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Emma Walker & Koreen Dunsbergen

Education 3501

Curriculum Ideology Assignment: Social Efficiency Ideology

September 26th, 2019

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Ideology Summary

The social efficiency model focuses on the role of education in shaping students for the

work places present in our society. This model uses methods that surround behaviour, observable

skills, activities that reflect work performance and the demonstration of individual’s capabilities.

The social efficiency model assumes that the majority of learning takes place through active

behaviour of the student, ultimately behaviour is learned not necessarily content driven. The

model continues into focusing on three stages of learning: a cognitive stage, an associative stage

and an automatic stage. The student takes part in a scaffolding of learning, slowly incorporating

smaller pieces of behaviour that eventually will build into a more complex understanding of the

behaviour. The goal is to realistically begin the students with smaller activities that all add up to

one big job where they can take out into the workplace, for example incorporating activities that

will lead to a student working in a factory. This could be focusing on mathematics, but all the

students need is to acquire the skill not understand the math. The social efficiency model’s main

objective is to form students into working members of society; the individual’s needs come

second. This model illustrates schools as an assembly line where students are trained in one area

resulting in specialization of a skill that can then be brought into the world to help society

successfully function. The main demand is for reproducibility, validity, reliability and proof.

Emphasis on creating productive working class citizens that can work in the factories or be able

to confidently and successfully perfect a skill made for work. Ultimately, school is created to

teach students skills for the workforce so that society can benefit from their input.
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LESSON PLAN

Grade: 1 POS: Science Lesson Title: Grouping local plants and animals

Overview of lesson
100 – 150 words – Concise and clear description

We will start off by discussing what local means and giving some examples. From here we will
move on to full class deciding if some plants/animals are local or not. We will give students the
opportunity to say how to organize plants/animals. We will use a scaffolding technique to let the
students demonstrate their learning. We will start with full class discussion, move on to partner
work and finish with an individual assessment. The goal of this lesson that students can group
local animals and plants based on outward appearance.
Alberta Program of Study
General Learning Objectives (Maximum Specific Learning Objectives (Maximum 2)
1)
4. Classify some common local plants and animals
1-11 Describe some common living things into groups on the basis of visible characteristics
and identify the needs of those living
things.

Curriculum Ideology

Identity and give a brief description of ideology lens this lesson is designed through.
Indicate how your lesson is designed to have students experience this ideology.
100 – 150 words – Concise and clear description

This lesson is designed through the lens of the Social Efficiency Ideology. This ideology really
looks at preparing students for the workplace and society. It focuses on scaffolding and assessing
students to make sure they know the information and can complete it. The focus is not on if they
truly understand but as long as they can complete the task it is acceptable. This lesson in specific
looks at local plants and animals and is taught in a way that scaffolds from big group discussion, to
partner collaboration work and finally an individual assessment which examines if the child can
complete the requirements. Working in groups and on a strict time schedule helps to prepare
students for life in a job where co-workers and time management are important. In this lesson the
scaffolding, partner work, no individualization, strict time schedule and the end assessment are
the main characteristics of this ideology.
Learning Resources / Material & Equipment used
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4 big pictures- dolphin, bear, palm tree, apple tree

Sorting pictures for each partner group
Extra picture of bear, moose, apple tree, strawberries
Worksheet for each student

Lesson Procedures (Steps)

Introduction (1 min.):
This can be done in point form.

Attention grabber if necessary- if you can hear me do…

The lesson today will be to group local plants and animals based on how they look.
Does anyone know what local means? Answer: It is from the area we live in
Show 4 pictures and ask whether it is from Alberta: (palm tree (no), apple tree (yes), dolphin (no),
bear (yes)

Body (12 - 14 min.): Indicate the steps/scaffolding and transitions in lesson. Indicate timing
of each section. Since you have limited time the timing must be very precise. Identify
teaching strategies

1. Ask students: What are some ways that we can group plants or animals? Write ideas on
board/paper (2minutes)
– size, color, shape, fur type, unique characteristics (beaks, leg #, wings), type (tree, bush,
flower), leaf shape,
2. Animals- Hold up two cards (bear and moose) and ask if they can in the same category-
why or why not? (1 minute)
- Yes- color, size no- antlers, teeth
3. Hand out pictures to partners. You have two minutes to sort the pictures however you
agree to and be prepared to defend your reasoning. (2 minutes). Set timer on phone
4. Call on each partner group. Explain 1 of the groups that you have sorted. (2 minutes)
5. Good, now we will look at plants and after do a worksheet to make sure you remember
how to we can sort local animals.

1. We just sorted local Alberta animals and now we will look at sorting some plants that grow
in Alberta.
2. Hold up two cards (apple tree and strawberries) and ask if they can be in the same
category- why or why not? (1 minute)
Yes- both grow food, color No- tree, plant,
3. Hand out pictures to the partner groups. You have two minutes to sort the pictures.
Make sure you can explain to the class why you sorted them that way (2 minutes). Set
timer on phone
4. Call on each partner group. Explain 1 of the ways you sorted your plants (2 minutes)
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5. Now we will do a worksheet. I will read the questions and answers. Please circle 1 answer
on each question. Make sure you do this without any help from your partner. Hand out
worksheets (2 minutes)

Closure/ Reflection ( 5 min.) Develop at least two important questions to begin a

critical group
discussion

1. What are the pros and cons of teaching in this style?

2. Does teaching in this style fulfill the requirement of being prepared for society? Does it
make sense to teach grade 1 in this way?
3. Does this way of teaching give a good understanding of the material?

Professional Reflections: (of the lesson) What went well? What needs modification? This
is not the final reflective essay, however contents of this reflection could be used in your
reflective essay.

-Overall a great lesson plan created, great engagement from students

-Could have narrowed our expectations from students on worksheet

ex. We told the students that many of the animals could be placed into multiple groups
then continued to give them a worksheet that was multiple choice and they had to choose
the right answer. Koreen and I could have written down on the worksheet that they need to
choose the best answer that was well suited for this type of grouping. In general be more
specific.

-This lesson might have been too advanced for a grade 1 class

-I think next time I would add in a book or another type of resource to help them
understand more

-Our timing was perfect

-Scaffolding technique was used in a great way to show the connection to social efficiency
ideology
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Reflective Essay

The following assignment was an informative resource to help deepen our

understanding on teaching ideologies, as well as helping us to create a lesson plan and implement

it with our classmates. I found the assignment to be very helpful for analyzing Alberta

curriculum; it broadened my understanding of what goes into a lesson plan and the steps that

follow to successfully teach a lesson. Learning about the different ideologies helped myself to

understand teaching in several different ways, all having pros and cons towards the students and

their learning outcomes.

Out of the five curriculum ideologies I found the learning centered ideology to be the

most engaging. This ideology focuses on the student as an individual, letting the student be

creative and express their unique interests. I believe that a student becomes more engaged with a

subject if it focuses around their interests. Though this does become difficult when the teacher

has 30 students and all different curiosities, yet if you focus on one project and let the students

choose an interest within that subject, then it could be accessible. During this lesson my

classmates let us draw our own superheros with a partner, while connecting it to a lesson on

adaptations seen within wetland environments. I thought that teaching us about adaptations then

proceeding to let us create our own creature helped to demonstrate a deeper connection with the

knowledge we were presented with. This ideology also is very open-ended, with such a laid back

method it might be difficult to meet the curriculum outcomes.

A second curriculum ideology I found to be most engaging was the social

reconstruction ideology, during this lesson my classmates explained obesity and then followed

the lesson with an exercise activity. As a group we discussed that learning the concept of obesity

at a young age might be a sensitive subject for students because of body image and other issues
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that will begin to play a factor at this stage of their lives (grade 4-6). The activity made the lesson

a lot more engaging and fun; it let us be active but also have a sense of mindfulness where we

were able to distress. This ideology is a great source for reconstructing how children think and

help them to understand social ideals more in depth. As some areas might be a sensitive area, this

method might also become even more useful when dealing with such issues in society.

I found that two of the ideologies were the most impactful/meaningful to me; the

scholar academic and the story work ideologies. The scholar academic ideology felt impactful

because it resembled the way I had learned growing up in school, most of the students felt the

same as well. This ideology taught everyone one-way and had the scholars mind as his or her

main focus. The ideology focused on providing worksheets and direct instruction as the main

method of teaching. I believe this is not the best way to teach students, but I found it impactful

because this is how most schools teach. The lesson was focused on nouns and verbs and I found

it difficult to concentrate on what we were learning and the specific rules that followed. It was

difficult for myself to understand everything we were meant to learn, and reflecting on this

ideology made me understand why I had difficulties in certain subjects. Yet, it is a

straightforward approach where teachers can effortlessly teach a subject then have students

demonstrate on a worksheet what they understood.

The story works ideology was meaningful to me because I have an interest in

Indigenous culture and their oral storytelling. I personally find it captivating and impactful

because of the close connection to nature, family and history they have. It would be difficult to

concentrate primarily on this ideology though because of the lack of resources, as well as certain

grades not having as much of an interest or engagement of the story that is being presented in

class. Sadly resources are limited, however it would be possible to integrate this ideology where
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flexible and use Indigenous community or elders where resources are not as readily available.

My curriculum ideology was the social efficiency ideology, this ideology

concentrated on the student being a product of school. The main focus was to teach students a

skill that they could take into the workforce and help to benefit our society. It reminds a lot of

university’s or school in today’s western society. We focus on what we are good at as students

and continue the education so that we can get a job and help society with what we are trained in.

I am not always the most convinced by this type of learning, but our society and western culture

is also mainly focused around this type of learning which becomes a huge factor. Understanding

all five of these ideologies helps myself become well rounded and knowledgeable so that I can

introduce different tools and methods into my future classroom.