From: Dr. Suti’ah, M.Pd.
(Dosen PPs Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang)
The purpose
of this guide is to provide some general instructions to school districts as
staff begin to develop or revise their curriculum guides. This document
provides an overview of the curriculum development process and suggests a
series of steps to follow in creating curriculum documents. Currently,
the State Department of Education has comprehensive program development guides
in Mathematics, Physical Education and World Languages located at the
curriculum web site.
Overview
A curriculum
guide is a structured document that delineates the philosophy, goals,
objectives, learning experiences, instructional resources and assessments that
comprise a specific educational program. Additionally, it represents an
articulation of what students should know and be able to do and supports
teachers in knowing how to achieve these goals.
Accordingly,
an exemplary guide is a tool that assists in planning and implementing a high
quality instructional program. It:
- establishes a clear philosophy and set of overarching goals that guide the entire program and the decisions that affect each aspect of the program;
- establishes sequences both within and between levels and assures a coherent and articulated progression from grade to grade;
- outlines a basic framework for what to do, how to do it, when to do it and how to know if it has been achieved;
- allows for flexibility and encourages experimentation and innovation within an overall structure;
- promotes interdisciplinary approaches and the integration of curricula when appropriate;
- suggests methods of assessing the achievement of the program's goals and objectives;
- provides a means for its own ongoing revision and improvement; and
- provides direction for procurement of human, material and fiscal resources to implement the program.
The
formulation of such a school or district curriculum guide should not be viewed
as the culmination of the curriculum development process, but rather as an
essential step in the process of ongoing curriculum development and
implementation. Thus, no guide will be perfect. No guide will ever be a
finished product cast in stone. No guide will be free from
criticism. However, to be effective, a guide must earn acceptance by teachers
and must be deemed educationally valid by parents and the community at
large. This acceptance will be far easier to attain when the curriculum
guide is:
- consistent with what is known about child growth and development;
- compatible with the general philosophy of the school system;
- based upon clear convictions about teaching and learning;
- representative of instructional activities to meet the needs of students with varying abilities and needs;
- articulated from kindergarten through grade 12;
- easy to use by all educators;
- filled with samples, examples, and suggested resources;
- developed collaboratively by a broadly-based committee of teachers and other interested stakeholders; and
- linked to teacher evaluation goals and professional development.
The Curriculum
Development Process
The
development of an effective curriculum guide is a multi-step, ongoing and
cyclical process. The process progresses from evaluating the existing
program, to designing an improved program, to implementing a new program and
back to evaluating the revised program.
Many school
districts carry out this process in a planned and systematic manner that
includes the eleven components listed in Figure 1-1. Each of these
components is addressed in the sections that follow.
Figure 1-1
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Components
of an Effective Curriculum Development Process
A. Planning:
B.
Articulating and Developing:
C. Implementing:
D. Evaluating:
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A.
Planning
1.
Convening a Curriculum Development Committee. Such a committee, consisting
primarily of teachers who represent the various schools and grade levels in a
district, administrators, members of the public and perhaps students, becomes
the driving force for curriculum change and the long-term process of
implementing the curriculum. It is critical that an effective,
knowledgeable and respected chairperson lead such a committee and it includes
knowledgeable and committed members who gradually become the district's de
facto "experts" during the development phases of the process as well
as the implementation phases.
2.
Identifying Key Issues and Trends in the Specific Content Area. The first step in any
curriculum development process involves research that reviews recent issues and
trends of the discipline, both within the district and across the nation.
This research allows a curriculum committee to identify key issues and trends
that will support the needs assessment that should be conducted and the
philosophy that should be developed.
Research
often begins with a committee's reading and discussing timely, seminal and
content specific reports from curriculum associations. Committee members
should examine what is currently being taught in the curriculum. They
should examine state and national standards in the discipline. Committee
members should also be provided with recent district CMT and CAPT results and
be familiar with the instructional materials and assessments in use throughout
the program. In addition, the committee should become familiar with newly
available instructional materials -- particularly those that may eventually be
adopted to help implement the new curriculum. Committee members should
also broaden their perspective and gather information by visiting other school
systems that are recognized leaders in education.
As a result
of this process, committee members are likely to identify many of the following
issues and trends that will need to be addressed as the curriculum development process
moves forward:
- meeting the needs of all students;
- learning theory and other cognitive psychology findings on how students learn;
- what determines developmental readiness or developmental appropriateness;
- the current expectations of the field;
- the knowledge of and readiness for change on the part of teachers;
- the availability of resources;
- the role and availability of information and technology resources;
- scheduling issues;
- methods and purposes of assessments; and
- professional development.
3.
Assessing Need and Issues.
Curriculum
development should be viewed as a process by which meeting student needs leads
to improvement of student learning. Regardless of the theory or model
followed, curriculum developers should gather as much information as
possible. This information should include the desired outcomes or
expectations of a high quality program, the role of assessment, the current
status of student achievement and actual program content. The information
should also consider the concerns and attitudes of teachers, administrators,
parents and students. The data should include samples of assessments,
lessons from teachers, assignments, scores on state standardized tests,
textbooks currently used, student perception and feedback from parents.
Armed with a
common set of understandings that arise from the identification of issues and
trends, a curriculum development committee is wise to conduct a needs
assessment to best ascertain the perceptions, concerns and desires of each of
the stakeholders in the process. By examining this data carefully, it may
reveal key issues that should influence the curriculum design. For
example:
- teachers may be dissatisfied with older content and techniques in light of recent research;
- test scores may be declining or lower than expected in some or all areas;
- teachers may not have materials or may not know how to use materials to enhance understandings;
- teachers may want to make far greater use of technology to enhance learning;
- teachers and others may wish to relate the content of the program more closely to contemporary problems and issues;
- teachers may be looking for ways to increase the amount of interdisciplinary work in which students are engaged;
- students may express a need for different and enriched curricular opportunities;
- parents and others may have concerns about implementation.
Whatever the
particular circumstances, an effective curriculum development process usually
entails a structured needs assessment to gather information and guide the
curriculum development process.
The
information, commonly gathered through surveys, structured discussions and test
data, most frequently includes:
- teacher analysis of the present curriculum to identify strengths, weaknesses, omissions and/or problems;
- sample lessons that illustrate curriculum implementation;
- sample assessments that illustrate the implementation of the curriculum;
- identification of what teachers at each grade level perceive to be the most serious issues within the curriculum;
- a detailed analysis of state and local test data, including CMT and CAPT scores, grade-level criterion-referenced test data and course final examination results;
- suggestions for change and improvement generated by meetings with teachers, guidance counselors and administrators; and
- parent and other community members concerns and expectations for the program obtained through surveys and invitational meetings.
An excellent
resource for conducting a needs assessment may be found in various publications
of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (www.ascd.org) and discipline specific
professional organizations.
The data
collected from the needs assessment in conjunction with information obtained
from research and various resources become the basis upon which the entire
written curriculum - from philosophy to goals to assessment - is then built.
B.
Articulating and Developing
1.
Articulating a K-12 Program Philosophy.
These
fundamental questions guide the overarching philosophy of the program.
- "Why learn (specific discipline)?"
- "Upon what guiding principles is our program built?"
- "What are our core beliefs about teaching and learning in (specific discipline)?"
- "What are the essential questions?"
- "How will we use assessment to improve the program and student learning?"
As such, the
program philosophy provides a unifying framework that justifies and gives
direction to discipline based instruction.
After having
studied curriculum trends and assessed the current program, curriculum
developers should be ready to construct a draft philosophy guiding the K-12
program. Such a philosophy or set of beliefs should be more than just
"what we think should be happening," but rather "what our
curriculum is actually striving to reflect."
Figure 1-2
provides a checklist for evaluating program philosophy statements.
Figure 1-2
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An
effective philosophy statement has the following characteristics:
A.
Accuracy:
- The
philosophy represents claims that are supportable.
- The philosophy states an educationally appropriate case for the role of (specific discipline) in the K-12 curriculum and its importance in the education for all students.
B.
Linkages
-
The program philosophy is consistent with the district's philosophy of
education.
- The philosophy provides a sound foundation for program goals and objectives. - The district's teachers are sincerely committed to each belief outlined in the philosophy.
C. Breadth
and Depth
- The
philosophy is aligned with sound pedagogical practices.
- The philosophy provides a clear and compelling justification for the program.
D.
Usefulness
- The
philosophy is written in language that is clear and can be understood
by parents and other non-educators.
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2.
Defining K-12 Program, Grade-Level and Course Goals. The purpose of the K-12
program philosophy is to describe the fundamental beliefs and inform the
process of instruction. The curriculum guide delineates K-12 program
goals as well as grade-level and course goals that address the key cognitive
and affective content expectations for the program.
An
effective set of program goals has the following characteristics:
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3. Developing
and Sequencing of Grade-Level and Course Objectives. If the philosophy and goals
of a curriculum represent the guiding principles of the curriculum, then the
grade-level and course objectives represent the core of the curriculum. The
specific grade-level and course objectives include clear expectations for what
each learner is expected to know and be able to do and how it will be measured.
The
committee should consider several key questions to identify, select, write and
sequence objectives:
- Is the objective measurable and how will it be measured?
- Is the objective sufficiently specific to give the reader a clear understanding of what the student should be able to do, without being so detailed as to make the statement labored or the objective trivial?
- Is the objective compatible with the goals and philosophy of the program and the real and emerging needs of students?
- Is the objective realistic and attainable by students?
- Are appropriate materials and other resources available to make the objective achievable?
As
objectives are selected and written, they should be organized in an orderly
fashion. This order can be achieved in numerous ways: by grade, by
strands, in units, in sequential levels of instruction, through essential
questions or through some combination of these. Decisions about the
organization of a curriculum guide should be made carefully and reflect the
overarching philosophy of the program and the preferences of the teachers who
are to use the guide.
- A graded structure organizes objectives by the grade in which a student is enrolled and is the most commonly used structure.
- An organization by units groups objectives by main topics. Units may or may not be of differing difficulty and may be large or small, sequential or non sequential. A unit organization is most commonly used for middle or high school courses.
- A strand organization places all of the objectives for a specific topic or strand together in a sequential order, without regard to specific grade. Such an organization lends itself to individual instruction and continuous progress within a strand.
- A sequential organization outlines objectives in a continuous chain without regard for grade level or strand, and allows for individual student progress along a continuum of skills and experiences.
- An organization by big ideas or essential questions centers the curriculum on enduring understandings. This method develops assessments and determines criteria of acceptable performance related to the essential questions.
Often, an
effective guide will incorporate more than one format. For example, a
common arrangement lists objectives grouped by strand within each grade
level. In this manner the third grade teacher is provided with a complete
listing of the third grade objectives organized by strand or major topic.
However, it is important for this teacher to have access to the second grade
objectives containing skills that may have been introduced, but not taught for
mastery, as well as forthcoming fourth grade objectives. This information
is often provided in a scope and sequence listing by strand that would place a
specific third grade objective, for example, in the context of the entire K-8
strand. Thus, one of the most important roles of grade-level and course
objectives is assuring smooth transitions and curricular coordination among
levels, particularly between elementary schools and middle schools, and between
middle schools and high schools.
In addition
to the delineation and sequencing of content through objectives, many
curriculum guides provide additional information to help teachers more
effectively implement the curriculum. For example, some curriculum
guides:
- provide an example of what is meant by each objective;
- suggest instructional techniques and strategies for teaching specific objectives;
- suggest appropriate instructional materials that support instruction of specific objectives;
- provide examples of how to differentiate instruction and modify curriculum materials to meet the needs of high performing and/or highly interested students;
- provide information on how the objectives can be evaluated; and
- suggest interdisciplinary links, such as literature connections.
Accordingly,
curriculum developers have a range of options for formatting and designing an
effective curriculum guide.
4.
Identifying Resource Materials to Assist with Program Implementation. An effective curriculum guide
goes beyond a listing of objectives and identifies suggested instructional
resources to help answer the question, "What instructional materials are
available to help me meet a particular objective or set of
objectives?" As teachers and programs move away from a single
textbook approach and employ a broad range of supplementary materials,
instructional modules for particular units, computer software and the like, it
is increasingly important that the curriculum guide suggests and links
available resources to curriculum objectives.
5.
Developing and/or Identifying Assessment Items and Instruments to Measure
Student Progress. In many cases, a set of grade-level
criterion-referenced tests, performance based tasks and course final
examinations that answer concretely the question, "How will I know that my
students know and are able to do what is expected of them?" holds an entire
curriculum together. This piece of the curriculum development process
helps to focus instruction and ensures the often elusive, but critical,
alignment of curriculum, instruction and assessment. Essentially the
assessment piece of a curriculum is what drives curriculum. The
assessments measure not only student progress, but also the effectiveness of
the goals and objectives of the curriculum in meeting student needs.
Common
grade-level, course criterion-referenced assessments and performance-based assessments
should be created along with the curriculum and become part of the curriculum
guide itself. The assessments should include clear performance
expectations and a rubric that clearly defines the expectations for students
and teachers alike. They help to clarify exactly what the grade or course
objectives mean and provide a common standard for evaluating how successfully
they are achieved.
C.
Implementing
1.
Putting the New Program into Practice. Too often, traditional practice entails
sending a committee away for several after-school meetings and two weeks of
summer writing as prelude to a back-to-school unveiling and distribution of the
updated or revised curriculum. The process envisioned here entails a much
more in-depth and systematic approach to both development and
implementation. Instead of assuming that the process ends with the
publication of a new guide, an effective curriculum committee continues to
oversee the implementation, updating and evaluation of the curriculum.
It is
important to remember that any innovation introduced into a system - including
a new curriculum -requires time and support to be fully implemented.
First, teachers need time and opportunities to become aware of the new
curriculum and its overall design, particularly how it differs from the
past. Then teachers need time and opportunities to become familiar
with the new curriculum - often school or grade level sessions that focus on
those specific parts of the curriculum for which individuals are responsible.
Next, teachers need at least two years to pilot the new curriculum and
new materials in their classrooms. It is not unusual for this period to
take up to two years before the new curriculum is fully implemented and
comfortably integrated into day-to-day practice. It is critical that the
curriculum development committee, resource teachers and principals are aware of
this process and are available to nurture it.
D.
Evaluating
1.
Updating the New Program. In this age of word processing and loose-leaf
bound curriculum guides, it is easier than ever to update the guides and keep
them as living, changing documents. One of the most common methods of
periodically updating a curriculum guide is through grade-level meetings
designed to share materials, activities, units, assessments and even student
work that support the achievement of the curriculum goals that were unknown or
unavailable when the guide was first developed. These approaches are
invaluable professional development opportunities wherein teachers assume
ownership of the curriculum they are responsible for implementing. In
this way, the guide becomes a growing resource for more effective program
implementation. Resource teachers are particularly effective vehicles for
the preparation and distribution of these updates.
2.
Determining the Success of the New Program. The curriculum development
cycle ends and then begins again with a careful evaluation of the effectiveness
and impact of the program. Using surveys, focused discussions and
meetings like those described in section 3, a curriculum development committee
needs to periodically gather data on perceptions of program strengths,
weaknesses, needs, preferences for textbooks and other materials, and topics or
objectives that do not seem to be working effectively. This information
should be gathered from data that represents overall student performance that
is linked closely to daily instruction. Teams of teachers responsible for
the specific discipline could accomplish this by sharing samples of
assessments, performance tasks, student work, lessons and instructional
practices related to the curricula.
The data
from these surveys and meetings must then be combined with a careful analysis
of more numerical data on the program such as:
- ongoing grade-level and course criterion-referenced exam data;
- teacher developed assessments, performance assessments, student portfolios;
- CMT results (overall, over time and by objective);
- CAPT results (overall, over time and by objective);
- course enrollments (particularly by level in middle and high schools); and
- SAT and AP results.
This
detailed review and analysis of quantitative and qualitative information on the
program's impact and on people's perceptions of its strengths and weaknesses
forms the foundation for the next round of curriculum development and
improvement.
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OVERVIEW OF THE CURRICULUM
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
"Every Journey Begins With The First Step."
The
curriculum development process systematically organizes what will be taught,
who will be taught, and how it will be taught. Each component affects and interacts
with other components. For example, what will be taught is affected by who is
being taught (e.g., their stage of development in age, maturity, and
education). Methods of how content is taught are affected by who is being
taught, their characteristics, and the setting. In considering the above three
essential components, the following are widely held to be essential
considerations in experiential education in non-formal settings:
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Essential Considerations for Curriculum Development:
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The CURRICULUM
DEVELOPMENT MODEL on the next page (Figure 1)
shows how these components relate to each other and to the curriculum
development process. It begins when an issue, concern, or problem needs to be
addressed. If education or training a segment of the population will help solve
the problem, then curriculum to support an educational effort becomes a
priority with human and financial resources allocated.
The next
step is to form a curriculum develop-ment team. The team makes systematic
decisions about the target audience (learner characteristics), intended
out-comes (objectives), content, methods, and evaluation strategies. With input
from the curriculum development team, draft curriculum products are developed,
tested, evaluated, and redesigned -if necessary. When the final product is
produced, volunteer training is conducted. The model shows a circular process
where volunteer training provides feedback for new materials or revisions to
the existing curriculum.
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An Example: 1n the case of population education, a need rural out-of-school youth
with information on how population relates to the total environment as well
as their personal lives.
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(Insert
Curriculum Development Model here)
PHASES AND
STEPS IN CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT (See Figure 2
on the previous page) further illustrates how the 12 essential steps progress
from one to the next. It also shows the interaction and relationships of the
four essential phases of the curriculum development process: ( I) Planning,
(II) Content and Methods, (III) Implementation, and (IV) Evaluation and
Reporting. It is important to acknowledge that things do not always work
exactly as depicted in a model!
Each phase
has several steps or tasks to complete in logical sequence. These steps are not
always separate and distinct, but may overlap and occur concurrently. For
example, the curriculum development team is involved in all of the steps.
Evaluations should occur in most of the steps to assess progress. The team learns
what works and what does not and determines the impact of the curriculum on
learners after it is implemented. Each step logically follows the previous. It
would make no sense to design learning activities before learner outcomes and
content are described and identified. Similarly, content cannot be determined
before learner outcomes are described.
In the
experience of the author, and confirmed by other curriculum specialists, the
following curriculum development steps are frequently omitted or slighted.
These steps are essential to successful curriculum development and need to be
emphasized.
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Essential Curriculum Development Steps Needing Emphasis
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Two types of
evaluation are included in the Phases and Steps illustration: (1) Formative
provides feedback during the process of developing the curriculum, and (2)
Summative answers questions about changes (impact) that have
occurred in learners because of their learning experiences. Summative
evaluation provides evidence for what works, what does not work, and what needs
to be improved.
In every
step of the curriculum development process, the most important task is to
keep the learner (in this case, youth) in mind and involve them in process.
For example, the curriculum team members, who have direct knowledge of the
target audience, should be involved in conducting the needs assessment. From
the needs assessment process, the problem areas are identified, gaps between
what youth know and what they need to know are identified, and the scope of the
problem is clarified and defined. The results may prompt decision makers to
allocate resources for a curriculum development team to prepare curriculum
materials.
A brief
description of each of the curriculum development steps is described below.
After reviewing these descriptions, you should have a very clear idea of how
the steps occur in each of the phases and what each step includes.
PHASE I: PLANNING
"Nobody plans to fail but failure results from a failure to
plan."
The planning
phase lays the foundation for all of the curriculum development steps. The
steps in this phase include:
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(1) Identify Issue/Problem/Need
↪(2) Form Curriculum Development Team
↪(3) Conduct Needs Assessment and Analysis
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(1) Identify Issue/Problem/Need
The need for
curriculum development usually emerges from a concern about a major issue or
problem of one or more target audience. This section explores some of the
questions that need to be addressed to define the issue and to develop a
statement that will guide the selection of the members of a curriculum
development team. The issue statement also serves to broadly identify, the
scope (what will be included) of the curriculum content.
Once the
nature and scope of the issue has been broadly defined, the members of the
curriculum development team can be selected. Topics covered in this section
include: (1) the roles and functions of team members, (2) a process for selecting
members of the curriculum development team, and (3) principles of collaboration
and teamwork. The goal is to obtain expertise for the areas included in the
scope of the curriculum content among the team members and develop an effective
team.
There are
two phases in the needs assessment process. The first is procedures for conducting
a needs assessment. A number of techniques are aimed toward learning what
is needed and by whom relative to the identified issue. Techniques
covered in this section include: KAP - Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice
Survey; focus groups; and environmental scanning.
Analysis, the second part of this needs
assessment step, describes techniques on how to use the data and the results
of the information gathered. Included are: ways to identify gaps between
knowledge and practice; trends emerging from the data; a process to prioritize
needs; and identification of the characteristics of the target audience.
"As the twig is bent, so grows the tree"
PHASE II: CONTENT AND METHODS
Phase II
determines intended outcomes (what learners will be able to do after
participation in curriculum activities), the content (what will be taught), and
the methods (how it will be taught). Steps include:
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(4) State Intended Outcomes
↪ (5) Select Content
↪(6) Design Experiential Methods
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Once the
issue is defined, the curriculum team is formed, the needs assessed, analyzed
and prioritized, the next step is to refine and restate the issue, if needed,
and develop the intended outcomes or educational objectives. An intended
outcome states what the learner will be able to do as a result of participating
in the curriculum activities.
This section
includes: (1) a definition of intended outcomes, (2) the components of intended
outcomes (condition, performance, and standards), (3) examples of intended
outcomes, and (4) an overview of learning behaviors. A more complete
explanation of the types and levels of learning behaviours is included in the Addendum
as well as intended outcome examples from FAO population education
materials.
The next
challenge in the curriculum development process is selecting content that
will make a real difference in the lives of the learner and ultimately society
as a whole. At this point, the primary questions are: "If the intended
outcome is to be attained, what will the learner need to know? What
knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours will need to be acquired and
practiced?"
The scope
(breadth of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours) and the sequence
(order) of the content are also discussed. Intended outcomes of population
education with content topics is provided in the Addendum section
as an example and application of how intended outcomes are linked with content.
After the
content is selected, the next step is to design activities (learning
experiences) to help the learner achieve appropriate intended outcomes. An
experiential learning model and it's components (i.e., experience, share,
process, generalize, and apply) are discussed in this section.
Additional
topics include:
- learning styles and activities appropriate for each style;
- a list of types of activities (with descriptions);
- an activity design worksheet for facilitators; and
- brief discussions on learning environments and delivery modes.
Ten
population education sample activity sheets along with tips for facilitators
working with youth and dealing with sensitive topics are included in the Addendum.
PHASE III:IMPLEMENTATION
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(7) Produce
Curriculum Product
↪(8) Test and Revise Curriculum
↪(9) Recruit and Train Facilitators
↪(10)
Implement Curriculum
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Once the
content and experiential methods have been agreed upon, the actual production
of curriculum materials begins. This section includes: 1) suggestions for
finding and evaluating existing materials; 2) evaluation criteria; and 3)
suggestions for producing curriculum materials.
This step
includes suggestions to select test sites and conduct a formative evaluation of
curriculum materials during the production phase. A sample evaluation form is
provided.
It is a
waste of resources to develop curriculum materials if adequate training is not
provided for facilitators to implement it. Suggestions for recruiting
appropriate facilitators are provided with a sample three-day training program.
Effective
implementation of newly developed curriculum products is unlikely to occur
without planning. Strategies to promote and use the curriculum are discussed in
this step.
PHASE IV: EVALUATION AND
REPORTING
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(11) Design Evaluation Strategies
↪(12) Reporting and Securing Resources
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Evaluation
is a phase in the curriculum development model as well as a specific step. Two
types of evaluation, formative and summative, are used during curriculum
development. Formative evaluations are used during the needs assessment,
product development, and testing steps. Summative evaluations are undertaken to
measure and report on the outcomes of the curriculum. This step reviews
evaluation strategies and suggests simple procedures to produce valid and
reliable information. A series of questions are posed to guide the summative
evaluation process and a sample evaluation format is suggested.
The final
element in an evaluation strategy is "delivering the pay off (i.e.,
getting the results into the hands of people who can use them). In this step,
suggestions for what and how to report to key shareholders, especially funding
and policy decision makers, are provided and a brief discussion on how to
secure resources for additional programming.
The
Curriculum Development Process
In a broad
sense, the curriculum development process includes the design, development,
implementation and evaluation of curricula. However, as one examines the
process more closely it becomes evident that each component may itself comprise
several varied but inter-related activities. The Curriculum Development is
charged with the responsibility to operationalise the Curriculum Development
Process. Accordingly, the work of the division may be more adequately described
as designing, developing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reviewing
curricula that are appropriate and relevant to the needs and interests of a
developing nation, such as ours.
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The
Curriculum Development Process
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The
following is a brief description of these various activities involved in the
development of curriculum materials:
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Design: This involves all the preliminary
work that is carried out to ensure that the curriculum is relevant, appropriate
and workable. At this stage, the curriculum is conceptualized and attention is
paid to arrangement of the varied components. Considerations include the focus
on the philosophical underpinnings, goals, objectives, subject matter, learning
experiences and evaluation ; all established in consultation with stakeholders.
At present, emphasis is being placed on the learner in curriculum development
activities.
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Develop: In this stage, curriculum
development involves planning, construction and the logical step-by-step
procedures used to produce written documents, as well as print and non-print
resource materials. These documents may include vision statements, goals,
standards, performance benchmarks, learning activities and instructional
strategies, interdisciplinary connections, and other integration activities
that guide curriculum implementation.
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Implement: This is the stage in which all
stakeholders become part of the process by making their contribution to
operationalise the curriculum as designed and developed. The process is managed
by the officers of the Curriculum Development Division. It requires interaction
between officers of the division, principals, teachers, parents, students and
the general public, all key in the education of the child. Since implementation
is a change actvity, the Curriculum Development Division also engages in
in-service teacher education through seminars and workshops to facilitate the
required alteration of individuals' knowledge, skills and attitude
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Monitor: This can be seen as part of the
implementation process. It is at this stage that officers visit schools to
verify that classroom practice is consistent with the established goals and
objectives of the national curriculum. Data is gathered to inform policy and
decision making relative to the curriculum. The monitoring activities also
capture best practices for generalization and develop the working relationship
between officers of the Curriculum Division and school personnel, allowing for
technical support at the school level to be provided where needed.
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Evaluate: At this stage, officers engage in
analyzing data collected on the field to determine the effectiveness of the
curriculum design and its implementation as they relate to the child. The
process entails comprehensive study of the data with the view of identifying
possible deficiencies and root causes that can lead to corrective action. It is
the findings from this exercise that directly influence the final stage of
review.
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Review: The information gained from data
analysis is used to guide appropriate adjustments to the curriculum documents.
Such adjustments incorporate the strengths and address any apparent weakness of
the implemented curriculum. Because of technological developments and the
resulting ease with which new information can be shared, continuously evolving
curriculum is now possible. Updates, links to resource material and successful
teaching and learning experiences can be easily incorporated in curricula.
These considerations are all geared towards curriculum improvement and improved
student performance in meeting national, developmental and educational goals
Curriculum Development
BATEC’s innovative process of developing curricula that is regionally connected, advanced in pedagogy and industry-linked, integrates aspects of change management within a Cycle of Professional Development. Educators participate in this change process as they develop curricula, share best practices and learn from industry experts about the specific, high-demand skills workers need to succeed.The Professional Development Cycle of Change in Five Developmental Phases:
Phase l: Initiation of Professional Development sessions with shared mission, vision & goals for the group. Team-building and trust is important during this time. The intentional focus is on building a strong community of practice.
Phase II: Exploration of new ideas and beginning of Implementation process. Assessment is taken of individual and group needs and skills. This is a stage of some frustration and discomfort as new ideas challenge old ones (assumptions and fixed plans) and organizational norms may be questioned.
Phase III: Integration of new ideas and best practices via deeper exploration of curricular materials & pedagogical methods. Faculty engage in more “peer reviews” with a greater level of trust & comfort. These “critical friends” begin to share student outcome data as well as transformational teaching practices.
Phase lV: Evaluation stage where new concepts, ideas, and curricula are examined with what faculty have learned. This is often the phase where faculty express somewhat of a “paradigm shift” in their understanding.
Phase V: If all goes well, positive & intended changes in teaching and learning practices occur. Curricular materials reflect more than a surface understanding and changes to teaching practices are obvious and measurable –as validated by the community of practice and evidence of positive student outcomes.
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Curriculum Development ProcessThere are many models of curriculum planning and development. I have chosen three models that basically have the same three components; planning, identification & development, and implementation. For the purpose of this class we will follow model 3 as our template for curriculum development. MODEL 1  Curriculum Development in career and technical and Technical Education MODEL 2  Three Stage Systems Approach MODEL 3 Typically, to fulfill the Three Stage Systems Approach, a curriculum developer would use the 10 step process to complete the curriculum development process. The Systems Approach will be used and described more in-depth in module four.  , Systems Approach to Curriculum Development Return to Module 1 |
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A guide to developing and assessing learning outcomes
I recently co-authored a Guide to support programs, departments and instructors at the University of Guelph as they continue to develop and assess learning outcomes such that curricula become increasingly coherent, aligned and evidenced. We highlight the following 5 steps to curriculum development.
1. Plan
Curriculum committees are often overwhelmed by the inherent complexities associated with assessing and improving the curriculum. Curriculum development must be viewed as a continuous process (Wolf, 2007).
To manage this process, it is invaluable for committees to establish a manageable framework for continuous program assessment and development by establishing a strategic planning process based on the following questions:
1. Why? (What are your specific goals and objectives for curriculum assessment and improvement?)
2. Who? (Who will you involve? Who are the target stakeholders?)
3. When? (What are your timelines?)
4. How? (What assessment method is most appropriate?)
5. What? (What data will you collect to help inform?)
2. Vision
An outcomes-based approach to education is inherently dependent upon the identification and communication of clearly defined learning outcomes, which describe the essential and disciplinary knowledge and abilities that students should possess upon completion of the program. The articulation of meaningful and measurable learning outcomes that are contextualized within the discipline may require substantial consultations with a range of stakeholders (e.g. alumni, students, faculty, employers) (Green et al. 2009). As a valuable first step it is often helpful to discuss, communicate, and review the broader context of the program:
• What is the purpose of program? Why should it be offered? What is the need?
• What will make this program innovative and distinctive?
What unique areas of focus or strengths does this program offer?
• How will this program contribute to students’ academic and professional development? How will it be of benefit to them?
• How will the program fulfill its vision and goals? What signature pedagogies (i.e. teaching/learning/assessment activities) should the instructors and
students be involved in?
3. Assess
Learning outcomes provide an opportunity for programs to effectively review and enhance the alignment between the planned, delivered and experienced curriculum (Bath et al., 2004). A comprehensive approach to learning outcomes assessment ensures that decisions related to change are informed by data collected from multiple sources. Recommended methods include multi-stakeholder questionnaires, focus groups and Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis, curriculum mapping, curriculum embedded assessment, and reviews of both scholarly literature and of analogous programs.
4. Improve and Align
Data collected through learning outcomes assessment can be used not only to account for student learning, but also ought to be used to engage faculty in critical discussions related to curriculum improvement. Data can be
used to help ensure that decisions related to the alignment between the intended learning outcomes and the educational experiences embedded within the curriculum are evidenced-based. It is at this stage that instructors
and curriculum committees improve, validate and align the curriculum by identifying and leveraging the program strengths, and developing recommendations and strategies to deal with the gaps, redundancies and challenges apparent in the curriculum. Committees may wish to explore specifically:
1. the essential educational experiences that allow students to successfully develop and achieve the intended learning outcomes, including assessment and feedback strategies and signature teaching and
learning activities;
2. the progression of student learning throughout the program, including foundational and capstone experiences, and course sequences and scaffolding; and,
3. course weighting and the balance of between core and elective requirements.
5. Monitor and Adapt
An outcomes-based approach to curriculum development requires developing a focus on continuous improvement (Wolf, 2007). In order to monitor and advance our academic programs, it is important to assess continually that the intended student learning outcomes are actually being achieved within the curriculum. An ongoing multistakeholder curriculum plan provides an opportunity for instructors to collaboratively discuss and propose changes to the curriculum based on data from multiple sources. In order for this process to succeed, learning outcomes must be part of a living curriculum – that is they must be clearly
articulated in a way that is contextualized within the discipline, communicated broadly, continually reviewed and monitored, and effectively integrated into decision-making processes. Learning outcomes provide an opportunity for programs, departments and instructors to create a curriculum that is reviewed and enhanced regularly to support alignment between the planned, enacted and experienced curriculum (Bath et al., 2004).
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