Curriculum Change

With changing time, curriculum should also

change reflecting the needs and aspirations of the

people.

There cannot be a uniform curriculum for all the

countries for all the time

Curriculum content should be based on current

information and not on the past information.

There is need for constantly changing and

updating the curriculum content.

Curriculum change includes the following

Successful curriculum development

requires better use of ‘change knowledge’

Policy‐makers, education leaders and

teachers need to know more about the

drivers of successful curriculum change in

schools

curriculum orientation should shift from a

curriculum as product model to a curriculum as

process model.

Changing the way teachers teach and students

learn requires specific approaches

Need for curriculum change

Only in some countries, still the traditional

curriculum is in vogue.

In advanced countries, as a result of knowledge

explosion and with continuous research findings and

new inventions, the content of the school courses is

being questioned.

New reform movement has been started.

Knowledge explosion

Rethinking on the length of school education

Changing society

Changing student population

Developing technology

Strategies for curriculum change

•Changing curriculum and instruction should be a gradual

process.

•Curriculum change should be worked with individual

teachers at first, or with small clusters of motivated

individuals.

•Individuals respond uniquely (at times unpredictably) to

new ways of doing things, no matter how sensible or

appealing the new ways might be.

•It takes time — often years — to successfully implement

curriculum change.

•A number of organizations host websites and conferences

dedicated to curriculum improvement.

Curriculum Planning

The phrase “curriculum planning” can mean one of two

related things:

either the process of an individual teacher to build a

class curriculum, or

the means through which school boards coordinate the

various curricula being used by teachers in order to

achieve uniform goals.

On its own, a curriculum is basically a lesson plan

that functions as a map for learning.

Participants of curriculum planning get involved in

variety of activities such as:

•Discussing common problems

•Making decisions

•Developing a functional philosophy

•Studying learners and the environment

•Keeping up-to-date with the knowledge

•Studying ways to improve instructions

•Carrying research and evaluation

Importance of Curriculum Planning

•Curriculum planning develop well-coordinated,

quality teaching, learning and assessment

programs, which build students’ knowledge, skills

and behaviours in the disciplines, as well as their

interdisciplinary and/or physical, personal and

social capacities.

Curriculum planning ensures:

•a shared vision

•shared understandings and a common language in the school

community

•optimum coverage of all domains within the curriculum

•continuity of learning between domains across year levels

•the full range of learning needs of students are addressed

•students are given opportunities to develop deep

understanding

•cohesiveness in teaching, learning and assessment practices

•elimination of repetition of learning activities without depth or

breadth across levels

•Improved student learning outcomes.

Need

•A curriculum plan is one of the best ways for teachers to

look objectively

•Organize an effective way to get from beginning to end.

•Schools use curriculum plans to set overarching goals

•Curriculum plans are an easy way for teachers and

schools to quickly monitor progress.

•It is easy to notice when students are falling behind, or

when objectives are being missed.

•Planning is also an important way for schools to

streamline student assessment.

• Teachers are often required to incorporate certain

assessment rubrics into their curriculum planning

The steps in this phase include:

(1) Identify Issue/Problem/Need

(2) Form Curriculum Development Team

(3) Conduct Needs Assessment and Analysis

Identify Issue/Problem/Need

The need for curriculum development concern about

a major issue or problem of one or more target

audience.

This section explores some of the questions that

need to be addressed to define the issue and to

develop a statement that will guide the selection of

the members of a curriculum development team.

The issue statement also serves to broadly identify,

the scope (what will be included) of the curriculum

content.

Form Curriculum Development Team

Once the nature and scope of the issue has been

broadly defined, the members of the curriculum

development team can be selected.

Topics covered in this section include:

(1) the roles and functions of team members,

(2) a process for selecting members of the

curriculum development team, and

(3) principles of collaboration and teamwork.

The goal is to obtain expertise for the areas

included in

the scope of the curriculum content among the

team

members and develop an effective team.

Conduct Needs Assessment and Analysis

There are two phases in the needs assessment process.

The first is procedures for conducting a needs

assessment.

A number of techniques are aimed toward learning what

is needed and by whom relative to the identified issue.

Techniques covered in this section include: KAP -

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Survey; focus groups;

and environmental scanning.

Analysis, the second part of this needs assessment

step, describes techniques on how to use the data and

the results of the information gathered.

Included are: ways to identify gaps between knowledge

and practice; trends emerging from the data; a process

to prioritize needs; and identification of the

characteristics of the target audience.

Curriculum Transaction

Curriculum Transaction or Curriculum

management is the process of planning and

organizing the curriculum in a particular subject

area for different levels of education and

continuously monitor it while being implemented.

Curriculum construction + Curriculum Transaction =

Curriculum development

Curriculum Transaction = Planning curriculum in a subject

area for different levels of study + continuously monitoring

their implementation

•Curriculum Transaction is the effective and desired

implementation of the curriculum contents on the basis of

aims and objectives listed in the curriculum.

Curriculum Transaction incorporates

effective planning for providing learning experiences

for its learners,

organization of planning,

administration/implementation of the organized

planning and

evaluation of the implementations by the implementer

and the experts in the relevant field.

Some of the requirements of effective curriculum

transaction are:

•Planning

•Clarity of thought

•Knowing how we will transact

•Review of the work

•Team responsibility

•Clarity of communication

•Addressing different levels of children

•Knowing, observing and understanding children at all

times

•Time management

•Alertness

•Material organization

•Room set up

•The way we reach out to the children

•Ready alternatives

Teachers need training in

ways to present learning in a

wider variety, incorporating

cooperative learning, music,

role play, project- and

problem-based activities

Multiple intelligence theory has

extended our understanding of

what "success" in school

means

Formative and "backwards design"

assessment

Inquiry science methods