Aug 30, 2020

Article #9 in a Series >>>>> Culpable Parties and the Revolution That Will Expose Them and Replace the Abysmal Level of Education at the Minneapolis Public Schools >>>>> Knowledge-Intensive Curriculum That Will Be Implemented at MPS as My Book, >Understanding the Minneapolis Public Schools: Current Condition, Future Prospect< (Already Entered in Its Entirety on This Blog) Goes into Physical Circulation


Administrators, teachers, and staff are about to be rocked with the physical circulation of my book, Understanding the Minneapolis Public Schools:  Current Condition, Future Prospect, inducing the implementation of knowledge-intensive curriculum to replace the embarrassing subject area content now inflicted on students enrolled in the Minneapolis Public Schools.

 

Impartation of a knowledge-intensive, skill-replete education is the core mission of any locally centralized school district.   

 

Fundamentals of an excellent liberal arts education include teaching with breadth and depth the subjects of mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, government, American history, world history, economics, psychology, English and world literature, English usage, music, and visual art.  In---  count’em---  fourteen---  that’s fourteen, years in the currently typical preK-12 scheme, there is an abundance of time to convey a great bevy of information in all of these subjects, with plenty of time also for physical education and health and an array of vocational subjects (carpentry, plumbing, auto mechanics).

 

At grades PreK-5 (elementary school in most locally centralized schools districts as now structured), students should have detailed, knowledge-intensive, information-heavy introductions to all of the key subjects in the liberal arts.  At grades 6-8 (middle school), impartation of knowledge and skill sets in the liberal arts should continue at ever higher levels, and students should have increasing access to courses in the vocational and technological arts.  With this approach to curriculum, students will arrive in high school ready to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses in calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, world history, United States history, government, and economics.  They will also have opportunities to take specialized courses in those fields, explore vocational interests, and conduct formal research with a resulting 20-page paper.

 

Specifically, at the three major levels of preK-12 education at the Minneapolis Public Schools, the following curricular matters will pertain.

 

>>>>>    All preK-5 schools will impart specified knowledge sets in grade by grade sequence pertinent to mathematics, natural science (biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, physiology, nutrition), social science and humanities (government, history, economics, geography, psychology), English usage and literature (classical Western, world, ethnic-specific), and fine arts (visual and musical).  PreK-2 students will have a strong grasp of phonics and phonemic awareness, and they will develop fluency and comprehension by reading a bevy of high-quality literary works.  Students at all grade levels will continue to read fiction and nonfiction of high quality and rigor;  and they will graduate from grade 5 with a very strong foundation of subject area knowledge.

 

>>>>>    All middle schools (grades 6-8) will provide a knowledge-intensive, skill-replete education that proceeds logically from curriculum at grades preK-5.  Students will have the opportunity to study foreign languages provided on the basis of student expressed interest, student ethnic composition, and the importance of certain languages worldwide:  those to be considered at each site will include Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Somali, and Hmong.  Students will study algebra I, geometry, and algebra II in succession;  master the fundamentals of American and world history, incorporating a wealth of information germane to the histories of all major ethnic groups and world populations;  continue to acquire strong knowledge sets in Western classic, world, and ethnic-specific literature;  master standard courses in biology, chemistry, and physics;  and pursue instrumental and choral activity options, as well as continuing the academic study of the fine arts (visual and musical).

 

>>>>>    On the strength of such rigorous academic curriculum at grades preK-5 and grades 6-8, students will arrive in high school (grades 9-12) ready to focus on Advanced Placement courses in Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, United States History, World History, Economics, Psychology, English, and Spanish.  They will be offered a range of subject area electives and multiple options for acquiring skills in vocations that match students’ driving interests.  In grade 12, each student will conduct an individual research project, producing a paper that follows manual of style guidelines, with abundant citations in proper form, and meeting specifications of research papers at the four-year college and university level.

 

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Thus, students will graduate from the Minneapolis Public Schools with knowledge and skill sets that should be associated with first and second year college students but in reality will exceed the actual knowledge and skill level of typical students at those stages in the college and university experience.

 

All pre-K through 12 teachers will be given rigorous subject area training and knowledge of constituent student populations. 

 

Teachers will be mandated to develop pedagogy capable of imparting the knowledge and skill sets of the rigorous curriculum.  While a variety of pedagogies can possibly deliver such knowledge and skill sets, academic decision-makers at the Minneapolis Public Schools will stress that knowledge directly imparted by teachers in the context of whole-class discussions is typically the most efficient and provides for vigorous critical analysis and exchanges by students expressing a wide variety of viewpoints.   

 

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Following the above described principles of curriculum and teacher training will overturn the current abysmal approaches to curriculum and teaching, projecting the academic program of the Minneapolis Public Schools as a model for locally centralized school districts throughout the United States---  and have favorable implications for public schools systems throughout the world.

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