Claim When planning courses educators should take into account the interests and suggestions of their students Reason Students are more motivated to learn when they are interested in what they are studying Write a response in which you discuss the exte

Should curriculum planning be a collaborative exercise between educators and their students? The author of the claim believes it should be, as when students are studying what they are interested in, they will be more motivated. Others believe that the crucial task of planning curricula should be left solely in wiser hands. After surveying both sides, I am of the opinion that educators don't need input from their students (who, for the purpose of this essay, are taken to be primary school students) in the curriculum planning process.

While it is true that if a student is studying what they are interested in, they would have high motivation, it should be pointed out that wanting to study something and actually enjoying it or being interested in it when you do study it are two different things. The young are often terrible predictors when it comes to what they expect to make them happy. A 14-year-old boy who has heard so much about artificial intelligence but knows nothing about it but it's ''cool'' name and hard-headed reputation may therefore suggest that he wants computer science in his curriculum, but duly hate it when he actually starts learning of computer viruses, worms, Charles Babbage, and the World Wide Web. Because the claim only considers half the issue — that is, that motivation exists where there is interest — but does not consider the fact that interest in an idea of something does not guarantee interest in the thing itself, I fully disagree with it.

Furthermore, how could our educators even take seriously the suggestions of their students, some of whom may want Anime 101 or the nature and techniques of 1990s manga to be in syllabi? Tell me, you author of the given claim, when you were seven, what would you have suggested the curriculum planners include in your curricula? Would you not have wanted the troublesome Math extirpated, and a course on Beyblades on Ben 10 taking its place? My second reason therefore is this: young people will only make ridiculous suggestions that can't realistically be implemented.

''But then,'' says one on the opposite side; ''some young people and not as childish as you claim. Some can make thoughtful suggestions.'' That is true, I conceed, but very unlikely. Nevertheless, even if one Primary 6 student were able to make a non-ridiculous suggestion, it would not necessarily be what is best for them. The student probably doesn't fully know their strengths yet, so how could they suggest what would undoubtedly be in their best interests? As you can see, I already mentioned something along these lines earlier on in the essay.

I have given, above, my reason for disagreeing with the claim and its reason. While young people can be involved in the educational process, they should not be involved in the setting of curricula. I have showed that they cannot necessarily predict what they will like or be interested in, and that, because of their provincial life experiences and their normal proclivity for the frivolous, their suggestions can hardly be relied upon by educators. Educators can do a better job in setting curricular, but thinking that they can do this by consulting students is misguided at best