CURRICULUM-FUNCTIONS AND PRINCIPLES
INTRODUCTION
Curriculam is an important element of
education. Aims of education are reflected in the curriculam. In other wards,
the curriculam is determined by the aims of life and society. Aims of life and
society are subject to constant change. The aims of education are attained by
the school programmes, concerning knowledge, experiences, activities, skills
and values. The different school programmes are jointly known as curriculam.
The traditional curriculam was subject-centered while the modem curriculam is
child and life-centered.
According
to the history of education, the term ‘curriculum’ was originally related to
the concept of a course of studies followed by a pupil in a teaching
institution. The term ‘curriculum’ is derived from Latin word ‘currere’ which
means a ‘race course’ or a runaway on which one runs to reach a goal.
Accordingly, a curriculum is the instructional and educative programme by
following which the pupils achieve their goals, ideals and aspirations of life.
In recent decades, the concept of curriculum has evolved and gained in
importance. Increasingly, it is used universally within the framework of
globalization, the theory of pedagogy and the sociology of education. At the
same time, the concept acquired such an importance that since the 1990s certain
authors underscored the risk of an invading epistemology (i.e. the concept
being used to indicate all dimensions of the educational process, without allowing
any differentiated analytical approach to its complexity).
In fact, the term curriculum is mostly
used to refer to the existing contract between society, the State and
educational professionals with regard to the educational experiences that
learners should undergo during a certain phase of their lives. For the majority
of authors and experts, the curriculum defines: (i) why; (ii) what; (iii) when;
(iv) where; (v) how; and (vi) with whom to learn.
CURRICULUMDEVELOPMENT
PROCESS
The curriculum development processes can be defined through four
phases:
(i) the
curriculum presented to teachers;
(ii) the
curriculum adopted by teachers;
(iii)
the curriculum assimilated by learners; and
(iv)
the evaluated curriculum.
In this cases, the curriculum
development process proceeds from the top downwards. The most usual term to
indicate this type of process is the English expression “top-down”. In this
case, The majority of centralized countries follow this type of curriculum
development process. Eg. India.
In some other
cases, the curriculum development process proceeds from the bottom upwards (a
“bottom-up” process). In this case as well, four different phases can be
identified:
(i) what the
society or the parents want;
(ii) responses
provided by teachers in the schools;
(iii) the
collection of these responses and the effort to modify aspects; and
(iv) the
development of common standards and their evaluation.
The majority of
decentralized countries follow this type of curriculum development process or
processes, which are carried out in each school in the context of its
community, but without necessarily taking into consideration the developments
adopted by other schools or institutions.
New approach of Curriculum development
The current trend is to promote networked curriculum development
with several interactions (top-down and bottom-up), while trying to take into
account the needs—not only the educational requirements—and to rebuild the way
of conceptualizing reality and education systems, in order that political
authorities are no longer found at the top, but in the centre of curriculum
development dynamics. These authorities thus become stimulating bodies that
promote multiple interactions between teaching institutions and society,
jointly defining the meaning, the knowledge, the methods and the spaces of
education.
There are several
groups working on the curriculum. Nevertheless, comparative studies on the
curriculum are not yet abundant. The discipline “comparative education” has
rather dealt with issues such as the definition of educational policies,
education system structures and trends of schooling worldwide. In recent years,
however, a need for more comparative research in the field of the curriculum
has come to the fore. Indeed, in recent years, various comparative research
projects on students’ learning achievements have been carried out, especially
in the most advanced countries of the world. These research programmes could be
considered as producing an “international evaluated curriculum”, although this
issue has not set off much reaction among the international community.
On the other hand,
the gathering and analysis of information on the curriculum offered to teachers
and as taught in educational institutions is not sufficiently developed. To
meet existing needs in terms of information, especially for better promoting
education to live together in an increasingly interdependent world, UNESCO’s
International Bureau of Education (www.ibe.unesco.org), based in Geneva, has
received a new mission. Within the framework of this mission, the IBE is one of
the sources giving access to information about curricula in the contemporary
world and contributing to comparative education.
DETERMINANTS
OF CURRICULUM CONSTRUCTION
PHILOSOPHICAL
- · Principle of Philosophy of Education.
- · National Goals.
- · School of thought.
- · Idealism.
- · Naturalism.
- · Pragmatism
- · Existentialism
PSYCHOLOGICAL
- · Capacities
- · Interest,
- · Attitude of the children.
- · Learning theories
- · Personality
- · Mental Health.
SOCIOLOGICAL
- · Curriculum –
- · Nature of Family,
- · Goals of Nation,
- · Social Needs,
- · Social Evils,
- · Social Problems.
POLITICAL
- · Democracy –
- · Equality,
- · Liberty,
- · Fraternity
SCIENTIFIC
- · Science & Technology
- · Information & Technology
HISTORICAL
- · Country’s Historical background
- · Culture
- · Tradition
ENVIRONMENTAL
- · Pollution
- · Earthquake
- · Ozone Layer depletion
PRINCIPLES
OF CURRICULUM CONSTRUCTION
The Principle of Curriculum construction emphasized
by John Dewey. They are:
·
Principle
of Utility - Subjects included in the curriculum should be useful in solving problems
and facingsituations in life. Eg – health and hygiene.
·
Principle
of Flexibility – It should be flexible and not pre- determined and rigid.
Changes could be accommodated based on child’s interests
·
Principle
of Child- Centeredness: Child is the focus of education, content should be
based on his/her interest and ability. Eg: primary , secondary etc.
·
Principle
of Life- Centeredness: Subjects and activities should be related to life. Eg:
Bank transactions.
·
Principle
of Community- Centeredness: A dominant role in community development. Eg:
values of cooperative action.
·
Principle
of Correlation: Cannot be isolated from one another bringing in ARD.
·
Principle
of Activity- Centeredness: Purposeful activity and actual life experiences.
According
to Secondary Education Commission
·
Principle
of totality of experience: Includes all experiences that achieve the physical,
mental, social andemotional development of the child.
·
Principle
of variety and elasticity: Learning experiences should be based to the
diversity of interests, levelsof intellectual development and various talents
and aptitude.
·
Principle
of core subjects: Include some common subjects like Languages, Science and
Social Studies.
·
Principle
of linking with community life: Community Life and interaction with community
eg: socialservice, school camps.
·
Principle
for the use of leisure: Education for leisure develops creativity, aesthetic
sense and developvocational skills.
·
Principle
of inter-relation of subjects: Correlation of subjects and suggests an inter-disciplinary
approach.
·
Principle
of Need-based activity: Cater to the needs of society and provide the man-power
for social andeconomic development.
·
Conservative
Principle: Conservation of cultural heritage, monuments, natural resources and
wildlifethrough various subjects and co- curricular activities.
·
Principle of creative training:
Stimulates and develops the creative
abilities of the pupils
FUNCTIONS OF
CURRICULUM
A
curriculum is said to have the following functions
1.Synthesis of
the subjects of study and life
The
primary aim of the curriculum is to provide the educands those subjects of
study which will enable them to bridge the gap between school life and life
outside the school.
2.Acquisition and strengthening of
knowledge
Acquisition
of relevant knowledge in various subjects may be considered as the most
fundamental requirement for making the above synthesis possible.Hence it should
be considered as a primary function served by the curriculum.By providing and
integrating the various fields,the
cognitive structure gets strengthened.
3.Complete development
The
aim of education is to achieve the physical, mental,social,moral,religious and
spiritual developments of the educand.The curriculum aims at making such a
completedevelopment possible
4.Development of democratic values
The curriculum of education is meant
to develop values of liberty,equality,and fraternity,so that the educands may
develop into worthy citizens of a democratic country.Special emphasis is laid
on the development of values such as tolerance,respect for
others,co-operation,we-feeling andcivic sense.This development aims not only at
creationof national outlook but also at introducing a spirit of
internationalism.
5.Satisfaction of educand’s needs
It
is seen that a great variety of interests,skill,attitude,aptitude,etc; are
possessed by the educands. A curriculum can satisfy these multifarious needs
and requirements of the educand.
6.Realization of values
The
ultimate aim of education is the development of character and what is required
for this is to helpthe educand internalize various desirable values.Hence,one
of the functions served by the curriculum is enabling the educand build up a
desirable value system.
7.Harmony between individual and
society
The
success of democracy depends upon the efficiency of the individuals as revealed
in their personal life as well as social life.The society has to look
after individual while the individual
has to contribute to the development of the society.Hence,creation of an
environment which enables the individual to achieve as well as social
efficiency leading to the betterment of the society is another function served
by the curriculum.
8.Creation of suitable environment
Whether
all the aspects described above would be realized depends on the efficiency of
the learning environment provided.Such an environment must assist the educand
in achieving the maximum possible development of his intellect,emotions,and
skills.Hence,creation of environmental conditions appropriate for each
situation is a very important function served by the curriculum for
developmental education.
CURRICULAR GOALS
Curricular goals
are the general, long-term educational outcomes that the school system expects
to achieve through its curriculum. Three critical elements are included in this
definition.
First, goals are
stated much more generally than objectives. Thus, one goal for English language
arts might be “Learn to communicate ideas through writing and speaking.” One objective
for fifth-grade language arts would be much more specific: “Write a letter,
with appropriate business-letter form, suggesting a community improvement.”
Second, goals are long-term, not
short-term, outcomes. The school system hopes that after 12 years of formal
schooling, its students will have achieved the goals the system has set.
Finally, curricular goals
are those outcomes the school system hopes to achieve through its curriculum.
Here, it is important to make a distinction between educational goals and
curricular goals. Educational
goals are the long-term outcomes that the school system expects to accomplish
through the entire educational process over which it has control, as Brown
(2006) found from a survey conducted with educators, parents, and employers as
to what type of skills they believed students should be developing. The
following is a prioritized list of survey responses:
1. Critical-thinking skills
2. Problem-solving strategies and effective decision-making skills
3. Creative-thinking processes
4. Effective oral and written communication skills
5. Basic reading, mathematics, and writing abilities
6. Knowledge of when and how to use research to solve problems
7. Effective interpersonal skills
8. Technology skills
9. Knowledge of good health and hygiene habits
10. Acceptance and understanding of diverse cultures and
ethnicities
11. Knowledge of how to effectively manage money
12. Willingness, strategies, and ability to continue learning
CONCLUSION
The present assignment defines the concept of curriculum and standards,
describes the contrasting nature of curriculum components, and analyzes the
meaning of curriculum to provide some fundamental concepts essential for
understanding the comprehensive field of curriculum followed by process of
curriculum development, determinants and principles of its construction, functions
and goals.
The current trend
is to promote networked curriculum development with several interactions
(top-down and bottom-up), while trying to take into account the needs—not only
the educational requirements—and to rebuild the way of conceptualizing reality
and education systems, in order that political authorities are no longer found
at the top, but in the centre of curriculum development dynamics. These
authorities thus become stimulating bodies that promote multiple interactions
between teaching institutions and society, jointly defining the meaning, the
knowledge, the methods and the spaces of education.
REFERENCES:
Bryk,
A. S. (2010). Organizing schools for improvement. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(7), 23–30.
Benavot, A. (2002). Curricular content and
(desirable) societal outcomes: perspectives
and questions from comparative
educational research. Prospects
(Dordrecht,), vol. 32, 1
Teaching
for Change ,http://www.teachingforchange.org/
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