There was a very interesting article in the New York Times entitled High Schools to Cultivate Interest.  The article focused in on a school district that is experimenting with “redefining traditional notions of a college-preparatory education and allowing students to pursue specialized interests that once were relegated to after-school clubs and weekend hobbies.”  As one student, who was interviewed for the article said:

It’s letting people learn about what they love rather than dictating what they should be learning.

In the case reported in the article students can take courses such as cardio fitness, advanced Java programming and Mandarin.  Other schools are expanding their curriculum as well, adding business and entertainment courses, courses in investment and accounting and sports.  

Curriculum design has been impacted enormously by the recent No Child Left Behind Act.  Schools felt they had to reign in variety and choice in curriculum, and have students regimented to a strict curriculum that included courses in the core areas of the curriculum.

An interesting implication of a school curriculum that gives students more choices in courses electives is to apply this principle to the way we look at the organization of the science curriculum.  How can student choice be built into the content of the science curriculum?  Are students capable of choosing content that is relevant and important, not only toward understanding science, but toward building up confidence and interest in science.

More to come….