The National Curriculum Vs Alternative Curricula - Literature review Example

THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM VS ALTERNATIVE CURRICULA by Student’s Name       Code+ Course Name Professor’s Name University Name City Date Introduction In education, curriculum is defined as the broad and general experience students have in the process of acquiring education. In a curriculum, a series of instructions are set by the teachers or the system in a way that will guide the students experience during the education process. It also includes the interaction of students with the planned instructional content, resources, information, material and processes to evaluate the level of attainment of the set goals necessary to achieve an education. Holistic development of a student is the growth that concerns intellectual, artistic, physical, social, emotional, spiritual and creative development of potential (De Vita & Case, 2003, p.383-398). Curriculum has various categories including the explicit and the implicit, also known as the hidden, the excluded and the extra-curricular activities. It is regulated by facilitation from highly trained or standardized facilitators who make sure that a specific region receives a standard level of education throughout a given primary school or secondary school course. In Britain, the Education Act enacted the National Curriculum for those primary and secondary schools that are owned and run by the state. Independent and other private schools are however free to have their alternative curricula (Knight, 2001, p.770-773). The main reason for having a single curriculum across all the public schools is to form a basis of teaching aimed at similar objectives, which would facilitate assessment and compilation of educational statistic concerning schools across the nation. This essay is an attempt to analyze curriculum with special emphasis put on the origin, development and influential factors of the National Curriculum, with some comparison and contrast with alternative curricula (Jarvis & Gathercole, 2003, p.123-140). Socio-political Influence and the Origin and Purpose of the National Curriculum The National Curriculum was developed in 1988. There are two main aims and four main purposes why the national curriculum was established. The first aim was to ensure that the school curriculum is providing opportunities for all pupils to learn and achieve. The second aim was to ensure that the school curriculum is promoting pupil social, cultural, moral and spiritual development while preparing them for responsibilities, opportunities and experiences of life. The first purpose for developing the curriculum was to establish entitlement, the second purpose was to establish standards, the third to promote continuity and coherence and lastly, the promotion of public understanding (Moffat et al., 2004, p.482-491). Review The secretary of state for education announced a review of the national curriculum that will be supported by an expert panel and an advisory committee. Its aim is to replace the current substandard curriculum with one based on top achieving school systems globally. It will also review what subjects would be compulsory and at what age. It will also consider the right age pupils should be ready to study the main subjects. The general aims of national curriculum 2014 document are to embody rigor and high standards and the creation of coherence in things that are taught in school. The second aim is ensuring that all children have an opportunity to acquire essential knowledge in key disciplines. The last aim is to allow teachers to have freedom of using their expertise and professionalism in helping children realize their potential (Alexander, 2010, n.p). The main purpose of establishing a national curriculum was to enable standardization of the content that is taught in all schools. This would facilitate assessment and compilation of league tables with detailed information regarding assessment statistics for every school. This was to encourage the curriculum to be a ‘free market’ which would allow parents to choose schools for their children based on the ability to cover the national curriculum (Knight, 2001, p.770-773). The aims national curriculum address the holistic needs of a child. At the end of the curriculum, the strengths, interests and experiences of students should have been built and developed to boost their confidence in their capacity to learn and work collaboratively and also independently. The individual subjects equip students with essential skills of information, communication, technology, literacy and numeracy thus promoting the ability to think in a rational manner. They provide sufficient coverage of the topic. If carried out well, the national curriculum should provide a rich and a variety of contexts for pupils to acquire and develop skills in order to apply the broad range of knowledge to solving problems. However, there has been criticism against the promotion of the ‘free market.’ According to many observers, the focus on league tables fails to appreciate the holistic approach of a curriculum. Instead, it piles pressure on pupils to attain high grades. This has made them opt for subjects that are regarded easier such as history, art and drama. They end up dropping technical subjects such as chemistry, physics and math leading to underdevelopment of these fields. Scotland’s education secretary, Angela Constance, has recently complained about poor literacy in pupils (Moffat et al., 2004, p.482-491). This review will ensure that the curriculum obeys Piaget’s theory of development of children. This theory appreciates the need to let children have ample time to develop. Therefore, there are certain tasks, which should be handled by a pupil at a specific age. Since children’s cognitive ability does not develop smoothly, but instead experiences a series of growth spurts, it is important to consider these steps. This will aid in determining the right time to allow pupils to make decisions regarding their education such as choice of subjects (De Vita & Case, 2003, p.383-398). Accountability of Teachers and other Facilitators For any curriculum to be successful, there is a need for highly qualified teachers who understand their role as the guardians of knowledge. In the education system, teachers are not only the guardians, but the source of knowledge to students. Students tend to emulate a lot from their teachers and therefore, for a system to be effective, the teachers have to be accountable. They have to understand their crucial role in equipping a country with knowledge (Knight, 2001, p.770-773). Teachers and inspectors of schools should have a sense of accountability in the system. They are responsible for ensuring high quality, consistency and coherence of instructions related to the curriculum. Teachers are therefore supposed to be held accountable for the quality of the education system and the efficiency of the curriculum (Moffat et al., 2004, p.482-491). As much as the political class does a lot of formulation of policies that guide the curriculum, the teachers are the implementers at the very end. Implementation is the most important step in achieving success, economic and political analysts will confirm that. Inspectors of schools, on the other hand, are accountable for the quality of output of the educational system. They have the responsibility to ensure that the system is standardized. Oversights in different institutions or shortages of resources that facilitate education are supposed to be noted by the inspectors, who advise on the most appropriate way to standardize everything (Pinar, 2013, n.p). Alternative Curricula (Summerhill Schools): Comparison and Contrast with the NC Alternative Curricula have recently been getting a lot of attention throughout the country. Alternative or ‘free’ education system provides for children to be apart of the decision making in the learning process. It is free because teachers are not always there to influence every step of the education process in a child’s life. One of the most famous and oldest alternative curricula is Summerhill Schools (Alexander, 2010, n.p). The pressure witnessed in the National Curriculum, which turns students into robots and discourages enrollment of technical subjects is withdrawn. Therefore, pupils have a relaxed and more friendly environment to acquire knowledge holistically. The fact that examination is optional in certain circumstances encourages pupils to study technical subjects such as math and sciences because there is no pressure to perform. Art subjects such as Business Studies, Film, Drama, Functional Skills, Law and Health and Social Care have encouraged pupils to try their potential in non-mainstream fields (Osborne & Collins, 2000, p.23-31). This curriculum obeys Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development by ensuring that social learning precedes development. Social learning is achieved by giving pupils freedom to interact among themselves and make decisions for themselves. When they master the responsibility of making decisions, that’s when development begins. This is because cognitive development varies across different age groups. It stems from social interaction among children when they are left free, but still guided within an area of proximal development. This helps them to contrast knowledge with their partners because the environment within which these pupils learn affect their thinking (Pinar, 2013).  Comparison and Contrast Contrast There is a lot of diversity in the subjects taken by students in the alternative curriculum as opposed to the National Curriculum. In the National Curriculum, students are supposed to access a standardized level of education. Subjects provided are limited, outlined and similar. On the other hand, alternative curriculum provides a student with the freedom to choose what to learn. Students are left to choose the subjects they prefer without much interference from the facilitators. There is no compulsion of attending certain classes as attendance is based on the preference of the students (De Vita & Case, 2003, 383-398) Teachers are less involved in decision-making in alternative curricula as opposed to the National Curriculum. Since teachers are responsible for upholding the quality and consistency of the curriculum, the National curriculum allows them to be part and parcel of every decision students make while in school. Class attendance is compulsory because it affects performance. Teachers are there to guide the students on subjects offered by the system. In alternative curricula such as the Summerhill schools, students are left free to interact with each other through art, culture, games and sports. There are no adults to create things for them or decide what they will do. They are left to be creative. In this way, alternative curricula foster a lot of creativity in a child because they are left to make educational decisions for themselves, compared to the National Curriculum, which has the teacher in all the steps of decision making (Barnett & Coate, 2004, n.p). The alternative curriculum appreciates the Jean Piaget theory that illustrates that children do not think inferior to adults but in a different way. Therefore, the facilitators allow the children the freedom to think differently and develop their original creativity rather than being guided by adults who may not clearly understand the cognitive development and thinking of a child (De Vita & Case, 2003, 177-194). There is a difference in the teacher-students interaction between the two education systems. The National Curriculum mostly promotes formal interaction between the students and the teachers. Students are supposed to accord their facilitators a certain level of respect; therefore, interaction is limited up to a certain point past which it could be considered unprofessional for the teacher or disrespectful on the part of the student. This is different when you look at free schools since the interaction between the two parties is open. Facilitators relate to students more in a parental manner as compared to the formal-traditional way (Alexander, 2010, n.p). Examination rules are different in both curricula. In the National Curriculum, the examination is compulsory as a way of showing completion or progress in a certain course. Examination determines whether a student will proceed to the next class. Without certification of a pass in the examination, there is no proof that a person has attended school at all. However, in the alternative curricula, the examination is often optional and flexible. Students can choose to take examinations earlier or later than others. Some schools offer options for students not to take examinations altogether (Moffat et al., 2004, p.482-491). Comparison Although on different levels and under different circumstances of interaction, both alternative and the National Curricula involve teachers and parents in the education process. The extent of interaction is however limited in free education systems. English The main objective of the NC English curriculum is to equip students with the knowledge that will enable them to have a high standard English speaking and writing abilities. It also promotes the development of love for literature through extensive and fun reading. It aims to ensure that all students: Continue to apply phonic knowledge and skills as the route to decode words until automatic decoding has become embedded and reading is fluent Learn, speak and write fluent English Read and understand words containing common suffixes Cultivate a reading habit Acquire a wide vocabulary base and perfect their grammar Appreciate the nation’s literary heritage Are competent in listening and speaking. These objectives promote holistic development of the children because they not only focus on their ability to read, write and understand English but also the ability to communicate effectively. Skills acquired in listening and speaking enable student students to acquire life skills such as etiquette and euphemism. It is possible to meet the criteria within the curriculum effectively because it is neither too narrow nor is it too broad. It embraces a holistic approach to teaching, enabling the students to pass their exams as well as acquire knowledge and skills (Alexander, 2010, n.p). Mathematics The National Mathematics Curriculum aims to ensure that: All pupils become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, which include regular practice with increasing complexity of arithmetic problems over a period. This helps pupils to conceptualize their understanding of the subject. It also improves their ability to recall and apply this knowledge accurately in solving problems. Reason in a mathematical way by obeying a line of inquiry and developing arguments based on the skills acquired. Can solve problems through the application of their mathematics in non-routine as well as routine problems. This has ensured a holistic and progressive development of the child by ensuring that pupils who show greater knowledge are given more complex problems to improve their problem-solving ability. Applicational problems have improved the ability of pupils to apply their mathematical knowledge in solving real life experiences (Barnett & Coate, 2004).  The Hidden Curriculum Hiden curriculum has been observed to create social stratification and pass messages of negative connotations to students. Such curricula include cultural expectations and cultural values. One similarity is that the teachers may not openly relate some actions to a certain religion, but students tend to put two facts together and deduce for themselves the relationship between one activity or behavior with a certain group of people (Knight, 2001, 770-773). The message is therefore unintentionally or unofficially communicated. Another similarity is that while the communication might not be official regarding hidden curriculum, doing things that contradict it have consequences. The school might be expecting pupils to conform to specific cultural practices within the school. Although these practices are not written in the school’s policy, non-conformist are punished and conformists rewarded (Alexander, 2010, n.p). Hidden curriculum has the ability to create social stratification in the society especially when different students are treated according to their social class. Students tend to learn lessons from how they are treated in schools and understand that they belong to different social classes. This creates social distress in the society. Conclusion In conclusion, the National Curriculum and the alternative curricula both have their merits and demerits. As much as children need guidance in their thinking and decision making, they should also be left free to make some choices that could affect their lives positively. Limited freedom might deny the child a chance to discover their niche. References List Alexander, R. J., & Armstrong, M. (2010). Children, their World, their Education: Final report and recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review. Taylor & Francis US. Barnett, R., & Coate, K. (2004). Engaging the curriculum. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). De Vita, G., & Case, P. (2003). Rethinking the internationalization agenda in the UK higher education. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 27(4), 383-398. De Vita, G., & Case, P. (2003). Working memory deficits in children with low achievements in the national curriculum at 7 years of age.British Journal of Educational Psychology, 70(2), 177-194. Jarvis, H. L., & Gathercole, S. E. (2003). Verbal and non-verbal working memory and achievements on national curriculum tests at 11 and 14 years of age. Educational and Child Psychology, 20(3), 123-140. Knight, P. T. (2001). Complexity and curriculum: a process approach to curriculum-making. Teaching Lempp, H., & Seale, C. (2004). The hidden curriculum in undergraduate medical education: qualitative study of medical students' perceptions of teaching. BMJ,329(7469), 770-773.in higher education, 6(3) Moffat, K. J., McConnachie, A., Ross, S., & Morrison, J. M. (2004). First-year medical student stress and coping in a problem‐based learning medical curriculum. Medical Education, 38(5), 482-491. Obukhova, L. F. (2012). Vygotsky and developmental psychology in his and our time. Cultural-Historical Psychology, 2012(1), 51-58. Osborne, J., & Collins, S. (2000). Pupils' and parents' views of the school science curriculum. School science review, 82(298), 23-31. Pinar, W. F. (2013). International handbook of curriculum research. 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