Educators should find out what students want included in the curriculum and then offer it to them.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.

COMPOSITION:
Until very recently, the western educational system was extremely austere. In it, teachers had absolute power inside the classroom environment and no student was allowed to contest them. Moreover, teachers were often allowed to physically punish students who did not behave themselves in accordance to the rules established. Needless to say, the curriculum was also under absolute control of the teacher.

In the last two or three decades, things have started to change. The school environment in not so rigid anymore, physical punishment is banned, and dialogue between students and teachers has become a lot more frequent and informal. This increase in proximity between educators and students has brought with it the possibility of discussion of what is perhaps the central matter in any educational system: the knowledge being taught. So the question arrises: how far should students be allowed to influence their teachers/educators with regard to deciding curriculum contents? Certainly, any of the extremes are prejudicial, and therefore I support a balanced approach.

On one hand, educators are certainly more qualified than students to perform this job. Not only is their knowledge on the curriculum subjects greater, and their life experience greater (being generally older), but they also received education training and therefore should know which and how subjects should be best taught. Students, on their side, are not education specialists and are less knowledgeable and experienced than educators. Moreover, it's no news that the majority of students is not studying because they love it, but rather because they have to, so they can build a future for themselves. Our own experience as students clearly shows that there are many subjects students consider boring, whereas there are others which they prefer. This subject bias makes students not the best curriculum engineers, for they tend to pick subjects that they like, rather than the ones which are important for their education.

On the other hand, history has shown us how big a difference students can make if they have an active voice. The Students Act that happened in France in the late sixties, although not pedagogical in nature, is a clear example of that. It helped modernize the country's institutions and resulted in an overall better educational system. Why can't the same happen inside schools and universities? Even though teachers know more about the subjects being taught, students may have more knowledge concerning what the market expects for them to know when they leave college, or perhaps what subjects the admissions comitee from a certain university will evaluate in their admissions exam. Students can bring this information to the educators and show them why it is important for them to learn something which is not presently in the curriculum. Not all students are irresponsible with regard to subject matters and may actually make a very valuable contribution. Last semester, for example, the professors at my university organized a meeting with the students in order to discuss the curriculum. Students contributed with a great number of suggestions and many were well received by the teachers. One of them, for example, was to include a course in business administration in our last semester, making life easier for those who leave college and wish to open enterprises. This suggestion was recognized and accepted by the board and is being implemented at this very moment.

To conclude the matter, I believe professors and educators are, and will always be the teaching experts, and therefore should have the stronger arm and final word on any decision being made with regard to curriculum changes. That doesn't mean, however, that students shouldn't be allowed to dialogue with their teachers and present their suggestions, since they may be extremely valuable not only to the curriculum, but to the educational system as a whole. A healthy two-way communication channel between teachers and students, so long as the teacher's authority remains preserved, should be the aim of all educational establishments.

Time 40 min
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