Experience as a Basis for Curriculum Construction THE HE SELECTION of content for special courses of study is something more than an armchair problem. The daily observation of subnormal children within and without the classroom; the careful study of their inclinations and abilities to deal with present problems, the interests which for them color life and make it complete these are the bases upon which curriculum adjustment must be made. In a word, the experience of the child is the teacher's cue. He must reach out and bring that experience into classroom situations in such a way that the child will be able to go from the classroom prepared to meet the same type of experience outside with a better understanding of its meaning, a greater ability to handle himself in relation to it, and with more satisfying results. There is no better way to achieve the specific objectives of instruction listed in chapter 3 than by permitting the child to experience day by day the growing ability to work and to play with companions; actually to prepare food and clothing for use; to spend money for necessities; and to master the skills that are needed for carrying out in reality the activities of his daily life. The Unit of Experience Experience in daily living cannot proceed at random, nor can all experiences in living with their varying degrees of complexity be utilized at once. The teacher who has previously merely asked himself, "When must I teach this child to borrow in subtraction?" may now ponder upon the child's ability "to make bread for the next day's meal" or the ability to execute over the telephone the next day's order to the grocer. As in other programs, there is a time in the child's day-to-day life when certain aspects have more color and meaning than at other times. Hence the "unit of experience" is introduced in order to facilitate the organization of experiences at levels at which they are most helpful in the child's living. The unit of experience may be defined as an actual experience in living related to the child's immediate interests and environment, which in turn related to his total experience makes for richer and more vital living. Units of experience will necessarily differ with every group of children, but there are three basic attributes which give to the well-developed unit of experience its value. In the first place, the experience or activity should be real and not make-believe. There are enough real experiences in every environment to eliminate the need of resorting to those drawn . from foreign environments or of setting an artificial stage. For example, the experience of mailing letters and packages can in many situations assume the natural activity of going to the post office and actually mailing the material. A child's experience with flour may be the actual preparation of foods involving the use of flour rather than the construction of a cardboard flour mill which is only an imitation of the real thing. In the second place, the experience should provide for cooperative living. It should contribute to the child's understanding or experience of the feeling of working with others. Even if the experience itself is so arranged that the child does some of his work alone, the results should be a part of the whole related scheme. In the third place, the results, whether tangible or not, should be emotionally, physically, and mentally satisfying to the child. Within every experience there should be levels of growth, so that each child is accomplishing what is actually most necessary to his own satisfaction of needs. In other words, the experience may have something to contribute to the social needs of an 8-year-old child and yet may involve operations of such simplicity that it also satisfies the motor facility and mental development of children 2 or more years younger. Examples of a Unit of Experience Experiences in helping the child to live fully his present life differ in different localities. Experiences common to life in a large metropolis of the size of New York would be foreign and artificial to a rural community. No one set of experiences or the units thereof can serve all groups adequately. All children, however, live in a world where daily food, clothing, shelter, and play life have a meaning for them. Therefore, two units of experience based upon home and community life are used here for illustrative purposes. Unit on Foods In one classroom a large unit on home life was divided into activities related to foods, clothing, and shelter. The experiences of the classroom were real in that the children prepared their daily lunch at school. The following activities were included: 1. Preparing menus. 2. Preparing personal shopping lists. 3. Preparing telephone shoppings lists. 4. Preparing and cooking vegetables. 5. Preparing meat. 6. Making desserts. 7. Making baked foods and jellies. 8. Setting tables. 9. Eating correctly. 10. Clearing tables. 11. Stacking dishes. 12. Disposing of garbage. 13. Washing dishes. 14. Replacing dishes in cupboard. 15. Preserving left-over foods. 16. Cleaning kitchen. 17. Washing and ironing lunch cloths. 19. Computing lunchroom bills. These tasks were graded upon the twofold basis of (1) spontaneous selection by children for social satisfaction and (2) manual dexterity and mental comprehension necessary to complete the task properly. At lower levels the simplest experiences in themselves were sufficient for complete satisfaction to the child. Older children needed wider contacts in the community. Some of the activities demanded motor and mental skills for satisfactory completion. Such skills were taught and used as they were needed, with sufficient drill to make the instruction function effectively. The accompanying chart represents only one type of experience which was a part of the larger unit on "home life." The organization of work provides for four levels of ability as determined by chronological and mental ages of the pupils concerned. The four groups are those specified in chapter 4, namely (1) pre-adolescents with mental age below 6 years; (2) pre-adolescents with mental age from 6 to 9 years; (3) adolescents with mental age below 9 years; (4) adolescents with mental age of 9 or more years. On the chart the social characteristics of each group are noted and suitable experiences are indicated. Examples of activities in the various fields that can be used with each group are listed. It is to be hoped that no teacher will have all of these age and ability levels represented in the same class, but the chart gives an idea of how a unit of experience on foods can be adapted to any one or more of the groups included. 921543-51 |