalized curriculum are examined by the author.

Child development in educational settings1

A year as headmaster of a small school suggested some practical and some conceptual issues regarding child development in educational settings. On the practical plane perhaps the most significant contribution child development can make is to provide teachers with developmental perspectives and with methods and techniques for assessing the child's view of classroom realities. On a more general plane developmental psychology needs to distinguish between the developmental, the school and the personal curricula and to help teachers coordinate the three rather than insisting upon a substitution of the personal and developmental curricula for the school curriculum. Developmental psychology could also be more helpful if it studied the complicated learning actually engaged in by pupils and teachers. Finally, if child development, or some branch of it, aspires to be a science of education, then new patterns of training combining teaching and research experience will have to be instituted.