Candidates for the Curriculum of the Future
WILLIAM H. KIRBY
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
There are many ways of looking at the curriculum of the schools (Tanner, 1982) and we are forever being told that knowledge is doubling and tripling every so often. We are often told that the knowledge of today will be considered folklore in the future and that the curriculum of most worth for our great grandchildren will be quite different from what is being taught in the schools today. It may be that a way of deciding what to include in the curriculum will be found that is superior to the more-or-less competitive, traditional, political and faddish methods we use today. However, it seems likely that school will of necessity always exist in some form and that the school that exists will have something which might be called a curriculum (Passmore, 1980). Therefore, in a speculative manner, this paper will cite some candidates that seem to be increasing in worth or importance which might be included in the curriculum of the future.
It is handy when considering the education of an individual person to organize materials around the dimensions (Kirby, 1983) of cognitive, emotional, social, and physical.. Thus, the groupings below.
COGNITIVE
Drawing - Edwards (1979) and others before and after have made clear the mental, self-instructional and communicative value of being competent at putting lines on paper in a way that expresses some object, scene or person to others. It seems clear that an inexpensive way to improve students ability to see, study, and imagine is to improve their drawing ability.
Foreign language - Simon (1980) and many others have stressed the language inability of American students. Reischauer (1974) has indicated the value of learning non-Western languages for a truly mind-expanding experience.
Decision science - Microcomputers and advances in interrogation programs and calculation schemes are increasing the likelihood that familiarity with decision analysis and various sorts of cost/benefit analysis will give the citizen a decided advantage in personal, business and civic decisions (Keeney and Raiffa, 1976). Modern communication and competition can create situations of moderate to high complexity in which formal decision analysis is appreciated as a useable tool, not just a semi-mathematical abstraction. For a recent example, see the story in April,1985 Personal Computing of the Heisman Trophy football player Doug Fluties and his engineer father's analysis of the problem of picking an agent to represent his son (p.35)
Research skills - Library research skills as well as some familiarity with experimental research design, analysis and criticism are being recognized as increasingly important (Ouchi, 1981). Wherever decisions are made, especially democratic decisions, whether by circles of workers or groups of legislators, rational persuasion of groups of people increases the demand for scientific experimentation and statistical data analysis.
Advanced states of mastery - A fundamental change in definition of mastery may give those who are aware of the enhanced definition (Gallwey,1974; Glasser ,1976; Dreyfus, 1979; Ostrander & Schroeder, 1979) a clearer grasp of whether they themselves have or have not mastered a skill and of the difference between a human and a machine. Knowledge of this difference may be socially and politically important in the future. Educators have been relatively unsophisticated about recognizing and using definitions of mastery. A simple definition of a cognitive learning could be based on the complete use of Bloom's cognitive domain, saying that mastery has occurred when the learner can demonstrate each of Bloom's levels in connection with the material to be learned. A fuller definition could be constructed using all three of the domains that are typically recognized: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. However, the above references make clear that educators have a long way to go beyond these basic possibilities in the direction of non-cognitive knowledge, that is, knowledge which is not essentially conscious, as in some psychomotor, very inspired and master performances of physical and mental activities.
Computers - So much is written and spoken about computers today that one apologizes for mentioning the subject. Still, it seems clear that miniaturization (Evans, 1979), integration of functions (Lotus 1-2-3, Appleworks), and the growing trend of software use being more important than any sort of programming skill are all quite likely to revolutionize the way we think, create and act in nearly every area. Roughly, it now appears that fundamental awareness of computer capability today requires some passing familiarity with:
· word processing
· spreadsheets
· self-contained data bases
· on-line research systems (for example, Dialog)
· graphics and drawing (Koala pads, "The PrintShop", computerized drawing with a "mouse")
EMOTIONAL
Relaxation - From biofeedback to writing (Rico, 1983), the importance of being able to relax, to empty the mind and to be able to concentrate on whatever one chooses (including nothing at all) is obviously emerging as a fundamental aspect of mental activity. It could be classified as a cognitive, emotional or physical subject in the curriculum but since this skill involves control and awareness of one's emotions and subconscious, it is placed here. The fundamental reference still seems to be Benson (1975) but the important view of relaxation’s place in learning is Superlearning (Ostrander & Schroeder, 1979)
Self esteem - The elementary school is filled with teachers who are aware of the importance of the subject of self esteem or self confidence but above that level, there is typically no regular school time and effort devoted to the subject of recognizing and improving one's picture, one's estimate of one’s self. As with many other subjects, this important one seems to get more attention in the lower grades when the students are relatively immature and unable to use instruction to its full potential. Then, it is more or less ignored in secondary and higher education where successful formal instruction might have some truly important social and personal effects.
SOCIAL
Parliamentary procedure - As calls for political freedom and equality reverberate around the world, as workers, citizens, students and other groups try to have a greater say in their own lives, it seems likely that educators will come to see parliamentary procedure as a very important social invention for maximizing the fairness of large group argument. This subject is still considered esoteric even by educated people but its relevance is likely to be increasingly recognized.
Complaining and hassling - Just as there are calls for ombudsmen and other mechanisms for increasing the quality of service by the state or large organizations, educators may come to see that what passes for instruction in social behavior is biased toward middle class norms and traditions. Little active instruction is now provided to our students or adult learners in effective complaining and "hassling". References such as Striker and Shapiro's “Super Threats”(1977), Alinsky's “Rules for Radicals” (1971) and instruction in non-violent demonstration (Sharp,1973) are creating the materials for teaching more effective ways to respond to poor service or errors than sacrifice or despair. It is interesting in this regard that the best-selling Appleworks computer software uses the problem of effective complaining and documenting one's car problems as the setting in its tutorial on the use of an integrated word processor and database.
Manners - There are increasing signs that we are entering a manners revolution. Social etiquette based on Emily Post, Queen Victoria and Anglo-American traditions is being revised to reflect changes such as living together without being married, living to greater ages with vitality, and interacting with people of a great variety of lifestyles, religions, political persuasions and ethnic heritages. Articles have appeared in USA Today and on the cover of Time about increased interest in etiquette and etiquette camps for children are now in existence. Here is a subject of importance that was once taught in finishing schools and occasional elementary school units that has now begun to emerge in a new form. Manners which have the maximum likelihood of being acceptable to a great variety of people are an important social asset for the modern national and international citizen.
Active or reflective listening (Gordon, 1975) - This area is mentioned as a symbol of the increasing knowledge of skills that can be learned with some ease by adolescents and adults to increase their ability to get along well with their fellows. Having interpersonal and intergroup skills is repeatedly cited as being more important for vocational success in modern society than is having any particular technical skill, especially in the light of rapid technological change. The work by Gordon is perhaps the best example of what can be called an emerging technology of people skills which are good bets for noticeably improving interaction over natural ability in the mass of students and citizens.
Negotiation (Fisher and Ury, 1981) - Perhaps the area of most potential among the people interaction skills that are receiving attention is negotiation. Forging agreements and solving problems between two or more individuals or groups, from husband and wife to multinational bargaining is being seen as worth attention from game theorists (Davis,1983), sociologists and social psychologists (Pruift,1981) and political scientists (Axelrod,1984). Again, this is a skill that can be taught formally (indeed it can be taught and probably used by computers) and, when taught, enables the learner to improve.
Job hunting (Bowles, 1979; Jackson,1978) - The state of knowledge of most citizens about jobs and how to get them seems especially poor. I work with college students on the subject and I find that even though these young people worry steadily about getting a job, their state of knowledge on the subject, compared to the two references cited, is very poor. Considering that one's livelihood and self esteem are intimately tied to having a job for most people, the schools could stand to devote considerably more time to the business of effective job hunting (which is not the same as exploring various careers).
Entrepreneurship and the effects of one's social class (Fusell ,1983) - The meaning and effect of one's social class is too important a subject to remain in the closet of popular American thinking. Fussell's semi-humorous approach has attracted attention at the same time that Giroux, Anyon, and Purpel (Giroux & Purpel, 1983) and others are focusing educational attention on the heavy but implicit bias that most public schooling has toward middle class values, including the predisposition to imagine one's future as an employee, an obedient, dutiful, and respectful employee, we are undoubtedly living in an entrepreneurial revolution just now. John Naisbitt (1985) reported in January 1985 that America is seeing the creation of 12,000 new businesses PER WEEK ! In such an environment, the philosophies, demeanor and tendencies one has absorbed from one's class need to be fully understood and rationally examined. School is the ideal place for such examination to occur.
PHYSICAL
Aerobics (Cooper,1977), stretching (Anderson,1980) use of weights (Murray and Karpovich,1956) and muscle exercises (Ladas et al., 1982) - Many aspects of the physical dimension of individual future lives could be cited as likely candidates for inclusion in the school curriculum of the future. Increasing knowledge about diet, sleep, artificial body parts and medical consumerism are some examples. The references cited group around the concept of the fit body and appropriate exercise. Some work has already been done to create a curriculum that educates as to what fitness is and why it is important. However, coming from one of the leading campuses in the nation in the area of wellness, I know that research and dissemination needs are still great. Modern stress and the increased awareness that health matters in production and economic competition make the very best knowledge of facts and personal needs valuable material for schools to spend their time teaching. I particularly cite “The G Spot and Other Recent Discoveries About Human Sexuality” by Ladas, Whipple and Perry, 1982 as an example of the revolutionary breakthroughs that may await us in the area of defining good fitness and its value.
A word about the methods of selection used in this paper to decide what subjects seem likely candidates for the curriculum of the future; there was no one method used. The guiding aim has been to spot emerging subjects that seem to begetting increased research or media attention in each of the five dimensions of an individual person cited above. In each case of a subject named, it is the author’s opinion that present or likely future problems or interests of citizens will show the subject to be valuable, enough so that the public school would be justified in teaching the subject during the school day. A subject might be taught in simple form in the lower grades of elementary school and also in more advanced form in the highest grades of high school. It is the job of the educational futurist to take notice of possible alternative subjects which may merit the place presently held in the curriculum by current topics and bring them to the attention of other educators.
References:
Alinsky, S. Rules for Radicals. Random House, 1971
Anderson, R. Stretching. Shelter Publications, Bolinas, CA,1980
Axelrod, R. The Evolution of Cooperation. Basic Books, 1984
Benson, H. The Relaxation Response. William Morrow, 1975
Bowles, R. What Color is Your Parachute? Ten Speed, 1983
Cooper, K. The Aerobics Way. Evans. 1977
Davis, M. Game Theory (revised edition). Basic Books,1983
Dreyfus, H. What Computers Can't Do (revised edition). Harper & Row,1979
Edwards, B. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Tarcher,1979
Evans, C. The Micro Millienium. Viking. 1979
Fussell, P. Class: A Guide through the American Status System. Summit Books,1983
Gallwey, T. The Inner Game of Tennis. Random House. 1974
Giroux, H. & Purpel, P. (ed.) The Hidden Curriculum and Moral Education. McCutchan, 1983
Glasser, W. Positive Addiction. Harper & Row, 1976
Gordon, T. Leader Effectiveness Training. Wyden.1977
Jackson, T. Guerrilla Tactics in the Job Market. Bantam, 1978
Keeney. R. & Raiffa. H. Decisions with Multiple Objectives, Wiley,1976
Kirby, W. "The Organization of Future Studies." Paper presented at AERA 1983 Montreal meeting
Ladas, A. et al. The G Spot and Other Recent Discoveries About Human Sexuality. Holt. Rinehart & Winston, 1982
Murray,J. & Karpovich, P. Weight Training in Athletics. Prentice-Hall, 1956
Naisbitt, J. Presentation to Association for Educational Communication and Technology. Anaheim, CA, 1985
Ostrander, S. & Schroeder, L. Superlearning. Delacorte, 1979
Ouchi, U. Theory Z. Addison-Wesley, 1981
Passmore, J. Tne Philosophy of Teaching. Harvard, 1980
Reischauer, E. Toward the 21st Century; Education for a Changing World. Random House, 1974
Rico, G. Writing the Natural Way. Tarcher, 1983
Sharp, G. The Politics of Non-Violent Action. Porter Sargent, Boston, 1973
Simon, P. The Tongue-Tied American; Confronting the Foreign Language Crisis, Continuum 1980
Tanner, D. "Curriculum History.'' In Mitzel, H.(ed.) Encyclopedia of Educational Research. 5th edition. Macmillan. 1982