I've been trying to figure out why the post about curriculum is taking so long, feels so hard and has become my number 1 procrastination item. Like all things that are hard to write about, I think the problem lies in getting bogged down by emotion. I've been taking lessons from a friend in neutrality- and that's the best way to approach these heavy, emotion laden topics. So here are my
observations about the Ivorian curriculum, from my somewhat sheltered perspective. (Another of those small, informal, highly unscientific reportings.)
Most of what I know comes from the textbooks. Both the Ivorian and French systems are heavy on texts. I've definitely had teaching moments where I just wished for a text. Something solid to follow that would alleviate some of my planning and guesswork. A path.
What I have been most impressed with in the texts are the examples given for each of the topics. At times it has even resulted in an "aha" moment.
So this is how it's done. We spent a lot of time at TASOK trying to devise 'real world' problems and 'authentic evaluations.' So much talk about making learning relevant.
This school in Columbia seems to have found the sweet spot between presenting relative information and achieving a more active learning environment.
But looking at content only for a moment, there is a lot to be commended in the texts- written by Ivorians for Ivorian students. (The math text was actually a joint project between several African countries with the goal of creating a continental math program for Africans. Genius, really.)
The texts each offer a clear layout of presenting information, summarizing the main points and providing an "I go further" section for students wanting to explore more in depth. The words themselves are written in pro-student language, stating what students are able to do in "I" terms. The objectives are clear and engaging. And the cross curricular connections? Astounding in their simplicity.
The math book is full of problems requiring students to calculate taxes, equal distribution of agricultural plantations, and, my favorite, Nande who found some information about the state of children in the world. She and her friends set about calculating the number of reported births, child labor situations, and slavery (children captured as soldiers, sold into prostitution or other slavery situations.) Nande and her friends are shocked by what they discover and set about determining the number of exploited children, non exploited children and other percentages. Yeah. It's a fourth grade book.
Here some samples from the French text which end up doubling as citizenship education.
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| A little history and detail about the elections process |
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| Essay about tribalism and traditional rites |
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| The importance of peace after war |
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| Solving problems through justice (and elder wisdom) |
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| The rights of the child |
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| How to make a happy child...more on basic rights and needs |
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| Counsel about how to raise and protect a child |
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| A bit about polygamy and the importance of education for girls |
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| Importance of education for girls- because you can't stress that enough |
I'm a little wowed by depth of topics and the wealth of information presented in such a straight forward manner. I thought the curriculum I developed encompassing human rights and the plight of children worldwide was revolutionary. Truthfully, I was a bit dumbfounded to find it all laid out so clearly, complete with colorful pictures, first and secondary sources and real world examples. What else can I say?
