Centrally Prescribed Vs School Based Curriculum

Group Members: Nor Nazira Mohd Nor Nor Aishah Yacob Nurnasihah Azizan Nik Khairun Nisaa Nik Mustafa Nurus Syamilah Amir Hamzah

1112016 1115502 1111350 1111302 1111946

What is curriculum?
Curriculum is a design PLAN for learning that requires the purposeful and proactive organization, sequencing, and management of the interactions among the teacher, the students, and the content knowledge we want students to acquire.

Some of the components of a comprehensive curriculum unit

Content

Grouping and Pacing

Assessment

Products

Introduction/Closure

Resources

Teaching Strategies

Extension Activities

Learning Activities

Differentiation

Centrally Prescribed Curriculum

Centralization refers to the condition whereby the administrative authority for education is vested, not in the local community, but in a central body. This central body has complete power over all resources: money, information, people, technology. It decides the content of curriculum, controls the budget, is responsible for employment, the building of educational facilities, discipline policies, etc.

Characteristics of a centralized pattern of curriculum designing

The subject content is decided upon centrally All learners taking the same subject write the same examination & are assessed in the same skills Certification is centrally controlled Textbooks must be approved by the Ministry of Education

Advantages of Centralized Curriculum Design

All schools use the same documents Easy to achieve national goals Entry requirements for universities & colleges can be centrally determined and parity can be ensured Learning materials can be mass-produced, making them less expensive for producer and customers

Disadvantages of the Centralized Curriculum

The process takes a long time before the final document is produced The design is insensitive to the needs of some groups within the country More stress on content, mainly knowledgelimit on development & demonstration of productive skills

School Based Curriculum a.k.a Decentralized Curriculum Design

Refers to the extent to which authority has been passed down to the individual school.
Eg: Site-based management-individual schools can make their own decisions related to finances and curriculum.

Advocates of decentralization believe it will result in higher student performance; more efficient use of resources; increased skills and satisfaction for school administrators and teachers; and greater community and business involvement in and support for schools.

Characteristics of Decentralized Curriculum Design

Local communities initiate the changes to suit their local needs Teachers work with the parents to determine the content-based on what is available Subjects in schools could be the same, but the content will vary from school to school Each school, state or district has its own syllabus that is produced locally

 Textbooks may not have been centrally approved Each school, state or district has its own form of evaluation Very few people are involved in curriculum designing

Advantages of Decentralized Curriculum Design

The curriculum addresses local needs The local community is directly involved and is committed to its implementation It takes less time to produce the curriculum then it would take when a centralized pattern is used Students learn what is relevant to the local community

Disadvantages of Decentralized Curriculum Design

No guarantee that national goals will be achieved Learners cannot be easily transfer from one school to another A problem in developing or accessing teaching materials There may not be adequate expertise in the local community to develop part of the curriculum

Comparison Between CCD & DCD

CENTRALIZED CURRICULUM
Standardized Reliable Textbooks must approved by MOE Subject content decided by MOE Subject content evaluation developed by MOE & Examination Board Focus on Knowledge and content

DECENTRALIZED CURRICULUM
Non-standardized Unreliable (different teacher, different assessment) Textbooks may not centrally approved Subject are same, but content will different (determined by teachers) Has its own evaluation form Focus on knowledge & productive skills

Conclusion
Both CCD and DCD have its own pros & cons Different country practice different design of curriculum based on own geographical factor Curriculum development is done repeatedly by some educators to make his education program better, appropriate with students needs and social and cultural demand To develop the curriculum, a set of cyclical process should be done

Planning

Updating

Articulating & Developing

Evaluating

Implementing

Questions to ponder
1. Is the School Based Curriculum a suitable basis for current curriculum development? 2. Do your schools support the Centralized Curriculum or Decentralized Curriculum? 3. Why would develop country prefer a centralized pattern for curriculum development? 4. In your opinion, Which pattern of curriculum is the best? Give your own reason? 5. What should our government do to improve our national curriculum?