The frame work
of curriculum
should leverage on inclusive and equitable, characterized by quality learning, promoting
lifelong learning, and relevant to holistic development. Curriculum, in other
words, provides the bridge between education and development -and it is the
competencies associated with lifelong learning and aligned with development
needs, in the broadest, holistic sense of the term, that span that bridge.
The curriculum
represents a conscious and systematic selection of knowledge, skills and
values: a selection that shapes the way teaching, learning and assessment
processes are organized by addressing questions such as what, why, when and how
students should learn. More broadly, the curriculum is also understood as a
political and social agreement that reflects a society's common vision while
taking into account local, national and global needs and expectations. The curriculum, in other words, embodies a
society's educational aims and purposes. Contemporary curriculum reform and
development processes therefore increasingly involve public discussion and
consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. The complexity of curriculum
development processes and the range of issues informing the 'what' and the
'how' of teaching, learning and assessment present major challenges for
policy-makers and curriculum developers.
In confronting
these challenges, curriculum developers need to answer many fundamental
questions, including, which knowledge, skills and values should be included
in our curriculum? Would the acquisition and development of such knowledge,
skills and values, and of the associated capabilities and competencies, enable
our young people to lead meaningful and productive lives? Does our current
paradigm of a set of ‘subjects’ constitute a curriculum adequate? How can we
make learning relevant and interesting to students?
But what does ‘quality’ mean in a curriculum
context? What is the quality framework within which curriculum developers can
set goals, develop and implement change processes, and eventually gauge their
success? Some useful indicators of a quality curriculum have to do with its
relevance, consistency, practicality,
effectiveness and sustainability.
The curriculum is not, of course, an end in
itself. Rather, it seeks both to achieve worthwhile and useful learning outcome
for students, and to realize a range of societal demands and government
policies. It is in and through the curriculum that key economic, political,
social and cultural questions about the aims, purposes and processes of
education are resolved. The policy statement and technical document that
represent the curriculum reflect also a broader political and social agreement
about what a society deems of most worth -that which is of sufficient
importance to pass on to its children
Key indicators
of curriculum success include the quality of the learning achieved by students,
and how effectively students use that learning for their personal, social,
physical, cognitive, moral, psychological and emotional development. A quality
curriculum maximizes the potential for the effective enhancement of learning.
Underlying this paper is the premise that educational quality should be
understood primarily in terms of the quality of student learning, which in turn
depends to a great extent on the quality of teaching. Of prime importance in
this is the fact that good teaching and learning are greatly enhanced by the
quality, relevance and effectiveness of the curriculum.
Good quality
curriculum development is an ongoing and continuous process, not least because
curricula need constantly to respond to change. Good curricula need to keep
pace with a world in which knowledge is rapidly expanding, communication
technologies are broadening access to information, and, as a result, the skills
needed by students are constantly changing or being invented. A well-planned
and systematic curriculum development process is therefore best conceived as a
continuous dynamic cycle of development, implementation and Evaluation, which
leads to and informs a new cycle. There are implications for adopting this
cyclical approach to curriculum development, particularly those related to
development costs teacher education and professional development and support materials development and
resources.
The
fundamental purpose of a subject syllabus is to provide a coherent and
consistent program of learning, which takes account of the way young people
learn, and which has the flexibility to adapt to local circumstances and
students' needs, and to be adapted over time. A syllabus should ensure that
planned and progressive program of learning activities is constructed to
develop understanding over time, this program is consistent with the way
children's cognitive, emotional and physical abilities develop, there is
consistency of approach between subject areas, and with the values and
principles that have been articulated, inter-disciplinary links are established
between the subject textbooks, other learning materials and assessment
practices.
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