Curriculum and Pedagogy

Reflection on Week 10

Topic 10: Curriculum Evaluation ;Curriculum Issues and Trends

Evaluation...

The process or group of processes that people perform in order to gather data that will enable them to decide whether to accept, change or eliminate something.

Concerned with "|relative values" and "statements of worth".

Determining whether the expected or the planned has occurred or is occurring in relation to the intended.

to answer the question, "Did the curriculum or training program, as designed, developed and implemented produce the desire results?"

How to evaluate curriculum?

Data based judgement
Student achievement
Expert analysis (survey/checklist)

Student Evaluation

Objective based (goals and objectives)
Domains of learning
Cognitive - knowledge assessment
Psychomotor - skill assessment
Attitudes - values
Multiple activities and assessments

Five Value Questions

1) Intrinsic value

the goodness and appropriate of the curriculum

2) Instrumental Value

What use is the curriculum?
Who is intended audience?
Does the curriculum address the goals and objectives?

3) Comparative value

Is the new program better that the one it replaced?

4) Idealization value

How can the curriculum be improved for optimal benefit?

5) Decision Value

Should the new program be retained, modified or discarded?

Reflection on Week 9

Topic 9: Curriculum Implemetation

Criteria for selecting Content

1) Self-sufficiently

To maximize teaching effort and educational resources, subject matters are generalize ability.

2) Significance (Significant/'meaningful to student)

contribute meaningfully to students

3) Validity

authentic and not obsolete or incorrect (misleading)

4) Interest

Students interested in the knowledge when it is meaningful their life

Reason: To allow for students' maturity, use their prior experiences

educators should make sure the content engages the individual.

5) Utility (useful/can be used and applied into practice)

concerns on the usefulness of the content.

enable the students to use the knowledge in the jobs situations and other adults activities.

6) Learnability

appropriate organization and sequencing of content

However, certain contents are out of the range of students experiences and thus difficult.

Curriculum Contents

Postmodernism view knowledge as dynamic and evolutionary - not static

knowledge results from a structuring and reconstructing of perceived realities.

Knowledge is that results from environment within which human find themselves.

How to select Content?

Addresses cognitive, social and psychological dimensions of the individual

** Content - Facts, concepts, generalizations and theories which are similar

disciplined knowledge - Chemistry
non disciplined knowledge - environmental education, (concern the advancement of understanding)

How Content are Organized?

** Knowledge is organized...

Based on theories
Into domains - Example: Number and integer are within the domain of mathematics, physics has matter and energy
Systematic, practicality (based on current social and economic condition) and sequenced (emphasized on different topics)

Reflection on Week 8

Topic 8: Curriculum Design and Development

Curriculum Design - Arrangement of curriculum elements into a substantive entity

Basic Curriculum Components

Aims, goals and objectives
Subject matter
Learning experiences
Evaluation.

Theoretical Framework

Curriculum design - total plan that arranges the four components into curriculum

Instructional design - refers specifically to one component, the potential experiences for the student, learning activities (method and organization)

1) Science as a source

scientific method

only those items that can be observed and quantified should be included.

Problem-solving - prime position in the curriculum

procedural knowledge or knowledge of process.

teaches rational processes for dealing with reality.

2) Society as a source

Curriculum is an agent of society

Curriculum are designed to serve the broad social interest of society as well as the local community.

Society shows where to modify the curriculum.

External and devine sources

should be intended to perpetuate society.

should pass on the significance of people's values and personal morality.

reflected through the curriculum designer's values and personal morality.

3) Knowledge as a source

Disciplined knowledge has a particular structure and a particular method(s) used to extend its boundaries.

Disciplined (unique) vs Undisciplined (various / training) Knowledge

4) The learner as a sources

Curriculum is derived from what we know about the learner.

Draw much more from the psychological foundations.

based on cognitive research

emphasizes "learning by doing"

Scope:

Breadth

Content, topics and learning experiences

Integration

Linking all the knowledge and experiences within the curriculum.

Assists in making meaning for the learner.

Sequence

Ordering of knowledge

Vertical relationship

prerequisite

whole to part

Chronological

Continuity

Recurring and continuing opportunity to practice skill development.

Articulation

Interrelatedness of various aspects of the curriculum

"Lost knowledge" - just taught but not related to other learning or lessons

Balance

Appropriate weight be given to each aspect of the design.

Representative Curriculum Designs

Student-centered design - content and/or processes

Learner-centered designs - based on students' lives (interests, needs and empowerment)

Problem-centered designs - focuses on problems of living and society

Reflection on Week 7

Topic 7: Curriculum Theory

Curriculum...

"Curure" (Latin words) means to run.

Kelly (1983) - "All the learning which is planned by the school, whether it is carried on in groups or individually, inside and outside the school."

Curriculum theory and practice

Curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted.
Curriculum as an attempt to achieve certain ends in students - product.
Curriculum as process.
Curriculum as praxis.

(a) Curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted.

Basically means a short and clear statement or list of topics for discourse (to communicate in writing and speech), the contents of a treatise (a piece of writing to examine a particular subject), the subject of a series of teaching.

(b) Curriculum as product

Purpose: To bring about significant changes in the students' pattern of behavior.

It is important to recognize that any statements of objectives of the school should be a statement of changes to take place in the students. (Tyler 1949:44)

Steps in getting the 'product'

1: Diagnosis of need

2: Formulation of objectives

3: Selection of content

4: Organization of content (educators to prepare the content)

5: Selection of learning experiences

6: Organization of learning experiences

7: Determine of what to evaluate and of the ways and means of doing it. (Taba 1962)

Advantage:

systematic

has considerable 'organizing power'

central to the approach is the formulation of behavioral objectives - clear notion of outcome so that content and method may be organized and the results evaluated.

Disadvantage:

takes much away from students - learning experiences

students can end up with little or no voice

judged on pre-specified changes occur in the behavior and person of the learner (the meeting of behavioral objectives.

curriculum is the interaction of teachers, students and knowledge.

is what actually happens in the classroom and what people do to prepare and evaluate.

Stenhouse on Curriculum

Curriculum should provide a basis for planning a course

In planning

selection of content - what is to be learned and taught.

Development in teaching strategy - how

Making decision about sequence

Diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of individual students.

Disadvantage:

places thinking at its core and treats

high concern on exam or subject success that affect students' learning.

rests upon the quality of teachers - curriculum materials, wisdom in decision-making.

(d) Curriculum as praxis

Curriculum goes beyond the learning experiences of the learner:

dialogue and negotiation

allows students and teachers together to confront the real problems of their relationships.

Curriculum develops through the dynamic interaction of action and reflection.

Reflection on Week 6

Topic 6: Social Foundations of Curriculum

I will Illustrate my understanding through picture. Let the pictures talk..

Reflection on Week 5

Topic 5: Psychological Foundation of Curriculum

In this topic, I am using lot of pictures to give illustration about mu understanding.

Definition:

Concerned with the question of how people learn. It provides a basis for understanding the teaching and learning process. Both processes are essential to curricularists because it is only when students learn and understanding curriculum and gain knowledge and power to use it that the curriculum has actual worth.

Three major theories:

Behaviorism or association that deals with various aspects of stimuls-response and reinforces

Classical Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Cognitive Psychology - view the learners in relationship to the total environment (infornation) and consider the way the learners applies information.