Intro to Curriculum Development

Source: HQOE 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND RESEARCH IN EDUCATION, John Arul Phillips

Points to PonderWhat do you think?

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) "Education without religion, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.

LEARNING POINTS1. What is Curriculum?

2. What are the approaches to Curriculum?

3. Why is Curriculum important?

4. What are the elements of a curriculum?

5. What’s the basic difference between Curriculum and Syllabus?

6. Other learning points?

Curriculum is …

1 Tanner (1980)

The planned and guided learning experiences and intended outcomes, formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences under the auspices of the school, for the learnersÊ continuous and wilful growth in personal social competence. (p.13).

2 Pratt (1980)

A written document that systematically describes goals planned, objectives, content, learning activities, evaluation procedures and so forth.

3 Grundy (1987)

Grundy (1987) defines curriculum as a programme of activities (by teachers and pupils) designed so that pupils will attain so far as possible certain educational and other schooling ends or objectives.

4 Cronbleth (1992)

Answering three questions: what knowledge, skills and values are most worthwhile? Why are they most worthwhile? How should the young acquire them?

Interpretation of Curriculum(5 important points)What students should know (knowledge or

content),

What students should be able to do (skills),

How it is taught (instruction),

How it is measured (assessment), and

How the educational system is organized (context).

Self-Check 1Identify the FIVE common features of a

curriculum mentioned in most of the definitions given by scholars in the field.

Curriculum

Knowledge

Skills

Instruction

Assessment

Context

Franklin Bobbit (1918)Education should prepare people for life, with

special attention to what people need to do and know in order to work and live their lives.

Ralph Tyler (1949)The real purpose of education is to bring

significant changes in the students’ pattern of behavior

Hidden Curriculum

• Written

Formal

• Unwritten• (All learning

experiences)Hidden

Self-Check 2What is the hidden curriculum?

Why is the hidden curriculum important in education?

Give examples of the hidden curriculum other than those stated in the text.

Approaches to curriculum

Content

Topics

Concepts

Product

Knowledge

Skills

Values

Process

Scheme about the practice of teaching

Content Behavioral objectives

Interaction – T – Ss - knowledge

Stenhouse (1975), used the analogy of the a recipe in a cookbook which teachers translate into practice in the classroom. Like a recipe it can be varied according to taste. So can a curriculum.

Self-Check 3What do you mean when curriculum is

approached as content? Why is it a common approach of viewing curriculum?

How is curriculum as product different from curriculum as content?

What should be the overall purpose of a curriculum according to Bobbitt and Tyler?

What is the difference between curriculum as product and process

Foundations of Curriculum

Philosophy

Sociology

Psychology

History

Religious values.

The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. (Psalm 9: 10)

Curriculum Development Process

Planning Design Implementation Evaluation

Curriculum as a disciplineA discipline should have an organised set of

theoretical principles.

A discipline encompasses a body of knowledge and skills pertinent to that discipline.

A discipline has its theoreticians and its practitioners.

Curriculum and instruction

Summary Curriculum is a statement of what students should know, be

able to do, how it is taught, how it is measured, and how the educational system is organized.

Curriculum can be approached as content (knowledge, skills and values), product (desired learning outcomes) and process (interactions in the classroom).

Curriculum development is a process involving planning, designing, implementation and evaluation.

Curriculum can be considered a discipline because it has an organized set of theoretical principles, it includes a body of knowledge and skills and has its theoreticians and its practitioners.

The relationship between curriculum and instruction is interdependent, continuous, repeated and never-ending.

Final MessageC.S. Lewis (1898-1963) "Education

without religion, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.