Towards a Learners Curriculum - Assignment Example

BA (Hons) Professional Studies Module Curriculum Studies Towards A Learners’ Curriculum Module Trudie Mcneill Daiva Stalnionyte Education has been viewed as providing a significant contribution to a person’s success. A person goes through more than a decade of education in his youth. It is at this time when learning is believed to take place the fastest. Most of education is provided in schools, following an organized curriculum. Educators design curriculum to help them set learning paths for their students. This noble task has been attempted repeatedly and in various contexts in the hopes of improving curriculum. It can be said that educators always work towards a curriculum that empowers the learner. It would greatly benefit him and future generations to come. This essay highlights various definitions of the curriculum and demonstrates how different curriculum theoretical models fit in today’s education particularly in vocationally related teaching and learning. In addition, it evaluates factors affecting curriculum control and highlights the changes required for curriculum to be effective to meet demands of today’s society. To be able to appreciate how curriculum and its models reflect in today’s education, there must first be an understanding of different definitions of curriculum that have been used for many years. Throughout the years content of curriculum has been influenced by many thinkers and philosophers who seriously influenced schooling in Western civilisation. The historical aim of education was for a man to become a better man (Johnson, 2007). Being a better man was described as educated with aims to use his knowledge as power in his adult life. Curriculum in those days was described in a form of academic subjects and was known as knowledge-based. The twentieth century brought about greater understanding of the concept of curriculum. Its origin came from Latin which means ‘racecourse’. It could be translated as race taken by a student’s over a course. Since then, many definitions of curriculum have evolved, however, their interpretations vary. Mark Smith (1996) is one of the theorists who studied various definitions of curriculum as described by many educationalists. He described curriculum in a range of approaches. One of them is linked to syllabus or a body of knowledge to be transmitted. He also stressed that curriculum is a set of objectives, where there is a drawn-up plan to apply intended objectives with a measurable outcome. Another alternative definition is that curriculum is a student’s total experience. It comprises teachers’ and students’ communication and relationships between them. Smith also recommends that curriculum is one’s ability to apply theory to practice. Clearly all of these definitions are somehow applied in today’s curriculum context. However, there have been endless debates regarding the relevance and suitability of present curricula to the society and the culture the learners belong to. Will it serve the needs of the learners of the twenty first century? Does curriculum evolve with the times and does it offer students the knowledge and skills required to fully function in today’s world? Professor Colin J. Marsh (2004) suggests that any definition gives insight about the main characteristics and emphases of curriculum. One of his definitions notes the significance of ‘permanent’ subjects such as grammar, mathematics, reading, logic and literature of the Western world which represent necessary knowledge. This has been known as the “knowledge-based curriculum”. This model of curriculum has been implemented in most schools. An example of this could be the National Curriculum which has specific content subjects with specific goals for student achievement. It is essential to remember that subjects and syllabi need to be adjusted to fit current culture and the society. Griffith (2000) views that knowledge-based curriculum would not survive on its own if it is dependent on time and space. One of the most traditional and most commonly used models is “content or syllabus-based”. Blenkin et al (1992) suggest that curriculum is delineated into subjects and delivered through a bulk of knowledge-content. Education, he states, is the route where these can be transferred to students using efficient teaching and learning methods. This type of curriculum emphasizes students attending schools to learn subject-specific facts. It also helps to use this model in assessment process where students, according to their gained qualification can be grouped in to high and low achievers. Furthermore, it dictates what route a student will be able to take. Students with high grades traditionally would be expected to progress to universities where less successful students would be advised to take a non academic route (i e. study a vocational programme or gain employment elsewhere). It is interesting to note that most of the employers are not as interested in a depth of ones’ subject knowledge but more on practical skills such as problem solving, analysing, evaluating, self-reflection and self discipline which are directly related to work (Ross, 2000). However, this does not discount the fact that subject-based curriculum will always have a place in education. People will need to be able read, write and calculate. One should also be aware of his culture’s history, explore facts about different places, experience the arts and learn about spiritual qualities as well as academic subjects. Content-based curriculum covers these, but emphasizes the delineation of subjects. This influences learners to view learning as compartmentalized. A more holistic perspective of learning is now being supported by many educators, as it threads segregated learning into a more integrated one. Curriculum integration helps students recognise connections between curriculum areas. These connections are essential to the brain in order to learn effectively. Integration changes the emphasis from the instruction of discrete academic subjects to activities that promote learning through real-life tasks. It blends academic disciplines into integrated topic studies which support creative thinking and problem solving, as opposed to rote memorisation and teacher-directed instruction of isolated skills and bits of information (Krogh, 1995) An integrated curriculum consists of a number of strategies that can be applied to deepen meaningfulness and support conceptual development (Bredekamp and Rosegrant, 1992) Learner-centred curriculum which reflects a process model and is consistent with constructivist philosophy. Activities planned “are required to provide rigorous intellectual student’s previous and current knowledge to the emerging curriculum. The relevance of curriculum to student interests therefore cannot be planned, because the learners’ interests and experience cannot be assumed nor completely evaluated in advance” (Wescombe-Down, n.d., n.p). This gives the students more power in the acquisition of learning. Using prior knowledge, they are encouraged to invent their own solutions and try out their own ideas and hypotheses with the able support of their teachers. This way, they can indulge in concrete experiences that focus on their interests. The process of searching for information, analysing data and reaching conclusions is considered more important than learning facts. In Further education this is evident in teachers using various teaching and learning methods I e instead of monotonous lectures or reading sessions there are a lot of discussions, questioning techniques used and learners are encouraged to work in groups sharing their own knowledge and experience. According to learners, peer assessment and evaluation is most useful method of learning. Another definition by Marsh (2004) is that curriculum is a variety of learning experiences where students gain general skills and obtain knowledge in different learning sites. This definition concentrates more on learning and learning skills rather than teaching. It also values the practical skills gained from other learning sites other than from school alone. This particular approach to curriculum has been supported by employers requiring vocational skills and other vocationally oriented groups which support this type for curriculum for economic reasons. Since it is dependent on the end-product of learning, which would be specific skills, it has been known as the “Product model”. Education providers such as Further Education Colleges or private training centres delivering vocational programmes have adapted this approach and gears their curriculum on the necessary skills needed in the specific jobs. Part of the curriculum for these programmes is delivered in classroom situations where students gain knowledge required for particular skills. However, such practical skills are introduced and gained in either work placements or realistic working environments. This approach allows students to link education with employment in more realistic ways and provides a broader understanding of the nature of work. Problem-solving, working as part of a team and customer service skills are best learned on the job.(quote) For example, hospitality and catering students go on work placements either in hotels, restaurants or any quality catering establishments as part of their course and gain the necessary experiences there that build up their knowledge and skills. From students’ feedback and course evaluations it has been noted that experiences from work placements are more valued by students than purely theoretical input by their teacher. The skills and knowledge they gain will eventually assist them in their future employments and apply it effectively there. This way of thinking and viewing education as more product-oriented has been influenced by American writer Ralph W. Tyler (1949). He believed that people need to learn not for any other reason but to be able to work and live their lives. He played emphasis on four key questions: what are the intentions of the educational organisation, what experiences can be provided for students to meet the organisation’s aims, how can all the experiences be arranged effectively and how can they be evaluated to ensure the outcomes were met (Tyler 1949). Advantages of Tyler’s approach are that it avoids vague general statements of intent. It also makes assessment more specific and helps to select and arrange content. Smith (1996) suggests that it makes teachers aware of different styles and levels of learning involved in particular subjects. However, he states, that this method has been criticised as discouragement of creativity for the teacher and learner. Having preset objectives will not allow learners to achieve their full potential. Grundy (1987) in his definition describes curriculum as ‘A programme of activities (by teachers and pupils) designed so that pupils will attain so far as possible certain educational and other schooling ends or objectives’ (page 11). In line with Tyler’s approach, it is suggested that this type of module works well for vocational courses as it intends to assist young people to find work after concluding their education. Vocationally- related programmes have been taken by many as a popular route since the late 1970s when John Callaghan (1976), in his Ruskin speech, raised his concerns about the school levers’ level of skills. He stressed that there were many complaints from the industry of newly-qualified workers who do not have the basic tools to do the job. Since then providers of further education have been held responsible for vocational curriculum programmes and made more accountable for student achievement. Vocational curriculum programmes cater more to older adolescents and adult learners. Their way of learning must be considered in designing such a program since adults learn differently than children. In the humanistic view, adult learners are assumed to be motivated to learn as they are more conscious of its benefits. They experience needs and interests that learning satisfies. Their orientation to learning is practical and centered on their own lives. Adults value experience as the richest resource of learning, that is why they have no hesitations learning something while they are engaged in a new experience. “Nearly all adult education is voluntary. Educational activities must meet the needs of as adult learners in order to survive”( Ellias & Merriam, 1980, p135) Many adults nowadays decide to go back to school to gain competencies that help them land more lucrative employment. They do not necessarily go to college or university, since it takes a much longer time, and some of them might feel alienated being ‘back in school’. Alternative routes to gain competencies are well promoted by the government. For example, apprentership programmes and Train to Gain initiatives allow young people and mature adults to achieve their qualifications whilst they are at work. These entities strive to serve 16-19 year old students to prepare them for work in the real world. In addition, it allows mature learners to take further steps to progress their career and improve self esteem. As part of the curriculum, full time hospitality students are allowed to spend one full day a week to learn about employment in the Hospitality and catering industry as they develop skills that can help them in that prospective career. A variety of educational strategies such as independent research and hands-on experience expose them to the realities of the industry. Enthusiasm for the course is sustained by regular field visits to local hotels and restaurants, including trade shows and exhibitions. They study subjects such as front of house operations, customer care, promotions and marketing using real customers in the real environment. They also get familiar with contemporary cuisine including authentic recipes and menus used in today’s catering industry. It is acknowledged that visiting places familiar to them due to cultural factors lifts their self-esteem and cultural pride. It is evident that any curriculum definition one way or another puts emphasis on the learning process, gained knowledge and skills, subject content and students’ comprehensive learning experience. In designing an appropriate course curriculum, an essential process needs to be considered including which curriculum model is most suitable for the needs of the learner. The process of learning is as important as the content learned (Newby 2005). Currently, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, (ATL, 2006) proposes changes in the National Curriculum of the United Kingdom. The curriculum model proposed should start with the pupil in mind – his needs and interests and should be designed in terms of the skills and attitudes educators would want pupils to pursue and develop. Emphasis of the curriculum must be transferred from being knowledge-based to being skills-based to adequately prepare them for more work-based learning in the future. More than content, learners must be engaged in various learning processes – “how to discover things, make sense of them, package them in different ways, and put knowledge to use in a wider variety of forms and for more, and more diverse, functions” (Newby, 2005, p. 298). Ways of knowing will be given much significance rather than the knowledge itself. In other words, “the processes of learning will be no less significant than the content learned” (Myers, 2005, p. 299). So apart from concentrating on the academics, the curriculum should have elements that would develop skills in physical coordination, control, manipulation and movement; creativity; communication; information management; learning and thinking skills; interpersonal; citizenship. ATL advocates for a curriculum that “should be built from the foundations up, i.e. from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to the successive Key Stages” and one that specifies “what learners are able to do, rather than what they know” (ATL, 2006, p.3). Also, curriculum should be relevant to the pupils, so a locally designed curriculum will be more appreciated and become easier to relate to. Hence, national testing in such a situation is not expected to yield great results and should be deferred until the terminal stage of schooling. Over the years the balance between what and how has not been reached and the same question as what curriculum should look like to meet everyone’s needs still not been answered. There is also a debate at present about who should decide what should be learned. In particular, emphasis is placed on Further education colleges. For years the sector was regarded as not functioning very well; students’ retention and achievement rates were very low compared with all other sectors of education. Three years ago, David Bell, chief inspector of schools at the time, called further education colleges "a national failure" ( Ryan 2007, The Guardian). The Government had to step in and assess the weaknesses that effected learning and achievement. More pressure was placed on how colleges were managed. Consequently management had to be involved in target setting, quality control, setting up systems for measuring students’ performance, analysing data and making recommendations. In result, Ryan states, success and achievement rates by year 2000 improved by 20%. One may argue that if the achievement rates are excellent and colleges gain their ‘good name’ back does that mean that curriculum has been adapted to meet learners needs or is that this curriculum suits government’s agenda to demonstrate successful educational system in the UK. For example, government allocated £440 m in 2007/08 for train to gain scheme where learners are full time employees and gain their qualifications through assessments in the workplace. This method is very favourable amongst the learners; however, it questions its value. For example Croydon College is under pressure for ‘high demand achievement numbers’ therefore quality of learning and teaching is compromised. Assessors are overloaded with high number of candidates to meet college demands. The question must be asked, to have high achievement rates in colleges does this mean that learners had fulfilled their needs and had positive educational experience? Conclusion Curriculum today has gone a long way. Learning has been valued by man from time immemorial and needed to be organized in a certain way so that learners will gain its full benefit. Hence, educators have come up with a variety of curriculum models to suit their philosophy. Over time, many considerations were emphasized in each of the curriculum models. However, what stands out is the concept of what or who controls or directs the learning in pursuit of knowledge and acquisition of skills. Content based or syllabus models focus on depositing much information on the learner. Much rote memorization is entailed in order for learners to regurgitate back knowledge. Teachers are in control of the curriculum. Thus, the process of gaining such knowledge may be limited to teacher-directed means. The learner becomes a passive recipient of learning. Kelly (2004) analyses this type of approach as a demand to accept the value of the knowledge itself rather than the way in which a learner may approach and view it. On the other hand, sharing the reins of control by involving students in a more hands-on practical approach to learning is sure to keep them motivated especially if the experiences consider their culture and the community they are part of. Being an active participant in the learning process makes it more relevant and meaningful to the learner. Such a curriculum is being endorsed nowadays by government, as people see the value of the process of learning in order to derive the products, which are knowledge and skills. The learner not only gains information, but many learning skills such as problem-solving, analysis, decision-making, socialization skills and many more which are essential skills they would be using when they go out to the real world to survive on their own. Going back to the question previously asked in this paper, “Does the prevalent curriculum serve the needs of the learners of the twenty first century and empower them with the knowledge and skills required to fully function in today’s world?” The answer lies in government priorities. Educators need to design their curriculum and the learners to voice their needs who imbibe much learning from it. Teachers as practitioners should be involved in designing of curriculum. They are the professionals who have interest of both, organisational goals and the learner’s needs. Teachers are the ones who can equip learners with new skills required in today active and complicated society. Skills like decision and sense making and problem solving needs to be included in curriculum. This kind of curriculum aims to prepare young people for the future and is viewed as experimental, progressive, learner’s curriculum (ATL, 2005). “The vocationally-focused, narrowly-instrumental curriculum in which secondary pupils acquire particular skills in readiness for particular jobs will become an anachronism. Instead, skills of adaptability will be needed, preparing them to take on a wide variety of different occupations” (Newby, 2005, p. 298). If the learners are sent out into the world armed with the knowledge and skills that they can apply in any situation they are placed in and successfully survives even when tested over time, then much of it may be credited the curriculum they have learned from has truly empowered them. Bibliography Association of teachers and lecturers, (2005) A Learner’s Curriculum. London, 7 Northumberland Street. Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) (2006), “Subject to Change: New Thinking on the Curriculum”, London. Blenkin, G.M. et al (1992) Change and the Curriculum, London: Paul Chapman Boyd, R., & Apps, J. (1980). Redefining the disciplining of adult education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Ellias, J.L. & Merriam, S.B. (1980) Philosophical Foundations of Adult Education, Krieger Pub Co Griffith, R. (2000) National Curriculum: National Disaster, London, Routledge/ Falmer Press Grundy, S. (1987) Curriculum: product or praxis? Lewes: Falmer Press Johnson, M (2007) Subject to change: new thinking on the Curriculum, Eastleigh, ATL Kelly, A.V (2004) (5th Edition) The Curriculum, Theory and Practice, London, Sage Publications Knowles, M., Holton, E., & Swanson, R. A. (2007). The Adult Learner, Sixth Edition. New York: Butterworth-Heinemann Krogh, Suzanne Lowell. 1995. The integrated early childhood curriculum. New York: McGraw Hill Inc. Marsh, C (2004) (3rd edition) Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum: How are Curriculum issues decided on? London, Falmer Newby, M. 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