DIMENTIONS OF CURRICULUR
APPROACHES
SUBMITTED TO-
RADHA TEACHER
SUBMITTED ON-
23/06/2014
SUBMITTED BY –
ASWINY .A
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CONTENT
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1.
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Introduction
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1
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2.
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Content
Development
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2
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3.
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Integrated Curriculum Approach
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2
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4.
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Spiral Curriculum Approach
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5.
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Concentric Curriculum Approach
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6.
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Topical and Unit Approach
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7.
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Subject centred approaches
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8.
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Conclusion
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9.
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Reference
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Introduction
Curriculum
crux of the whole educational process. Without curriculum we cannot conceive any educational endeavour.
School curriculum of a country ,like its constitutions reflects the ethos of
the country. The curriculum approaches is mainly done to help the students and to multitude of life’s
experience and the bits and pieces knowledge they gain from traditionally
departmentalised curriculum. The curriculum is systematically arrange so as to
facilitate meaningful and effective transaction. The content should be arrange
in a systematically.
There are
various methods of organising and arranging curriculum. The important
approaches are integrated curriculum approach , concentric curriculum approach,
spiral curriculum approach, topical approach, unit approach, subject centred
approach. The curriculum approach is successful in making students more aware
of content area connection, challenging students, providing a learning
environment.
Content developments
Integrated curriculum
Integrated curriculum adopts a
student centred approach, by nature of it’s definition,it moves further away
from modernist view point.With an integrated curriculum,a “right” way to
complete a task doesnot exist.Students are free to reach conclusions on their
own and they are provided with many different perspective,
Integrated
curriculum is important to understand that curriculum integration is an idea
that has a strong historical background.
Disciplines were created in an attempt to organise the world around them;
sometimes this was motivated by political means. Educational reform has roots
dating as far back as progressive era. The philosophy behind educational reform
during the progressive era centered around an emphasis on student creativity
applicable outcomes“ natural” learning, and student experience. This belief
system has been the fundamental base for integrated curriculum. Supporters of
the progressive educational reforms belived that the different disciplines
prevented students from making connections between the different subjects.
Therefore the relevance of the material decreased.
Components of integrated curriculum
·
Focuses
on basic skills, content and higher level thinking.
·
Encourage
life long learning.
·
Structures
learning around thems, big ideas and meaningful concepts.
·
Provides
connections among various curriculum disciplines.
·
Provide
learners opportunities to apply skills they have learned.
·
Encourages
active participation in relevant real life experience.
·
Motivates
captivates and challenges learner.
·
Provides
a deeper understanding of content.
·
Offers
opportunities for more small group and industrialized instructions.
·
Accommodates
a variety of learning styles/theories.
WHY DO SCHOOLS ADOPT INTEGRATED CURRICULUM ?
As educators we are constantly
searching for a new ways to help students make sense of the multitude of life’s
experience and the bits and pieces of knowledge they gain from a traditionally departmentalized
curriculum. Students today continues to move from one discipline to next
forcing the information to be disconnected to any thing that resembles real
life situations. To lighten some of the fragmentation our students and teachers
experience, holistic and integrated curriculums are being proposed and adopted
by many school districts. A major driving force behind integrated teaching and
learning is the belief that when themes, subjects or projects are combined
students begin to see meaningful connections between the subject matter.
Material then serves a vehicle for learning rather than simply pieces of
informations. In addition to this, repetition of materials from one subject to
the next is essentially eliminated.
How does an integrated curriculum impact our students?
Integrated curriculum adopts a
student-centered approach, by nature of its definition, it moves further way
from the modernist view point. With an integrated curriculum, a “right” way to
complete a task doesn’t exist. Students are free to reach conclusions on their
own and they are provided with many different perspectives, affording students
the opportunity to question the conclusions of their teachers.
How does an integrated curriculum help to promote the development of
culture and community with in the classroom?
The teachers of the integrated
curriculum view their course as an opportunity for students to gain a deeper
understanding of our society, the history and their ability to recognize and
appreciate diversity is expanded. “It is simply not enough for our students to
read a variety of works; students need to discover the connections between
them”. Students apply a wide range of stategies to comprehend, interpret and
evaluate material. They draw upon their own experience and intractions to make
meaning of the informations they are provide. For example, using the social
studies /languages. Arts combination for an integrated curriculum students
develop a resoect for diversity in language used, pattern and dialects across
cultures, ethnic groups and geographical region.
Concentric
curriculum
The whole curriculum is spread over
a number of years. A general treatment of
all most all the topics are
attempted at the beginning and it developed successive years according to the mental development of
the pupils. In the beginning of course all aspects is given to the pupil in a simplified way. In
the next year more and more details of it parts are added. It follows maxims of
teaching, such as from whole to part, simple to complex, easy to only poicult. etc. among educationist of
modern times, Bruner is the main exponent of
this approach as he thinks that discovery learning is possible
only of this approach is maintained. Some times this approach is
approach is reffered to as concentric approach. But the term ‘spiral approach’
is preffered to other. The term spiral gives the additional implication that while attempting gradiation the linkage
too is taken care of and the continuity of the topic concerned is never broken.
While conceiving it as concentric only
the widening of the scope is indicated but the linkage is not taken care of.
Topical and unit approaches
Every subjects of study involves a
number of topics. A topics is a
comprehensive collection of related learning materials pertaining to specific
area of the subject systematically and sequentially arranged so as to get
holistic picture those aspects. There are a large number of concepts,
principles, processes, and skills associated with this area, which act as
related parts of ‘whole’. Since these aspects are inter related and maintain
certain logical sequences and correlations. It is often advised that the topic
should be thoroughly dealt with and mastered with before passing on to the
other topic. This is known as the topical approach in curriculum. A topic may
be so complex and might include a large number of items varied difficulty. It is advisable not to cover all at the very
first instance. A spiral approaches may be adopted and study of the topic
may be distributed over a h distributed time span. For this, the topic
may be divided in to number of units. Though a unit may be only a part of the
same topic it can be given a holistic unity by properly linking the closely
knit idea involved. Taking fundamental units of the topic first and then
gradually taking other units one by one in due course will make more
psychological and hence sound. This approach in curriculum planning is said to
be ‘ unit approach’.
Generally speaking,
when a topic is complex and very large
and involve units posing varied levels of difficulty it will be advisable to
have the unit approach. Only thing is that care should be taken to
effectively linked all the units of the
same topic as and when opportunities arise.
Subject centred curriculum
A subject centred curriculum is a
basis for instruction that focuses on
the course being taught, each one separately from the other. This traditional
method of teaching concentrate on the subject per class period or block of time
with little or no carry over in to other subject.
Various approaches to curriculum exist, and the popularity of each
seem to be and flow with time. A subject cantered curriculum has been around
since the early days of liberal arts education. It stresses student mastery of
a prescribed amount of material .This type of curriculum is standard based and
teacher focused. Text books are commonly for instruction, and tests evaluate
student learning and mastery. Material is based primarily on facts rather than
on investigation. Students learn more about what is or was then about the
reason behind the facts.
A
variation of the subject cantered curriculum is
the discipline centred curriculum, which
allows some blending of subject matter. A typical modern day example of a disciple centred model calls for the use
technology within many traditional
classes. Another example is having
students relate the literature of a certain time period to the
historical event of the day. subject remain the central point of the class, but
there is a border focus. The subject centred curriculum has lost popularity
lost 20th and early 21st
centuries in favour of a more learner
centred approach.
Conclusion
The integrated curriculum
approach is successful in making students more aware of content area
connections, challenging students, providing a learning environment supporting
academic and social needs, dissolving the boundaries among disciplines, and
fostering stronger students / teachers relationships. Students participating in
a curriculum have demonstrated a more positive attitude about themselves and
schools. Similarly, teachers are provided with a new opportunity to work
together, increasing collegiality. The curriculum as an instrument enable students, teachers, parents and the
school staff to attain their goals. It is human nature to make connections with
the things we know or have personally experienced.
REFERENCE
·
cuip.uchicago.edu
, www.ils.unc.edu
·
Dr.
K Shivarajan ; Science Education methodology of teaching and pedagogic
analysis; Calicut
University
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