Solo & Group Deliberation

by

Gail McCutcheon

"This text does a better job of dealing with the deliberative nature of curriculum planning than any other text that I am aware of." —Dr. Tom Erb, University of Kansas

"…clearly written and well organized [with] realistic case studies, excellent delineation of the explicit and implicit curriculum, excellent integration of the thinking of major theorists into the realistic curriculum planning process." —Dr. Carol P. Barnes, California State University, Fullerton

This fine book takes a unique approach to curriculum planning, focusing on how real educators in real settings make real curriculum decisions, alone and in groups. Appropriate as a primary or supplementary graduate-level text, McCutcheon’s work offers an underlying qualitative perspective, as well as original case studies of curriculum decision making that illuminate the process at work. Key features of this text include:

o Examines how curriculum decisions are made by individuals and groups, while emphasizing how teachers actually decide what to teach and how and when to teach.

• Discusses deliberation as a construct in the curriculum development process. Focuses on the importance of facilitation skills in group deliberation and recognizes the nonlinear nature of the process.
• Provides a variety of realistic case studies, grouped by elementary and high school levels, to show what influences educators and what actions result from their decisions.

o Offers a Research Appendix (chapter 9) that details the author’s philosophy and research methodology.

2002/ 256 pp./paper $29.95t/ISBN: 1-891928-12-0