Considerations in designing curriculum

Considerations in designing curriculumFarhanaFlorinaSyafiqhafiziTOPIC 3Needs analysispersonnelTarget groupsMaterial selectionAims & objectivesAssessment & evaluationcontentconstraintsMonitoring & supportLearning theories, approaches & methodsRefers to the activities that involve in collecting information in order to meet the needs of a particular students. The outcomes of the process are used to set goals and contents of a language curriculum based on their needs. It examines what learners already know and what they need to know. To design an efficient curriculum, we must know about learners need such as learning objectives, language attitudes, and expectations from the course. NEED ANALYSIS/ NEED ASSESSMENTTools of collecting information: questionnaires, personal interviews, documentations, observation, informal consultations with teachers and learners, test.

Need analysis can guarantee that the course will contain the relevant and useful things for students to learn.

TARGET GROUPS

Get to know the target groups:Individual needs- prior knowledge, language and cultural backgroundAbilitiesPotentialsMultiple intelligenceLearning stylesCurriculum should be appropriate to target groups ;

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Aims of curriculum- what would students gain by learning from it.Aims are NOT the same as desired learning outcomes. a)AIMS: the combined impact of curriculum, the pedagogy, the assessment of the various elements. b)DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES: students oriented, point to the knowledge, skills, competencies and attitudesCONTENT SELECTIONAll curricula have content.

What have to be included in curriculum?The topicsIssues or subjects that will be covered as it proceedsPersonnel and Material SelectionAssessment & EvaluationAssessmentAssessmentTeaching and learning methods must support the assessment strategy.EXAMPLEIf students or trainees are expected to perform well in MCQs, then a Problem-Based Learning type course with a facilitative teaching approach will not be appropriate.AssessmentTeacher should check a number of aspects relating to assessment:Are the assessment methods which relate to the assessment of knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate?Do the teaching and learning methods support the assessment strategy?Are the assessment methods reliable and valid?AssessmentTeacher should check a number of aspects relating to assessment:Are the assessment methods designed so that learners can achieve the minimum performance standards set in the curriculum and is there capacity for learners to demonstrate higher standards of performance (i.e. do the assessments enable discrimination between candidates?)AssessmentTeacher should check a number of aspects relating to assessment:Are the students/trainees being assessed sufficiently or are they being over-assessed?Are the regulations governing assessment procedures and awards clear and easy to follow and are they being applied appropriately and consistently?EvaluationEvaluationEvaluation is a system of feedback, providing information to planners, teachers/trainers, students, parents and decision-makers.Evaluation is a process involving on-going activities aimed at gathering timely information about the quality of a programme.EvaluationWhy do we need to evaluate our courses?To identify successes and failures of the curriculum with a view to correcting deficiencies.To measure if stated objectives have been achieved.To assess if the curriculum is meeting the needs of learners, community, etc.To measure the cost effectiveness of the curriculum.EvaluationSome questions to ask when evaluating a course or programme:Whether the learning objectives are realistic and relevant.Whether the different parts of the course relate to each other meaningfully in terms of sequence and organization.Whether the subject matter and content is relevant, accurate and up to date.EvaluationSome questions to ask when evaluating a course or programme:Whether the learners entry requirements are well defined and at the right level.Whether the materials and delivery are pitched at the right level for the learners at different point in the course.Whether the balance of teaching and learning methods is appropriate and whether there is enough time to ensure learning.EvaluationSome questions to ask when evaluating a course or programme:Whether teachers have the knowledge and skills required to deliver the curriculum.Whether the learning resources that have been identified are adequate, appropriate and available.Monitoring & SupportWhat Should Be Monitored?Student recruitment and selection processes:Do the candidates meet the selection criteria?Do the criteria provide students who are appropriate for the course?What Should Be Monitored?Teaching staff:Are the teachers available, motivated and capable of teaching the new course?Have any training needs for teachers been identified and addressed?What Should Be Monitored?The teaching and learning process:How is the written curriculum translated into practice?Are the teaching and learning methods appropriate?Is the balance between different types of learning mode appropriate in achieving the stated outcomes?What Should Be Monitored?Assessment:Are the assessment appropriate in terms of level, reliability and validity?Do they discriminate between assessing skills, knowledge and attitudes?Are the regulations and procedures appropriate?Are they being followed?What Should Be Monitored?Leaning resources:Are the recommended books and journals and other teaching materials available?Is access to the library and other resources adequate?What Should Be Monitored?Performance standards:Are the minimum performance standards being reflected and achieved?ConstraintsConstraintsWhat are the program constraints?Technological: ICT, lab, LCDs, etc.Timing: Implementation, ReadinessDuration: Length lectures, co-curriculum, practicum, internship, etc.Who is going to provide the cost of the training?Allowances, other payments, etc.SummaryCurriculum design is a complex activity both conceptually and its implementation.Designing a curriculum requires a vision of educations meaning and purpose.Curriculum design must be carefully considered so that the curriculum imparts essential knowledge, skills and attitudes.Learning Theories, Methods and Approaches

Subject-centred designLearner-centred designProblem-centred designSubject-centred designa)Academic subject designb)Discipline designc)Broad fields designd)Correlation designe)Process designa) Academic subject designThis design is based on the belief that humans are unique because of their intellect and the quest for and acquisition of knowledge is to feed this intellectWhy is this model of curriculum design widely adopted? Reason: it is much easily interpreted in textbooks and commercially available support materials.teachers find it easier to communicate the ideas and knowledge of a subject presented in verbal form in textbooks. However, critics argue that this design deemphasises the learner by taking away their rights to choose the content that is most meaningful to themb) Discipline designA discipline is a specific body of knowledge that has its own methods of inquiry, has its specialised words and terminology, has a tradition and a collection of literatureWhat is the rationale for teaching the disciplines? According to its proponents, the school is a mini version of the world of intellect and that the disciplines reflect that world. c) Broad field design known as the interdisciplinary designThe suggestion was to bring together content from different subjects to form one logical subjecteg. Language Arts (composed of literature, grammar, linguistics and spelling)

d) Correlation design It lies in between the academic design model and the broad fields designIf you do not want your curriculum to consist of five separate subjects nor five different subject areas to be fused into one, then the correlation design model might be an alternative. Eg. you may want to just fuse or correlate history with literature at the secondary school level. For example, in a history lesson the class learns about the Japanese occupation of Malaysia. During the literature class, students read novels about life during that time period. However, each subject retains its own distinct identity. e) Process design It stresses the learning of general procedures and processes that are not applicable to any particular discipline. most popular example of process design model : the teaching of thinking skillsStudents should be taught to think. Curriculum has focused on the teaching of decision making, problem solving, critical thinking and creative thinking. The aim of the curriculum is to enhance these process skills applicable to all disciplines. Thinking critically is not unique to geography or physics. Neither is thinking creatively the sole domain of art or literature.

Learner-centred designa)Child-centred designb)Radical designc)Humanistic designa) Child-centred design It believes that learners should actively participate in the teaching-learning process. Learning should be related closely to the daily lives of studentsIn the child-centred model, the interests and experiences of the learner become the subject-matter of the curriculum. Children are given the freedom to discover and do things for themselves rather than told how to do something. The project method became a popular pedagogical strategy in the child- centred design in which children solved problematic situations calling on their knowledge and skills of science, history, art and so on.

b) Radical design Children should be educated towards the goal of social reform. Learning is something that results from the interaction between and among people. Learners should challenge content and be allowed to give their opinions about the information given to them. Learners will value what they learn if they are allowed to construct their own knowledge. When learners create meaning, they have ownership over what they have learned resulting in genuine thought.

c) Humanistic design The curriculum should be designed to empower learners to be involved in the process of realising their potential. To facilitate learning, the teacher accepts learners as persons, placing importance on their feelings and their opinions; while caring for them. In other words, the teacher is able to view the world through the students eyes. The humanistic curriculum design focuses on the interconnectedness of the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. The design stresses the development of positive self-concept and interpersonal skills of learners. Problem-centred designa)Life-centred situationsb)Core designa) Life-centred situationsIn any society, there are persistent life situations that are crucial to a societys successful functioning. Examples of such life situations are healthy living, use of leisure time, ethics, racial tolerance, citizenship skills.Students will direct relevance in studying such social issues when they are related to their world. Also, having students study social or life situations will encourage them to seek ways to improve society.The life-centred situations curriculum has been criticised because students do not learn much subject matter.

b) Core situationsA variation of the life-centred situations design is the core-design model. Focus is still on the pressing problems of society; the difference being that certain problem are selected to form the core. The core problems are taught to all students in a block-time format whereby two or more periods of class time is used. A problem solving approach is adopted in analysing social problems. Students select a problem through consensus and work either individually or in groups. Data is collected, analysed, interpreted and presented in class. Findings are evaluated and discussed.