Philosophical Forces in Curriculum Development

Forces that Influence Curriculum Development

• Philosophical forces: Social constructivism is the dominant philosophical force in South Africa, emphasizing the learner's active involvement in the learning process.
• The teacher's role is that of a facilitator, and the prescribed textbook is not sufficient; other sources like the internet, DVDs, and more must be used.
• Knowledge forces: The training of subject specialists or generalists indicates how knowledge is viewed and organized in the curriculum.
• The way knowledge is organized affects different groups of learners differently.
• Teachers must discern between school knowledge (powerful knowledge) and everyday knowledge.

Social Forces

• HIV/AIDS, inclusive education, and environmental issues are currently dealt with and influence the design and implementation of the curriculum in South African schools.
• These forces affect the unpacking of the curriculum by the teacher and are interpreted differently by individual teachers and schools.

Technological Forces

• Scientific computers, computer software, DVDs, cellular telephones, interactive whiteboards, and more have a major impact on the design of the curriculum at the macro, micro, and meso levels.
• The White Paper on e-Education stipulates that eLearning should have been introduced into South African schools in 2013, which has had a major impact on curriculum development.
• Many schools have replaced textbooks with iPads or similar tablets that contain all the necessary textbooks for the specific school year.

How has Knowledge Changed in South Africa's Curriculum?

• Progressive educationalists and others have influenced curriculum development.
• Various curriculum models and theories have been used, such as John Franklin Bobbit's, Ralph Tyler's, and Hilda Taba's models.

Curriculum Models and Theories

• Ralph Tyler's model consists of four questions:
  • What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?
  • What educational experiences can be provided to attain these purposes?
  • How can these educational experiences be effectively organized?
  • How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained?
• Hilda Taba's model consists of five steps:
  • Design of experimental instructional-learning units
  • Testing of experimental instructional-learning units
  • Review and consolidation
  • Development of a frame of reference (cohesion and rationale)
  • Establishment and dissemination of units
• John Dewey's approach emphasizes the importance of curriculum development as a process of improving the curriculum.

Levels of Curriculum Development

• Macro level: Planning at the national or country level.
• Micro level: Planning at the school level.
• Meso level: Planning at the district or regional level.

National Curriculum Statements

• Retained the outcomes-based form.
• Retained some integration at the GET level.
• Specified what outcomes need to be achieved in each grade, rather than in each phase.
• Did away with phase organizers.
• Introduced lists of contents to specify precisely what should be learned in different subjects at different grades.

Curriculum Approaches

• Competence-based curricula: Characterized by integration between subjects and strong links between school learning and real life.
• Performance-based curricula: Stresses the importance of separate subject disciplines and does not draw extensively from real life.

Curriculum Categories

• Glatthorn's four categories: Still hold up to scrutiny today and continue to help provide a roadmap for curriculum theory.
• Smith's categories: Transmission of information, end product, process, and others.