EDC 3002

Curriculu
m&
OVERVIEW
Instruction

DEFINITION, CONCEPT,
FOUNDATION, DEVELOPMENT AND
MODELS.

 What

is curriculum?

What

is its purpose?

What

is its nature?

These are the fundamental

questions that will be addressed in this lesson.

How Do We Define
Curriculum?
Curriculum is that which is taught at school.

Curriculum is a set of subjects.

Curriculum is content.

Curriculum is a sequence of courses.

Curriculum is a set of performance objectives.

Curriculum is all planned learning for which the school is

responsible.

Curriculum is all the experiences learners have under the

guidance of the school.
John Delnay (1959.)

Definition (Wilson, 1990) of

curriculum is:
Anything

and everything that teaches a lesson, planned or

otherwise.Humans are born learning, thus the learned
curriculum actually encompasses a combination of all of the
below -- the hidden, null, written, political and societal etc..
Since students learn all the time through exposure and
modeled behaviors, this means that they learn important
social and emotional lessons from everyone who inhabits a
school -- from the janitorial staff, the secretary, the cafeteria
workers, their peers, as well as from the deportment, conduct
and attitudes expressed and modeled by their teachers. Many
educators are unaware of the strong lessons imparted to
youth by these everyday contacts.

Any document or plan that exists in a school

or school system that defines the work of
teachers, at least to the extent of identifying
the content to be taught student and the
methods to be used in the process (English,
2000). The educative experiences learners
have in an educational program. The purpose
of which is to achieve broad goals and related
specific objectives that have been developed
within a framework of theory and research,
past and present professional practice, and
the changing needs of society (Parkay, 2006).

7 Common concepts of
curriculum
1.

Scope and Sequence

2.

Syllabus

3.

Content Outline

4.

Standers

5.

Textbooks

6.

Course of Study

7.

Planned Experiences

The conceptions or
orientations of
curriculum
Eisner and Vallance (1974) are often cited in literature,
namely:

a cognitive process orientation: cognitive skills

applicable to a wide range of intellectual problems;

technological orientation: to develop means to achieve

prespecified ends;

self-actualization orientation: individual students

discover and develop their unique identities;

social reconstructionist orientation: schools must be an

agency of social change;

academic rationalist orientation: to use and appreciate

the ideas and works of the various disciplines.

Fundamental concepts of
curriculum

Include (WHAT, WHY, HOW):

content: which may be depicted in terms of

concept maps, topics, and themes, all of which
are abstractions which people have invested
and named;

purpose: usually categorized as intellectual,

social and personal; often divided into
superordinate purposes; stated purposes are
not always reliable indicators of actions;

organization: planning is based upon scope and

sequence (order of presence over time); can be
tightly organized or relatively open-ended.

Questions to Ponder

Why is the philosophical, historical, sociological

and psychological foundation important in
developing curriculum?

What do you consider when writing down the

aims of curriculum?

What is the aim of Education for Muslims?

Islamic education

Aims: Education should aim at the balanced growth of the

total personality of man through the training of mans
spirit, intellect, rational self, feelings and bodily senses.
Faith is infused into the whole personality and creates
emotional attachment to Islam that enable a person to
follow the Quran and sunnah. Islamic system of values
should govern a person so he may proceed to the
realization of his status as khalifah.

Common themes from Muslim philosophers and thinkers

education is focused on individual development with
themes of religiosity god-conscious man having good
characters and intellectualism putting knowledge to use
in the service of God. During one period, intellect was
placed highest in education and in another revelation was.

Therefore how should the Islamic curriculum looks like?

Western Perspective

Some definitions of terms

The formal curriculum (written or overt) comprises those

things in textbooks, and content and concepts in the district
curriculum guides. However, those "formal" elements are
frequently not taught. The curriculum-in-use is the actual
curriculum that is delivered and presented by each teacher.
Informal not planned
Cuban (1992) calls it the taught curriculum (implicit,
delivered, operational, implemented) where teacher beliefs
begin altering the curriculum/teaching style.
written curriculum (potentially implemented curriculum)
is that which is written as part of formal instruction of the
schooling experience. It may refer to a curriculum document,
texts, and supportive materials that are overtly chosen to
support the intentional instructional agenda of a school.
Cuban (1992) calls it an intended curriculum
(recommended, adopted, official). It serves as a documented
map of theories, beliefs, and intentions about schooling,
teaching, learning, and knowledgeevidence in the
development of teacher proof curriculum.

the "hidden curriculum," which refers to the kinds of learnings

children derive from the very nature and organizational design
of the public school, as well as from the behaviors and attitudes
of teachers and administrators.... " (p. 46)

Examples of the hidden curriculum might include the messages

and lessons derived from the mere organization of schools :
- sequential room arrangements;
- disciplined messages that concentration equates to classrooms
where students are sitting up straight and are continually quiet;
- students getting in and standing in line silently;
- students quietly raising their hands to be called on;
competition for grades, and so on.
The hidden curriculum may include both positive or negative
messages, depending on the perspective of the learner or the
observer.

David P. Gardner is reported to have said:

We learn simply by the exposure of living. Much that passes for
education is not education at all but ritual. The fact is that we
are being educated when we know it least."

Received curriculum (or achieved) Those things that

students actually take out of classroom; those concepts
and content that are truly learned and remembered.
Cuban (1992) calls it the learned curriculum. "The gap
between what is taught and what is learnedboth
intended and unintendedis large." Cuban, p. 223, 1992)

Quality Curriculum

Greater depth and less superficial

coverage

Focus on problem solving

Facilitates the mastery of essential skill

and knowledge

Coordinated Articulation -multi-level

sequence study

Emphasize academic and practical

Effective integrated curricula

Mastery of a limited number of objectives

Characteristics of Exemplary
Curriculum
Powerful knowledge goals, representative or generative
topics, and big ideas
Advance organizers that clarify prior knowledge, future
activities, and expectations
Motivating introductory experiences
Challenging and active learning activities
Authentic resources and products
Aligned assessment strategies and growth criteria, feedback,
debriefing, transfer and extension opportunities, interaction,
and support
Interest-based applications and extensions
Modifications that attend to powerful student differences
Developing hollistically

Curriculum
Organization
EDC 3002

What is Curriculum
Organization

Process of selecting curriculum

elements from the subject, the
current social life and the students
experience then designing the
selected curriculum elements
appropriately so thy they can form
the curriculum structure and type.

Criteria for Effective

Curriculum Organization

Continuity

Sequence

Integration

Curriculum Designs
A curriculum design is a framework
or plan of action for preparing a
course of study or a set of students
experiences .It is a deliberate process
of devising, planning and selecting
the elements, techniques and
procedures of curriculum. Curriculum
design is a method of thinking.

Importance of Curriculum
Designs

Curriculum design involves the creation of the set of

operating principles or criteria, based on theory, that
guide the selection and organization of content and
the methodology used to teach that content .With
the accelerated rate of social change, schools are
preparing youth for adulthood in a society not yet
envisioned by its members . Hawleys words still ring
true: its not a question of whether or not to
change , but whether or not we can control the way
we are changing. We are living in an Alice in an
Wonderland world where you have to run just to stay
where you are. To get anywhere you have to run
even faster than that. The pieces on the chess board
keep changing and the rules are never the same.

Models of Curriculum
Designs

An effective curriculum must be built on a solid philosophical

foundation that answer the question of what educational
purposes the school should seek to achieve.

The classical model for curriculum design, proposed by Tyler

in 1949, asked four questions of curriculum planners:

What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?

What educational experiences can be provided that are

likely to help attain these purposes?

How can these educational experiences be effectively

organized?

How can we determine

whether these purposes
are being attained?

Tylers steps for curriculum design included stating

objectives, selecting learning experiences, organizing the
experiences, and evaluating results.

Tylers model is most closely aligned with the educational

purposes of preserving the social order and teaching skills
and competencies needed to function effectively in
society.

Hilda Tabas Linear

Model of Curriculum
1. Diagnosis of learners needs and
expectations of the larger society
2. Formulation of learning objectives
3. Selection of learning content
4. Organization of learning content
5. Selection of learning experiences
6. Organization of learning activities
7. Determination of what to evaluate and the
means of doing it

Principles of Curriculum
Designs

The problems of curriculum change become the criteria for

determining the desirability of a curriculum. A list of the problems
of curriculum development, recapped and stated as criteria:
Be consistent with the conceptual framework and implement the
conceptual framework commitments. Derive and test its
concepts and theories in teaching process. Respond to the
educational needs of society and the immediate concerns of
students. Cope with the knowledge explosion and the short
half-life of scientific knowledge
Use the logical, precise, effective, and efficient educational
technology that is currently available. Use teaching personnel
in the most economical and efficient way (time, energy and
money). Enable utilization of cognitive teaching input. Provide
for student testing of learned behaviour in real situation.
Produce a graduate capable of delivering creative teaching care
for the next fifteen to twenty years. Spend a reasonable length
of the time accomplishing the goals of the curriculum.

Steps in Curriculum
Design
Fiorno and Nowak suggest the following steps in curriculum

design:(1) Identification of the problem.(2) Diagnosis of the

problem.(3) Search for alternative solutions.(4) Selection
for the best solutions.(5) Ratification of the solution by the
organization.(6) Authorization of the solution.(7)
Preparation for adopting of the solution.(8) Adoption of the
solution.(9) Direction and guidance of the staff.(10)
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the solution.

Establish a Curriculum Committee Persons responsible

for curriculum decisions include administrators ,teachers
,students ,parents ,and community leaders. Most major
innovations in the public school are introduced by teachers
, state boards or departments of education, and textbook
publishers and instructional materials producers indirectly
provide educational leadership.

Categories of
Curriculum Designs

Among them are

Subject-Centered Curriculum

Activity/Experience based curriculum

Core curriculum

You can find many more .

Subject Centered
Design
Subject centered curriculum is a rigid curriculum , based on specific

courses, which mandates specific amounts of material to be

covered over special periods of time regardless of student abilities
or interests. Subject centered curriculum assign the greatest
importance to subject matter rather than to the students .It
consists of having students in classes for one subjects at a time
such as mathematics for 45 minutes, science for 45 minutes. And
history for 45 minutes. Three related designs have emerged from
subject centered designs: Subject design Academic Disciplines
design Broad Fields design

Subject Design This is probably the oldest and most widely used
form of curriculum organization found in schools and educational
systems .This is based on the classification and organization of
subjects matter into discrete groups, which we have called subjects
.These groupings, which have become known as school subjects,
were initially based on evolving divisions of labour in research that
produced physics , history, literature and mathematics and so forth.
In more recent times practical areas such as typing , home
economics and industrial arts have become accepted as subjects.

Academic Disciplines
Design

This approach to organizing curriculum is essentially a post

second world war phenomenon ,gaining greatest support
in the inherent organization of content, as is the subject
design, the academic discipline design emphasizes the role
played by those distinct entities called academic
disciplines .In a school setting, the content of this design
would focus on what an academician does, that is ,how a
biologist , historian , or a mathematician research is done ,
how that research is carried out , how data are analysed,
how research is reported , and so forth. The result , it is
hoped ,is that the school would produce mini versions of
academic disciplinarians

Broad Fields Design

This third design was developed to overcome

a perceived weakness in the subject design
that was evident in the nineteenth and the
early twentieth centuries .Broad field design
was deemed more suited to younger
learners. The broad fields design is
commonly found in primary and lower
secondary schools.

Common Feature In
Three Subject
Centered
Classification andDesigns
organization of all contents
into subjects or subjects-like groupings.

Subjects are clearly defined and distinguished.

A hierarchy of subjects is commonly found

according to their perceived value.

Methodology applied and practised is largely

teacher-centered and expository in nature

Coordination of Projects It Reduces Stress.

Dis/Advantages of
Subject Centered
The advantages of subject-centered curriculum
Design
are: Students like it , they are used to it and it fits
their idea of what school should be. What
students learn , they learn well. This approach is
efficient in a field in which resources for staff
development are scant.

The disadvantages of subject-centered curriculum

are: Teachers wouldnt be able to innovate their
teaching style to help students learn in a creative
way. Students simply memorize what they need
to know in order to pas a test , instead of actually
learning it. Teachers are teaching the students to
think inside the box in order to pass the exams.

Activity/Experience
Based Curriculum

This approach is based on determining the genuine needs and interests of

learner , which in turn form the basis of the curriculum. An important claim of
this approach is that people only learn what they experience. According to
M.K Gandhi ,education is the development of all the aspects i.e. body mind
and spirit . So mind without activities can not develop the personality
perfectly .so education must give importance to activities. Education ,which
has no link with life is meaningless.

Activities Under Activity Based Curriculum Physical Activities: These

activities aim at physical development of the child .it includes physical
training ,games and sports. Environmental Activity: These activities
includes nature study ,excursion ,survey , social visit. These activities
develop civic sense and love for nature in children.

Constructive Activity: With these activities love for work dignity of labor ,
production efficiency may be developed. Handwork craft repairing of tools
belong to this category of activities. Aesthetic activity: Music ,arts creative
crafts are included in this type of activities. These provide opportunities for
self-expression and development of inborn creative faculties.

Community Activity: These Activities aim at community development and

include community projects ,first aid ,social service , etc these activities also
help in the socialization of the child. The teacher can provide information
regarding history, geography ,and economics with the help of these
activities.

Dis/Advantages of
Activity Based
Curriculum

Advantages - The most important feature of Activity based curriculum is

learning by doing .so this method can fulfill the natural urge of a
growing child on one hand also can help them learn their lesson. The
method also promote better understanding of a lesson among students
as they learn the lesson by practicing the task themselves. It inspires
the students to apply their creative ideas ,knowledge and mind in
solving problems. It also helps learner psychologically as the can
express their emotions through active participation in something useful.

Disadvantages Activity curriculum method require long term planning

with details of the whole process before engaging the learners, the
teacher has to make sure that all students have sufficient knowledge
and skills regarding the task they are going to perform .so this method
can not be used on a regular and daily basis as it involves a lengthy
procedure. The objective of this method can be only be fulfilled if the
planning of the lesson is flawless.

Limitations of Activity Based Curriculum Activity curriculum attaches

too much importance on activities. It neglects other activities needed
for intellectual development of the child. Personal supervision is
needed for every activity which is not possible in school. Activity
curriculum is not applicable to all stages of education.

Core Curriculum

The notion behind a core design, usually called a core

curriculum, is that there exists a set of common
learnings (knowledge, skills and values) that should be
provided to all learners in order to function effectively
in a society .The core concept, however, does vary
considerably in interpretation and one writer has
suggested that it is possible to distinguish no less than
six forms of the core design. For our purposes, it is
sufficient to understand that a curriculum may be
organized around the idea of a core as a set of
learnings essential foe all students. The emphasis of
this approach to core curriculum was that all students
would experience a set of common and essential
learnings that were necessary for learners to function
effectively in society.

Benefits of Curriculum
Design

It Focuses Attention On Goal.

It Improves the Probability of Success.

It Improves economy of Time and efforts.

It Facilitates Communication And Coordination

of Projects.

It Reduces Stress.

Reflection

What are the issues in the curriculum that you can

see now?

What is the philosophy of the Malaysian school

curriculum?

What do you think of Malaysian curriculum?

What is the issue with high stake testing and PBS?

What are the factors that influence the current

curriculum? The educational Blueprint

What are the factors that influence curriculum in

general

Several factors affect all curriculum development in meeting the needs of 21st century
learners in both organized academic settings and corporation learning centers.
Blueprinting curriculum development requires selecting learning goals, designing
knowledge delivery models while creating assessment methods for individual and group
progress. Factors affecting curriculum development include government norms, which in
turn brings other factors into the process. Valid curriculum development requires
awareness of the diversity of the target community socially, financially and
psychologically.
1. Political
Politics affect curriculum development in numerous ways.
How politics influences curriculum design and development starts with funding. Both
private and public educational institutions rely on funding for hiring personnel, building
and maintaining facilities and equipment. All aspects of curriculum depend on local, state
and national political standards. From defining goals, interpreting curricular materials to
approving examination systems, politics affects curriculum development.
2. Economic
Economics influences curriculum development.
Curriculum developed for in house training in corporations focuses on educating
employees for promotions that bring better returns in profits. Nations financing education
expect an economic return from educated students contributing to the country's economy
with global competition abilities in technical fields. Curriculum content influences learner
goals, standards for academic achievement with an underlying influence of the nation's
economy.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_factors_affecting_curriculum_development#ixzz2tHz
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3. Technological
Technology driven curriculum development is the norm of the 21st century.
The computer technology of the 21st century influences curriculum development at every level of
learning. Learning centers and classrooms increasingly provide computers as requisite interaction
for studies among students. Technological multimedia use influences educational goals and
learning experiences among students. Undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer
technology are in increase in popularity.
4. Diversity
Curriculum development affect from diversity opens learning opportunities.
Social diversity including religion, culture and social groupings affects curriculum development
because these characteristics influence the types of topics and methods for teaching information.
Developing relevant curriculum takes into account society's expectations, accommodating group
traditions and promoting equality.
5. Learning Theories
Psychology of learning theories affects curriculum development.
Both child and adult learning theories within the psychology field influence curriculum
development. Understanding the psychology behind learning theories implemented in curriculum
development maximizes learning with content, delivery, interactive activities and experiences
initiated at the most opportune teaching moment.
6. Environment
Environment issues affect curriculum development.
World awareness and action toward reversing and ending pollution continues affecting curriculum
development. Typical elementary classrooms teach recycling and healthy environmental
practices. Higher education in the sciences offers environmentally-focused degrees.