Rol Fessenden wrote:
> A little while back there was some discussion about engineers wanting to
> specify what (engineering?) students should learn, and the reaction of
> teachers. It raised the question for me of who decides what is important
> in education, how does that get communicated, and how does someone ensure
> that it drives classroom work.
>
> The first question -- who decides -- is an interesting. There has been
> some discussion about -- perhaps -- differing values between corporations
> and educators, and the issue was raised of the role of parents. Are they
> the chief clients? Are the students? If it is the latter, who represents
> the student, the parent or the teacher?
I have given this question considerable thought and have concluded that
the most direct "customers" of education are the people that the students
WILL BE. The students in the class at the moment are best seen as the
prodection workers with teachers and parents as the guides.
Thus teachers, parents, AND those who support the instution are AGENTS for
the PRINCIPALS (in the legal sense) who are the students (in their
future). There is a considerable literature in Economics regarding the
problem of Principals and Agents. Letting teachers be the primary Agnets
gives results similar to letting engineers decide on what a car should be;
you may get results that are good for a market that is very narrow.
The key issues are:
a) how do we get the best prediction of the conditions the students
will face in the future
b) how do we convince teachers, parents, supporters, AND STUDENTS
that it is wise to prepare for these conditions?
I have disigned several courses (both graduate and undergraduate
university) and three curricula in the past 10 years ( of a 30 year
carreer in education). I have learned to consult with a diverse group of
faculty and industry professionals who have insights into various aspects
of the material. Student input is important in How to get it done, MUCH
less so in What to learn.
-- TJ Tom Johnson tom_johnson@ncsu.edu tel: (919) 515 4620 fax: (919) 515 1794 Box 8109 18A Patterson Hall North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695-8109