TLS3003_L4 homework check_Yeung (2012)_SBCD

TLS3003_L4 homework check_Yeung (2012)_SBCD

Read Yeung (2012). “Curriculum Policy and Priorities in an Era of Change”, in Curriculum Change and Innovation (Ch. 3). Hong Kong University Press, and then answer the following questions.

School-based Curriculum Development (SBCD)

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following is NOT the rationale behind School-based Curriculum Development (SBCD) since the early 1980s?

There was…

• a. a call for a change in the curriculum development process from centralization toward decentralization

• b. an urge for the democratization of curriculum decision making and the development process

• c. a demand for teacher professionalization

• d. a modern call for the accountability and quality assurance in school development

• e. a deterioration of relationship between the schools and Education Bureau

Multiple Choice

2. Top-down approach of curriculum development (i.e. central authorities prepare the curriculum materials and teachers implement them) is criticized because…

• a. it is in many ways not sufficiently sensitive to social change or the needs of the students

• b. the curriculum materials provided by the government are mostly too difficult for the students

• c. there is anti-authority sentiment in the society

Multiple Choice

3. Which of the followings are the principles of SBCD?

^{(i) Schools are the center of curriculum development.}

^{(ii) The realization of the missions of schools requires the decentralization of curriculum decision making from central authorities.}

^{(iii) Teachers directly participate in the curriculum decision making.}

^{(iv) Teachers work in teams to develop school-based curriculum; thus, curriculum development is an internal process of collaborative team work.}

^{(v) In its ideal mode, it involves student participation.}

• a. (i), (iii), (iv)

• b. (i), (ii), (v)

• c. All of the above

Multiple Choice

4. What are the potential values of SBCD?

^{(i) Enhance the autonomy and professionalization of the school and its personnel}

^{(ii) Facilitates the democratization of educational policymaking (i.e. bottom-up)}

^{(iii) Helps schools become more responsive to the changing demands of society}

^{(iv) Empowers teachers with freedom and autonomy in the curriculum decision-making and development process}

^{(v) Involves the greater participation of other stakeholders (e.g. students, parents…) in the curriculum making and design process of a school}

• a. (i), (v)

• b. (ii), (iv), (v)

• c. All of the above

Multiple Choice

5. What are the difficulties/limitations of operating SBCD in HK?

^{(i) Teachers are too busy – occupied with trivial admin. matters, ed. innovations & reforms, professional development workshops, school evaluation & inspection...}

^{(ii) Cultural limitation - teachers perceive themselves as curriculum developers rather than implementers because of the top-down tradition & psychological habit.}

^{(iii) Mandated ownership - teachers perceive SBCD as a task handed to them by an authority figure.}

^{(iv) Limited funding – teachers have very limited funding sources to trail the SBCD.}

• a. (ii), (iv)

• b. (i), (ii), (iii)

• c. All of the above