Lecture 2: The Need for Curriculum

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From the course by Commonwealth Education Trust

Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Curriculum

129 ratings

Commonwealth Education Trust

Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Curriculum

129 ratings

The Foundations of Teaching for Learning programme is designed for teachers and educators of all abilities and backgrounds; from those who are new to the classroom and looking for development, to experienced teachers ready to reboot their skills for modern education. With dynamic lessons taught by established and respected professionals from across the Commonwealth, this eight course programme will see you develop and strengthen your skills in teaching, professionalism, assessment, and more. As you carry on through the programme, you will find yourself strengthening not only your professional skills, but your connection with colleagues across the globe. A professional development opportunity not to be missed. Curriculum is a framework for guiding teaching and learning. This course provides an opportunity for you to consider the relationship between the teacher, the learner and the curriculum. Enhance your course by joining the Commonwealth teaching community on our website, Facebook and Twitter.

From the lesson

Curriculum development

In this week we explore the fundamental issues of curriculum in greater depth, examining mechanisms that underpin the entire system of education in a country. The topics covered are: curriculum formulation, the need for curriculum, curriculum process, and administration of curriculum.

Lecture 1: Formulating the Curriculum7:44

Lecture 2: The Need for Curriculum7:18

Lecture 3: Curriculum Process8:20

Lecture 4: Management of the Curriculum5:56

Meet the Instructors

Associate Professor Suseela Malakolunthu
Director of the Leadership for Learning and Research Network
University of Malaya, Malaysia
Professor John MacBeath
Professor Emeritus
University of Cambridge, UK

Welcome again to the course on foundations of teaching for learning.

This is week two,

curriculum development, lecture two on need for curriculum.

Why do we need a curriculum?

This is an important question that it has been raised for a long long time.

And there are five different reasons being given mainly for the need of a curriculum.

The first one is the need for human capital development.

Human capital development for a country or for a society is so important because

it ensures the necessary workforce needed to mobilize the country.

And the second reason is social reconstruction.

We always want to reform our society,

make it better again and again over the period of time.

And at this point,

I would like to recall what DuBois said about social reconstruction.

He asserts that, "Schools should work to shape the experiences of the young,

so that instead of reproducing current habits,

better habits shall be formed and thus

the future adult society be an improvement on their own."

So this is another major reason,

used all the time for curriculum planning and development.

And the third reason why we need a curriculum

is very much based on the cultural reproduction aspect.

That is the transmission of existing cultural values and norms from generation

to generation and continuing the cultural experience and sustaining it across time.

There are so many good values that human beings have for example,

like tolerance or respecting the adults and sharing and caring.

All these values need to be continued.

So a school curriculum, for example,

a subject like Civics and Citizenship education helps to sustain these kind of values,

continue these kind of values.

And the next reason why we need a curriculum,

especially in this age, is for cultural diversity.

What does that mean?

We see more and more of multi-cultural society around the world and

we want people to learn to live together in a harmonious way.

A school curriculum can definitely help

students learn the different ways of living together,

adjusting, helping, and working together.

And the final one,

the reason for why we need a curriculum is self-actualization.

This is very much individual based.

Each child, each student has so much potential to offer.

So this curriculum will help them realize their own potential,

know what they have within themselves.

So these are the five different reasons why we need a curriculum.

And the next question comes,

whose purpose does it serve?

The curriculum is for whom now?

Is it for the government, the society, employers,

the school inspectors, school managers,

teachers, children or parents?

You may want to think about these different groups of people and see in

your context the curriculum that you have serves whose purpose.

And there are many stakeholders in the curriculum.

And here you can see the list given to you.

There's the Federal government,

we have Ministry of Education,

the society, institutions and industries,

communities and parents, and students.

And you can see, in the next list on your right-hand side,

you will see the different interests and needs for these each groups here.

And look at each point and see to what extent this is true in your context.

Federal government on national and human resource planning and development,

up to students and self-actualization,

see how it gets played out in your context.

And we're looking at schools and curriculum now.

Schools are varied and large in number

and how does this curriculum help in these schools?

There are four important aspects of curriculum.

As listed down in the slide,

look at it for a few moments and see to what extent this is true in your system.

Is it true that curriculum provides a source for common standards?

Does curriculum influence quality of schooling,

school activities and teaching and learning process?

Does curriculum make way for public examinations?

Does curriculum make human resource planning possible nationally?

Think about this and maybe during the pair and share time,

you may want to think deeper about this issue.

In addition to the benefits mentioned earlier,

there are also other benefits of a common curriculum.

Again, there are five important benefits listed down here,

and see whether these applies in your country

or in your school.

Now we have come to the section on think,

pair and share and here in group or with a peer of yours or a colleague of yours,

ask questions such as,

do we need a curriculum?

What answers would you give to students who ask that question?

What answers would you give to parents?

What would you see as the main purpose of a curriculum as a teacher?

Think about these four questions and discuss with your friends.

Thank you very much.

I shall see you in the next lecture.

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