logo
"Education for the rest of us!"
"Where the Big Island talks story about school!"

Curriculum


Curriculum & Methods


The REAL Classes use an advanced content curriculum which has no “ceiling” for the students. Students will work individually, in pairs, and in small groups advancing their skills across the subject areas. For example, in math, each student will be guided at their own pace, learning specific skills and calculation methods. If a 5th grader can rise to meet the challenges of elementary algebra, there is nothing to stop them from going on to learn the quadratic equation and beyond. Group work in math, on the other hand, will center on creative problem solving methods and techniques that require clear guidance and rigorous direct instruction. In general, students will learn skills at their own pace in individual or very small group settings. Larger group instruction will aim at applying these skills to problem-solving situations.


So there is no “5th grade math curriculum” versus a “6th grade math curriculum”. There is instead a broad scope and sequence of skills that are usually learned in 5th grade through 12th grade. Students will master as much of this content as they can according to their abilities. But they are not learning these skills just to learn skills. They will be using the skills to solve higher-level problems. Calculations are what calculators do. Any mathematically educated student should know how to do what the calculator does, but REAL mathematics is problem-solving, finding hidden patterns and structure, and celebrating our capacity for abstraction. Calculators don’t press their own buttons. Mathematicians press those buttons in a meaningful way to explore possibilities. The students in REAL classes will certainly learn how to do the various calculations (from bisecting an angle to simplifying complex fractions) but, more importantly, they will use those skills as tools in higher level problem-solving. Higher level critical thinking skills will be promoted across the curriculum.


The paragraphs above may be rewritten regarding science, language, or history instead of mathematics. The REAL Classes provide rigorous instruction of skills alongside open-ended inquiry.


Students will be learning content in the context of the bigger picture of history. Studying the history of mathematics, science, literature, and even the history of history, gives a frame of human intellectual accomplishment to specific ideas and skills. Studying the major mathematicians, scientists, writers, and historical figures will give the students an introduction to what has been called The Great Conversation—where intellectuals down through the ages have added their fresh ideas to the advances made by those who came before them. The REAL Class curriculum starts with the “big ideas” in any subject and invites students to understand aspects of The Great Conversation and eventually participate in it!


The mornings will be devoted to math, language, science, and history. The afternoons are for the arts. Art production will focus on drawing and watercolors, but there will be exposure to the other media. Art history and particular artists will be studied in a direct fashion. Music theory will complement a survey of exposure to the various genres of music, as well as its history. Students will be able to compose and produce their own compositions using MIDI technology and any traditional instruments they may already be learning on their own. Digital film editing, drama events, and student selected independent projects will incorporate skills from across the curriculum.


Further, the REAL Class curriculum will loosely incorporate five themes, or narratives, proposed by Neil Postman in his 1995 book The End of Education. In this book, he uses the term “narrative” to describe ideas that provide people with a sense of personal identity, a sense of community life, and a basis for moral conduct. Humans need some sort of narrative to bundle experience, to help give meaning to life, to education. “Our genius,” Postman writes, “lies in our capacity to make meaning through the creation of narratives that give point to our labors, exalt our history, elucidate the present, and give direction to our future.” (p. 7)


After exploring some modern narratives which he feels aren’t useful—he calls them the “false gods” of technology, consumership, etc.—Mr. Postman offers up five narratives which are the basis of the REAL Class curriculum: The Spaceship Earth, The Fallen Angel, The American Experiment, The Law of Diversity, and The Word Weavers/The World Makers (which the REAL class calls The Symbol Makers).


Following are summaries of each narrative and examples of some related inquiries. These summaries are largely excerpted from the book “The End of Education”.


Spaceship Earth: The story of human beings as stewards of the Earth, caretakers of a vulnerable space capsule. This is a recent narrative and one not fully developed, but it has the power to bind people. It makes the idea of racism both irrelevant and ridiculous. It makes clear the interdependence of human beings and their need for solidarity. From both a metaphorical and literal point of view the Earth is a spaceship and we are its crew members. Subjects which will be studied in this narrative include:


The Fallen Angel: The story of human beings as mistake makers, and mistake correctors. According to some, there may have been a time when human beings were perfect or god-like, but at some point, for various reasons, their powers were diminished so that they must live forever in a state of imperfect understanding. Indeed, for us to believe that we are perfect, is among the most serious errors of which we are capable. The Greeks called it “hubris”. Some religions call it “pride”. Scientists call it “dogmatism”. The major theme of this narrative is that we make mistakes.  All the time. It is our nature to make mistakes. That we may be mistaken, and probably are, is the meaning of the “fall” in the fallen angel. The meaning of “angel” is that we are capable of correcting our mistakes, provided we proceed without hubris, pride, or dogmatism; provided we accept our cosmic status as an error-prone species. Therein lies the possibility of our redemption: knowing that we do not know and cannot know the whole truth, we may move toward it inch by inch by discarding what we know to be false. And then watch the truth move further and further away. It’s a sad story, but also a noble and funny one. Subjects of inquiry include:



The American Experiment: The story of America as an experiment, a perpetual and fascinating question mark. The story includes the experience of those who lived here before the colonial invasion, and of those who came later. The story properly begins with a series of stunning and dangerous questions: Is it possible to have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people? Who are the people, anyway?  And how shall they proceed in governing themselves? And how shall we protect individuals from the power of the people? And why should we do all this in the first place? Can a nation be formed, maintained, and preserved on the principle of continuous argumentation? In other words, the American constitution is not a catechism, but a hypothesis. Inquiries include:



The Law of Diversity. The story of how diversity works to provide an enriched sense of excellence. Too much sameness is the enemy of vitality and creativity. Stagnation occurs when nothing new comes from the outside. Diversity as a dynamic principle runs through nearly every area of human endeavor. A respect for, and understanding of, diversity can lead to tolerance on many levels. Indeed, we often learn more about the “rule” by the “exceptions” than through textbook renderings. Some inquiries include:



The Symbol Makers: The great story of how humans use language and symbols to transform the world, and then, in turn, are transformed by their own invention. Human use of language begins with the spoken word and continues with writing systems, the printing press, telegraphy, photography, radio, movies, television, and computers —each of which transformed the world, sliced it framed it, enlarged it, diminished it.  Humans are far more than tool users. They are symbol manipulators, word weavers, and world makers. This is what makes us smart or ignorant; moral or immoral; tolerant or bigoted. It is the root of our humanity and our inhumanity. Inquiries include:



These narratives will be explored using a variety of methodologies, including traditional direct instruction, community outreach projects, guided independent study, cooperative group work, individual projects, projects in partnership, group projects, guest speakers, and discussion discussion discussion.


In a sense, the narratives overlay the more traditional skills content curriculum, which students will be able to master according to their individual potential.


Copies of Mr. Postman’s book are available from Hawaii Public Libraries and various booksellers. (Read the customer reviews at Amazon.com.)








About Us
Admissions Process
Calendar
Compare Schools
Contact Us
Curriculum
Donations
FAQ
Handbook
Links
Research
Site Map
Staff