Principles of Curriculum construction

Principles of Curriculum construction

Sidharth P

Principles of Curriculum construction

Principle of Keeping the aims

Principle of preparation for life

Principle of community centeredness

Principle of coordination and integration

Principle of individual difference and variety

Principle of child centeredness

Principle of totality of experience

Principle of conservation

Principle of creativity

Principle of forward looking

Principle of flexibility

Principle of utility

Principle of leisure

Principle of time allotment

Principle of renewal and reconstruction

Foundations of Curriculum construction

Foundations of Curriculum construction

When we develop a curriculum, we depend primarily
on ideas that stem from three major fields:
philosophy, sociology (with historical overtones) and
psychology.
An understanding of these fields is crucial to the study
of curriculum since they have traditionally been and
still are considered its foundations.

Philosophy involves an inquiry into the nature and
meaning of life including ideas about the nature of
human beings, social values and purpose of
education. One's perception of Philosophy largely
influences one's view of learners and of various
learning activities.

A study of sociology provides, among other things,
necessary clues about the characteristics of
contemporary life and the future in which the learners will lead the rest of their lives. These clues help to
make a curriculum socially relevant.

Psychology provides an indispensable base for
identifying the types of curricular arrangement that will
most benefit the learner's growth and development.

Philosophy and curriculum

• Based upon fundamental beliefs that arise from one's philosophy of education, curricular decisions involve consideration of several topics and issues.

• Precisely for this reason, we consider philosophy one of the major foundation areas in curriculum

• Studying philosophy helps us deal with our own personal systems of beliefs and values, i.e., the way we perceive the world around us and how we define what is important to us.

• As philosophical issues have always influenced society and institutions of learning, a study of the philosophy of education in terms of curriculum development is essential.

major philosophical positions

Idealism

• The doctrine of idealism suggests that matter is an illusion and that reality is that which exists mentally.

• It emphasises moral and spiritual reality as the chief explanation of the world and considers moral values absolute, timeless and universal.

• Obviously, teachers would act as role models of enduring values. And the school must be highly structured and ought to advocate only those ideas that demonstrate enduring values.

• The materials used for instruction, therefore, would centre around broad ideas particularly those contained in great works of literature and/or scriptures

major philosophical positions

Realism

• Proponents of realism view the world in terms of objects and matter.

• They believe that human behaviour is rational when it conforms to the laws of nature and is governed by social laws.

• 'Realists' consider education a matter of reality rather than speculation.

• The paramount responsibility of the teacher, then, is to impart to learners the knowledge about the world they live in.

• What scholars of variaus disciplines have discovered about the world constitutes this knowledge.

major philosophical positions

Pragmatism

• In contrast to the traditional philosophies, i.e., idealism and realism, pragmatism gives importance to change, processes and relativity, as it suggests that the value of an idea lies in its actual consequences.

• The actual consequences are related to those aims that focus on practical aspects in teaching and learning (Nash, 1995).

• According to pragmatists, learning occurs as the person engages in transacting with the environment.

• Basic to this interaction is the nature of change. In this sense, whatever values and ideas are upheld currently would be considered tentative since further social development must refine or change them.

major philosophical positions

Pragmatism

• Curriculum, according to the pragmatists, should be so planned that it teaches the learner how to think critically rather than what to think.

• Teaching should, therefore, be more exploratory in nature than explanatory.

• And, learning takes place in an active way as learners solve problems which help them widen the horizons of their knowledge and reconstruct their experiences in consonance with the changing world.

• The role of the teacher is not simply to disseminate information but to construct situations that involve both direct experience with the world of the learner and opportunities to understand these experiences.

major philosophical positions

Existentialism

• This doctrine emphasizes that there are no values outside human beings, and thus, suggests that human beings should have the freedom to make choices and then be responsible for the consequences of those choices.

• According to this philosophy, learners should be put into a number of choice-making situations, i.e., learners should be given freedom to choose what to study.

• It emphasizes that education must centre on the perceptions and feelings of the individual in order to facilitate understanding of personal reactions or responses to life situations.

• Individual learners should not be forced into pre-determined programmes of study.

• Whatever the learner feels he/she must learn should be respected and facilitated by the system.

major philosophical positions

Existentialism

• An existentialist curriculum, therefore, would consist of experiences and subjects that lend themselves to philosophical dialogue and acts of making choices, stressing self-expressive activities, experimentation and media that illustrate emotions and insights.

• The teacher, then, takes on a non-directive role.

• The tender is viewed as a partner in the process of learning. As a professional, the teacher serves as a resource facilitating the individual's search for personal meaning rather than imposing some predetermined values or interests on learners.

Educational philosophies

Perennialism

• It advocates the permanency of knowledge that has stood the test of time and values that have moral and spiritual bases.

• The underlying idea is that education is constant, absolute and universal.

• Obviously, "perennialism" in education is born of "idealism" in general philosophy.

• The curriculum of the perennialist is subject-centered. It draws heavily on defined disciplines or logically organised bodies of content.

• The teacher is viewed as an authority in a particular discipline and teaching is considered an art of imparting information and knowledge and stimulating discussion.

• In such a scheme of things, students are regarded as immature as they lack the judgement required to determine what should be studied, and also their interests demand little attention as far as curriculum development is concerned.

Educational philosophies

Perennialism

• There is usually only one common curriculum for all students with little room for elective subjects.

• According to this point of view putting some students through an academic curriculum and others through a vocational curriculum is to deny the latter genuine equality of educational opportunity.

• The teacher is viewed as an authority in a particular discipline and teaching is considered an art of imparting information and knowledge and stimulating discussion.

• Such views appeal to those educators who stress intellectual meritocracy.

• Their emphasis is on testing students, enforcing tougher academic standards/programmes, and identifying and encouraging talented students.

Educational philosophies

Progressivism

• This emerged as a protest against perennialist thinking in education.

• It was considered a contemporary reformist movement in educational, social and political affairs during the 1920's and 30's.

• According to progressivist thought, the skills and tools of learning include problem solving methods and scientific inquiry.

• In addition, learning experiences should include cooperative behaviour and self- discipline, both of which are important for democratic living.

• The curriculum, thus, was interdisciplinary in nature and the teacher was seen as a guide for students in their problem-solving and scientific projects.

Educational philosophies

Progressivism

Although the progressive movement in education encompassed many different theories and practices, it was united in its opposition to the following traditional attributes and practices:

• the authoritarian teacher

• excessive dependence on textbook methods;

• memorization of factual data and learning by excessive drilling;

• static aims and materials that reject the notion of a changing world;

• attempts to isolate education from individual experiences and social reality.

Educational philosophies

Essentialism

• According to this viewpoint, the main aims of the institution (be it a school or a college) get sidetracked, when, at the expense of cognitive needs, it attempts to pay greater attention to the social and psychological problems of students.

• he most notable achievements of the essentialists have been the widespread implementation of competency based programmes, the establishment of grade-level achievement standards, and the movement to reemphasize academic subjects in schools/colleges.

Educational philosophies

Essentialism

• This philosophy, rooted partly in idealism and partly in realism, evolved mainly as a critique of progressive thought in education.

• Yet, the proponents of essentialism do not totally reject progressive methods as they do believe that education should prepare the learner to adjust to a changing society.

• Thus, in essentialism learning should consist in mastering the subject matter that reflects currently available knowledge in various disciplines.

• Teachers play a highly directive role by disseminating information to students.

Educational philosophies

Reconstructionism

• It views education as a means of reconstructing society.

• The reconstructionists believe that as school/college is attended by virtually all youth, it must be used as a means to shape the attitudes and values of each generation.

• As a result, when the youth become adults they will share certain common values, and thus society will have reshaped itself.

• As for the curriculum, it must promote new social, economic and political education.

• The subject matter is to be used as a vehicle for studying social problems which must serve as the focus of the curriculum.

Educational philosophies

Reconstructionism

The following gives you a view of the reconstructionist programme of education:

• critical examination of the cultural heritage of a society as well as the entire civilization;

• scrutiny of controversial issues;

• commitment to bring about social and constructive change;

• cultivation of a planning-in-advance attitude that considers the realities of the world we live in;

• enhancement of cultural renewal and internationalism

Educational philosophies

Reconstructionism

• In general, the curriculum advocated by reconstructionists emphasizes the social sciences; history, political science, economics, sociology, psychology and philosophy not the pure sciences.

• The thrust is on developing individual self-realization and freedom through cognitive and intellectual activities, and thus, on liberating people from the restrictions, limitations and controls of society.

• The idea is that we have had enough of discipline-based education and narrow specialization, and that we don't need more specialists now, we need more "good" people if we want to survive.

Sociology and curriculum

Social change and the curriculum

• Growth of technology

• structure of the family

• cultural diversity.

Psychology and curriculum

Learning theories and curriculum

• behaviourist theories which deal with various aspects of stimulus-response and reinforcement schemes

• cognitivist theories which view the learner in relationship with the total environment

• phenomenology which emphasizes the affective domain of learning

  Basic human needs and curriculum

  • i) self-actualization

    ii) developmental tasks.

Stages of Curriculum construction

According to Hilda Taba, the steps followed in developing a curriculum is as
follows:

1.

Diagnosing needs

2.

Formulating specific objectives

3.

Selecting content

4.

Organising content

5.

Selecting learning experience

6.

Organising learning experience

7.

Evaluating

Step 1: Diagnosing Needs

Step 2: Formulating Specific Objectives
1. Concepts or ideas to be learned
2. Attitudes, sensitivities and feelings to be developed
3. Ways of thinking to be reinforced, strengthened or initiated
4.Habits and skills to be mastered

Step 3: Selecting Content
1. Selecting the topic
2. Selecting the basic ideas
3. Selecting the specific content

Step 4: Organising the Content
1. Sequential order

2. Concrete to abstract

3. Simple to complex

4. Known to unknown

5. Immediate to remote

6. Easy to difficult

Step 5 and 6: Selecting and Organizing learning Experiences

Step 7: Evaluating