This academic paper aims to describe and reflect the overall understanding about Curriculum, steps of curriculum planning, different approaches, orientations to curriculum, links between curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment and finally the presentation of the synthesis of the ideas and arguments in shape of conclusion. After references I have enclosed Appendix A, which describes the graphical analysis and critical observations of the curriculum document which we analyzed in group.

What is curriculum?

Education means the activities which bring about learning (Pring, 2000) and to systematically organize these activities a curriculum use to be designed. Curriculum leads to education and the concepts of education to (Pring) help people capacities to transform to live a fuller and more distinctively human life. To organize these educational activities a curriculum is very much necessary. Curriculum is an ‘interaction’ between students and teachers that is designed to achieve specific educational goals (Miller & Seller, 1990). While an another definition of curriculum according to Saylor & Alexander (1974) is a plan for providing sets of learning opportunities to achieve the broad goals and related specific objectives for an identifiable population, served by a single school centre.

What is curriculum document?

A course document which describes the features and structure of the program. This document ensures the consistency of the program and validity of assessments. It includes course aims, objectives and course contents.

CURRICULUM PLANNING APPROACHES

According to Marsh & Willis (1995) there are three alternative approaches to curriculum planning.

1. Tyler's Rational-Linear Approach

2. Walker’s Deliberative Approach

3. Eisner’s Artistic Approach

Tyler's Rational-Linear Approach sometimes called as the ‘FATHER OF CURRICULUM’ (Murray, 1987), which concentrates on four steps of a curriculum planning; i.e. Objectives, Selecting Learning Experiences, Organizing Learning Experiences, Evaluation.

The document we had selected contains all the major components of Tyler’s Rational-Linear approach except evaluation portion.

Meta-Orientations

According to Miller & Seller (1990) the meta-orientations have been identified for the curriculum as Transmission, Transaction and Transformation.

Transmission

1. The function of curriculum is the cultural transmission in the most specific sense, and to cultivate the child’s intellect by providing him opportunities to acquire the most powerful products of human intelligence (Miller & Seller).

2. Education to transmit facts, skills and values to students.

3. Stresses mastery of traditional school subjects through traditional teaching methodologies.

4. Linked with rote learning method.

In this document the evidences like ‘Name the provinces (p.140)’; ‘Tell the total number of population (p.141)’ etc. lead us to say that this curriculum falls under the ‘Transmission Curriculum’.

Transaction

1. Dialogue is going on between the student and curriculum.

2. Develop problem solving skills by developing students intelligence.

In this document some evidences like; ‘Much of the pupils learning should be based on the direct experiences and practical activities (p.139)’; ‘To record and present the finding of the inquiry in a variety of ways oral, written, pictorial etc (p.139)’; ‘Engage in their imaginations and enable them to find out more about the world. Visiting different institutions of public utility (p.141)’ lead us to assume that the document also falls under Transaction Curriculum.

Transformation

1. It is a vision and focuses on personal and social change.

This document does not directly mention transformation oriented objectives.

Five Orientations to Curriculum

According to Eisner & Vallance (1974) have described five orientations to curriculum as;

1. The Development of Cognitive Processes.

2. Curriculum as Technology.

3. Self-actualization or curriculum as consummatory experience.

4. Social reconstruction-relevance.

5. Academic rationalism.

Out of all above five orientations, our analyzed curriculum document meets the characteristics of ‘Academic Rationalism’ which specifically tells us the function of curriculum is that of cultural transmission in the most specific sense, and to cultivate the child’s intellect by providing him opportunities to acquire the most powerful products of human intelligence.

Link between Curriculum, Teaching, Learning & Assessment

Curriculum has already been explicitly discussed in the beginning of this paper and other three components are discussed bellow and tried to create a link between all the four components of education.

Teaching

Children often are unaware of the goal of the activity in which they are participating, but at the earliest levels this is not necessary to learning. The caretakers guidance permits children to engage in levels of activity that could not be managed alone (Tharp, R., & Gallimore, R. 1998). So, the caretakers or the teachers must provide appropriate activities and assignments that give confidence of basic concepts and development of inquiry skills. Teaching methods and learning activities that encourage students to recognize the value and relevance of what they are learning will go a long way towards motivating students to work and learn effectively. Students develop a better understanding of various aspects when they see and experience all these guidelines provided by the curriculum.

Learning

The central educational function of school is to enable young people to learn what is valuable and significant like ‘facts’, concepts, principles, skills, attitudes, habits and competencies (Pring, 2000). There are four levels of learning; cumulative, assimilative, accommodative, and transformative (Illeris, 2003). So, while formulating a curriculum all these aspects of learning use to be kept in mind to make the curriculum effective for learning. Learning is also attached with the different teaching approaches. Effective teaching approaches can enhance the learning level of students and these approaches are prescribed in the curriculum documents.

Assessment

The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. Information gathered through assessment helps teachers to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses in their achievement of the curriculum expectations and to assess the teaching and learning standards. This information also serves to guide teachers in adapting curriculum and instructional approaches to students’ needs and in assessing the overall effectiveness of programs and classroom practices.

Conclusion

All the above debate about the four basic components of Education proves that they are very much co-dependent and reciprocal. Therefore, during the development of a curriculum, the major concentration should be given to accommodate all the other three aspects of education. Because only through a well organized curriculum we can achieve all the major domains of objectives i.e. cognitive, affective and psychomotor.

Hence it can be assumed that all the four basic components of Education are interlinked and can not be separated as all of them reciprocally interdependent and curriculum plays the base line role for all these components. Because when a curriculum is designed it also provides guideline for the teaching style and declares that how the learning will occur. This process will be judged through assessment. So, the final word that it reflects that curriculum consists of strong relations as a baseline with other three components.

REFERENCES

Armstrong, T (1994). Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Eisner, E. W. & Vallance, E. (1974). Conflicting conceptions of curriculum. Barkley: McCutchan Publication Corp.

Illeris, K. (2003) Towards a contemporary and comprehensive theory of learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 22(4). 396-406

Marsh, C. & Willis, G. (1995). Three Alternative Approaches to Curriculum Planning. In C. Marsh & G. Willis, Curriculum: Alternative Approaches: Ongoing Issues (pp. 11 – 29). London: Prentice Hall.

Miller, J.P., & Seller, W. (1990). Curriculum: Perspectives and Practice. Toronto: Copp Clark Pitman Ltd.

Pring, R.(2000). Philosophy of Educational Research. London: Continuum

Saylor, J.G., & Alexander, W.A. (1974). Planning Curriculum for schools. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

Tharp, R., & Gallimore, R. (1998). A theory of teaching as assisted performance. Learning relationships in the classroom. London: Open University.

APPENDIX - A

Graphical Analysis of the Curriculum Document

Analysis of Objectives Vs Activities

Analysis of Objectives according to Bloom’s Taxonomy

Analysis of Objectives according to major domains

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CURRICULUM

While analyzing the document in group, we found the following weaknesses and strengths of the curriculum document.

Weaknesses	Strengths:
1. Activities not according to Objectives	1. Easy to difficult – Spiral Curriculum
2. How teachers should perform? (Professional Development)	2. Covers the major disciplines (History, Geography, Political Science, Economics)
3. Lack of evaluation and assessment	3. Flexibility & Contextual

This Document at one Glance

1. Tyler’s Rational-Linear Approach

2. Meta Orientations (Transactional + Transmission)

3. Spiral Model (Concepts Sequenced)

4. Objectives only of cognitive and lower order thinking skills – Recommended adding high order thinking skills.

5. Represents national & Islamic ideology

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A Journey into Creative Writing

Monday, May 30, 2011

Curriculum Document Review

INTRODUCTION