COPS

Sometimes, people ask me stuff like, "What is the model on which you base your ideas about curriculum planning and development?"

To be honest, I don't have one of those name-branded models. I've read too much stuff to attribute my ideas to specific researchers or specific models. What I think is a reasonable answer is this: In any endeavour targeted at humans, we begin with the human basis, and then we follow up with continuations that humans can accept as rational.

Today I was chatting with an officer from the Tower of the Book. She effectively asked me that very question. So I said, "It's all about COPS!" To her quizzical look, I continued, "Culture, Organisation, Process, Sense-Making."

That was an impromptu effort, actually. But it does cover the four basic ideas I have.

In any enterprise of the human sort, you should start out by examining the state of the art, the situation, the environment, the background or context of the matter. This is Culture.

Then you organise the material you have found in a way that is easy to see, to analyse, or whatever else you want to do with it. This is Organisation.

You then work out the necessary things you have to do with the material you've organised. This is Process.

Finally, you package it nicely and sell it to other people as the fruit of your consultancy. This is called Sense-Making (although some people call it Salesmanship, Story-Telling, or Scenario-Planning).

And there you have it. A new model, just fresh off the press.

I will close by noting that the meta-skill required to do this is itself the product of such thinking. It is either cyclical or recursive. I have yet to make sense of it, but it pays the bills.