What Do You Think?
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78 – Letter from Washington: Old Wine in New Bottle: Discussion of a Visible and Invisible Curriculum
by Denis P. Doyle ![]()
The downside [ a standardized curriculum] is less obvious but no less important. An overly scripted curriculum can limit the creativity of both teachers and students. Balance is the key. Compose a curriculum in broad strokes, specific enough for clarity, general enough for flexibility. Easy to say, hard to do. But well worth trying.
My own take is that a curriculum should have two parts- one visible, the other invisible. The visible curriculum is made up of the formal courses of study...For the second part of the curriculum, I borrow from the Quaker tradition that "values are caught, not taught." By this I mean the invisible curriculum, which teaches students by example, and through which students practice the elements of citizenship and character formation that make civilization possible. Teachers who are dedicated to their craft set an example for students to do the right thing, whether it is as simple as respecting oneself and others or as demanding as writing a thoughtful essay. |