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The Voyages of the Mimi |
Curriculum Standards and Reform
With respect to the National and State Standards for Mathematics and Science as well as the call to reform within these disciplines, the Voyages of the Mimi fit very well. The content goals are in line with State and National Standards and Benchmarks. The interdisciplinary approach, situated learning, anchored instruction, hands-on, active learning and collaboration of learners are methods of instruction that research is finding to be effective.
Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (1990) presents their concerns about Science education in the United States and their recommendations for reform in Science For All Americans, Project 2061.
The present science textbooks and methods of instruction, far from helping, often impede progress for science literacy. They emphasize the learning of answers more than the exploration of questions, memory at the expense of critical thought, bits and pieces of information instead of understandings in context, recitation over argument, reading in lieu of doing. They fail to encourage students to work together, to share ideas and information freely with each other, or to use modern instruments to extend their intellectual capabilities.
Recommendations
- Connections
Students should become aware of the similarities between the natural and social sciences and to learn about some of the interdependence of science, mathematics and technology.
- Less is More
Instead of trying to teach more content with students learning more things poorly, Project 2061 demands more depth, more connectedness, more relevance and less memorization of isolated facts.
- All
No individuals or groups should be excluded from an opportunity to become science literate.
- Curriculum
Curriculum reform is a key element in Project 2061. The Project is suggesting a model of K-12 curriculum plans that can be used as guidelines for individual states as they they develop a curricula that takes into account local circumstances and their own state requirements.
- Curriculum Blocks
Units of study should range from a few minutes to all day for several weeks. Many things can be learned better through inquiry and design projects as well as independent study and seminars.
- Habits of Mind
- manipulation skills
- communication skills
- critical-response skills
- Hands-On
This should also include time for meaningful reflection of the hands-on activity. Hands-on and minds-on.
- Interdisciplinary
- integrated planning
The curriculum should be a result of collaboration among teachers of all relevant subjects and at all grades.
- interconnected knowledge
The students' experiences should be designed to help them see the relationships between science, math, technology and other human endeavors.
- coherence
Students' activities should be more than a collection of activities.
- Long term
Project 2061 itself will be a long term project, knowing that there are no quick fixes in educational reform.
Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) describes their vision of a broad mathematics curriculum in the "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards". It is based on five overall curricular goals for students.
- Students will learn to value mathematics.
- Students will become confident in their mathematical ability.
- Students will become mathematical problem solvers.
- Students will learn to communicate mathematically.
- Students will learn to reason mathematically.
In this program, students have many opportunities to practice and develop these mathematical skills. Some of the math topics that are included in this program are:
- graphing
- symmetry
- cartesian coordinates
- time zones
- international date line
- calendars
- numeration systems
- measurement
- time, distance, and rate problems
- latitude and longitude
- compass readings
The NCTM summarizes the changes needed in the middle school mathematics curriculum. Increased attention should be made in the following areas.
- pursuing open-ended problems and extended problem solving projects
- investigating and formulating questions from problem situations
- representing situations verbally, numerically, graphically, geometrically, or symbolically
- connecting mathematics to other subjects and to the world outside of the classroom
- applying mathematics
- estimating and using measurement to solve problems
Instructional practices should actively involve students individually and in groups in exploring, conjecturing, analyzing, and applying mathematics in both a mathematics and real world context. Concrete materials and appropriate technology should be used for computation and exploration.
All of these recommendations are put to use in this program.
Voyages of the Mimi |
The First Voyage |
The Second Voyage
Implementation |
Research and Development |
Critique |
References