Curriculum Development - Assignment Example

Curriculum Development MAIN FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM Philosophical Foundation. This foundation involves the elements philosophy which affects the selection of the content and purposes of the schools (Golen, 1982). Since philosophy is “concerned with clarification of concepts and propositions in which our experience and activities are intelligible,” it enables curriculum developers to understand individual’s thinking and conduct (Print, 1993). Philosophy is a body of beliefs and principles which attempts to understand life and universe as a whole. It is valuable in curriculum making as it is at the core of any educational system especially in setting the goals of educational endeavor. Philosophical theories in particular help in controlling the organization and content of the curriculum. Realism for instance asserts that the aim of education is primarily to teach values and things which will lead to the good life, which is however “equated with one which is in tune with the overarching order of natural law” (Marshall, as cited in Golen, 1982). Realistic philosophy thus emphasizes learning through direct study of nature via the aid of teachers. Thus, it has led to the continuous development of instructional methods that is suited to this kind of learning such as lecture, sensory experiments, and demonstrations, stressing the cultivation of logic and rational thoughts. Another theory is called pragmatism, which is founded on the principle that change is the principal characteristic of life. It has resulted to a curriculum that is learner-centered, wherein experiences are primordial in the educational process. Social Foundation. This foundation could be defined as influences that are present in society and culture. It is concerned with the impact of forces and institutions that comprise the school program’s culture. These are elements which create a greatest impact in the curriculum developer’s way of thinking as they always think and act within the society they live. In other words, the content, objectives and methods of the devised curriculum shall reflect the social or cultural background of the developers (Print, 1993). Society and culture are the shapers of education since curriculum makers takes into account the social setting, culture, the relationship between society and education, and the social implications of knowledge and change (Ritz, 2006). It must be noted that curriculum development are centered on attaining educational goals that are in harmony with broad cultural and societal goals. The social behavior reflects the nature of education taught simply because developers are members of a particular society. In other words, social and cultural traits influence the selection and organization of curriculum content and goals. Psychological Foundation. It refers to psychological factors which are sources of understanding such as learning theories, motivation strategies, individual differences, personality, teaching styles, cognitive development, learning styles, etc. These factors influence developers in grasping and choosing learning or teaching experiences, evaluating student and teacher performance, and the overall curriculum decision-making (Print, 1993, p. 45). Since psychology explains the learning process, ideas on how students learn will influence the shaping of curriculum taking into consideration the student differences and learning styles. Understanding the theories of learning affects the teaching-learning relationship and the overall behavior of students. Curriculum is also continuously revised in light of new information derived from these theories. Curriculum-development thus endeavors to harmonize these learning concepts and psychological theories especially since learning itself is the objective of education. Historical Foundation. Recognizing that all human actions occur within time and context, this refers to the foundation that gives awareness of the history of educational programs, particularly of “changes of attitudes toward a curriculum and instruction that fall into the realm of sociology of knowledge” (Sawyer, 2004, p. 46). Awareness of historical aspects of learning programs gives the developer “multiplicity of views and a realization of and an appreciation for the complexity of interpretations” (Ornstein & Hunkeins, as cited in Sawyer, 2004, p. 46). Knowledge Foundation. This refers to the levels of knowledge that helps in facilitating integration in curriculum. These levels include facts, principles, concepts, generalizations, methods, criteria and processes which are important in determining sequence in curriculum content (Chatterjee, 1994). Knowledge is one of the chief source of curriculum. They assist in the integration of curriculum based on the meaningful categories of contents of knowledge that are to be used in teaching. DOMAINS OF CURRICULUM CONTENT Cognitive Domain. The cognitive domain of the curriculum content refers to the development of intellectual abilities, which involves recognizing facts, concepts, procedural patterns and principles. Educational objectives in this domain comprise behaviors and performances that utilize knowledge of certain information such as terminology, conventions, trends, specific facts, methodology, classification, generalizations, principles and theories. In relation to content, which is the actual information that should be learned, there are four categories of content in “component display theory: facts, concepts, procedures, and principles.” Facts refer to “logically associated pieces of information” like dates, names, and events. Concepts are abstract ideas that were developed through study and experience. They form a large portion of language integral to communication. Examples of concepts include events, symbols, and objects sharing characteristics and name. Procedures are series of ordered steps, which are arranged to accomplish goals and solve a particular problem (i.e, methods and skills in solving math problems, techniques in painting). Lastly, principles predict and explain the reasons for particular occurrences or why something happens in a specific manner such as knowledge about the cause-effect of global warming or drought, or relationships between crime and drugs (Merrill, 1994). Psychomotor Domain. The psychomotor domain of the curriculum content refers to the competencies in physical or occupational performances. The objectives in this domain are concerned with motor skills and processes. The task requires proficient use of tools, objects, machinery or equipment. Dave exemplified the skills and processes used in this domain namely: (1) imitation, which refers to patterning one’s behavior after another person (i.e., copying somebody’s work); (2) manipulation, which is performing actions after practicing and following instructions (i.e., creating something after studying or reading about it); (3) precision, that is the skill of being more exact and refined (i.e., continuous reworking of a project to avoid any errors); (4) articulation, which refers to attaining consistency and harmony (i.e., creating a film involving a coordination of drama, music, color and sound); and (5) naturalization, which includes becoming naturally skilled on something without too much effort (i.e., Tiger Woods prowess in golf) (“Bloom’s taxonomy,” 2009). Affective Domain. The affective domain of curriculum content is focused on attitudes, feelings, and emotions. This helps trainers in identifying aspects of instruction that enable learners achieve understanding on a personal and social level. Feelings and attitudes are observable indications of rejection or acceptance. Emotions refer to internal aspect of the learner that reflects his or her creativity and motivations like the ability to listen, to perceive and to be sensitive to something (Astd, 2008). The categories of affective domain include the following: (1) receiving phenomena, referring to selected attention and awareness (i.e., respectfully listening to someone); (2) responding phenomena, which is the ability to attend and react to some phenomena (i.e., ability to question concepts and ideas in order to comprehend them); (3) valuing, which refers to the giving of worth to a specific phenomenon, thing or behavior (i.e., sensitivity to cultural or individual diversity); organization, referring to organizing of values in accordance of priority and resolving conflicts among them (i.e, creating a life plan patterned after interests, abilities and beliefs); and internalizing values, which is concerned with the learner’s “general patterns of adjustment” (i.e., self-reliance in performing an independent work) (“Bloom’s taxonomy,” 2009). LEARNING EXPERIENCE The learning experience is the process wherein the students, teachers, and knowledge interact. It is what actually occurs in the classroom and the manner of preparation and evaluation made. It therefore includes “cognitive experiences which aid learners perceive, process, rehearse, store, and transfer knowledge, understanding, and skills” (Strickland & Glass, 2009). This component of curriculum stresses education as a process of growth and is regarded in terms of activity and experience as a result of exchanges between the teacher and students. The learning experience views teaching as a means to an end—enabling students to yield the desired result. Thus, it is important as it equips the students the knowledge, skills, and self-realization needed to effectively perform and achieve goals and desired results. For example, a learning experience is patterned with learning goals such as developing critical, analytic, practical or creative thinking, thus the instructional strategies of teachers may include activities, materials, and resources to accomplish these goals. References Astd. (2008). Instructional design and implementation: The tools for creating training program curriculum. United States of America: Infoline. Bloom’s taxonomy of learning domains. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~Donclark/hrd/bloom.html Chatterjee, S. K. (1994). Development of curriculum design with a slant to the analysis of course content in BLIS syllabi pursued in west Bengal library schools. In Agrawal S. P. (Ed.). Restructuring of library and information science curriculum (81-92). India: Ashok Kumar Mittal. Golen, S. (1982). The philosophical, sociological, and psychological foundations of curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/32/b8/11.pdf Merrill, D. M. (1994). Instructional design theory. New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications. Print, M. (1993). Curriculum development and design. Australia: SRM Productions Services. Ritz, J. (2006). Note taking guides: social foundations of curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.odu.edu/~jritz/oted885/ntg7.shtml Sawyer, D. B. (2004). Fundamental aspects of interpreter education: curriculum and assessment. Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Co. Strickland, C. A. & Glass, K. T. (2009). Staff development Guide for the parallel curriculum. United States of America: Corwin. Read More