St. John's project: a report of the problems associated with the direction of a Canada Studies Foundation Team

Connolly, Patricia Marie (1975) St. John's project: a report of the problems associated with the direction of a Canada Studies Foundation Team. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

In May 1974 the writer was given the responsibility for the formation and direction of the fourth attempt to establish a functioning Canada Studies Foundation project in the St. John's area. The writer soon learned that, in addition to the application of specific curriculum theories, a multitude of extraneous factors - administrative, psychological, political, and financial, to name but a few -- intensely affect the curriculum development process; therefore, the opportunity to guide a curriculum development project became a source of valuable experience for the writer. -- Of special interest were problems associated with the re-establishment and maintenance of the project. The task of the writer was two-fold - to direct the curriculum development process (external task), and to maintain an efficient and cohesive working group (internal task). Curriculum development inexperience constituted the major external task problem, whereas physical and psychological pressures constituted the major internal problem. -- Based on the experience obtained as a result of the St. John’s Project, the writer has offered twenty-eight recommendations grouped into four main categories - administrative, social-psychological, project task, and political. Among the more important recommendations are those pertaining to team size, the-specialized division of work load among team members, the maintenance of team morale, the psychological and intellectual compatibility of team members, the utilization of relevant curriculum theories, an adequate project lifespan, access to resource personnel, the role of public relations, and the need for adequate released time from regular teaching duties for the purposes of curriculum development.

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