A national curriculum refers to the blueprint utilized by learning institutions for teaching and learning processes (Kamotsu, 1999, p3). The curriculum outlines the subjects to be taught in different schools or in institutions of higher learning, skills and knowledge needed in each subject and the benchmarks in each subjects. Tutors can use these aspects to assess students’ progress and make plans for subsequent learning. Within the structure of the National Curriculum, learning institutions are allowed to customize their teaching and learning programs in the best way possible so that they can best meet the needs of their students. For example, there are many schools that use the Qualification Curriculum Authority Schemes of Work (QCASW) to organize their curriculum. One of the main benefits of QCASW is that many schools are able to convert objectives of the National Curriculum into teaching and learning processes (Bernhardt, 2004, p. 4).
It is well known that there are several countries that use a National Curriculum. These are: Japan, Italy, Netherlands, Korea, England, New Zealand and China, among others. However, majority of the states in the US use general guidelines for their core curriculum. A National Curriculum has several advantages. For instance, it creates an integrated educational front. In other words, all schools in different states stay on the same page. It also establishes common benchmarks that are used to compare curricula of different states. A National Curriculum makes it possible to have a uniform certification for teaching standards across the board. In addition, a National Curriculum can identify strong/weak areas within the education structure. It also benefits students who shift from one state to another. Moreover, a National Curriculum guarantees a post-secondary consistency. It offers a way to evaluate students outside of the SAT, ACT and other standardized tests (Kamotsu, 1999, p.7).
A national curriculum also has a number of disadvantages. For instance, it creates a conflict of interest between stakeholders. Usually, it is the lawmakers (and not teachers, parents, etc) who decide what is important to be included in the curriculum. In some cases, a national curriculum is no accessible in rural areas. Besides, some teachers require additional training to cover topics in certain areas. A national curriculum also does not cover other types of schools such as: charter, private and the home schooled. Another major disadvantage of a national curriculum is that it grants the federal government (and not the state governments) powers to appropriate educational funds. Consequently, more power is granted to people who are least involved in the education sector. Finally, a national curriculum may not be appropriate in countries such as the United States where diverse cultures perceive certain aspects of education differently (Kamotsu, 1999, p. 12).
Granted, there is no perfect curriculum that can bring about the desired results. Nonetheless, some improvements can be made to the existing plans in order to boost efficiency in the teaching and learning activities. As teachers embark on a journey to mold their students into world-class achievers, they usually stumble on uncharted territories. This journey can either be clear and rewarding or rather confusing and exasperating. Consequently, any modifications made on a curriculum should be done collaboratively and reflectively. For example, collaboration entails asking members of a school community to participate- by pooling their ideas, skills and knowledge-in the current problem solving ventures. In school systems, parents, teachers, support staff and even district leaders can join hands to explore improvement issues (Bernhardt, 2004, p. 6).
Reflection asks the school community to consider the matter (curriculum revision) at hand and modify their actions accordingly. It is worthy to note that reflection is a critical element on the curriculum revision process because it ensures that the stakeholders focus not only on the improvement path but also enable them to discover optimal path. Successful reflection relies on inspiring information and time spent by the team on the matter. When put together, reflective collaboration is a dominant process that takes place among members of the school community and staff (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2004, p. 5).
Data is a critical element in curriculum revision because it offers vital information about teachers’ work and performance of students (Bernhardt, 2004, p. 12). But how can stakeholders embark on this reflective collaboration process? First of all, the whole process requires time. For example, schools that use data to guide their curriculum development create time for teachers to convene, converse, reflect upon data and make well-versed instructional decisions. Second, frequent exposure to data facilitates the development of a culture that gives credence to the use of reliable data to guide in decision-making and problem-solving processes. Many people are usually uncomfortable with the idea of working with data. Nonetheless, it is a fact that we use data (knowingly or unknowingly) to make personal decisions. The fundamental assumption for school development efforts is that the learning process should be improved on a permanent basis. Hence, data is a critical element when decisions are to be made about curriculum revision (Bernhardt, 2004, p. 21).
References
Bernhardt, V. (2004). Data analysis for continuous school improvement. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
Kamotsu, S. (1999). International Education Journal.
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. (2004). Guide to Using Data in School Improvement Efforts: A Compilation of Knowledge from Data Retreats and Data Use at Learning Point Associates. Naperville, IL: Learning Point Associates.
A curriculum can be defined as an outline in which learners receive information provided through different methods, assessment and instructions in schools (Oliva, 2009).
Curriculum should be developed effectively to meet the needs of learners.
Curriculum developed should significantly suite all the levels of graded elementary and non-graded schools.
Definitely, there are principles that are used to develop a curriculum in every institution.
Apparently, curriculum provides learners with exposure to different aspect of learning for them to gain skills and knowledge. Meanwhile, an appropriate curriculum follows a specific pattern that is prescribed by teachers (Oliva, 2009).. In this case, this is not governed by level of growth and development but by the ability to meet certain standards specified in various field of instructions. when developing the curriculum, teachers and educational practitioners might come up with ideas regarding the projects, activities and ideas that will be incorporated in a curriculum. Curriculum development may involve a group of staffs who are skilled such as district supervisors, curriculum councils and other chairpersons who acts as steering committee. However, there are hypothetical several steps that are being followed in developing a curriculum (Oliva, 2009).
Usually, curriculum is developed through a combined effort of both the learners and staffs. Essentially, the subject matter is based on learners needs though in some case, the teacher can reinforce or suggest certain activities for the learners. Nevertheless, students’ interests become the common factor of consideration when developing a curriculum (Oliva, 2009).
Meanwhile, curriculum can not be developed fully at a go. Much time is taken to consider content needed progressively. Definitely, it is only when a certain procedure is accomplished in the development that they can be described. There are several types of curriculum such as activity, teacher-centered, learner-centered, graded and non-graded type. Nevertheless, regarding the fact that all the types are involved in learning, they follow the same procedure (Oliva, 2009).
Hypothetical procedures in curriculum development
Setting of Goals and Objectives.
Assessment of learners’ needs.
Planning e.g. for raw materials.
Content development.
Piloting and Revising the curriculum.
Curriculum packaging.
Goals and Objectives
Team members include faculty members, lay people, students and teachers.
These goals help in creating a competent curriculum that will make educational experiences all-round to benefit learners in all aspects.
Initially, there is need for the persons concerned to lay down goals and objectives that need to be met in the process of developing a curriculum.
In the process, faculty members, lay people, students and teachers are involved in setting goals and objectives.
This also helps learners, administrators, supervisors and lay people to understand the concepts in the curriculum and work toward the goals. Notably, set goals and objectives provide a foundation for the next step in curriculum development (Oliva, 2009).
Needs assessment
What to consider in the assessment.
Importance of needs assessment.
Apparently, it is important to note that before the curriculum is developed, an assessment is conducted among the schools targeted to be considered in a particular district.
During the assessment test, a report is released to explain the differences and gaps among schools involved.
Curriculum assessment is one of the hypothetical steps involved in developing a curriculum.
Assessment involves monitoring the patterns followed through curriculum in order to identify whether the set objectives and goals have a positive or a negative output to learning.
When conducting an assessment, it is advisable to consider the needs of learners.
Moreover, when need assessment is conducted, it enables the team involved to get an overview of the expectations for the upcoming curriculum.
Certainly, there are possible questions that one should ask himself after conducting the assessment and laying down the goals of a curriculum. Specifically, it is worth to question on how the goals and objectives laid will be enhanced in real process of learning. In this case, setting goals and objectives should be associated with significant actions. This bring us to the point that there is need to create a link between the set goals and assessment methods to be used in examining the curriculum (Oliva, 2009).
By doing this, several questions are answered. This include how long will the goals be envisioned and their purpose in learning. Assessment also helps to estimate the outcomes of the laid goals and objectives (Oliva, 2009).
Planning
Planning is a vital aspect in curriculum development especially for new schools.
However, it needs to be conducted within specified limits in which other schools should participate.
Parameters considered when planning such as learners needs, administrators values and financial resources.
Specific requirements that need to be incorporated include stationeries and recreational facilities.
There are certain parameters that must be considered when planning for a curriculum. These include considering learners needs, administrators values, financial resources available, teachers preferences and physical restrictions from the environment (Oliva, 2009). There are specific requirements that need to be incorporated in the program. These involve educational facilities in terms of stationeries and recreational facilities. This requires active participation of team members to establish the content and subject matter to be included in the curriculum. However, it is important to include only those persons who are qualified and thus are aware of the learners needs. They also need to be conversant with the objectives and expectations of the curriculum being developed. During planning sessions, the team members should clarify and establish a concrete outline on the area of focus, expectations, methodologies and frames for absolute accomplishment of the curriculum (Oliva, 2009).
Content Development
Content is developed depending on set goals and objectives.
Content development varies across grades of study.
It provides a framework in which instructional methods are offered.
This step should be lengthy in order to successfully design, allocate and complements the necessary participant and study materials.
The fourth step involves developing the content in the curriculum. At this point, the team defines the content of each area of the curriculum depending on the laid objectives and goals. It is worth to note that, each goal provides a framework in which instructional methods are formulated. As a result, resources are allocated depending on the lesson plan and other activities that have been developed by the curriculum developers. Moreover, content development varies across the grades of study. For example the content of the curriculum for elementary students differs with that of grade 5 and above (Oliva, 2009).
Piloting and Revising the curriculum
Target audience like the professionals validate the lesson plans, training aids and other resources used in the curriculum.
Having already developed the content, the curriculum is piloted to professionals who validate the goals, instructional methods, contents and objectives.
The evaluators investigate on whether the curriculum meets the needs of learners and society at large.
This procedure acts as a test drive to examine whether the curriculum meets the requirements (Oliva, 2009). At this juncture, the evaluators investigate on whether the curriculum meets the needs of learners and their society. They also check on what the curriculum focuses on in its action plan. Sequentially, they check on the participation manuals to find if they are relevant to give adequate guide to learners and examine the effectiveness of training materials. This procedure provide room for the curriculum to be revised incase it is found wanting (Oliva, 2009).
Curriculum packaging
This step gives the curriculum the mandate to be delivered to target audience.
At this point, institutions can now recruit and train facilitators.
This ensures that adequate knowledge is equipped to them in order to implement the curriculum.
Curriculum is implemented toward achievement of preset goals and objectives.
Finally, the curriculum is packaged as complete after being piloted and revised. At this point, it can now be delivered to the target audience who are the learners. It is worth to note that, after the curriculum is declared varied institutions can now recruit and train facilitators. After this, the curriculum is implemented toward the achievement of laid goals and objectives (Oliva, 2009).
Graded curriculum
Graded Elementary schools originated in Prussia and later spread to the new world and are completely graded in levels 1-12.
Its imperative to note that curriculum development is not inclined to one level.
For instance in the graded and has more than one level of study and therefore, the curriculum developed should suite all of them.
In this case, the curriculum made should possess distinctive features for all levels of graded elementary and non-graded high schools.
Non-graded curriculum
Non-graded schools are those with firmly set principles.
Learners must accomplish learning by the end of certain grade levels
Non-graded schools include universities, colleges and high schools.
The curriculum made should possess distinctive features that suite this type of curriculum.
Activity Curriculum
There are specific aspects that should be considered when developing a curriculum.
For instance, in order to eliminate the rigidity in the graded and non-graded schools, an activity curriculum should be developed.
In this essence, this curriculum was aimed at freeing the learners from a subject-centered curriculum.
According to Dewey, activity curriculum in schools fosters reflective thinking.
According to philosophers, subject-centeredness focuses on engaging learners in occupations like cooking and carpentry. However, it is important to engage the learners in practical activities in the curriculum to increase their skills taught in classrooms.
Open Education Curriculum
This form of curriculum allows learners to make choices for themselves.
It serves the learners’ interests.
Teacher act as a facilitators of learning.
This facilitation entails allocating resources, planning and exploring concepts to be learnt in class.
This curriculum allow learners to develop their potentials both personally and as teams.
Open Space Curriculum
Has different goals and dissimilar strategies of attaining them.
It appeals to learners’ interest depending on their intellectual level.
Organizing learners into flexible groups allow effective interaction with their teachers.
However, this system is not very effective and has been taken over by graded and non-graded curriculum.
Subject matter in curriculum development
The teaching staff should suggest which activities suit targeted learners though their interest should be the common factor.
This fosters open education whereby the teacher acts as a facilitator of learning where learners self-direct themselves according to their interests.
This calls for cooperation between learners and teachers.
The above is crucial in developing a holistic curriculum that addresses both current and future needs of learners and tutors.
Conclusion
Curriculum development is a vital activity.
Curriculum should be self-sufficient and meaningful to learners.
An effectual curriculum should be subjected to all the hypothetical steps.
Proper and active roles should be played by staffs and learners in order to realize the expectations laid for the curriculum.
Content of a curriculum should be self-sufficient and meaningful to learners. An effective curriculum development integrates the needs of learners.
To recap it all, curriculum development is a vital activity in the fact that, it ensures that learning in institutions take place in a systematic manner (Oliva, 2009). Effective development eventually leads the team to meeting their set goals and objectives in learning. Advisably, an effectual curriculum should be subjected to all the hypothetical steps that involve setting of goals, needs assessment, planning, and content development among others (Oliva, 2009).
Reference
Oliva, F. (2009). Developing Curriculum. Virginia: Allyn & Bacon, Inc.
The word Curriculum was borrowed from Latin implying racecourse. In learning, curriculum implies the course of studies to be pursued by learners in their training institutions. Conversely, a curriculum may be characterized as the entirety of the subject, actions, and experiences, which make up a pupil’s educational life. A subject of study is the material generally in booklet form, which describes to the instructor such things as the goals and ingredients of a particular topic and the activities as well as books to be utilized in attaining preferred results.
The curriculum is the youngster’s preface to life as coaching is the grounding for it. When aspirations and goals have been classified accurately and in real terms, the need of structuring a curriculum based on mental, communal, and educational concerns could crop up. Solid values aimed at attaining the objective should be developed. Brady & Kennedy 2010, indicate that the primary step should be to categorize these concerns sequentially based on their significance. The principal category of action that constitutes human life needs to be given priority.
Learning is life-centric and child-centric in the 21st century hence any curriculum should reflect on this aspect. Scholars have argued that a reasonably visualized curriculum should focus on two major features that are, the nature of the youngster and the necessity of the society. This article summarizes the principles of a good curriculum and develops a chart as well as a matrix plan for teaching.
Scenario
Bushvale Primary School is a public institution located in the southern environs. It has 450 learners from various cultural settings although learners are principally Australian-born with Caucasian mothers. Approximately 15% of the learners are from African emigrant ancestors and getting standard employment is a dilemma for their parents. The training institution’s literacy and numeracy reports from nationalized taxing information center pointed out that the learners are performing dismally, which is not good for the country.
There is a characteristic of ethnically based anxiety in the playing field of Bushvale Primary School with some reported cases of maltreatment. The institution borders a small sovereign Islamic school with a student population of about two hundred. Nearly everyone at the Islamic school has studied English as a second foreign language. There are reported cases of persecution of Islamic learners after lessons by students from Bushvale. In other words, the relationship between the two schools is not stable since they do not interact in any significant way.
It, therefore, follows that the curriculum to be made should incorporate the above issues. The contemporary world demands that the welfare of a child be analyzed from all viewpoints. The objective of learning is to empower a child to be an ideal and creditable member of society. Correspondingly, the curriculum must be structured to focus on the life of the youngster and help him/her to grow through the ranked stages that are, physically, intellectually, ethically, and communally.
Key Issues and Solutions
The curriculum ought not to be simply a hypothetical study of particular sorts of data that is not linked to the child’s welfare. The area under discussion in the curriculum must be connected directly to the intricacies of contemporary life. Through the dynamism of diverse activities and familiarities offered by the curriculum, a child must develop functional expertise, behaviors, knowledge, positive reception, feelings, and human principles required for his/her living in the current world.
Children seem to have dissimilar capabilities and propensities. Grownups must not enforce a rigid set of course resources for students. The curriculum must be organized perfectly to convene diverse needs such as physical conditions, physical growth, logic realization, decision-making, and taking care of children with special needs. A child’s mental personality gets strong only through the culture. Therefore, the curriculum ought to be prepared based on communal demands, social issues, and requirements of the growing child.
There should be provision for professional education so that a youngster is allowed to earn his/her living in this aggressive society. More so, the curriculum must be based on activity and familiarity than information to be obtained and data to be accumulated. It has to be activity-based and there must be stipulations for work education. It must consist of different sorts of practical skills such as songs and fine art, physical actions, and other essential social skills. The workshops and training institutions should be merged.
Consistent planning and solidity of subjects should reconcile mental ordering of resources in harmony with the child’s welfare and dreams in a certain subject area. Relationships and harmonization of the course matter are of significance at each phase. The complete course must be prepared in such a way that it is in unity with the child’s capability. Several areas of learning are to be linked up and amalgamated as much as possible. Moreover, the curriculum needs to be structured in such a way that it is complete and all-encompassing. The expanded course must satisfy the personal talent and capability of each student.
The curriculum must consist of all those activities and skills that are least expected to be offered adequately by other learning organizations. In each topic, the student is to have the pleasure of innovation and imaginative activity; he/she must be contented with the travail of his/her character. In a well-planned learning structure, opportunities will be offered at each stage to the learners enable them to exercise philosophical influences, creative abilities, and realistic work. Finally, the curriculum must prepare the individual not only for employment but also for life. A curriculum must be elastic, adaptable, and vibrant that is, in agreement with the requirements of students and changing situations of the world.
Cultural Diversity
School curriculum is not always objective since it is a product of various bodies that is, governments, the community, and the scholars of education. The syllabus is usually reached after a comprise meaning that it represents the interests of competing bodies. According to Brady and Kennedy (2010), the school curriculum should endeavor to cater to the interests of all groups in society. The two scholars observe that the school course should inevitably turn out to be a choice of knowledge, skills, and principles out of the total universal pool of knowledge.
The existing Australian curriculum was carefully made while adhering to the main concerns, standards, and needs of the society. A curriculum is what the older age group decides to inform the younger cohort. It is chronological, political, cultural, gendered, phenomenological, autobiographical, artistic, theological, and global. This procedure of selection is clearer in social issues such as History, English Literature, and open-minded studies than in science, mathematics, and physical education. Choosing of syllabus takes place at various levels.
Several reasons are considered when choosing syllabuses. Policymakers determine what to include in the curriculum since not every concept is relevant at the junior level. Some courses are compulsory even in other states such as Mother-tongue language, mathematics, and science. Even the implementation of broader curriculum controllers for instance ‘key Learning Areas’ has not altered much the subject base of school themes. Curriculums should observe cultural diversity. Scholars who go to schools with people from other cultures can influence their children to accept diversity, therefore, facilitating cultural unity.
Figure 1: Curriculum Flow. Cultural appreciation.
However, as government schools become more diverse, various individuals demand the most useful techniques to assist all learners to succeed in life. Teachers have a major responsibility of ensuring that cultural diversity is achieved. They can only do this by coming up with a culturally neutral curriculum. The major challenge that teachers face is a lack of sufficient training to cope with cultural challenges.
Most educational scholars observe that “ethnicity” has substituted “race”. Ethnicity is commonly used in classifying people into small antagonistic groups. Scholars do conceive that feeling a sense of belonging to an ethnic group is a learned rather than natural process. As various cultural (racial) groups migrated to Australia, willingly or against their will, it was claimed that all groups would integrate into the conventional Australian culture. In reality, several groups have reached the diverse stage of integration.
It is also factual that conventional (white) culture does not yet recognize most groups. For this egalitarianism to be realized, a key transformation must take place. This can only happen when the curriculum is adjusted to suit the wishes, traditions, and cultures of every individual. Traditionally, viewpoints about race and customs have changed. The original theory was straightforward in perceiving non-Caucasian ethnic groups as different from and lesser to the Caucasian culture physically and mentally regarding the measures of similarity expressed by the Caucasian racial group.
The subsequent shift was to the principle of sameness popularly referred to as color-blindness, which supported the actuality that supposing we are all equal under the same skin, then probably we enjoy equal chances in Australian society. The problem followed later when some individuals failed to achieve the set targets. People of color were seen to be underachievers and inferior since they failed to meet societal standards.
Currently, the concept of “Multi-culturalism” is being publicized as the answer to the crisis. This unsophisticated approach does not bear in mind several issues. Whites cannot form a multi-cultural curriculum without the help of other stakeholders. Major attempts aimed at achieving multi-cultural curriculums have been incomplete that is, they cover a limited range of courses. Curriculums with cultural diversity have small or no effect as regards people’s education or transforming their perspectives about ethnic conflicts. Attempts to generate Multi-cultural curriculums are diluted by institutions dominated by whites.
Learning Activities/Lessons – Year 5
Figure 2: Integrated Planning Matrix.
The arts. Students will be introduced to artistic works from Australia with an aim of giving them an overview of cultural diversity. The instructor would afterwards request an elderly aboriginal citizen to visit the class and demonstrate or explain any artistic work of his or her choice. Students would then be given an opportunity to develop their own artistic works and demonstrate them in class since they will be called upon to replicate them during School’s Festival National Programs where parents will be invited.
English. The instructor would read a few short narratives to students, particularly an aboriginal story. The learners would then be called upon to present their views pertaining to the narrative. This enhances cultural diversity, as each student is free to give his/her view.
Reading. In the course of library visit or lesson, the students will be requested to carry out an investigation as regards to aboriginal dreaming tales. Students will be supposed to summarize the key tenets of the story from the novel. This would be taken out as an assessment.
History. Students will be required to discuss in groups how the Australian culture developed. The instructor will then take students through the immigration policies and how they affect Australian culture. The aim of the lesson will be to make students appreciate diversity and view the world around them in a diverse perspective. Each student should narrate his/her culture and try to compare it with those of others.
Conclusion
In summary, a curriculum should be a child or learner-oriented meaning that its main aim is to assist a student excel in life. As observed by Marsh, the teacher should ensure that a curriculum serves the interest of the student not the interest of stakeholders. After graduating or attaining necessary academic papers, a student should be well versed with certain knowledge.
A Curriculum needs to be detailed and precise so that it does not confuse the student as well as the teacher. A Good curriculum incorporates co-curriculum activities such as sports and songs. Children should be allocated enough time for playing since it helps them develop physically and mentally. Finally, a quality curriculum must observe cultural diversity.
In determining whether a curriculum is effective, there is need for its evaluation by looking at the results that it yields. In this discussion, we consider that a committee has been formed that is aimed at the creation of a CWC that is to be adopted in the district. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it attempts to highlight similarities and differences between the evaluation of the curriculum in contrast with the evaluation of individual learners. Secondly, it will advocate the systems that are to be employed in order to review the evaluation process steadily and finally, it will be aimed at looking at the pros and cons of various instruments used in the evaluation process.
In evaluating a curriculum, there is need for the evaluation of individual learners who are its beneficiaries (Posner & Rudnitsky, 2006).. There are processes that can be employed to determine whether the results of the committee are viable for wide application in the district. There are also specific performance evaluation tools that can be used in the process.
Discussion
The process of evaluation will need to be done using proven research techniques in order to get the feedback of the stakeholders. Only with their inputs can one actually tell whether the recommendations of the committee are applicable in the furthering of education in a wider setup. In conducting the research, the first consideration will be to identify who the stakeholders and decision makers are (Smith, 1999). This will be the authorities that will be involved in the curriculum and who have insight into its tenets. This group also entails the learners who the curriculum is targeted for in order to gauge whether the required results are being achieved. Secondly, there should be a clear purpose with the objectives that are being desired clearly stated. The objectives may entail the behavior that will be desired from those under the curriculum and may also be directed towards the changes that will be necessary in order to achieve the best outcomes. The purpose of education programs can be variant and multi faceted. Hence, each single facet may need to be evaluated individually to see how it affects the bigger picture.
The most desirable outcome of an evaluation process is success. Success has to be quantified so as to determine its depth and also to look for weak points in a bid to improving the process. Therefore, there are indicators of success that may be analyzed to quantify it. Here, a few questions will be asked including whether the learners are satisfied, whether the program is sound, whether any new skills and knowledge has been imparted and whether the program has room for other improvements.
There is need to determine whether the purposes and objectives that are desired are actually being met by using a few methods of gathering data (Posner, 2003). First, questionnaires with preset questions aimed at giving insight into the level of permeation into the skill base of the individual will be used. Second, achievement tests will be administered in order to actually gauge the amount of knowledge that is imparted. Third, interviews will be conducted in order to get the reactions of people in person.
After all these considerations, data will be collected using the above methods. This will mean that there will be intensive training for evaluators so that they are conversant with the details that are required. Additionally, there will be need for choosing a suitable sample that is well balanced with all stakeholders airing their opinions. The data that is collected will be analyzed and the results will be distributed to the concerned parties to get their reactions. Their feedback will actually determine the decision taken. The curriculum may be discarded and may be adopted wholly or with revisions.
Questions and Measures
Question: What does the curriculum encourage students to do? Does it challenge them to apply what theories they have learnt into real world situations?
Measure: Give a test to students asking them to solve case studies using the learnt theories. Determine the outcomes using the scores gained.
Question: Does the curriculum challenge students to stir more ideas or are they reliant on the information they are given?
Measure: Conduct discussions and brainstorming sessions and gather views.
Question: Does the curriculum enhance the personalities of the students?
Measure: Enlist the help of a behavioral therapist who will determine whether the curriculum grooms its students.
Question: Does the curriculum adaptable to changes?
Measure: Gather opinions of the curriculum’s experts and compare them.
Conclusion
The evaluation of a curriculum is a very important process in determining whether it will achieve the desired results. As such, research methods using tests, questionnaires and interviews will be important in doing this. The results that this research will bear will ultimately decide whether the curriculum should be adopted for the whole district, should be revised to allow for changes or should be done away with if found lacking in any aspects. The decision of the committee will largely be affected by the feedback from the stakeholders participating in the research.
References
Posner, G. J. (2003). Analyzing the curriculum. New York: McGraw-Hill
Posner, G. J. & Rudnitsky, A. N. (2006). Course design: A guide to curriculum development for teachers. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon
Smith, S.R. (1999). Outcome-based education: Part 2-Planning, implementing and evaluating a competency-based curriculum. Informa Healthcare Vol. 21, No. 1: Pages 15-22
The issues of unplanned pregnancy among the youth and the problem of sexual transmitted diseases among the students are rather controversial and require an immediate solution in the modern society. The process of working out, the development and analyzing of the district’s human sexuality-HIV/AIDS curriculum contributes to solving of the problem. That is why it is necessary to collect the required information for working out the curriculum. There are many ways to collect the information, and the most effective among them is the method of survey.
The most frequently used variants of surveys are questionnaires and interviews. The peculiarities of collecting the information on the topic of human sexuality influence the choice of the right approach to the problem. The results of this survey can be limited by the people’s necessity of presenting some personal information in the answers to the questions of the survey. That is why it is important to follow obligatory rules when composing the questionnaire and providing the survey.
It is necessary to provide suitable conditions for giving the anonymous answers to the questions because of the need to receive the most truthful information for the survey. Moreover, it is useful to pay attention to the adequate content of the questions. “For each question on your survey, ask yourself whether the respondent will have any difficulty answering the question truthfully. If there is some reason why they may not, consider rewording the question” (Trochim, 2006, Survey Research).
To avoid any other difficulties in understanding the requirements to the questionnaire, it can be essential to use structured formats of the questions. “Structured formats help the respondent to respond more easily and help the researcher to accumulate and summarize responses more efficiently” (Trochim, 2006, Survey Research). There are the possibilities to choose the most appropriate structured format. Furthermore, it is more suitable to use dichotomous questions in the questionnaire according to the peculiarities of the topic (Trochim, 2000).
The district’s human sexuality-HIV/AIDS curriculum should be worked out depending on such issues of the modern society as unplanned pregnancy among the young people, methods of preventing of teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and the lack of necessary information about the forms of contraception. The questions for the survey must reflect these problems and the results must be effective for working out the curriculum (Posner, 2003). Thus, the questions for the survey can be divided into several groups.
The first group of questions requires factual information about the age, gender and status or class standing of the interviewees to complete the quantitative characteristics. This information is necessary for analyzing of the level of physical maturity of the interviewee. The second group of questions is given in the form of dichotomous questions which require yes/no answers. The answers to these questions are necessary for analyzing the peculiarities of the sexual behavior of the young people and examining the level of their personal responsibility and self-control:
Do you support the idea of sexual abstinence? – Yes/No.
Have you the sexual experience with the partner? – Yes/No.
Do you use condoms as the form of contraception? – Yes/No.
Have you ever been pregnant? Has your girl-friend ever been pregnant? –Yes/No.
Have you ever been tested for HIV/AIDS? – Yes/No.
The third group of questions requires the information for analyzing the level of the youth’s theoretical knowledge on the problem. There are many sources from which young people can learn the information about the aspects of sexual life. Nevertheless, it is important analyze the sources which are the most influential and affect the youth sexual behaviour. It is also necessary to determine the sources about the forms of contraception and other methods of preventing pregnancy. Students must have the opportunity to choose among the variants of the sources with the help of which they can obtain the information about the methods of birth control and the peculiarities of the human sexuality. The possible variants of answers can be the following: parents, friends, classmates, books, Internet resources, television, articles in specialized journals, and classes in college.
The fourth group of questions deals with the issues of emotional, psychological and ethical aspects of the human sexuality. It is important to discover the occurrences of possible violent and abusive behavior of the partners, to reveal the causes and effects of emotional traumas of young people who had negative sexual experience or faced the incidents when people suffered from the human immunodeficiency virus. The possible questions can be as the following ones:
Have you ever been induced to sexual relations in the situation when you had no desire to do this?
Have you discussed your problem with your parents or your psychologist?
The questions from this group can be rather controversial but effective for contributing to the efficient survey. The results of the survey can be analyzed with the help of scaling (Trochim, 2006, Scaling).
The necessity of working out the surveys on the topic of young people sexuality and developing of the district’s human sexuality-HIV/AIDS curriculum is affected by a number of social and personal youth’s challenges which require be properly discussed and solved. The survey as the method of research is the most appropriate for analyzing of this problem.
References
Posner, G.I. (2003). Analyzing The Curriculum. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities.
Trochim, W.M.K. (2000). The Research Methods Knowledge Base. Cincinnatti, OH: Atomic Dog Publishing.
Traditional curriculum models are curriculum designs that put focus on strategies that help the learners get the content that they are being given, mostly in a theoretical manner. It has specific emphasis on the educational process, and the ability to graduate from school after mastering the knowledge that is taught is very important. The major aim of the traditional curriculum model is to ensure that the learner has successfully finished the expected level of learning and graduated. Functional curriculum models on the other hand put more emphasis on developing real life skills that the students can use. These skills can be described as vocational. It also puts emphasis on social skills such as effective communication and social interaction with other members of the community (Tyler, 1951).
A very important area of comparison between the two types of curricula is that both pay attention to the two major areas of curriculum design namely; content and process. The only difference as mentioned in the definitive introduction above is that traditional models cover the two separately while the functional model tries to deliver them together. But at the end of the day, both content and process will have been touched on in both curriculum designs. The two elements are fairly similar and the detachment or separation is the only dividing feature. But it should be remembered that the detachment in traditional models and the combination in functional models may be the difference that leads to success in one and failure in the other.
As emphasized under the functional curriculum models, a number of subjects that can be applied in real life situations are available. These include sciences and engineering oriented subjects. Social science oriented subjects can be taught too but with more emphasis on how they can be applied in real life situations in the community. This is because applicability is the major focus in this type of curriculum. The ability to intertwine the content that is being given to students and the process through which that content is given determines the general success in this model. Other subjects that are taught under the traditional model such as communication skills always come in handy when the students are done with school and are facing real life issues outside the school setting.
Based on the differences between the two sets of curricula, each has its weaknesses and strengths. The traditional model tends to reduce the amount of time learners take to learn the content. This is because of the focus that is undivided. The theoretical performance is also high and the graduation rates tend to be higher. But it has its weaknesses too. The lack of emphasis on giving students vocational and practical skills makes them less prepared for life after school. At the end of the day, it is not what is on paper or in one’s head that means much. It is the ability to put into real life situations that makes the difference (Wehman & Kregel, 1997).
Functional models have their strengths and weaknesses too. The combination of process and process tends to complicate the process of learning at first. But when students get used, they benefit immensely. The strengths include the gaining of practical skills is a sure way of making someone succeed in life. Students who go through this model are equipped with skills on how to tackle life and be able to make a living. Also, content learning is not complicated after the students have gotten used since it is practical and therefore easy to remember.
Based on these strengths and weaknesses of each model, the functional curriculum model seems to be the one that is more suitable for learners with disabilities. This because it will aid the faster learning of skills and concepts, that can assist them in life. The combined content and process will also assist them overcome their disabilities and get the connected elements easier, something that is not possible in the traditional model that has the two elements of content or and process skill and application detached(Alwell & Cobb,2006).
In conclusion, traditional curriculums put emphasis on knowledge while the functional model puts emphasis on the practical application of the knowledge. Students with disabilities are better served by the functional curriculum due to its inclusion of practical real life elements that make the learning of real life skills easy.
References
Alwell, M and Cobb, B. (2006) Teaching Functional Life Skills to Youth with Disabilities. Web.
Tyler, R. (1951).Evolving a Functional Curriculum. The American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 51, No. 12, pp. 736-738.
Wehman, P & Kregel, J (Eds) (1997).Functional Curriculum for Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Age Students with Special Needs.Dallas: Pro Ed.
Information and communication technology (ICT) is a broad term. It is used to describe a wide range of communication devices, applications, and channels (Vanderlinde & Braak, 2010). It is also associated with a number of opportunities. With the help of technology, some of the traditional barriers associated with access to information, such as geographical distance, can be avoided.
The concept has also helped educationists and other stakeholders to purvey knowledge regarding contemporary issues. In today’s society, ICT is seen as a means through which social and economic goals can be achieved. It is also seen as a way of increasing efficiency and boosting productivity. There is no doubt that ICT plays a vital role in today’s learning environment.
Its incorporation into the education system in a given country would help in the increase in the number of persons with a high capability to innovate (Apple, 2012). Their vast knowledge on contemporary issues would also make them competitive (Makrakis, Larios & Kaliantzi, 2012). The realisation has made several state and national governments across the world to institute reforms in their curriculum.
Stakeholders in the education system in Scotland have discovered the importance of ICT. Consequently, they have come up with several decisions touching on this issue. The main challenge entails how to apply this technology into the already existing subjects in the country’s schools.
It has also been difficult to anticipate the changes that would come with the curriculum development and reforms (Vanderlinde & Braak, 2010). The main aim of this paper is to assess the impacts of ICT in curriculum development and reforms in the United Kingdom. More emphasis will be on Scotland.
The Effects of ICT on Curriculum Development and Reforms
Literature Review
It is the dream of every country to have an ICT-literate citizenry. The reason behind this is that such individuals would act as a catalyst to economic and social growth (Nutbrown & Clough, 2013). As such, the importance of ICT in learning cannot be overemphasised. Subsequently, the United Kingdom has over the years made efforts to reform its curriculum to incorporate ICT.
For example, in 2005, the authorities formed a Performance Measurement and Reporting Taskforce. The aim of this agency was to investigate underlying issues that would affect curriculum development and reforms (Nutbrown & Clough, 2013).
According to the findings made by the taskforce, ICT literacy is regarded as the ability of the individual to use technological devices, applications, and platforms to access and evaluate information. It also involves one’s capabilities to understand such events and pass them to others.
Information management was also found to be a key aspect of ICT literacy. It is concerned with the manipulation of information to achieve a wide range of goals desired by the individual. It also entails its storage for future references.
The taskforce made a number of findings. For example, it came to the conclusion that the use of ICT as a learning tool in schools was associated with a number of advantages to the students. To begin with, the learners would be in a position to access digital information in an effective and efficient manner.
As a result, their ability to investigate issues would be improved (Capel, 2007). Subsequently, they would be in a position to solve problems within their society based on the existing knowledge. With the help of ICT, the students will be able to develop practical solutions to support their learning (Baichang, 2012).
For example, the learner is able to identify new methods of solving mathematical problems that even the teacher may not be aware of. As a result, learning is simplified. What this means is that ICT enhances the ability of the learners to grasp the various concepts taught in class. Students across the globe are also in a position to share knowledge among themselves (Baichang, 2012).
Better results can be achieved in instances where such sharing is coordinated to increase interaction between persons in the same educational level. New learning and thinking skills can also be developed (Capel, 2007). After being exposed to vast information on an issue through ICT, students can develop new solutions to problems. Such developments would go a long way towards supporting learning (Capel, 2007).
The Status of ICT and Curriculum Development in Scotland
In Scotland, schools have been increasing their capacity to integrate ICT into management, teaching, and learning activities (Harlow & Cowie, 2009). There has been a steady increase in the number of computers and other communication devices in learning institutions. In fact, many schools have achieved their baseline computer-to-student ratio targets (Harlow & Cowi, 2009).
However, there are variations between and within schools, especially with regards to matters of accessibility to reliable technology and broadband connectivity. Even so, there is no doubt that ICT is the most effective means through which learning experience can be enhanced (Harris-Hart, 2010). In the past, teachers have been able to incorporate a number of ICT aspects into their teaching.
To begin with, they have used such devices as laptops and tablets in classroom activities (Logan, 2013). The use of the internet and interactive whiteboards has also become a common practice in Scottish schools today. It is associated with various benefits to the learner and the teacher.
For example, the combination of the software, hardware, and connectivity aspects of ICT has led to highly innovative teaching and learning methods in the sector.
For ICT to be successfully incorporated into the education system, it is important to enhance cooperation between the various stakeholders. The administration is regarded as one of the main parties involved in the issue.
In this case, the government of Scotland, in collaboration with that of the United Kingdom, has worked together with other stakeholders in the education sector to improve the quality of education offered to students in the country (Harlow & Cowie, 2009). The two parties acknowledge that ICT is one of the main social and economic pillars of any given society.
In 2002, the Scottish government called for a national debate to discuss the issue affecting the country’s education system. One of the key elements addressed was whether or not to integrate ICT into the nation’s curriculum.
Following the public discussions, it was clear that there was need to make learning activities in the country’s schools more comprehensive. Many felt that this could only be achieved through curriculum reforms and development. During the debate, technological skills and knowledge were viewed as critical elements in modern societies (Logan, 2013).
Consequently, the new Scottish curriculum was developed in 2004. It came to be popularly known as the Curriculum for Excellence [CFE] (Logan, 2013). More emphasis was put on secondary education. In the curriculum, ICT was to be integrated in every subject taught in secondary schools operating in the country. It was one of the ways of enhancing technological adoption in the country.
Over the years, numerous curriculum developments and reforms have taken place in the United Kingdom. The interventions have increased the effectiveness of integrating ICT into the existing subjects (Savill-Smith, 2005).
In the past, more emphasis was placed on learning outcomes and experiences. In Scotland, a 2004 survey showed that students found ICT training to be a generally boring aspect of learning. As such, there was a need to make changes to the curriculum. To this end, the number of computing lessons was significantly reduced in the country.
Stakeholders in the education sector noted that the curriculum in place at the time emphasised on fact-based thinking. They came to the realisation that what was actually required was different. The learners needed a learning environment that promoted thinking skills. In 2011, the government of Scotland rolled out the new Curriculum for Excellence (Lumadi, 2013).
The main aim of the reform was to shift the focus of the teachers from facts to abilities, competencies and skills. Under the new curriculum, the government maintained the importance of teaching the science of computing. Each student in Scotland was to be introduced to at least level 3 experiences and outcomes before they attain the age of 14 (Lumadi, 2013).
At this stage, they would be required to develop a computational artefact. To achieve this objective, the learners would be required to put into use a wide range of introductory computer programming environments, such as Alice and Scratch. Game engines would also be instrumental in the learning process.
The development of the Curriculum for Excellence has been left in the hands of the Scottish Qualifications Agency (Lumadi, 2013). The body was charged with the responsibility of developing the qualification for students aged between 14-16 and 17-18 to complete the new Curriculum for Excellence.
Following the complete overhaul of the curriculum, the government of Scotland hopes to have a single qualification stream for students. It will be referred to as computing and information science. In addition, it will be assessed at five levels (Logan, 2013). The phases will include Access 3, National 4, National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher levels.
There will be a strong focus on the development of software following the introduction of programming education. Other elements of computing that will be emphasised on include information, networks, as well as databases (Lumadi, 2013). With the introduction of the new curriculum, attention has been shifted to the capacity of the teachers to impart computing skills and knowledge to their students.
Subsequently, an exemplification group has been formed by the Royal Society of Edinburgh (Logan, 2013). The main aim of the group is to avail exemplary teaching materials to teachers, particularly those dealing with students in the pre-14 level. The focus on these teachers is informed by the fact that they expose students to computational thinking. Their work forms the basis of all the other levels (MacConville & Rae, 2012).
Impact of the Reforms on Educational Leaders
The integration of ICT into the Scottish curriculum has prompted educational leaders to undergo training to understand how technology can be used to enhance learning and teaching (Hanlan, Darby & Conole, 2006). Training increases their capacity to develop effective and efficient strategies. It helps them to formulate policies that can be implemented successfully. At the same time, they are able to set realistic goals for their learners.
For example, school heads need to understand what integration of ICT in the curriculum entails (Hulme, Menter & Conroy, 2007). As such, they can set targets that their staff and students can meet easily. Training also makes them conversant with the issues raised by other stakeholders. As a result, they boost their confidence in the ongoing curriculum developments and reforms.
They are also able to fulfil their responsibilities as representatives of the government on matters involving education. Once they are aware of the underlying issues, they are able to assess the needs of their institutions. For example, they can determine the number of computers needed to effectively roll out the curriculum reforms and developments. Upon assessing the needs of their institutions, they can be able to source for funds.
The integration of ICT in the Scottish curriculum has made technology an important part of strategic planning in learning institutions. Educational leaders have to maintain the ICT capability of their agencies (Dulude, Spillane & Dumay, 2015). To this end, they seek ways to procure technological devices and applications for their school. School heads across Scotland have to look for additional funds to support their ICT programs.
In most cases, the funds provided by the government are inadequate to support the implementation of the curriculum. As a result, administrators have to sacrifice other developmental activities in their schools. Leaders in secondary schools are the most affected compared to their counterparts in primary institutions (Cater, 2004).
As of 2005, only 50 percent of primary school leaders in Scotland had developed e-learning strategies. The figure in secondary schools was 67 percent. The reason was that the first qualification assessment was for students already in secondary institutions.
The integration of ICT led to additional responsibilities for educational leaders (Dulude, Spillane & Dumay, 2015). They were expected to enhance the technological capabilities of their organisations. Initially, only technological devices were used to facilitate teaching and learning.
However, developments and reforms in the Scottish curriculum have made it necessary to provide internet services to both teachers and learners (Cater, 2004). At the same time, there is a need to link schools to facilitate the sharing of knowledge.
In most cases, educational leaders resolve to hire ICT professionals. In such situations, they still need to supervise the learning activities to ensure that their institutions’ technological capabilities are enhanced. They also have to be involved in the maintenance and upgrading of the ICT infrastructure in their institutions (Reyes, 2014). As such, they can assess the needs of their schools in terms of promoting e-learning activities.
Educational leaders need to develop policies to ensure the successful integration of ICT into teaching and learning activities. They are required to set targets for their schools (Reyes, 2014). It is their responsibility to ensure that the set timelines are followed. Unlike most changes in the curriculum, the integration of ICT into learning and teaching is an intensive undertaking.
It involves the attainment of the set targets in terms of student-computer-ratio and the development of long term strategies. The integration process has also proved to be extremely technical for the educational leaders (Pilat & Wolfl, 2004). Unlike most curricular implementation processes, the undertaking requires continuous financing.
The reason is that the infrastructure is complex and calls for regular maintenance. Improvements must be carried out regularly to increase efficiency. Administrators must foresee such changes and prepare adequately.
Besides the formulation of policies concerned with the integration of ICT into teaching and learning activities, educational leaders are also charged with the responsibility of ensuring that all stakeholders are committed to the implementation of the curriculum (Razzaq & Forde, 2012).
The main challenge faced here is making sure that policies become practice. In some instances, the CFE is criticised by both teachers and students. Many see it as boring. Consequently, learning outcomes are not always met as intended by the educational leaders.
Administrators across Scotland also face the challenge of changing people’s attitudes towards the curriculum developments and reforms touching on integration of ICT into the education system.
To ensure successful implementation of the reforms, they have to sensitise both teachers and students on the need for change (Yeung, 2011). The leaders are forced to come up with new strategies to improve the learning experience. The use of presentations in classroom is one of the strategies proposed to address the issue.
Educational administrators stand to gain from the adoption of ICT. Their institutions get connected to the outside world (Padfield, 2006). Networking of schools to support the implementation of the curriculum developments and reforms has also made it possible for educational leaders to undertake their administrative duties with relative ease (Dulude, Spillane & Dumay, 2015).
One of the ways through which this is achieved is through better communication. Record keeping can also be done in an organised manner (Pilat & Wolfl, 2004). Staff members and teachers can upload information to a centralised system. As such, school heads find it easier to monitor progress within their institutions.
Educational leaders at the national level are also able to monitor learning and teaching activities more effectively (Dulude, Spillane & Dumay, 2015). The reason is that they can be linked to intranets that inter-connect schools. At the same time, they monitor sharing of resources. In addition, learning and teaching activities can be standardised.
The Consequences of Reforms in Current and Future Contexts
With the curriculum developments and reforms in the Scottish education sector, every teaching staff has to be conversant with ICT (Desai, 2011). As a result, they can impart the same knowledge to students. Individuals with adequate ICT skills and knowledge also tend to have a positive attitude towards the integration of technology into the education sector.
They understand that students must be taught computing to help them survive in today’s society (Voogt, 2010). As such, it is important for teaching practitioners to have skills and the confidence needed to adopt a wide range of technologies. To ensure that teachers are effective implementers of the CFE in Scottish schools, the government insists training programs to be organised.
The instruction of these teachers takes two major forms. It can be done through in-service or pre-service programs (Voogt, 2010). In-service training is meant for experienced teachers who are not familiar with new technologies.
Pre-service programs, on the other hand, are convened before persons start their teaching career (Siraj & Blatchford, 2006). Such individuals are also likely to be more receptive to curriculum developments and reforms revolving around matters of ICT.
Most teachers in the Scottish education system undertook their professional training before ICT was introduced into the sector. As such, the government had to come up with in-service training programs to expose them to new technologies. Since they have no prior interactions with ICT, it becomes difficult for them to grasp concepts within a short period (Silova, 2010).
As such, the training takes several days. By the end of the program, most of them are still not able to comfortably integrate ICT into their teachings. However, frequent training sessions would boost their competence and increase their confidence.
In-service training is considered to be a form of career development in the teaching profession. In Scotland, such programs are supported through New Opportunities Funding (NOF). The use of web-based resources for teachers undergoing in-service training is discouraged. The reason is that the resources contain complex information that needs to be explained further to enhance understanding.
At the same time, there are concerns that such resources are detailed. An individual with no prior knowledge of the technologies being discussed may fail to comprehend the information (Townsend, 2007). As a result, the services of a trainer are required to simplify the concepts.
Teachers also need to be guided through practical application of ICT in learning and teaching. As such, they find it easy to replicate the steps in a classroom setting.
Teachers who are not conversant with the new technologies have no option but to participate in in-service training (Desai, 2011). The government of Scotland is committed to offering quality education to the country’s population. It can only achieve this through a competent teaching workforce. As such, failure of teachers to participate in the programs would lead to loss of employment.
Since ICT has already been made part of the Scottish curriculum, such instructors may lose their competitiveness in the job market (Townsend, 2007). Policymakers in the education sector believe that training increases the willingness of practitioners to adopt new technologies.
However, some teachers who undergo in-service training are not confident enough to try new teaching approaches. As a result, they fail to come up with innovative teaching methods.
New teachers are required to undergo training to learn how ICT can be integrated into the teaching and learning activities. Pre-service training takes place before individuals become practitioners (Voogt, 2010). The professional is exposed to new technologies throughout their learning process.
Today, institutions charged with the responsibility of training teachers have come up with programs aimed at instilling knowledge on different ways through which ICT can be used in the teaching profession. The knowledge is imparted throughout the pre-service training. Practitioners who completed their training recently are exposed to new technologies when they were learners.
Prolonged exposure to technological devices enhances their confidence when it comes to the implementation of the curriculum developments and reforms requiring the integration of ICT into learning and teaching activities in Scottish educational institutions (Agarwal & Ahuja, 2011). The reason is that they have interacted with the technologies for both personal and recreational uses.
Teachers exposed to ICT when learning may be considered to be advantaged as a result of their vast knowledge on new technologies. However, they may lack the confidence to teach the new CFE. One of the reasons behind this is that some of the technologies they became familiar with during their pre-service training have changed slightly (Desai, 2011).
In some cases, in-service training is offered only upon the introduction of curriculum developments and reforms to ensure that the existing practitioners gain skills. The new teachers who have just come out of training may not be advantaged enough to undergo such. As a result, they are forced to use their knowledge and skills on outdated technologies.
In such cases, they lack confidence in their abilities to teach the new curriculum. They may also not be able to manipulate the current technologies to achieve better learning outcomes (MacConville & Rae, 2012). As such, they continue to rely on the old teaching techniques.
In such instances, their innovative capabilities may be lower than those of teachers who underwent training when the integration of ICT into the education system had not taken place.
In future, all teachers will be required to undergo in-service training. Their skills and knowledge will get outdated at some point during their teaching career. The main reason behind this is that technology is dynamic (Voogt, 2010). As such, the curriculum for Scottish schools will need to be updated regularly.
Developments and reforms in the curriculum are aimed at incorporating the important aspects of the new technologies into the education sector. Teachers will be required to familiarise themselves with the emerging technologies. By doing so, they introduce them to their students by incorporating them into the learning and teaching processes.
In this case, teachers who underwent both in-service and pre-service training are required to sign up for the programs organised by educational leaders to boost their competence and confidence when it comes to matters of integrating new technologies into their classroom activities (Martin, 2003).
Through frequent training, the Scottish government can make sure that any curriculum developments and reforms arising from ICT changes will be implemented successfully.
Conclusion
The use of ICT in today’s society is on the rise. Governments all over the world have come to the realisation that the use of emerging technologies is vital to the promotion of both social and economic growth. The United Kingdom and Scottish governments have not been left behind in the enhancement of technological literacy (Onyia, 2013).
To achieve this, ICT has been integrated into the learning and teaching processes in Scottish schools. As a result, there have been numerous curriculum developments and reforms. The use of ICT has had a great impact on educational leaders and teachers. For examples, the administrators are required to undergo training to enhance their technological skills (Onyia, 2013).
The aim is to ensure they can formulate sound policies to govern the integration of ICT into the learning and teaching processes within schools. They also have to cope with the additional responsibility of ensuring that their institutions maintain their technological capabilities.
However, administration has become easier, especially owing to improved communication and record keeping. On their part, teachers are required to undergo training to boost their competence and confidence. It can be in the form of pre-service or in-service training.
References
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Admittedly, a good plan helps to reach the major goals. A good plan enables to see the entire process divided into necessary steps. It goes without saying that education is a lasting process which requires thoughtful planning. Thus, curriculum is one of the main tools which serve to outline the entire process.
Many scholars have developed effective models and theories for curriculum planning, implementation and evaluation. Saylor Model is one of the best-known theories on curriculum (Pinar et al., 1995, p. 685). Saylor et al. (1981) suggested that education is “the acquisition of the art of the utilization on knowledge (p. 140).
So, it is important to note that education is regarded not only as the necessary amount of knowledge but ability to use the knowledge in practice. In terms of such definition of education, Saylor defined curriculum “as a plan for providing sets of learning opportunities for persons to be educated” (as cited in Glanz et al., 2000, p. 10).
Thus, Saylor regarded the curriculum as a general plan in terms of which “particular plans for individual programs” should be worked out (Lunenburg & Ornstein, 2007, p. 413).
It is necessary to point out that Saylor claimed that the curriculum should be worked out by professionals who possessed the necessary skills and experience (Pinar et al., 1995, p. 685). In terms of such definition Sailor et al. (1981) worked out the following curriculum model.
First of all, planners should collect the necessary data concerning various requirements, results of latest researches in the field, professional knowledge and “interest groups” (Lunenburg & Ornstein, 2007, p. 413). On the basis of these data planners should define goals and objectives of the curriculum. When the objectives are established, planners can work out the curriculum design.
Of course, it is necessary to provide the necessary instructions and recommendations for the curriculum implementation. When the thorough plan is ready and implemented it is essential to evaluate it: define strong and weak point of the plan, make the necessary amendments and think over the future implementation of the curriculum in question.
Thus, Saylor Model depicts all the major stages of curriculum creation and implementation, however, particular attention is paid to evaluation of the plan since it can constantly improve the curriculum.
When evaluating the curriculum in question, Saylor Model will be used due to the comprehensiveness of the mentioned approach. In the first place, it is necessary to point out that the curriculum has the proper basis. The information provided in the curriculum is conceivably based on the latest researches and comprises comprehensive amount of data.
Thus, in terms of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Immunologic Disorders the most common diseases are considered. Admittedly, the information about diseases is based on the surveys’ results, overall knowledge and experience of professionals. Such sections as “Joints most commonly effected” or “Not systemic illness, but caused by wear and tear” suggests that the information is likely based on the real situations and case studies.
Thus, the first stage of Saylor Model of planning is complied: the planning is based on the thorough research and analysis (Saylor et al., 1981). Apart from this various ways of nursing care, non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment are discussed.
The plan presupposes considering various types of medical treatment: students should contrast and compare them, evaluate them and learn to choose the right treatment in particular cases. Once again the plan presupposes depiction of various outcomes of certain types of treatment, which proves that the plan is based on thorough analysis of the existing experience.
Thus, the main purpose of education (according to Saylor) is also observed: students gain the necessary knowledge and learn to use it in practice, to improve their job performance in future and “develop specific competencies (Saylor et al., 1981, p. 361). Admittedly, the second stage of Saylor’s Model is also followed since the main objective – to gain practical skills and theoretical knowledge – is determined.
It is necessary to point out that the objectives will be reached since the curriculum in question considers the major points necessary to achieving the aims. It is essential to note that the curriculum stresses the necessity to pay major attention to considering case studies and encouraging students to enrich their knowledge: “the following information should be covered as part of the case studies, not in lecture format”.
Thus, students will be more concerned with practice than the theory. This valuable feature of the curriculum under consideration is aimed at developing certain skills which students will be able to use in their working places. So, the students can be regarded as experienced professionals (not people possessing academic knowledge).
In conclusion, it is possible to point out that the curriculum in question is an effective plan which enables students to gain the valuable experience based on the latest discoveries in the field. However, to my mind, it is possible to improve the plan: students can be encouraged to suggest the cases they find interesting for case studies. Students should play an active role in the learning process.
Reference List
Glanz, J., Behar-Horenstein, L.S. (2000). Paradigm Debates in Curriculum and Supervision: Modern and Postmodern Perspectives. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Lunenburg, F.C., Ornstein, A.C. (2007). Educational Administration: Concepts and Practices. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Pinar, W.F., Reynolds, W.M., Slattery, P., Taubman, P.M. Understanding Curriculum: An Introduction to the Study of Historical and Contemporary Curriculum Discourses. New York: Peter Lang, 1995.
Saylor, J.G., Alexander, W.M., and Lewis, A.J. (1981). Curriculum Planning for Better Teaching and Learning. 4th ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
There are a lot of different curriculum designs in the modern system of education as this field has a long history and can be characterised by a number of various changes which influenced the development of UK system of education. The development of the educational process is impossible without legal acts and political agreements. There have been a lot of different acts and reports which have established the educational system in United Kingdom and those which influenced and corrected it. Nevertheless, while considering some legal papers, it will be possible to see the ideas stated by Plato, Rousseau and Dewey, which can be considered as people who were at the origin of understanding the modern curriculum. The importance of these documents cannot be questioned as they played vital role in the development of education and its principles. It is important to understand that those who have developed the curricular and its main principles had to base on something.
The changes the curriculum has to undergo are connected with the development in the cultural, social and political trends, still, the basic ideas in teaching foreign languages are unchanged. The main purpose of this paper is to understand why child-centred approach to education is the core idea of the modern curriculum, how new acts, reports and reviews changed the curricular and why motivation and creativity are considered to be the main ideas of the thematic approach to learning. To consider these issues, we are going to check the expressions of people who seem to be the first who talked about education as a system and expressed their thoughts in this direction, to follow the changes in the curriculum by means of exploring the legislative acts and reports along with reviews which add some ides to the required changes, and to point to the thematic learning as one of the best ways to give students knowledge they want and to make those interested in what they do.
Curriculum Design
To provide a specific and argumentative critic of curriculum design, it is important to check the development of the issue and the changes it has come through. Apart from the historical changes which influenced the curriculum design development, philosophical and political issues should be taken into account. Looking for the first argumentative discussion of education and the necessity to consider specific approaches and curriculum, it is important to refer to the ancient philosophers, like Plato, or Aristotle. The further changes of the educational curricular may be connected with such names as John Jacques Rousseau and John Dewey. Their vision of education and the curricular design have influences the content of the reports and other legal documents which can be considered as the basis for the modern vision of curricular design and the variety of those.
Considering the main idea of the curriculum, it is possible to consider Plato’s dialogues. He is sure that spoken word is the best method for teaching, he disparages written text. The whole philosophy of Plato’s education is based on “spoken word” (Bailey 2010, p. 156). John Jacques Rousseau does not agree with Plato as he believes that learning should not be conducted through the words, but activities should be involved. Children should follow their interests and the teacher should help them gain natural experience and explore natural objects in receiving knowledge. Rousseau states that children should not just listen about the surrounding world, they should take active part in its development. He is convinced that “the man who gets the most out of life is not the one who has lived it longer, but the one who has felt life most deeply” (in Smith, 2010 p. 28).
John Dewey is sure that education is a “constant transformation of experience” (Bailey 2010, p. 29). What does he mean? The main idea of Dewey’s learning is that teachers should tell children about the experience people came through in different times and make them think about the specific events which have taken place. He considers history as the basis for teaching as he is sure that it is one of the ways to learn the past and to be able to analyse the events and predict their future outcome (Dewey, Boydston & McDermott 2008, p. 215). The ability to think is one of the main ideas of education. Dewey tries to analyse education and history and has come to the conclusion that “history sets forth the temporal background, the evolution of the gradual control of the activities by which mankind had enriched and perfected its experience” (in Fallace 2010, p. 26). Thus, the better understanding of the history, the more experience in historical evaluation and assessment is applied to learning.
These three persons have been really influential in the system of education as their ideas and considerations are used as the core ideas for the legislative acts in UK. Here are the main acts which have become influential in the UK educational system and the main issues which have impacted the learning system. Children and their primary schools: A report of the Central Advisory Council for Education (England), known as The Plowden Report (1967), is considered to be important as it requested the council to consider the primary education in UK with the same aspects as the secondary one. The central idea of this report is that “at the heart of the educational process lies the child” (The Plowden Report 1967, p. 8). The importance of this report also lies in the following, the forbidding of physical pain (ch. 19), the reduction of classes’ size (ch. 20), primary education is considered as the transmission to the secondary (ch. 1), etc (The Plowden Report 1967). Thus, this report can be considered as the first attempt to apply the child-centred education into practice.
Education Reform Act (1988) is important not only because it points to creation of the Grant Maintained Schools and Local Management of Schools, but it also introduces the National Curriculum and Key Stages. This Act has restructured the whole educational system, still, the direction at child-centred education has not been changed. Moreover, it has made the learning system more children oriented and structured. The National Curriculum has divided the system of UK education on 4 stages in the primary and secondary schools.
It should be mentioned that having been established in 1988, these norms have been changed for many times (the last update took place on January, 2011), but still remain the basis for the UK educational system. The introduction of SAT Reasoning test is a new change in the UK educational system. Even though, it has been established in the beginning of 1900’s, its wide popularity and the status of obligatory has been provided in the middle of 1990’s. The changes to grading have been provided, and students had to show their abilities to understand the level of their personal knowledge (Kaplan & Saccuzzo 2008, p. 315).
It is really crucial to mention the following reports, as they have pointed to the challenges the UK system of education should face in the nearest years and make teaching more interesting and useful for children. National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education report (1999), Excellence and Enjoyment: A strategy for primary schools report (2003), Rose’s report (2008), and Introducing the Cambridge primary review (2009) have one thing in common, they point to the necessity of introducing creativity and excellence in the curriculum. This tendency is not new, as Plato, Rousseau and Dewey pointed to it (Starko 2005). Creativity should be considered as the central approach to the thematic approach to learning which is the most appropriate means for teaching and motivating students.
Thematic Approach to Learning
Even though the concepts and approaches to education Plato, Rousseau and Dewey express are different, their ideas may be united under one specific issue, children have inborn desire to study and it is just necessary to understand their interests and try to apply those in the educational sphere. Plato is sure that education and citizenship are the united concepts. Thus, a person wants to be a citizen of the place he/she lives in; as a result, he/she wants to be an educated person. Everything is natural and obvious, as for Plato (Bailey 2010).
According to Rousseau, children should practice everything they want to know, but it seems to be the central idea of children’s nature. Finally, Dewey refers to history and experience in defining the learning process which is also natural. So, it may be concluded that all these approaches agree in one, the education process is directed at the needs of a child, defined as a child-centred education (Darling 1994). Darling is sure that the modern vision of approaches to education should be related to these people.
Thematic approach to learning perfectly fits the legal acts and reports stated above and the ideas Plato, Rousseau and Dewey expressed. This idea can be defined as “a combination of components, activities, children’s literature, hands-on/minds-on projects and materials” (Fredericks 1998, p. 16) which is aimed at teaching students what they want in a structured way. In other words, thematic learning is a learning which helps students get knowledge in separate areas and acquire the necessary skills. Still, being a structured approach, it can be considered as a disadvantage, as until new curriculum is not designed, students have to study what has already been presupposed in spite of the social, political, etc. changes (Helm, Berg & Scranton 2004). Nevertheless, this problem can be considered with the teachers’ active thinking and applying of the necessary topic to the curriculum.
Being the most widely used approach to learning, thematic approach has a number of benefits for students and teachers. To understand the main idea of the thematic learning, the following example should be considered. While learning, a child is going to study two themes uninterruptedly, let us call them Personalised and Development of Professionalism. During the course, students will have to study one more theme which is going to vary depending on the period, the introduction, the main theme and the conclusion (Neary 2002, p. 109).
Thematic approach to learning has been chosen as the most appropriate one not by chance. It has already been mentioned that the most recent reports devoted to the revision of the national curricular are devoted to excellence and creativity. Scholars agree that the desire to study is inborn, but it is necessary to awake that desire, to help children understand what they want to study. This idea in the combination with child-centred learning should become the central purpose of the UK system of education. White (2004) states that “investment in creative, sometimes risky, curriculum development is essential in order to develop varied but rigorous and effective teaching and learning strategies” (p. 42). Barnes (2005) points to the motivation of children while learning. It should be obvious for each teacher that the best way to involve creativity in the learning process and to help children reach excellence is to motivate them.
Some scholars are sure that it is possible to make people believe in what they want. Politicians and even some teachers use this idea to influence people (Law 2006). But, this method should not be applied at schools. The main idea of the modern education should be the enforcement of children to think and to draw their personal conclusions. This is what Rousseau and Dewey talk about (Bailey, R 2010). Children should learn their past, analyse it and apply their knowledge to the projection of the future. Creative approach is one of the best ways to reach the desired aim. Creativity has a lot of definition and none of them can perfectly state what it is. Creativity is something which cannot be explained, but it can be felt and observed. NACCCE report (1999) defines creativity as “imaginative activity fashioned so as to produce outcomes that are both original and of value” (p. 30).
This definition is not clear as it does not refer to motivation. The report has been published in 1999, but the creative approach in the context of thematic learning continues to develop. It is important to understand that motivation is a part of creativity because this notion is its central purpose. Before giving a definition to creativity in education, one should ask a question, why this creativity is important. We answer this question, creativity is necessary for motivating children, for making learning more thematic and child-centred and for awakening children’s inner desire to study, the one they have been born with.
Finally, having summarised the approaches to teaching and the legal acts applied in the system of education, it is important to remember that teachers’ creativity may be defined by students in a different way, sometimes absolutely negative (Aschenbrener, Terry & Torres 2010). So, it is important to understand whether the style of teaching instructors implement in the classroom motivates and inspires students for learning or not. The positive answer to this claim may be considered as the affirmative statement and encouraging a teacher for further development.
Conclusion
Therefore, having considered the background for curriculum creation, the legal acts and the main idea of thematic learning, it can be concluded that current National Curriculum with the Key Stages ideally meet the necessity of students in primary for learning foreign languages. Children in the primary school should understand why they need to study other languages and they should be encouraged to do it. A teacher’s task is to motivate children by means of using creativity and applying the ideas considered in the National Curriculum.
Being guided by the review reports mentioned in this paper, teachers will have an opportunity to apply the ideas stated there to their curriculum. Being motivated and being highly interested in studying, children will be able to meet the teachers’ expectations. However, teachers should work hard to make their communication with children effective (Hiep, 2007). Sometimes, teachers have to refer to the basic idea of creativity, to Rousseau or Dewey to make sure that they apply experience and practical activities in a proper way. In this case, we do not want to question the current legal acts and curriculum, still, teaching foreign languages, teachers may require the ideas which have been changed under the pressure of time and tendencies, but their application to learning may be useful.
Plato, Rousseau and Dewey have created the background for the modern approaches to education, their ideas have just been corrected and related to the modern trends. When teachers want to teach students a new theme, they should do it in the combination with the one they have already learnt. This is the core idea of thematic approach and teachers should try hard to help students understand it. Teaching foreign languages, teachers should base not only to the curricular, but also on different reviews and reports as they may offer the changes which might be more appropriate and challenging for a particular situation.
Reference List
Aschenbrener, M, Terry, J, & Torres, R 2010, ‘Creative Teaching Behaviors: A Comparison of Student and Instructor Perspectives’, NACTA Journal, vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 46-53.
Bailey, R 2010, The Philosophy of education: An introduction, Routledge, London.
Barnes, A 2005, ‘A passion for languages: motivation and preparation to teach modern foreign languages in eight cohorts of beginning teachers’, Research Papers in Education, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 349-369.
Darling, J 1994, Child-centred education and its critics, Chapman, London.
Dewey, J, Boydston, JA & McDermott, JJ 2008, John Dewey: The Later Works, 1925-1953: 1935-1937, SIU Press, Carbondale, IL.
Smith, TE 2010, ‘Rousseau and Pestalozzi: Emile, Gertrude and Experiential Education’, in TE Smith (ed), Sourcebook of Experiential Education: Key Thinkers and Their Contributions, Taylor & Francis, New York.
Starko, A 2005, Creativity in the classroom: Schools of curious delight, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah.
The Plowden Report 1967, Children and their primary schools: A report of the Central Advisory Council for Education (England), Department of Education and Science, London.
White, J 2004, Rethinking the school curriculum: Values, aims and purposes, Routledge/Falmer, London.
Curriculum development entails an organized preparation of activities that guide the learning process of learners. It creates an inclusive curriculum with instructions and methods of content delivery to students. Since curriculum development is a process, it remains a continuous activity that relates to the environment where it takes place.
Curriculum development, therefore, remains a key educational process that involves amalgamation of diverse processes that aim at achieving certain objectives in a school setup (Brady & Kennedy, 2010).
It covers the whole process of curriculum design and implementation, which starts from planning and ends at evaluation and revision. Curriculum developers make a curriculum into official documents in order to act as a guide for teachers during the delivery process. A curriculum is more than a list of topics; it is a broad policy statement or sum of all learning experiences and opportunities that institutions and teachers follow.
A curriculum carries the hopes of a society that educational institutions are supposed to meet. In developing a national curriculum, it is essential to consider the nature of the environment in which implementation of the curriculum is to take place (Brady & Kennedy, 2010).
Therefore, curriculum developers like Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) uses different models in order to align the requirements of the curriculum with the needs of all states and territories. Notably, prior understanding of the environment will enable the entire process of curriculum development and implementation proceeds efficiently and effectively.
In addition, a teacher will be able to use teaching approaches that consider individual differences of all learners. The global nature of the world makes it necessary for the development of a curriculum that includes recent Information and Communication Technologies (ACARA, 2012).
Globalization has offered an essential reason on the need to have a curriculum that does not only impart knowledge and skills but also offers global competence to learners.
In Australia, ACARA is the body entitled with curriculum development through educational researches. This body follows the goals of the Melbourne Declaration in designing an all-round curriculum (MCEETYA, 2008).
The Declaration puts forward knowledge and skills acquisition, equity and excellence among successful learners. This initiative requires a deep commitment that makes it possible for the process to reach completion.
ACARA has to carry out detailed researches in all the states and territories in Australia in order to acquire the needs of all the local communities. This enables them to design a curriculum that addresses the expectations of Australian citizens irrespective of location.
During the implementation process, there are logistics that require immediate intervention; therefore, a committed and flexible team will make timely adjustments on the designed curriculum (Drake, 2007). There are multitudes of factors that influence the nature of a curriculum in all countries.
These factors can influence what the developers should include in or exclude from the curriculum. This essay discusses major factors that influence the curriculum development process in Australia. The factors include social forces, economic levels, political situation, and the ICT context.
On the social aspect, there are societal expectations. Societies do have their own needs that they require to be in their national curriculum. Moreover, societies have a preview or perception of what a person who have undergone through the curriculum should look like (Fogarty, 1997). Therefore, curriculum developers should not assume the considerations from the local communities.
If curriculum developers vividly follow and include the requirements of different societies, the curriculum will receive immediate communal support thereby becoming relevant. For example, students who go through the curriculum should gain knowledge and skills that enable them fit comfortably in the society.
An education process should be one that makes students love their communities by engaging in developmental activities that gear towards raising the economic standards of their areas. In addition, societies expect curriculums to address their philosophies and their ways of life.
For example, a Christian-based community will own a curriculum that recognizes their Christian values and practices. Notably, it will be an attempt to commit ‘curriculum suicide’ by inculcating religious teachings that are incompatible with that of the local community that implements the curriculum (McCarthy & McCarthy, 2005).
Moreover, the cultural practices of a community will affect the final design of a curriculum. Communities that are used to practising monogamy as a way of life will not accept a curriculum that propagates for gay and polygamous marriage. The society will reject such curriculum out rightly. Consequently, the whole curriculum development and implementation process will fail.
It is worth noting that all communities have their own cultural and religious practices, which can be similar or not. Curriculum developers will have to apply different models in designing a curriculum that will fit in all these communities. Family life and international relations among countries in the world influence the content of a curriculum.
For instance, the inclusion of social studies in secondary education of Australia testifies the need for students to study family education and relationship among different races and ethnic groups. This curriculum makes learners accommodate everybody in the world irrespective of their backgrounds. The Australian curriculum covers the affective, social, physical, and cognitive experiences, which are the diverse needs of students.
Again, the constant hostility and tension among some world nations like North Korea and USA have altered most curriculums in the world. Evidently, the way of life in societies affects the content of any national curriculum. For instance, some graduate students have studied a course on Peace and Conflict Management; this reveals the state at which different social groups and communities in the world are with each other.
Clearly, a community’s social setup affects the context of the entire curriculum; it aligns the content of the final curriculum with the contemporary practices, beliefs, and challenges that a community is facing.
Additionally, international organizations such as Commonwealth, UNEP, UNICEF and UNESCO have severally altered the curriculum of all nations; for instance, they have introduced programmes such as Environmental Education, HIV/AIDS Education, Developmental Studies and Population Control.
Environmental Education has featured due to the continuous effects of climate change that require the effort of all people in the world to mitigate (ACARA, 2012). There have also been the mass spread of HIV/AIDS in the world, and its prevention requires a unitary approach.
These programmes try to create awareness from the school level thereby ensuring that learners are empowered on how to tackle these current challenges. From this point, it is clear that social factors can determine what a country ought to include in its curriculum.
Another social factor that influences the content of a curriculum is the idea of special interest groups such as trade unions, non-governmental organizations, and professional bodies. These bodies desire to have a curriculum that implements their ideologies.
For instance, the Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice openly refused to accept the inclusion of sex education into Zimbabwe’s curriculum on the grounds of human rights violation. Trade unions have always been playing the role of activists for employees in all countries.
The International Labour Organization (ILO), for example, has ensured that Australian students study and comprehend their rights and responsibilities as employees (Skinner, 2010). This helps in preventing violations of human rights at the workplaces in terms of remunerations, expectations, and durations of work.
Political factors apparently influence the content of a country’s curriculum. In Australia, the nature of the government system, efficiency drives, local policies, and international policies affect the curriculum content. A scrutiny of the Australian system of government reveals its foundation on liberal democratic tradition. The system bases on religious tolerance, respect for the rule of law and freedom of association and speech.
Since Australia was under the British Rule, it has a system that is similar to Britain. The Australian Government has to inculcate these aspects in their curriculum so that the citizens are at the forefront in defending the national values. Some of the key features of the Australian Government include a written constitution, a sovereign parliament, four principal political parties, and the frequent elections.
ACARA must inculcate all these aspects in the curriculum in order to produce citizens who are responsible and can adhere to the requirements of these features. The Government also has its projections and concerns for their flora and fauna; it is essential to include such parameter in the curriculum, as it requires a unitary approach to protect.
The Australian Curriculum has the nation’s symbols, coat of arms, the national anthem, and other national icons. Evidently, government systems and beliefs affect the nature of a county’s curriculum. The influence of politics in curriculum design and development, in Australia, is also evident through formation of numerous education committees and commissions (ACARA, 2011).
Although the compositions of these commissions have curriculum experts, they mostly have political connections. The commissions’ recommendations receive government support through the Ministry of Education and its agencies like ACARA in implementation.
The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) in Australia is one of the bodies that monitor the school education policies by contributing effectively to the national school debates (Smith & Lovat, 2003). This Committee appoints members to act as sponsors in the school committees or Board of Governors.
Moreover, the Australian Government controls the development process of its curriculum through its Ministry of Education; it devolves powers to all states and territories. Educational projects receive funds from the central government.
Australia’s Education Sector always takes the huge share of the national budget, which it uses in research and development, activities that determine the content of a curriculum. States provide facilities and equipment, instructors and teachers; all these parameters affect curriculum development.
International policies can affect the entire curriculum design and development process especially changes in policies on overseas studies. In UK, for example, such changes enable the country to develop a local curriculum that encompasses the needs of students in the 21st century thereby making it possible to meet the international educational standards.
Numerous researches receive government funding; this also reveals the political influence on the context of a curriculum. In addition, politicians do contribute to the nature of a curriculum; they always intend to include elements that favour their interests (Smith & Lovat, 2003). Unchecked political interventions that arise from non-educational sources can lower the quality of educational programmes.
Therefore, curriculum developers should be alert to prevent such instances from altering the expected goals of the curriculum. ACARA must intensively engage the political leaders on their needs and agendas that they expect to be in the curriculum. Australia is among the Asian nations like China and India, which are experiencing the drastic change in the economic growths.
These Asian tigers have prompted the Australian Government to inculcate initiatives that will enable them develop at the same rate as China, India and Japan (Australia in the Asian Century, n.d.). A curriculum should respond to the challenges in order to enhance the satisfaction of the rapidly changing needs in all sectors.
On the economic front, economic growth levels can affect what a country includes in its curriculum. For instance, a country with low Per Capita income will not include expensive learning based methods and content. People with low standard of living will not give due focus to education, but focuses on meeting the basic needs, which are food, clothing, and shelter.
An education system that requires involvement of parents through financial support will prove expensive to maintain; therefore, curriculum directors may opt to eliminate some content in order to enable all learners to receive the benefits of education (Australia in the Asian Century, n.d.).
Secondly, government funding on curriculum development depends on the economic growth of a country. A comparison of the UK’s curriculum to Somalia’s curriculum shows a vast difference on the content and expectations that the society expects from their children.
UK’s Curriculum Development Centre receives more funds and gears their curriculum towards innovation and sustainability while the Somali’s Curriculum developers still source for funds from donor nations. Its curriculum focuses on poverty alleviation, economic independence, and development. Additionally, a country’s economic activities will influence the nature of its curriculum.
Curriculum Directors must consider the economic activities of their countries in order to aid growth and sustainability. For instance, Japan as the third developing economy in the world focuses on vehicle assembling.
Its curriculum has to include vehicle assembling so that the learners become knowledgeable and skilled in this field. Clearly, the society will report continuous growth on the vehicle industry as its citizens will be well conversed with the whole techniques in the industry.
Moreover, there are contemporary issues that affect the curriculum design and development process. There are some diseases related to the lifestyle one chooses; for instance, the rate of infection communicable disease like cancer and cardiovascular disease has risen to 52%. With the current increase in cigarette smoking, death rates have also risen from 2.4 million to 4.3 million (Australia in the Asian Century, n.d.).
In addition, diabetes and obesity tend to rise with the nature of lifestyle that people adopt. Deloitte Access Economics study has forecast on the rise of obesity infection to 5% in the next 10 years. The lifestyle diseases make it necessary to alter the content of a curriculum to include healthy life practices.
The current ICT development has also affected the curriculum development process of many nations. Learning institutions are increasingly using computers to enable learners adapt easily to the technological environment. In the global business world, stakeholders transact through the internet; this necessitates an urgent need to update curriculums.
In addition, advancements in communication have enabled people to connect and access certain information that meet their needs. These channels of communication have made the world a global village; as a result, their inclusion in a country’s curriculum will improve the overall quality of the education system.
It has contributed to the organisational change of behaviour because of the faster connectivity in educational institutions (Brady & Kennedy, 2010). Technology has enabled students to study from any location in the world provided the location has internet connections.
This has resulted to an increased interest in learning, as it becomes the centre of learning. If students use laptops or mobile phones, they easily connect to the vast information thereby becoming updated.
On the other hand, the digital world enables a student to access information that can lead them into criminal activities. They access sophisticated online tools and information that spoils their morals, for example, pornographic films. Curriculum development teams should decide on the best technology and the mode of presentation that will improve the morals of learners.
This is worthwhile in planning and researching for future curriculum aimed at improving the quality of education. Curriculum development process also depends on social diversity and characteristics, as they influence various teaching methods and topics that the learners study.
In Australia, the Equity and Diversity Advisory Group provides expert advice to ACARA on designing a diverse curriculum, which takes care of gifted and talented students, disabled students and students from low economic backgrounds (ACARA, 2011). Curriculum directors should expect these issues when developing a curriculum.
References
ACARA. (2011). Student Diversity: ACARA. ACARA Home. Web.
ACARA. (2012). Curriculum Development Process Paper. ACARA Home. Web.
Australia in the Asian Century. (n.d.). Australia in the Asian Century. Web.
Brady, L., & Kennedy, K. (2010). Curriculum construction (4th ed.). Pearson Australia: Frenchs Forest.
Drake, S. (2007). Creating standards based integrated curriculum: aligning curriculum, content, assessment and instruction (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
Fogarty, R. (1997). Problem-based learning and other curriculum models for the multiple intelligence classroom. Melbourne: Hawker Brownlow Education.
McCarthy, B., & McCarthy, D. (2005). Teaching around the 4MAT Cycle: Designing Instruction for Diverse Learners with Diverse Learning Styles. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
MCEETYA. (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational goals for young Australians. Canberra: MCEETYA.
Skinner, D. (2010). Effective Teaching and Learning in Practice. London & New York: Continuum.
Smith, D., & Lovat, T. (2003). Curriculum: Action on Reflection (4th ed.). Wentworth: Social Science Press.
