Customer Reviews

Curriculum Improvement: Decision Making and Process (9th Edition)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(123)
3 star:		(53)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This text is a good resource for designing or improving the school curriculum. However, I found that the information in the chapters could have possibly been condensed to form a shorter textbook. The price is also too expensive.

The text by Ronald C. Doll provides current and informative chapters relating to curriculum improvement, decisions, and design. As a graduate student, Doll's direct approach to writing has helped me ascertain the important role of the curriculum process.

His work discusses the changing role of social and cultural values that are affected in our nation's schools. His realistic approach to discussion sparks valid and debatable discourse.

I would recommend this book to any student or reader interested in understanding the significance of curriculum design and development in the 21st century.

Curriculum Improvement (9th Edition) - Doll For me, this book is a keeper. It provides all the information that an administrator needs about curriculum. Many factors are involved in the decision-making process in curriculum development and this text offers a step by step process for accomplishing this task. Doll starts off by offering several definitions of curriculum as well as the history behind curriculum decision making. Doll follows this up with examples of curriculum design and why they are designed they way they are. I know that I will use this book as a reference guide whenever I have any question about curriculum.

Curriculum Improvement: Decision Making and Process Curriculum Improvement: Decision Making and Process, by Ronald C. Doll (1996), provides the practitioner with a clear understanding of the essential elements of curriculum. This book takes the readers through the evolution of curriculum design and includes theories involved in curriculum development. The book is extremely informative and organized in such a way as to facilitate easy reading. Doll teaches the reader that he or she must consider many elements before embarking on curriculum design. Doll's book enables the reader to understand the planning process in such a way that he or she can then implement the strategies. I would highly recommend Doll's book to future curriculum designers and current educators.

Evaluation Textbooks

The Curriculum Improvement: Decision Making and Process (9th ed.) by Ronald C. Doll clearly outlines each step in establishing a successful curriculum. From this textbook, I have gained the importance of teacher playing an active role in making curriculum decisions for their schools. By reading and using this textbook, I feel more prepared in voicing my opinion about our schools current curriculum. I had the opportunity to work as a curriculum leader for my school while taking this class. I used the information that was provided in the book to guide me in making the appropriate decisions mainly for our school and the students. The only negative aspect of the textbook is that each chapter is extremely long. Since we all have busy lives, I would suggest each chapter to be broken up so that the reader stays interested longer and does not become overwhelmed with the length of the chapters.

Throughout this course, both of the books used were extremely helpful. Curriculum Planning by Doll taught me a lot about curriculum, its history, designs, social and cultural forces that affect it, the priorities in the curriculum, etc. Being a student only, not a teacher, it taught me a lot of what teachers are exposed to everyday and I really enjoyed it because I think it is a very useful and important book containing crucial information.

I wish I would have had the Guide for Developing Interdisciplinary Thematic Units before, it was extremely helpful and I think it is going to be all though my courses and probably in the future once I start teaching. Extremely helpful book, it simplifies everything a thematic unit should have.

For the first time in my life, as to my history of taking courses, I really do feel that these two books will help me a lot through life. Also between the books, the professors' comments and the research done on my own, I must say I have learned a lot from this class.

Lissette Guerra 290-174th Street Apt. 901 North Miami Beach, Florida 33160 (305) 935-5068 lguerrap@hotmail.com CUR 505- Curriculum and Instruction: Exceptional Student Education

Although the textbook is very technique in composition, it has a lot of relevant information for someone like myself beginning in the CIT program. It was very informative in that it provided lost so background information on specific topics. The author provided an abundance of examples and models to utilize when teaching various concepts. Textbook contained many points of views.

Textbook was subdivided in that it provided for background information--framework on curriculum design. It began with a historical and philosophical foundation (identifying areas of concern in your environment, well-known people in the curriculum field and history of the schol system with curriculum design. the curriculum material included How learners grow and develope--identifying students with deficit, Social and Cultural forces affecting curriculum design-technology, traditional challenges, diverse cultures, Subject Matter--disciplines organizing and adapting curriculum materials to reach all learners.

Part 2 of the textbook covered the processes needced to improve the curriculum. It had the teacher's point of view, the politicians, and whether or not the schols were being run as a business. Way sto evaluate students and the curriculum to be sure the curriculum is teaching the skills the sdtudnets need to be successful. It included allowing studdnts and parents to be rsource when adopting a curriculum. At the end, the author discussed somne of the leaders problems with devising a curriculum sutiable for everyone.

Curriculum Improvement by Ronald C. Doll was a well-written textbook in that it was easy enough to understand and was applicable to my course and its assignments. It was a bit dry at times, but it didn't put me to sleep either. Included in the text was the following material: Historical & Philosophical Foundations of Curriculum Decision Making; Psychological Bases for Curriculum Decisions; Social & Cultural Forces Affecting Curriculum Decisions; Subject Matter & its Role in Decision Making; Making Decisions about the Design of Curriculum; Evaluation of Curriculum Programs & Projects; Process in Curriculum Improvement; The Planning Process; Participants & their Roles in Curriculum; the Problem of Communication; and Curriculum Leadership. If these are the topics that you're looking for...than this is the textbook for you!!!

Accurate description, prompt shipping, priced very well and excellent condition! It was already highlighted in parts, which I didn't know. I'm simply using another color. Whoever highlighted was clearly thinking along the same lines!

The Doll text is starting to get a bit out of date, as it talks about how we will start to use computers and databases to track information, but that's what you should expect when you see the copyright date. The rest of the book is right on the money though. It defines curriculum and describes the problem we face today as educators, as well as what we must do to improve things. Although the author held many positions in the field of education, it is most definitely written from the perspective of a teacher who is willing, ready, and able to do what is right.