Abstract
In recent United States, research field related curriculum and teacher show a new trend. New concept "educative curriculum materials" had been proposed, and theoretical and practical researches have been developed. The commonly used curriculum materials provide routine knowledge for planning and implementing the lessons to teachers. On the other hand, educative curriculum materials provide adaptive knowledge for acting in the unknown situation adequately to teachers. What is the teacher model that this new concept proposes? What kind of significance does it have for research and practices related curriculum and teacher? In addition, what kind of suggestion does it have for Japanese research and practices? In this study, I examine theoretical and practical research of the educative curriculum materials and investigate answers for these questions. First of all, I review background of research about educative curriculum materials. As a result of review, two key factors are pointed out as the background. One is the reflection for the curriculum-teacher relationship in 1960's modernization of education. Another is the accumulation of findings related how teachers use the curriculum materials. The possibilities are found out by these findings that teacher could change, in other words, teacher could learn through the use of the curriculum materials. Second, I clarify teacher learning using educative curriculum materials through research in mathematical education and science education. In the case of mathematical education, it is made clear that the educative curriculum materials, which are made to provide the teacher knowledge about learning content and how to teach mathematics, could support the learning of the teacher. The teacher acquires the new method of the lesson thorough the educative curriculum materials as the main source of information for their professional development. In the case of science education, the research shows that teachers learn through using the educative curriculum materials. The teachers use the educative curriculum materials not routinely, but adaptively in form to integrate with the teachers' intellectual resources. Finally, I discuss significance of the "educative curriculum materials" concept from the viewpoint of the teacher model, and its implications for Japanese research and practices. About the former, it is considered that this concept proposes a new teacher model. This model is not that the teachers implement the existing curriculum effectively, and not that the teachers create the original curriculum. This is the model that the teachers use the existing curriculum adaptively. There is the significance of this teacher model in showing concretely "the teachers mature through the existing curriculum and create the new curriculum in that." About the latter, two implications of the new concept for Japanese research and practices are pointed out. One is that the concept could encourage the research related curriculum and teacher. Another is that the concept makes clear that the teacher's manual of the textbook could become the object of the new research and practices.
