Project Director:
Sandra J. Strunk
(717) 606-1704
(717) 606-1991 FAX

Project Coordinator:
Melissa Monti
(717) 606-1795
(717) 606-1991 FAX

Curriculum Framework (draft):

Audience

Purpose

Assumptions and Beliefs

Framework Rationale and Structure

Organ and Tissue Donation Content Domains and Topic Indicators

Organ Tissue Donation Awareness Education Curriculum Framework

An Overview/January 2004

Table of Contents

Audience, Purpose, and Assumptions and Beliefs

Framework Rationale and Structure

Organ and Tissue Donation Content

Domains and Topic Indicators

1. Human Experience and Discovery

2. Biomedical Information

3. Issues and Considerations

4. Working with Community Resources

5. Critical Thinking and Decision-Making Domain

Audience

The primary audience for the Organ and Tissue Donation Curriculum Framework is secondary education teachers and curriculum coordinators. Because this material lends itself to various disciplines and contexts, it is helpful to have a roadmap to guide teaching and learning related to organ and tissue donation. It is the intent of this project to offer secondary teachers a content roadmap that will be specific enough to guide instruction, but also flexible enough to allow multidisciplinary content implementation.

Other audiences for this framework might include school administrators, community organizations, and families. The flexible structure of the framework allows users the opportunity to focus not only on topics pertinent to a particular subject area, but also address issues most important to the primary receivers--the students.

Purpose

The purpose of the Organ and Tissue Donation Curriculum Framework is to aid the implementation of Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness into high school curricula throughout PA so that secondary students can make informed decisions about organ and tissue donation. The framework provides an organizational structure around which instruction can be planned. Eventually, it will be linked to Pennsylvania's Academic Standards, will contain multiple glossaries, activity banks and resources. The OTDA Curriculum Framework will assist educators in determining ways to incorporate a critical topic into existing curricula in a way that addresses the individual needs of their students and community.

Assumptions and Beliefs

This curriculum is based on a number of assumptions and beliefs that should be made explicit.

1. First and foremost, this curriculum framework has been designed to organize the knowledge and skills secondary students will need to make an informed decision related to organ and tissue donation. It does not presuppose a "correct" decision, but rather, focuses on helping learners understand the facts of organ and tissue donation, explore the complexity of the issue, and acquire the decision-making skills they will need for this critical life decision.

2. This curriculum framework is learner-centered and based on current research. Information gleaned from student focus groups and teacher surveys has been instrumental in determining the structure and key components of this framework.

3. This curriculum framework is a living document that will evolve with the research base and expand dramatically as more and more secondary teachers begin to work with this material.

4. This curriculum framework is multidisciplinary in nature. While some academic disciplines may have a more obvious connection with the framework than others, it is our belief that the richness of this material lends itself to implementation across multiple academic disciplines.

5. Alignment of this curriculum framework with Pennsylvania's K-12 Academic Standards will have significant impact on the implementation of this curriculum framework in Pennsylvania's secondary schools.

Framework Rationale and Structure

This curriculum framework has been organized into five Content Domains. The Content Domains are knowledge and skill clusters that contain multiple topics related to organ and tissue donation awareness. The five content areas are: Human Experience and Discovery Biomedical Information OTDA Issues and Considerations Working with Community Resources Critical Thinking and Decision Making

Each content domain contains Topic Indicators for classroom exploration and research. Lesson and Activity Banks, a Crosswalk to PA Academic Standards, a Glossary of Terms and Relevant Resources will begin to be developed in January-June 2001 with input and suggestions from the statewide pilot sites. The content and supplementary materials for the framework will continue to evolve as additional schools become involved with the project.

The Human Experience and Discovery Domain is located at the heart of the curriculum framework. All facets of organ and tissue donation occur within the context of human experience and it is the richness of human experience that brings meaning to each of the other content domains. For example, biomedical information is but a collection of facts unless it is presented within the context of an individual human life. The goal of the Human Experience and Discovery Domain is to provide authentic experiences and stories that will allow learners to explore the impact that organ and tissue donation has on the lives of donors, recipients, medical professionals, family and community members.

The Biomedical Information Domain encompasses all of the knowledge associated with the anatomy and physiology of organ and tissue donation, the organ and tissue donation and transplantation process, and facts and fictions associated with organ and tissue donation awareness. This domain, more than any other, offers secondary students the facts they will need for informed decision-making.

The OTDA Issues and Considerations Domain provides an opportunity for learners to explore issues related to organ and tissue donation such as the demographics of organ and tissue donation (who, what, when, where), global perspectives on organ and tissue donation (what's going on around the world), social responsibility and advocacy, legal and political considerations, and even medical ethics. Unlike the Biomedical Information Domain, the intent of this domain is to generate questions for meaningful discussion rather than provide baseline facts.

The Working with Community Resources Domain clusters information related to accessing the many organ and tissue donation community resources available to individuals and families. In order for life-long learning to occur, students need to be able to identify resources that facilitate and support OTDA education and services. Organ and tissue donation awareness education is more than an academic content area; it is a life-long discovery.

The Critical Thinking and Decision-Making Domain encompasses the critical thinking and decision-making skills that are necessary for secondary students to make an informed decision related to organ and tissue donation. This content domain includes involving the right people, asking the right questions, collecting and analyzing relevant information, making and communicating decisions and revisiting past decisions.

 Organ and Tissue Donation Content Domains and Topic Indicators

1. Human Experience and Discovery

2. Biomedical Information

3. Issues and Considerations

4. Working with Community Resources

5. Critical Thinking and Decision-Making Domain

6. General Subject

 

 

 

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