The shift from a traditional paradigm to an evolving paradigm in education has major implications for teachers presenting an emancipatory and dynamic view of teaching and learning. In this new paradigm there is a shift in emphasis from the teacher to the learner. The role of the teacher in the classroom changes from that of the central figure who directs all learning to that of supporter and facilitator of student learning. The role of the student changes from that of passive receptor of knowledge to active participant in the learning process. In other words, there is a shift from a teacher-centred classroom to a student-centred classroom in which students take responsibility for their learning and develop a feeling of ownership for their learning and ideas (Doll, 1986; Berghoff & Egawa, 1991).
Saskatchewan Education supports the view that education is intended to promote the development of caring and responsible persons who are prepared to meet the challenges of a complex and changing world. To achieve this goal it is necessary to acknowledge that individual learners may have different levels of aptitude, achievement, interest, motivation, need, and ability. Students must be nurtured to become independent, active, self-organizing individuals. Teaching should be viewed as a means to empower students.
Adaptation is a reflection, in part, of a change in philosophy with respect to the roles, rights, and responsibilities of individuals in society. Respect for human dignity, respect for the right of individuals to make choices regarding their destiny, and the idea that children are not property but are persons with rights of their own are concepts that have gained acceptance in the world in the twentieth century. This shift in philosophical perspective has resulted in many changes in education. Parents are becoming more directly involved in the education of their children. Children themselves have become more directly involved in their own learning. The incorporation of a multicultural perspective in curriculum, including greater respect for diversity in culture, custom, language, and belief systems, has resulted in changes in curricular and instructional practice, and in the relationships between teachers and learners in the classroom.
Research and development in the area of human psychology in the twentieth century, and most specifically in the past two decades, have resulted in greater understanding of how children learn. We now understand that cognition and language are developmental and occur in predictable stages that are similar in sequence, though not in time span, for all children. It is known that children learn using different modalities and operate in a learning environment with different learning styles. Their self-concept, motivational
level, and locus of control are important determining factors in their academic success. These understandings have important implications for how teachers teach, what they teach, and when they introduce new concepts. Whereas the traditional paradigm supported the practice of making children adapt to, or fit, the curriculum, the evolving paradigm supports the concept of assessing needs and adapting curriculum content and instructional practices to accommodate the developmental levels and learning needs of all students in the classroom.
Educational research has contributed to a change in pedagogical perspective and this has, in turn, resulted in support for the concept of adaptation in curriculum and instruction.
| Much of what we know about group processes, the selection of appropriate materials by students and by teachers, the writing process, reading as a meaning-construction-procedure, curriculum organization, and observation and assessment techniques comes from pedagogical inquiry. (Froese, 1990, p.7) |
Pedagogical inquiry, supported by educational research, has resulted in a shift from an emphasis on the product of learning to an emphasis on the process of learning. From this perspective, learning is regarded as an active, constructive process rather than as a receptive process. Teaching, from this perspective, is based on what is best for the whole student rather than what is the best way to cover prescribed course content (DarlingHammond, 1990). This perspective provides justification for the concept of adaptation.
The Adaptive Dimension in Core Curriculum recognizes that classroom teachers have both the right and the responsibility to adapt the learning experiences so that students may benefit more fully from instruction. To do so, they require the freedom to select appropriate curriculum content, choose effective methods of instruction, structure the learning environment, and evaluate student learning. One of the major purposes of this document is to provide authorization as well as direction to teachers as they strive to ensure that the diverse needs of students are met within the context of Saskatchewan's Core Curriculum.