Curriculum

What Should be learned?

Beverly Grace C. Oblina

MA-TESL

What is curriculum?

Curriculum is a design PLAN for

learning that requires the purposeful and

proactive organization, sequencing, and

management of the interactions among

the teacher, the students, and the content

knowledge we want students to acquire.

•Outcome-Based Education

•Core Curriculum

•Whole language

•Character Education

•Multiculturalism

•Tech-Prep

•Paideia

Definition

- In outcome-based learning, all school programs

and instructional efforts are designed to have

produced specific, lasting results in students by

the time they leave school.

04/01/2012

Gift 2012 by Dr P H Waghodekar,

Aurangabad 5

Outcome-Based Education (OBE)

• OBE is an educational process that focuses on what

students can do or the qualities they should develop after

they are taught.

• OBE involves the restructuring of curriculum, assessment

and reporting practices in education to reflect the

achievement of high order learning and mastery rather than

accumulation of course credits.

• Both structures and curricula are designed to achieve those

capabilities or qualities.

• Discourages traditional education approaches based on

direct instruction of facts and standard methods.

• It requires that the students demonstrate that they have

learnt the required skills and content.

04/01/2012

Gift 2012 by Dr P H Waghodekar,

Aurangabad 6

Focus and Benefits of OBE

OBE addresses the following key questions:

• What do we want the students to have or be able to do?

• How can we best help students achieve it?

• How will we know whether they students have achieved it?

• How do we close the loop for further improvement

(Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI))?

Benefits of OBE:

1. More directed & coherent curriculum.

2. Graduates will be more “relevant” to industry & other

stakeholders (more well rounded graduates)

3. Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) is in place.

7

Expectations on Students under

OBE – the Outcomes

• Students are expected to be able to do more challenging

tasks other than memorize and reproduce what was taught.

• Students should be able to: write project proposals,

complete projects, analyze case studies, give case

presentations, show their abilities to think, question,

research, and make decisions based on the findings.

• Be more creative, able to analyze and synthesize

information.

• Able to plan and organize tasks, able to work in a team as a

community or in entrepreneurial service teams to propose

solutions to problems and market their solutions.

Definition

- In a core curriculum, a predetermined body of

skills, knowledge, and abilities is taught to all

students.

Discussion

- The core curriculum movement assumes there

is a uniform body of knowledge that all

students should know. Presumably, this

curriculum will produce educated and

responsible graduates for the community.

Curriculum--The curriculum is built on a

mandated core, which is defined and

designed outside the classroom. All

students learn a common set of

knowledge, skills, and abilities. Though

academic content remains the primary

focus of the core curriculum, some core

teaching is moving toward application and

problem solving.

Core Curriculum

Instruction--Instruction is based on a

defined core content. Rather than

focusing on discovery, teaching

revolves around imparting a

predetermined body of knowledge.

Although the core curriculum method

does not preclude using critical

thinking, problem solving, and team

learning, it prompts teaching toward

the "correct" answer.

Core Curriculum

Assessment--The core content literally shapes the assessment process. The core curriculum method easily lends itself to traditional testing based on information recall, as well as the use of conventional letter grades. However, a core curriculum doesn't preclude the use of authentic assessment and portfolios.

Core Curriculum

Definition

This philosophy about

curriculum--in both language arts

and a broader, more general

program--is based on recent

research of how children acquire

oral and written language skills.

Whole language is a currently controversial approach to teaching reading that is based on constructivist learning theory and ethnographic studies of students in classrooms. With whole language, teachers are expected to provide a literacy rich environment for their students and to combine speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Whole language teachers emphasize the meaning of texts over the sounds of letters, and phonics instruction becomes just one component of the whole language classroom.

Constructivist learning theory is based on the idea that children learn by connecting new knowledge to previously learned knowledge. The term is a building metaphor that includes students using scaffolding to organize new information. If children cannot connect new knowledge to old knowledge in a meaningful way, they may with difficulty memorize it (rote learning), but they will not have a real understanding of what they are learning.

Whole language is considered a "top down"

approach where the reader constructs a personal

meaning for a text based on using their prior

knowledge to interpret the meaning of what they

are reading. Problems associated with whole

language include a lack of structure that has been

traditionally supplied by the scope and sequence,

lessons and activities, and extensive graded

literature found in basal readers. Whole language

puts a heavy burden on teachers to develop their

own curriculum.

Whole Language

The Whole Language movement is not a teaching method but an approach to learning that sees language as a whole entity. Each language teacher is free to implement the approach according to the needs of particular class. Advantages claimed for Whole Language are as follows: focuses on experiences and activities that are relevant to Ss’ lives and needs, use of authentic materials, it can be used to facilitate the development of all aspects of an L2. Whole Language promotes fluency at the expense of accuracy.

DefinitionThis curriculum method revolves around developing "good character" in students by practicing and teaching moral values and decision making.

Educators from this diverse array of schools have transformed their school cultures, reduced discipline referrals, increased academic achievement for all learners, developed global citizens, and improved job satisfaction and retention among teachers.

Character education includes and complements a broad range of educational approaches such as whole child education, service learning, social-emotional learning, and civic education. All share a commitment to helping young people become responsible, caring, and contributing citizens.

Character education teaches students to understand, commit to, and act on shared ethical values--in other words, "know the good, desire the good, and do the good." Typical core values include respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring, and community participation.

Character Education

To be effective in schools, character

education must involve everyone—school

staff, parents, students, and community

members—and be part of every school day.

It must be integrated into the curriculum as well

as school culture. When this happens and

school communities unite around developing

character, schools see amazing results.

Definition

Multiculturalism is based on the belief that varying

cultural dynamics are the fourth force--along with the

psychodynamic, behavioral, and humanistic forces--

explaining human behavior. Since the ability to

recognize our own and others' cultural lenses is

essential to all learning, it must be taught, along with

communication and thinking skills, as prerequisites to

learning.

Basic Elements

The National Council for Social Studies, in its

Curriculum Guidelines for Multicultural Education,

lists the key functions of multicultural education as:

Providing students with a sharp sense of self

Helping students understand the experience of

ethnic and cultural groups in history

Helping students understand that conflict between

ideals and reality exist in every human society

Helping students develop decision-making, social

participation, and citizenship skills

Achieving full literacy in at least two languages

"Multicultural" is broadly understood to include

experiences shaping perceptions common to age,

gender, religion, socio-economic status, and

exceptionality of any kind, as well as cultural,

linguistic, and racial identities.

This controversial approach has stirred

passionate critics, who contend that it aims to

replace "Eurocentrism" with "othercentrisms."

Critics also allege that multiculturalism hinders the

assimilation of various cultures into America's

greatest hallmark: the melting pot.

Definition

Tech prep is most traditionally and frequently

defined as a four-year program (during grades

11-14) that leads to an associate degree or two-

year certificate in a specific career field. This

curriculum includes a common core of required

mathematics, science communications, and

technologies that is integrated, applied, and

sequenced.

There is a strong consensus that American schools have generally ignored the average student: the middle 50% of teenagers who complete high school, but do not attend four-year colleges, universities, or graduate schools. These students are no longer prepared to enter today's changed workforce, which demands workers who can think, problem solve, work in teams, and apply knowledge. The tech prep curriculum was designed as the instructional strategy for preparing such students to work in a labor market that requires more technical skills.

Curriculum--High schools and community colleges coordinate the tech prep curriculum together, eliminating duplication and ensuring skills are acquired in the best possible sequence. Critics of tech prep programs maintain that neither the curriculum in the high school nor the community college has changed to reflect the issues and problems of today's workplace. Predominantly, the focus is on teaching math, science, and communication for both application and contextual purposes.

Instruction--Tech prep instruction is still

classroom-oriented. Most of the occupational

skills are taught in the laboratory setting. There

is a strong push to try integrating what happens

in the academic classroom with activities in the

occupational labs.

Assessment:--In the occupational labs, we see

a greater use of assessing work samples and

projects than in traditional classes. However,

there is still a heavy reliance on traditional tests

and grades. The drawback of this is that

although tech prep prepares students for the

job market, it may not prepare them for the lack

of traditional assessment in the workplace--in

other words, employers don't rate employee

performances with letter grades and test

scores.

Definition

This "essentialist" curriculum created in

1982 by Mortimer Adler and The Paideia

Group proposes a single, required, 12-

year course in general, humanistic

learning as a foundation for the future

learning of all students.

Basic Elements

The Paideia plan is built on the understanding that

education serves to prepare individuals for (1)

earning a living, (2) citizenship, and (3) self-

development. With that in mind, here is the plan's

proposed framework:

GOALS

Acquisition of organized knowledge

Development of intellectual skills (learning skills)

Enlarged understanding of ideas and values

MEANS

Didactic instruction

Coaching, exercises, supervised practice

Socratic questioning and active participation

AREAS

Language, literature, fine arts, math, natural science, history, geography, social studies

Speaking, listening, calculating, problem solving, critical judgment

Discussion of books (not texts) and art performances

Theodore Sizer of the Paideia Group insists that Paideia is not a detailed curriculum for deliberate reasons. The Paideia Group believes that only the teachers and principals who can change education should design a specific curriculum blueprint. Instead, the Paideia plan provides a framework and process for "crafting the critical details of the program in ways appropriate to their own communities."

Designing a curriculum involves the interaction of several participants, reaching beyond the academic wall to impact the entire community. Without an effective curriculum, students would not be able to understand or meet the challenges of society. A curriculum prepares an individual with the knowledge to be successful, confident and responsible citizens.

Reference:

http://edglossary.org/core-course-of-study/

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may93/vol50/num08/The-Core-Knowledge-Curriculum%E2%80%94What's-Behind-Its-Success%C2%A2.aspx

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/jar/Reading_Wars.html

http://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/character-education-programs

http://character.org/key-topics/what-is-character-education/

Educational Leadership (March 1984): Dennis Gray, "Whatever Became of Paideia? (And How Do You Pronounce It?), p. 56-57. Daniel Tanner, "The American High School at the Crossroads," p. 4-13.

Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives,

Banks, J.A. and Banks, C.M. (Eds). Boston: Allyn

& Bacon.

"Character Education," Education Leadership,

November, 1993.