John Dewey’s Art as Experience (1934) declares art to be the “incomparable organ of instruction” on the third to last page of the book. This dissertation analyzes the place of children within the aesthetic philosophy Dewey expresses in the text and what the implications of Art as Experience could mean if applied to the art-making of children as the foundation for developing kindergarten and elementary curriculum. By exploring Dewey’s earlier writings on education and art, the dissertation develops a view of how art-making could be applied in a Deweyan pedagogy. The main influences on Dewey’s aesthetic development are explored including the frequently overlooked influence of F. Matthias Alexander. Particular emphasis is given to Dewey’s relationship with Albert Barnes and Dewey’s place in the Barnes Foundation as the Director of Education. The writings of Barnes and Dewey’s three associate directors of education are considered for their possible influence on Dewey’s aesthetic development as it applies to establishing a Deweyan philosophy of art-based education. A selection of the initial reviews of Art As Experience from 1934 and 1935 are analyzed to establish the reception of the book. The contentious arguments that Dewey and Benedetto Croce exchanged in print from the late 1940s until both men’s deaths are explored for what they reveal about Dewey’s view of intuition in art-making. A selection of contemporary writers’ views on Dewey’s aesthetics are considered as well as the conclusions of the 1989 University of Illinois Symposium on the influence of Art as Experience. The dissertation concludes by isolating twenty concepts from Art as Experience and considering their meaning as the foundation on which kindergarten and elementary curriculum could be formed. The guidelines are built upon 76 passages from Art as Experience and establish John Dewey as a dominant influence in the formation of Art Education. / text

Arts-Across-the-Curriculum is gaining popularity in the field of education as arts programs are being cut from schools and teachers looks for ways to incorporate art in their classroom. Most of these teachers have minimal formal arts training, but recognize the importance of introducing their students to various fine arts disciplines. These educators seek opportunities to learn new ways to bring arts to their students and may bring teaching artists into their classrooms to teach students or teachers. The clear connection between drama and the core subjects of history and literature allow teaching artists to easily create units utilizing both curriculum areas. Mathematics does not present clear connections to drama and the prevalence of mathematics anxiety, especially in the arts, prevents connections from being made. As an educator, theatre artist and lover of mathematics, Arts-Across-the-Curriculum provides me a opportunity to meld these together as a way to help young people find excitement in their education. Partnering with a fourth grade teacher, I developed a unit of lesson plans using playwriting as a way to understand word problems that was user-friendly for a teacher with no arts training. The Dramath Unit was integrated into the class as part of regular curriculum taught by the participating classroom teacher. Based on feedback from the participating teacher, I revised the unit for future use.

Considering the characteristics of research questions, The study adopted qualitative approach and case study strategy. Six teachers from two elementary schools in a district of Shanghai were chosen as cases. Data was collected through observations, interviews and documents, and then coded and analyzed them by Nvivc8. / Shanghai launched its curriculum reform since the late 1980s, which was followed by the second round curriculum reform started in 1998. Owing to those constantly wheeling processes of reform, curriculum materials, teaching methods, curriculum evaluation, curriculum organization, accountability and people's conception of curriculum experienced a big change. These changes challenged teachers' traditional understandings of curriculum and teaching as well as their ways of acting. The practice of teaching becomes more and more complicated, and there are a lot of conflicts and uncertainties in it. Rather than choosing between the right and wrong, teachers make their decisions through negotiations with many elements in the dynamic field. Based on these considerartions, this research focuses on the content of decisions teachers make at the level of classroom along with analysis of these processes which are framed in a perspective of negotiation. / The findings of this research indicate that: (1) The content of teachers' curriculum decision-makings at the level of classroom concentrated on teaching goals, content and process, while emphasizing evaluations after classroom instead of instantaneous evaluations in teaching. (2) Thenegotiation with situation factors was the main avenue teachers took to decide teaching goals and contents. When conflicts emerged between teachers' beliefs and situation factors, most of teachers were inclined to step back and make compromise with situation factors. (3) Teachers' negotiation with other people provided accesses for teachers to getting emerging curriculum ideas, learning processes and methods of teaching. People who have authority in experience of teaching, professional knowledge and administrative power were important evidences for teachers' decision-making. (4) Along with accumulation of experience in teaching, teachers' decisions mainly depended on their negotiations with themselves. (5) Teachers' final decisions were co-products of their negotiations with situation, other people and themselves, while each of these three elements played different role in this process. / Through analyzing content and process of decision-makings of teachers in elementary school in Shanghai, this research summed up the characteristics of negotiation embodied in the Chinese teachers' decision-making at the level of classroom. Those findings will shed some light on the improvement of curriculum reform in Chinese basic education as well as on teacher development domain. / 杨兰. / Adviser: Pingkwan Fok. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-03, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 345-362). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Yang Lan.

Post-1994 South Africa adopted a new education system that would break the past practices of the apartheid education system. The immense disparity in the provision of education for the vast majority of South Africans was the main reason for educational transformation. Curriculum change emerged as key focus in restructuring the educational system and strong emphasis was placed on effective management and leadership of curriculum in schools. The changes in curriculum meant that school principals had to operate within new paradigms of management and leadership of curriculum; this potentially brought about many challenges. A qualitative research design was employed to answer the research questions which would be integrated with the aim of the study in a logical way. The aim of the study was to explore the challenges faced by primary school principals in curriculum management. Data was generated by means of open-ended interview questions and non-participative observation to provide a rich description and explanation of what challenges principals face in managing the curriculum in their particular contexts. The literature review revealed that principals do face many challenges in the quest to effectively manage the curriculum to achieve the desired goals. As curriculum leaders, they have an important role to play in setting the tone to provide direction, executing their roles as both curriculum leaders and managers, and building democratic schools. To keep up and cope effectively with the constant and rapid educational change, principals are also urged to be supportive, demonstrate supporting leadership and professionalism, and acquire new learning and thinking skills to manage the curriculum. Therefore, by developing a better understanding of the curriculum, the principal will be able to give effective direction and empower his staff, by guiding and supporting them in curriculum practices. Ironically, leadership skills are essential for providing effective leadership; the leader must possess a sense of purpose and direction. The challenge is to develop leaders’ sensitivity and knowledge so that they know when to be directive and when to act within a collaborative framework. The research findings indicated that principals try to fulfil their roles and responsibilities as curriculum leaders but face some challenges such as lack of knowledge, resources, low motivation of educators and a large workload, among others. The study concludes by pointing out that although principals try to perform their roles and responsibilities as curriculum leaders, they still require training and ongoing support to execute certain aspects of their duties. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in the enjoyment, interest, perceived learning, and achievement levels of third grade students when social studies and science units were presented as interrelated subject units versus separate subject units. Eight units in social studies and science were chosen. Four of these units were selected at random to be presented as interrelated subject units and four to be presented as separate subject units. Interrelated units used the social studies or science topic as a core, and lessons in other subjects such as language arts, math, music, and art were related to this basic topic. Separate subject units focused on the particular topic of the unit and were not intentionally related to other subjects in curriculum. An attitude questionnaire and achievement test were administered as posttests after each unit. The results of the tests for matched pairs indicated a significant difference in the levels of enjoyment, interest, perceived learning, and achievement for the two types of units. It was concluded that the 28 third grade students taught using interrelated subject units showed a significantly higher level of enjoyment, interest, perceived learning, and achievement than the same group when taught using separate subject units.

Drawing on the principles of critical multicultural teacher education, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and bilingual education, this study examined how pre-service teachers were prepared to educate Emerging Bilinguals (EBs) in ESOL-infused teacher education programs in Florida universities. The textual analysis of a purposeful sample of five elementary-level English Language Arts (ELA) methods textbooks, utilizing a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, revealed that authors overwhelmingly referred to EBs as English learners or English language learners, rather than bilinguals or dual language learners, and devoted less than 5% of the total content of four textbooks to topics about teaching methods, curriculum, and assessment for EBs. Evidence of five forms of curriculum bias was found, including invisibility, linguistic bias, fragmentation and isolation, stereotyping, and imbalance and selectivity. The findings suggest that textbook authors value knowledge about teaching EBs less than knowledge about teaching native English-speakers. EBs were stereotyped as a homogenous group of struggling readers and essentialized in terms of their limited English proficiency. One author conflated students’ language differences with physical limitations and learning disabilities, a troubling mischaracterization in the context of the overrepresentation of EBs in special education. Meanwhile, a preference shown for ESL methods over bilingual methods, based upon misconceptions about how EBs learn, suggests that textbook authors undervalue the cultures and linguistic skills that students bring from home. The hidden curriculum in ELA methods textbooks may influence a majority of pre-service teachers, who are typically monolingual and raised in the English-dominant mainstream culture, to develop a deficit view of EBs and utilize a one-size-fits-all approach towards ELA instruction. In order to prepare pre-service teachers to educate EBs for academic success, the teacher education curriculum must include material that explains linguistically responsive instruction and describes effective bilingual education models, within a critical pedagogical framework. Without this knowledge, pre-service teachers may continue instructional practices that contribute to a persistent “achievement gap” experienced by EBs. A transformation of the ELA methods curriculum is required so that pre-service teachers are prepared to implement a humanizing pedagogy that facilitates positive identity formation as it develops bilingual and biliterate students. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Post-1994 South Africa adopted a new education system that would break the past practices of the apartheid education system. The immense disparity in the provision of education for the vast majority of South Africans was the main reason for educational transformation. Curriculum change emerged as key focus in restructuring the educational system and strong emphasis was placed on effective management and leadership of curriculum in schools. The changes in curriculum meant that school principals had to operate within new paradigms of management and leadership of curriculum; this potentially brought about many challenges. A qualitative research design was employed to answer the research questions which would be integrated with the aim of the study in a logical way. The aim of the study was to explore the challenges faced by primary school principals in curriculum management. Data was generated by means of open-ended interview questions and non-participative observation to provide a rich description and explanation of what challenges principals face in managing the curriculum in their particular contexts. The literature review revealed that principals do face many challenges in the quest to effectively manage the curriculum to achieve the desired goals. As curriculum leaders, they have an important role to play in setting the tone to provide direction, executing their roles as both curriculum leaders and managers, and building democratic schools. To keep up and cope effectively with the constant and rapid educational change, principals are also urged to be supportive, demonstrate supporting leadership and professionalism, and acquire new learning and thinking skills to manage the curriculum. Therefore, by developing a better understanding of the curriculum, the principal will be able to give effective direction and empower his staff, by guiding and supporting them in curriculum practices. Ironically, leadership skills are essential for providing effective leadership; the leader must possess a sense of purpose and direction. The challenge is to develop leaders’ sensitivity and knowledge so that they know when to be directive and when to act within a collaborative framework. The research findings indicated that principals try to fulfil their roles and responsibilities as curriculum leaders but face some challenges such as lack of knowledge, resources, low motivation of educators and a large workload, among others. The study concludes by pointing out that although principals try to perform their roles and responsibilities as curriculum leaders, they still require training and ongoing support to execute certain aspects of their duties. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The purpose of this study is to determine if elementary school children progress faster in academic or tool subjects when taught through interest units in an integrated curriculum or when taught the separate subjects by a traditional method. Reading, spelling, and handwriting are used as illustrative subjects in the sixth grade with reading only in the second grade.

The purpose of the project was to develop three thematic units for fifth grade that intergrate California State Standards in Reading, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies with the use of technology. The benefits of doing so allows instructional time to be spent on more in depth study of the disciplines, Students make connections across curriculum which allows them to develop a deeper understanding of what is being taught. Also, integrating curriculum with technology engages students and allows them to have more control over their learning environment. When students are actively involved in what is being taught, they will internalize the information for better understanding.

As called New Curriculum Reform (NCR), a nation-wide curriculum reform has been implemented since the Guidelines for Curriculum Reform of Basic Education (trial version) issued by the Ministry of Education of The People's Republic of China in June 2001. Considering the background of the reform and cultural tradition, the importance of school curriculum leadership and teachers' commitment to the reform was notified. The purpose of the present research is to explore the impact of school curriculum leadership on teachers' commitment to NCR. The following three research questions have been formulated to guide my research: (1) What are the main reasons that influence teachers' commitment to NCR? (2) What strategies and measures do school curriculum leaders adopt in the process of implementation of NCR? (3) What is the impact on teachers' commitment to NCR of such strategies and measures? / Qualitative case study methods were adopted in this study. A primary school which started to carry out the reform in September 2001 has been chosen as the case. Three months has been spent in the field. Research methods include conducting participant observation, document collection and in-depth interviews. Grounded theory method was used to code and analyze data. And triangulation and participants checks were used to clarify the validity issue. / The present research shows that primary teacher's commitment to NCR is a strategic selection process with a deep-seated psychological mechanism of identity work. In such a process, teachers have to deal with the more complex working context and social context brought by NCR and the development of society. Only when they are able to cope with both contexts will they commit to NCR. Faced with contradictions and conflicts, school curriculum leadership will turn to impression management as a major strategy. However, there is a conflict between the school curriculum leadership aimed at impression management and teachers' commitment with a deeply psychological mechanism of identity work. Thus the school leadership makes very little positive impact on teachers' commitment to NCR as showing in the case study. On the contrary, some negative impacts have been identified. / The present study deeply analyzed the response of school curriculum leaders and teachers in the process of curriculum reform implementation in Chinese culture. How they interact in the reform also has been discovered and thus made the study significant in both theory and practice. Some knowledge-base for further study was also provided in the study. / 于澤元. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2005. / 參考文獻(p. 339-382). / Adviser: Wong Hin Wah. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2455. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in English. / School code: 1307. / Lun wen (Zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2005. / Can kao wen xian (p. 339-382). / Yu Zeyuan.