Curriculum Development MBEG 209

Curriculum Development in Education MBEG 209

• This course covers curriculum development.
• Lecture notes revise topics 5-10.

Criteria for the Selection of Content

• Several criteria are necessary for selecting curriculum content.
• These criteria include: validity, significance, needs of learners, learner interests, utility, learnability, and consistency with social realities.

Validity

• Validity means content directly supports the intended learning outcomes.
• Content is valid if it achieves the intended learning objectives.

Significance

• Significance refers to the material's ability to meet the learners' needs and different ability levels.

Needs and Interests of the Learner

• Curriculum content should reflect learners' needs and interests to be motivating.
• Relevant curriculum relates to the students' current world.

Utility

• The usefulness of curriculum content in solving learners' problems is critical.
• Curriculum content should be helpful for future problem-solving.

Learnability

• Curriculum material should be easily understood and adaptable to diverse learner experiences.
• Adjust curriculum content to learners' abilities.

Consistency with Social Realities

• Content and learning outcomes align with current social and cultural contexts for greater effectiveness.
• It must be tuned to the realities of the current culture.

Needs Analysis in Program Development

• Needs analysis involves gathering information about learners' needs and the situation in place.
• It is essential for systematic curriculum development.
• Needs analysis helps identify learner needs, the current state of institutions or staff, and why those conditions are present.

Purpose of Needs Analysis

• Needs analysis can identify specific needs and guide how to teach the content efficiently.
• Needs analysis leads to suitable learning content and appropriate teaching methods.
• Needs analysis helps to improve workplace satisfaction, reduce costs, and improve standards in various fields, like healthcare.

Approaches in Needs Analysis

• Differential approach contrasts expected and observed success levels, highlighting areas for improvement.
• Democratic approach incorporates all stakeholder perspectives, not solely the majority.
• Analytic approach forecasts needs for change and adapting to evolving global conditions.
• Descriptive approach explores problems, differences, and reductions arising from the absence of something.
• Process approach focuses on how the process of needs assessment impacts curriculum development.

Types of Needs Analysis

• Normative needs arise when standards cannot be met, like during international examinations.
• Felt needs are needs expressed by individuals, such as recognition of metacognitive weaknesses.
• Comparative needs emerge from differences in resources or services among groups or locations.

The Delphi Technique

• A method of structured communication for consensus among experts based on multiple feedback rounds.
• It is used in forecasting and involves sending questionnaires to experts for feedback until consensus is achieved.

Progel Dacuum Technique

• A practical method for determining job procedures through expert opinions.
• A method for deciding the required steps for jobs through persons trained in those jobs.

Job Analysis Technique

• Divides occupations into detailed functions, focusing on knowledge, skills, professional attitudes and habits.
• Less useful than Progel; however, it's quicker to complete and get results.

Observation

• Used to analyze events in a real-life context, identifying the need for change.
• Useful for educators to understand the learner context.

Tests Measurement Tools and Literature Review Scanning

• Measurement tools determine the presence and proficiency of characteristics like understanding and performance.
• Determining needs through written documents, like literature.

Defining Aims, Goals, and Objectives (AGO)

• AGO is an acronym to remember the progressive order.
• It avoids confusion between aims, goals, and objectives.
• Aims outline general statements that can be used across multiple grades or areas.
• Goals are more specific statements of educational intentions.
• Objectives are specific and measurable outcomes that can be evaluated.

The Aims, Goals, and Objectives

• Aims provide general direction, written in less concrete terms.
• Goals are less vague, more directional, and include specific areas.
• Objectives specify observable behaviour, making them directly measurable.

Planning and Preparing a Lesson or Sequence of Lessons

• Aims determine what learners should be able to know or do.
• Aims should also include target language and how learners will respond.
• To identify objectives, ask what learners know and what they need to know.

Main Aim

• This is a thorough description of the central purpose or most important element of a learning segment.

Subsidiary Aims

• Detailed aims to support the main aim.
• They ensure activities effectively build knowledge and skills.

Personal Aims

• These aims focus on self-improvement and teaching techniques.
• They can encompass details like materials handling or teaching methods.

Some More Examples of Aims

• Practical examples showing different specific aims and actions.

Key Concepts

• Key concepts to help understand aims and create clearer lesson plans.

Models of Curriculum Design

• Various models of designing curriculum (subject-centered, learner-centered, integrated, broad fields) and their features.
• Discussion of when each might be suitable or more effective.

Subject-Centered Curriculum Design

• Curriculum organized around separate subjects.
• This is often considered the oldest model, common in many countries.
• It has advantages, e.g. clear structure and easier to understand for teachers.
• But it has drawbacks, e.g. neglecting learners' needs and not supporting how learning naturally occurs.

Learner-Centered/Personalized Curriculum Design

• Curriculum focuses on individual learner needs and interests.
• This considers developmental considerations, interests, and needs.
• It's usually developed with learners to accommodate individual needs and learning.
• This approach aims to develop connections between what is learned and what is important for society.

Broad Fields/Integrated Curriculum Design

• Curriculum model in which related subjects are combined to streamline learning.
• This integrates subjects to build better understanding.
• This model can be more holistic and effective but can lack the depth of a subject-centered approach.

Core Curriculum Design

• A curriculum that focuses on providing essential knowledge and skills for all students.
• This covers content or skills needed to participate in society.
• This builds both understanding and social responsibility.
• It provides essential skills and knowledge to function in society.

The Engage, Study, Activate (ESA) approach

• A structured method for sequencing learning activities.
• Organizes activities into three distinct phases (engage, study, and activate).
• The method connects to context, accuracy, and fluency.

Schemes of Work

• Outline for a sequence of lessons on a topic, often less detailed than a lesson plan.
• Provide logical progression with a balanced approach.
• Scheme of work clarifies aims and enables the selection of relevant materials and procedures.