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Unanswered Questions in

What Does It Mean to Say a Scholl is Doing Well? By Eisner

EDUC 5220-01

Master of Education, University of the People

Dr. Brian Legg

13 April 2022
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Rhode Island Department of Education (n.d) stated that curriculum is an order of planned

experiences where students practice and achieve the mastery of the learning skills, both of the

content and applied skills. The goal is the benchmarks of the designated standards or the

expectations for teaching and learning. From this, curriculum can be assumed to be the

foundation of the learning process, from planning, executing and assisting the learning progress.

Curriculum helps all the parties involved in the learning process understand what to do and what

to expect.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a curriculum introduced in 2008 commonly

used in England in education for 0-5 years old (Twinkl.com, n.d). Even it is commonly used in

England, there are many early-years school around the world use EYFS as their curriculum.

EYFS divide the learning focus into two, which are prime area of learning and specific area of

learning. Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and

Emotional Development are included as the prime area of learning, while Literacy, Mathematics,

Expressive Art and Design, and Understanding the World are included as the specific area of

learning (Twinkl.com, n.d). This basic information of what curriculum is and an example of

curriculums in early-years education could help to answer three unanswered questions taken

from What Does It Mean to Say a Scholl is Doing Well? written by Eisner, such as:

1. What connections are students helped to make between what they have studied in

class and the world outside the school? (Eisner, p. 301, para. 8)

In EYFS, the prime area of learning focuses on the essential life skills like

communication skill, socialization skill and independency. In the school where I teach,

the prime area of learning is not taught by schedule in classes, instead it is applied in the

daily routine of the school time. As it is an early-years school, the teachers are expected
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to be around the students and interact with them most of the time. By this, teachers are

able to make sure that the students are following the situation of their surroundings. For

example, to bring awareness of the rules in the school, the general does and don’ts are

discussed every day in the morning circles time and would be discuss again at any

necessary situation. By this, the students are expected to understand the boundaries of

socializing, it is quite often that the early-years students are not aware the differences of

home and school, by regularly discussing the rules, they could gain more awareness of

the different situations of different places. This would lead them to be adaptable to

different places with different rules. The other thing to develop in EYFS is the personal

skills including independency. For this, teachers encourage students to clean up and tidy

up after themselves in most of the situation like after play, after snack time and after

lunch. The students are also encouraged to eat by themselves as early as possible when

the children already show the ability to do it. This is also to make the students realize and

aware of their personal skills and be more confident.

2. Can we design schools and classrooms that in which cooperating each other is part

of what it meant to be a student? (Eisner, p. 302. para. 4)

The answer is yes. For example, students are allowed to lead the morning circle instead

of the teacher, with a note the teacher will assist the student who wants to be the morning

circle leader. At this time, the other students need to learn to see their friends and the

leader and have to respect them. As the leader is changed every day, every student would

have the same opportunity to lead and to be led. The other thing to do to make them learn

to corporate to each other is the ‘class helper’ positions. In this situation, the teachers

would choose one student to be a line leader. To be a line leader means that the chosen
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student has to be the one who give the instruction to make a line to the other friends when

needed. For example, before going for snack time and lunch time, students need to wash

their hands first. The line leader have to be the first one to do it, so if there is any activity

happening, the others have to wait for the line leader to finish and the line leader needs to

focus to finish their activity sooner so the others would not wait for too long. This is

meant to make students to be familiar with different positions and responsibility of each

other and how to respect and work together with it.

3. What opportunities do students have to formulate their own purpose and to design

ways to achieve that? (Eisner, p. 302. para. 4)

The most common situation where an early-years students are able to follow their own

plans is the play time. At this time, the teachers are responsibility to support and help the

children manage on their plans of what to play. Here, the students are allowed to make

additional rules and procedure of their own designated play activities. This is meant to

make sure that even with all the rules and schedule, the students are still able to achieve

their own purpose and able to applied their plans to achieve their personal goals. The

teachers would help to remind the students to not break any rules when they are doing

this.

Ideally, curriculum should not be a burden in the learning process even with all the

standards and procedure it has. Having a clear foundation does not mean it cannot be done with

flexibility. A good curriculum should support the students and teachers to develop to their

maximum potential and skills.

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References

Eisner, E. (n.d.). What does it mean to say a school is doing well?. In Flinders, D. J., &
Thornton, S. J. (Eds.), The Curriculum Studies Reader, Fourth Edition, pp.297-305. New
York, NY: Routledge. https://chrisdavidcampbell.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/eisener-
2001.pdf

Twinkl.co.id. (n.d). EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage). https://www.twinkl.co.id/teaching-

wiki/eyfs-early-years-foundation-stage#:~:text=The%20Early%20Years%20Foundation
%20Stage%20(EYFS)%20curriculum%20sets%20standards%20for,Key%20Stage%20One
%20(KS1).

Twinkl.co.id. (n.d). EYFS Statutory Framework. https://www.twinkl.co.id/teaching-wiki/eyfs-

statutory-framework

Rhode Island Department of Education. (n.d). Curriculum Definition.

https://www.ride.ri.gov/InstructionAssessment/Curriculum/CurriculumDefinition.aspx