Today for the next topic.I want to talk about the current curriculum issues.
Current Curriculum Issues.
-Curriculum planners are buffeted by strong educational, social, and political forces affecting the curriculum decisions they must make.Movements have emanated from networks of like-minded professional educators, from the public in general, and from individuals and pressure groups from outside of the teacher education profession.
For purposes of discussion the issues and related developments are divided into twelve categories, as follows:
-Academic area initiatives.
-Alternative schooling arrangements.
-Bilingual/bicultural education
-Censorship
-Gender
-Health education
-Multiculturalism/diversity
-Privatization
-Provision for exceptionalities.
-Religion in public education
-Scheduling arrangements
-Standards/assessment
Today is week 11 which is the date of 14 December 2016.Today I just want to tell or share something on my blog about the role of the curriculum workers, role of the teachers and role of the curriculum leader.
Role of the Curriculum Workers
-Primary responsibility for curriculum development is assigned to teachers and their elected or appointed leaders, both of whom we will refer to as "curriculum workers".This group of persons working together carries the heaviest burden in seeking to improve the curriculum.Curriculum groups function at several levels and in several sectors.To make the following discussion clearer,however, let's conceptualize the curriculum council of a particular school.Let's choose an elementary school with grades kindergarten through six that is fortunate enough to have a full-time curriculum coordinator on its staff.By agreement of the total faculty,the grade coordinators (seven of them) join with the curriculum coordinator (appointed by the principal) to form the school's curriculum council.In our hypothetical school,by tacit understanding between the principal and the faculty,the coordinator serves as chairperson or leader of the council.
-Let's imagine that we are neutral observers watching this council at its first session of the year.We watch the group get organized; we listen to its discussion; we study the faces of the council members; and we observe the interplay between the coordinator and the council members and among the council members themselves.We cannot help speculating about whether this curriculum group will have a productive year.The question crosses our mind, "What conditions make for a productive year in curriculum development?" We wonder , "Could we predict whether a curriculum council is likely to be productive?"
-After a great deal of thought, we might conclude that success in terms of productivity is more likely to come about if the group :
-sets its goals at the beginning of its work.
-is made up of compatible personalities.
-has members who bring to the task expertise, knowledge, and technical competence.
-is composed of persons who are motivated and willing to expend time and energy.
-accepts its appropriate leadership and followership roles.
-has persons who can communicate with each other.
-has developed skills in decision making.
-has members who keep their own personal agendas in appropriate relationship to the groups's goals.
Role of the Teachers.
-Throughout this text teachers are repeatedly seen as the primary group in curriculum development.Numerous examples are given of teacher involvement in curriculum development.Teachers constitute either the majority or the totality of the membership of curriculum committees and councils.Teachers participate at all stages in curriculum development.They initiate proposals and carry them out in their classrooms.They review proposals, gather data, conduct research, make contact with parents and other laypeople,write and create curriculum materials, evaluate resources, try out new ideas, obtain feedback from leaners, and evaluate programs.Teachers serve on committees mainly at the classroom,team or grade or department, school, and district levels or sectors and on occassion may serve at other levels or sectors.
Role of the Curriculum Leader.
-The curriculum leader (coordinator) may also come from outside the teacher group, as in the case of central office supervisors, curriculum consultants, directors of instruction, and assistant principals for curriculum.
-The curriculum leader or coordinator must:
-possess a good general education.
-have a good knowledge of both general and specific curricula.
-be knowledgeable about resources for curriculum development.
-be skilled in research and knowledgeable about locating pertinent research studies.
-be knowledgeable about the needs of learners, the community, and the society.
-be a bit of philosopher, sociologist, and psychologist.
-know and appreciate the individual characteristics of participating colleagues.
Thursday 8 December 2016
The reflection of week 9 which was on 30 November 2016.We were learning about Topic 12 which was about Curriculum Implementation.
The Roles of Stakeholders in Curriculum Implementation
1)Stakeholders
-Individuals or institutions that are interested in the school curriculum.
-Shape the school curriculum implementation.
a)Learners at the center of the Curriculum.
-The very reason a curriculum is developed.
-The ones being directly influenced by the curriculum.
-The primary stakeholders in the curriculum.
-Make the curriculum alive.
-Measurement of the success of the curriculum.
b)Teachers as Curriculum Developers and Implementers
-The curriculum maker.
-From a developer to an implementer.
-Being an implementer is very crucial.
c)Curriculum Managers and Administrators
-Supervise,select and recruit,admit,procure.
-Plan for the school's improvement.
-Can never be ignored.
d)Parents as Supporters in the Curriculum
-Parents are the best supporters of the school.
How do parents shape the curriculum and why they become stakeholders?
-Effective parental involvement in school affairs.
- Involvement extends from the confine of the school to the home.
-Parent association is organized.
e)Community members as Community Resources
-Substitute for what is needed to implement the curriculum.
-Some can be a resource speaker.
f)Other Stakeholders in Curriculum Implementation
-Professional organization have shown great influence in school curriculum.
-Government has a great stake in curriculum implementation.
The Role of Technology in Delivering the Curriculum.
Technology
-Plays a crucial role in delivering instruction to learners.
-Offer various tools of learning.
Types of Instructional Media/Technology.
Non-projected Media Projected Media
-Real objects -Overhead Transparencies
-Models -Opaque projection
-Field Trips -Slides
-Kits -Computer films
-Printed materials -Video,VCD,DVD
-Visuals -Multimedia presentations
-Visual Boards
-Audio Materials
Factors of Technology Selection
-Practicality
-Appropriateness in relation to the learner
-Activity/suitability
-Objective-matching
Hello.This is the reflection of week 8.The date was on 23 November 2016.Ok,I just want to write about what I learnt from Mr.Wan on that day.
The Meaning of Theory.
-A symbolic construction that is designed to bring generalisable facts or laws into systematic connection (Snow)
Sources of Curriculum Theory
-Philosophy
-Change Theory
-Organisational Development Theory
-Group behaviour
-Non-Mainstream
Bases of Curriculum Theorising
1)Scientific Theory
-Logically connected statements that generalise to and offer explanations of particular areas.
2)Philosophical and Humanistic Theory
-Assumptions or beliefs that explain what ought to be.
Functions of Theory
-Description
-Prediction
-Explanation
-Guidance
Theory Building
a)Deduction
-Deductive reasoning works from the more general to the more specific.Sometimes this is informally called a "top-down" approach.
-We might begin with thinking up a theory about our topic of interest.
-We then narrow that down into more specific hypotheses that we can test.
-We narrow down even further when we collect observations to address the hypotheses.
-This ultimately leads us to be able to test the hypotheses with specific data.
b)Induction
-Inductive reasoning works the other way,moving from specific observations to broader generalizations and theories.
-Informally, we sometimes call this a "bottom-up" approach.
-In inductive reasoning, webegin with specific observations and measures,begin to detect patterns and regularities,formulate some tentative hypotheses that we can explore,and finally end up developing some general conclusions or theories.
Steps in Theory Building
-Defining terms
-Classifying
-Beauchamp's Process of Building Theory Formulation of definitions:
-Classification of relevent information into categories.
-Utilization of inductive and deductive processes.
-Making of inferences and predictions and testing them
-Development of models
-Sub-theory formation.
Metaphors and Theoretical Camps
-Traditionalists
-Conceptual Empiricists
-Reconceptualists/Critical Theorists
-Postmodernists
a)Traditionalists
-Service to practitioners
-Structural Theorizing
b)Conceptual Empiricists
-Theory produced through research
-Substantive Theorizing (broadly)
c)Reconceptualists/Critical Theorists
-Distance between theory and practice.
-Liberation
-the act or process of freeing someone or something from another's control.
d)Postmodernists
-Many ways to interpret or theorize about curriculum.
Directions for the future
-Curriculum Inquiry
-Conceptualizing the Task
This is for the reflection of week 7.The date was on 16 November 2016.Mr Wan taught us a new topic at that time which was Topic 7:Curriculum approaches Behavioral,Managerial,System,Academic and Humanistic Approach.
The curriculum approaches reflect the developer's philosophy,view of reality,history,psychology,social issues and the domains of knowledge.
Analysis of an approach provides information about personal and collective commitments to a particular viewpoint and the values deemed important by individuals,school and society.
An approach to curriculum reflects that person's view of the world;including what that person perceives as reality,the values he or she deems important, and the amount of knowledge he or she possesses.
An approach to the curriculum may include the person's philosophy,his view of history,view of psychology and learning theory and his view of social issues.
An approach further expresses a view point about the development and design of the curriculum,the role of the teacher, the learner, and curriculum specialists in planning the curriculum; the goals and objectives of the curriculum and the important issues that need to be examined.
1.Technical-Scientific models reflect a traditional orientation about education and formal methods of schooling.
2)Non-Technical/Non-Scientific Approaches challenge traditional theories and practices and reflect the more progressive views about education.
Technical/Scientific Approach:
a)Behavioral-Rationale Approach
-It is the oldest and still more prefered approach by many educators (Bago 2008).It clearly defines the objectives (why), content (what), method (how), sequence (when), and scope (how much) of a curriculum By the Taba and Tyler Models,1969.
b)Systems-Managerial Approach
-This approach considers the major interconnectedness of inputs, throughputs, and outputs that comprise the educational system.This model emphasizes the managerial or leadership and supervisory aspects of curriculum especially in the implementation and organization process.
-Curriculum is viewed as the major system and the other processes related to it such as supervision (motivation,leadership styles,communication,and decision making),instruction and evaluation are subsystems.
c)Intellectual-Academic Approach
-It identifies three fundamental factors- the learner, the society, and the organized subject matter.
-It advocates that these three factors should be viewed as a whole,and not in isolation from one another.
-This approach has the following three sources of the curriculu;-studies of the learners;-studies of contemporary life and its needs;and suggestion from subject experts.
-This approach emphasizes the importance of cognitive theories and principles in curriculum planning.
Non-Technical/Non-Scientific Approaches:
a)Humanistic-Aesthetic Approach
-This approach is rooted in progressive philosophy which promotes the liberation of learners from authoritarian teachers.Progressive Education 1940s.
b)Reconceptualist Approach
-This approach reflects an existentialist orientation.Proponents argue that the aim of education is not to control instruction in order to preserve existing orders.Instead, the purpose of education is to emancipate society from traditional, outmoded orders through individual free choice.The foci of the curriculum are community,national, and world problems that need to be addressed through an interdisciplinary approach.
c)Reconstructionism
-While progressivism emphasizes or child-centered curriculum, reconstructionism insists on a social-centered one.This curriculum orientation considers the school as an agent of change which should be at the forefront in creating a new vision of society and of the future.Reconstructionism sees the school as an institution of social reform.
Hello,this was the reflection of week 6.The date was on 9 November 2016.The topic was been taught by Mr.Wan was Topic 6:Domains of Curriculum
-The domain components
-Principles,guidelines,types and categories of curriculum.
Multiple definitions of Curriculum.
Curriculum is:
-That which is taught in schools.
-A set of subjects.
-Content.
-A program of studies
-A set of materials.
-A sequence of courses.
-A set of performance objectives
-A course of study.
-Is everything that goes on within the school,including extra class activities,guidance, and interpersonal relationships.
-Everything that is planned by school personnel.
-A series of experiences undergone by learners in a school.
There are 7 types of curriculum which are:
1)Recommended curriculum.
-This curriculum is delineated by scholars and professional organizations.
2)Written curriculum
-This curriculum is appears in state and school district documents.
3)Taught curriculum
-This curriculum is that teachers attempt to implement.
4)Supported curriculum
-This curriculum helps implement or deliver the curriculum resources such as textbooks computers.
5)Assessed curriculum
-This curriculum is tested and evaluated.
6)Learned curriculum
-This curriculum is about what the students actually learn.
7)Hidden curriculum
-This curriculum is unintended curriculum.
There are 5 principle of curriculum development which are:
Principle 1:
The Essence of Curriculum Design The Need for a Conceptual Framework
-Over the past thirty years-curriculum practice has been driven by theory.
-interaction between teachers and students has been defined in scientific terms like behaviorism or cognitivism.
-Now a phenomenological approach-based on the needs of learners;
-draw from the teacher's experience with, and knowledge of, human development.
-start with an understanding of how people learn,continue with instructional methods that match learning styles,then progress to content.
Principle 2:
Conceptualizing Attitudes and Beliefs About Learning
-The attitudes and beliefs principle is relatively easy to conceptualize in the abstract.It is much more difficult to put the conceptualization into practice.
Three orientations:
-to developing and understanding one's beliefs and attitudes about learning.
a)the transmission position
the function of schooling is viewed as transmitting facts,skills, and values to students.
b)the transaction position.
the student is seen as rational and capable of intelligent problem solving.
c)the transformation position.
focuses on personal and social change,with attention to ecological interdependence and the interrelatedness of phenomena generally.
Principle 3:
An Epistemological Rationale
-Epistemology, that branch of philosophy that deals with the origin, nature, and limitations of knowledge.
-Formulating an epistemological rationale for the technological education program area generally points to and amplifies the importance of having teachers become explicity aware of the origins, nature, and limitations of the knowledge they are using.
Principle 4:
The Curriculum Development/Planning Process
-The process is viewed as a blueprint for developing a curriculum that has applicability across a range of subjects for example like a macro view; however, it is also defined as the plan teachers adopt in the classroom for organizing learning activities for example like micro view.
-Curriculum planning that is guided or informed by some rational process would seem to merit the attention of all educators.
-The curriculum designer must take into account a combination of constituent needs-including community, schools, teachers, and students.
-Meaningful learning experiences in school classrooms can be designed,presented, and shaped through arational process.The importance of community input and support in that process cannot be overstated.
Principle 5:
The Political Realities of Curriculum Development
-The importance of understanding political reality is that it forces educators to consider the way interest groups compete for the establishments for their vision of a particular area of the curriculum.
In my opinion,these 7 types of curriculum that are shown onthe video are very useful to the students nowadays.
