Steps Toward Relevance: An Interest-Centered Curriculum

Herman Ohme, Ed.D.

Published in The Journal of Secondary Education, November 1970, p299-304. This article has also been included in the Third Edition of Kimbal Wiles' Readings in Curriculum, published Fall 1972 by Allyn & Bacon.

A painter whose end object is a picture on a canvas, becomes interested not only in canvases, but in easels, in art exhibits, in paints, in the chemistry of color mixing, in light and shade, in other painters, in subjects for painting, etc. -- Samuel Tennenbaum, William Heard Kilpatrick, Trail-Blazer in Education

Introduction

There is little doubt that the traditional high school curriculum fails to provide the type of relevance that students need if they are to derive any real benefit from the great amount of time they spend in and out of the classrooom in pursuit of an education.

Neither is there much doubt that the highly respected and widely publicized innovative practices fail to provide any real advance toward the development of a relevant curriculum. In secondary education the term "innovation" usually implies some form of modular scheduling, large or small groupings of students, independent study, team teaching, and some newer concepts such as "pontooning". Except for certain types of independent study, most of these innovative improvements offer little more than changes in organization or structure. When shorn of their new labels, they involve, simply, regrouping of students, varying allotments of class time, and some modifications of teacher roles. The curriculum content and the curriculum processes remain basically the same. After the initial break-in period, the novelty wears off, leaving the problems still unsolved and still demanding attention. Again, teachers and administrators are faced with the irrelevance of the traditional curriculum and the realization that, in spite of their heroic efforts at innovating, the problem has remained intact. As one frustrated principal observed, "The same old medicine has been put into a new bottle."

Educators who have attempted to provide relevance in the curriculum have discovered that a teacher may readily accept changes in the number of students he must meet on any given day, or the amount of time he must spend in delivering a lecture to a large group, or he may work well on a team with another teacher. Nevertheless, he will be extremely reluctant to accept the idea that changes should be made in the course he teaches -- he rejects the idea of changing the course content, the homogeneous class, the grade level at which it is taught, the number of weeks required to teach it, the procedures for evaluating students, and the unquestioned importance of the course in the total curriculum. Few significant changes have been made in these areas, for to contemplate such changes is to invite attack from every teacher who looks upon any disruption of his well-ordered classroom routine as a call to arms. Under such circumstances there can be little doubt as to the outcome of any attempt to introduce curriculum changes that are truly innovative.

Consequently, the reason why organizational and structural changes accomplish so little and usually result in such costly failure, is precisely this: the cart is put before the horse. The form (the schedule) has been redesigned in remarkable ways, but little significance has been atttached to the function (the curriculum). It is as simple as that. Meaningful changes in the curriculum content and the process of learning must come before the mechanics of structuring can be considered. Before effective scheduling techniques can be devised, curriculum content must have been modified from the results of in-depth evaluation. The great need, therefore, is not for pre-packaged "flexible scheduling," but for new approaches in developing and implementing curriculum content and process -- for relating what is learned to the needs and interests of students.

An Interest-Centered Curriculum in English

One such apprach was initially implemented during the 1969-70 school year at North High School in Torrance, California. It is best describe as an interest-centered English curriculum. Although begun in the English department, the concepts are applicable to any area of the curriculum. It is based on two major premises: (1) students take courses as electives from a broad range of selections high in interest value, and (2) teachers develop courses they want to teach, drawing from their own areas of interest and specialization.

The chief features of an interest-centered curriculum are these: It offers short term courses, usually nine weeks in length; it allows for natural grouping of students according to interests; classes are nongraded, 10-12; and teachers serve as program counselors in their own subject areas.

Short-Term Electives

Essential to the interest concept is the short-term elective. This eliminates the semester or year survey-type course, so heavily weighted with fact and convention that spontaneity and enthusiasm are difficult to generate and impossible to sustain.

The short-term elective requires acceptance of the philosophic concept that one of the major goals of instruction is to develop skills and provide knowledge primarily so that the student will desire and be able to proceed on his own after he has completed the course. It is literally impossible to "cover" all of the material in a history or English literature class in a semester or even a year. What happens is ususally an extremely uneven coverage of about fifty per cent of the material up to the last few weeks, then a dash through the last half of the book without regard for student's interest, or the fact that the most important material of all, the current scene, has not been reached.

Short-term courses lend themselves to high interest levels because time is an important factor in sustaining interest. It cannot be wasted in study sessions, busy work, or too frequent testing.

Short-term courses also allow for greater variety in selection. A student has the opportunity to take at least four interest courses during the year, instead of one long dreary survey. It gives the teacher the unique opportunity to involve students in suggesting and even assisting in the development of courses. This not only makes for more enthusiastic teaching, but the teacher acquires a much greater understanding of the curriculum and the learning process.

Short-term courses are designed to integrate basic skills into the course content, and not treat them as isolated entities as is done so often in the traditional curriculum. Knowledge does not exist in a vacuum, and should not be taught in one. This is the quickest way for a student to lose interest.

The following are some examples of course titles offered to students, together with brief descriptions of course content developed by teachers and students at North High School for the interest-centered English curriculum:

Contemporary Scene

Stop! Hear! Read! Think! How does man fit into our twentieth century world? What do Simon and Garfunkle have to say? And Rod McKuen? This course will tune in on what's happening now - where we're at - and what it's all about. It will explore all types of books and songs, including those chosen by the student which reflect modern man and the world he grooves in. Prerequisite: Sincere interest in taking a look at the world around you.

Sports in Literature

Discover the place of sports in literature today by exploring the lives of famous athletes, and by looking in on teams as they start championship drives. Although reading will comprise the backbone of the course, oral expression and composition will also be stressed.

Advertising: The Miracle Worker

Is advertising a demon or friend? This course will examine how advertising affects American life. Emphasis will be on writing and preparing printed radio and TV advertising. Prerequisite: C average or better, 10th grade reading ability, and a curiosity about writing.

Journey into Terror and the Unknown

A coffin lid creaks open; airy mist floats down the stairs; a man screams in terror while being walled in. This is part of the journey into the atmosphere of the gothic. Other works in which astrology, ESP, witchcraft, ghosts, and psychic phneomena are the chief characteristics will be explored. There will also be journeys into the fantastic worlds of the future, of the imagination and of the unexplainable.

The full range of electives offered include the following categories: Adventure, Composition, Drama, Gothic-Bizarre-Mystery-and-Science fiction, The Hero, Humor, Language, Mass Media, Mythology, Short Story, Twentieth Century Man, Reading, and Television Production.

The selection process is closely related to the counseling done by the teachers, and the concept of natural grouping.

Natural Grouping

Students have always been grouped in classes either homogeneously -- according to predetermined criteria, or heterogeneously -- at random by grade level.

Natural grouping, unlike either of the above, is grouping by common interest in a manner similar to the structure of society itself. The principle has rarely been utilized in learning.

The artificial and arbitrary "convenience" grouping done in most schools is closely associated with the traditional curriculum, and can only be altered when the curriculum itself is changed. It may well be that most of the harm we do to students results from the arbitrary labels we pin on them, sometimes as early as kindergarten. These labels are in essence "success" and "failure" tags which the students usually manage to incoporate into their lives and their personalities.

In high schools the groups are often identified by a number, or as "college", "general", or "remedial". Coupled with this inappropriate categorization of students is a staff seniority system in which the longer-tenured teachers demand and get the college-bound students, while the less-experienced teachers get the remedials. As idiotic as this may seem, it is nonetheless true. The disastrous effects of this type of grouping contibute to the development of a chain that includes such other links as truancy, misbehavior, willful disobedience, suspension and dropout. Ultimately the burden comes to rest on the shoulders of parents and taxpayers.

It is significant that in the interest-centered curriculum there is no artificial or abitrary assignment of students or teachers. The students are free to choose their courses from a broad range of offerings. In making their choices, they group themselves according to their own needs, interests, course content, and teacher recommendation. The courses they choose are designed to motivate them and to appeal to them. While students are often advised, they are never coerced. They choose. This freedom of choice is essential to the development of responsibility. It is active rather than passive participation in the learning process. It allows for enjoyment and a much greater possibility for success.

The role of the teacher in the process is also unique. Not only has he developed the course he will be teaching, he also becomes the program counselor.

The Teacher as Counselor

Developing an interest-centered course does not necessarily mean that it will be taught. Enough students must want to take it. This necessitates involving students in curriculum matters. It necessitates seeking their ideas and having dialogue with them as to what they would like. It makes it possible for teachers to gain insight into students, their needs, desires, likes and dislikes. It requires the teacher to be the real expert in program counseling in his own subject area. It also makes it necessary for the teacher to communicate with his colleagues more frequently, and to know the content and objectives of the total curriculum in his department.

With the number and variety of interest-centered courses to be offered, and the frequency of choice resulting from the shorter term of the courses, the teacher becomes the ideal person to do the program counseling. This also benefits the guidance personnel by providing them with more time to do personal and vocational counseling.

Nongraded Classes, 10-12

The principles of the nongraded class are best exemplified in an interest centered curriculum. Differences in maturing are inconsequential when interest and enthusiasm in the subject are high. It is possible that in certain classes, the maturity level of students may actually be more homogeneous because of the fact that the class is nongraded and naturally grouped. Age can often be the least important factor in the maturity range of a given group.

It also becomes possible to offer a broader selection of electives. In some classes a prerequisite may be a necessary screening device, but grade level itself should not be a selection criterion.

Cost

Interest-centered classes need not cost significantly more than regular classes. Additional costs may arise from a greater need for clerical assistance, and a greater variety of instructional materials In cases of limited budgets, the program can be started in a modest way, at almost no cost. As the staff becomes more sophisticated, differentiated duties, use of teacher aides, student assistance, and other unrealized potentials may make it possible to allocate more funds for the necessary materials and clerical time. A great deal will depend on teacher and administrator ingenuity, as well as cooperation and desire.

Expected Outcomes from an Interest-Centered Curriculum

The initial outcome from an interest-centered curriculum is a notable change in attitude on the part of both teachers and students. Students find that school ceases to be a place of drudgery, boredom, and captive audiences. Emphasis tends to shift from grades to a desire to learn; from fear of tests to continuous progress through a variety of evaluations that includes self-evaluation; from school regulation to the acceptance and recognition of individual responsibility; from apathy to involvement.

This is what relevance is all about. When a curriculum can help to bring about results such as these, then it has become a relevant curriculum. More specifically, the interest-centered curriculum tends to produce fewer behavior problems. Teachers, sparked by the enthusiams of the students, find new interest in their work. They also acquire skills in curriculum development and in the understanding of the learning process which further augment their classroom effectiveness. This is a real step in the direction of meaningful differentiation in staff classification.

The motivation of learning itself, tends to ignite a chain reaction. For example, a course in environmental pollution might begin with an overview of the sociological problems involved. This, then would proceed to the physiological, economic, political and philosophical implications. All of these approaches would tend to cut across traditional secondary school departmental lines, and in turn could lead to the evolvement of a more relevant structural pattern that would bring about greater integration of the academic divisions and greater cooperation among teachers.

Under the stimulus of interest-centered courses, it follows that schedule modifications, decisions regarding class time allotments, personnel and faculty utilization will become more relevant to the goals and the real needs of students and teachers. In such a curriculum, form will indeed follow function.

One rather painful outcome might result from this type of highly motivated program. It involves the weak teacher. In an interest-centered curriculum in which students have freedom of choice, the less effective teacher tends to stand out in an unfavorable light. Students who are free to choose, are also free not to choose, and assuredly they will not choose courses taught by teachers whose skills they do not admire. The less favored teachers are known to their colleagues, to parents, to administrators, as well as to the students. They are often protected by laws which originally were not intended to provide such protection. The interest-centered curriculum may motivate some to work harder and become more effective, it may force others to leave the profession, or the school. It may also create some problems that require new types of solutions.

In general, the interest-centered curriculum in any subject area cannot help but excite and motivate students and teachers. It offers great promise.

A total high school curriculum, entirely interest-centered, carefully planned and evaluated stage by stage, with a staff committed to the concept, could become the most significant and relevant curriculum that has yet been developed.

Copyright 2005-2008: Herman Ohme