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

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Summary: A Curriculum Resource
Review: "Curriculum Improvement Decision Making and Process" by Ronald C. Doll is not only a manual providing all of the basic elements of curriculum planning. Change is inevitable and it is necessary to constantly update education to meet the needs of children. This book explains all of the fundamentals of curriculum while familiarizing the reader with all of the new, updated theories and innovations. For any teacher or administrator, this book is a great reference to have on hand.

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Summary: Dry but useful
Review: This book is useful for general information about curriculum and excellent to get an historical perspective of curriculum development. Doll also includes classroom applications.

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Summary: Highly informative!
Review: Doll, Ronald C. (1996). Curriculum Improvement (9th ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Curriculum Improvement by Ronald C. Doll is a valuable resource to any staff member who is involved in improving the curriculum. Through easy to read English, many examples, and a great amount of detail, Doll explains what has historically occurred in curriculum decision making, how to attend to individual differences, what social and cultural forces affect curriculum decision making, the criteria in selecting subject matter for curriculum improvement, steps to be taken in designing a curriculum, and the importance of evaluating programs. Doll states that there can be no improvement in the curriculum without a change in the people who design the curriculum; therefore, he explains actions that curriculum leaders should take and the steps that they would follow in plotting, starting, and continuing the planning process. He discusses the roles of everyone involved in curriculum improvement. This book contains an abundant source of information and is highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand what curriculum is, the need for constantly improving it, and the process involved in curriculum improvement.

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Summary: Evaluation
Review: I found the book to be easy to understand and useful. The issues covered reflects the necessary issues facing our schools today.

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Summary: Review of Doll's Curriculum Improvement
Review: Doll's (1996) text is most definitely comprehensive. The author provides an excellent description of changes in societal beliefs and their influences on curriculum throughout U.S. history. The use of activities and situations helped demonstrate the points the author was making in each chapter-a good organizational technique. The only problem I had with this text was that it was so detailed that it was difficult to read.

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Summary: " A Bit Doll, But Highly Informative!"
Review: Discussion Group Entry 6.2 Evaluation of Textbooks

CURRICULUM IMPROVEMENT (Doll,1996) I found that this text was extremely comprehensive providing everything from historical and philosophical backgrounds to leadership strategies and classroom applications. Initially, I felt that a text on curriculum would provide little innovation in the complex field of education. However, when reading the prologue, "If we ever needed . . " I realized this text was truly in touch with the challenges that we currently face. I also didn't realize the complexity of all that goes into curriculum design

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Summary: Curriculum Development
Review: Mr. Doll wrote an extensive textbook on curriculum development and issues concerning the state of education in the United States in the latter days of the 20th century. Although much of the information provided is dry and technical, the well-delineated explanations provide the reader with insight, proverbial food for thought, and motivate an educator to delve more deeply into curricular issues and how they effect education. Mr. Doll provides different anecdotal activities, which are helpful and bring the information to a more comprehensible level. This is a book that all teachers and administrators should have in their professional library for reference and ideas.

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Summary: Curriculum Development
Review: Any future school administrator interested in curriculum development or curriculum instruction should read this book. I would pay special attention to Chapters 3,4 and 8 which center around the external forces affecting and influencing curriculum design. The book receives four stars as opposed to five because some chapters toward the later part of the book did not seem to be helpful.

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Summary: Curriculum Improvement: Decision Making and Process
Review: This book was great for the course assignment of writing a thematic unit. It is a useful tool that I will keep and reference as needed. I will be honest and say that I did not read it cover, to cover... but could not have completed my thematic unit without it.

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Summary: Curriculum Planning By Doll
Review: 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 [phone] [e-mail] CUR 505- Curriculum and Instruction: Exceptional Student Education