Curriculum is a paint by number

When I started teaching at a small distributed learning school, I added art to my teaching subjects. I had no preconceived notions of what art content needed to be covered, I created learning activities and projects for students to use to explore the competencies in the course. I had a couple big questions: How do I put emphasis on the competencies and skills I want students to be able to demonstrate at the end of the course? How do I give them choice while still providing structure? I think that is what curriculum developers also wrestle with – what is the fine balance between flexibility and rigidity? The answer is not clear and that is why I think the meaning of curriculum is so hard to pinpoint. It is a balancing act between what and how; flexibility and rigidity; content and container.

I would describe curriculum as a paint by number.
“pbnlabs” by BobDuCharme is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

You have a canvas that has a picture on it but you have to put some work in to understand the full picture. As with a curriculum you have learning to do to reach the end goal. You start with mostly a white canvas with small indicator numbers and lines to show a straightforward path to completion. Similarly, students start with inclinations about what they are learning and then build on that to further their understanding and build their skills. A paint by number’s rigidity is only as strong as the student or teacher’s belief in that rigidity. As with my experience of a transformation in curriculum goals, sometimes we place the rigidity on ourselves. Being able to teach so many creative minds in my art class I can only imagine what they might do with a paint by number. And their experience going through a paint by number mirrors how they learn and go through curriculum. I would have Traci looking at the instructions and following the outline colour by colour, she is a student who is looking to learn and grow within each area to end up with a predictable result.  Traci would see the image form one colour at a time or build her skills one area at a time. Then I would have Nina who follows the outlined colours but completes the painting space by space, she is a student who wants her learning to be connected across areas but yet still end up with a predictable result. Nina would see the image form with each area she completed, she would be building off similar skills in other areas to improve her overall understanding. I would have Matt who would swap the colours with different colours, he is a student who wants to but his own spin on each element he learns and infuse his originality. Matt would create the same image in an abstract way, he would reach the same end goal with a personalized touch. I could go on and on, I thought of at least three more examples that I won’t go into as much depth on. The other ideas include: disregarding the indicator numbers and using the lines to create their own image; taking the paint by number and creating an image around it; allow the lines to confine your colours or allow them to blend; using different mark making tools such as markers instead of paint. I’m sure I could think of more ways my students would be able to take the curriculum or what I want them to show me and get there a different way. Again, how and what are so intertwined within curriculum just as how you complete a paint by number is related to what you have to demonstrate in the end.