Curriculum Development and Implementation PDF

**Introduction:** This Module deals with curriculum development and implementation. It approaches curriculum as a problem-solving issue in which it will ensure your total growth intellectually, physically and morally. It shall provide you with the basic knowledge to enhance your skills and planned...

**Introduction:** This Module deals with curriculum development and implementation. It approaches curriculum as a problem-solving issue in which it will ensure your total growth intellectually, physically and morally. It shall provide you with the basic knowledge to enhance your skills and planned experiences provided by the school to attain the desired learning outcomes to the best of your ability. The course will also expose you to the process of curriculum implementation especially the role of teachers, pupils, administrators and educational agencies who are the implementers of the curriculum. Your attention will also be drawn to the negative consequences of non-implementation of the curriculum for all- round growth of the learners. **3.1. Meaning and Scope of Curriculum.** **3.1.1 Definition of Curriculum** The term curriculum is broad and refers to the whole learning experience. Precisely, curriculum refers to running a course, or to run a track or running "a course of study". Within educational context, curriculum refers to course of study, at a school, college and university. Robbit (1981) defined curriculum as a series of things which children and youths must do and experience by way of developing their abilities to do things that make up the adults' life. But Onwuka (1996) described curriculum as a deliberate, systematic and planned attempts made by the school to mold the behaviors of members of the school community. John (1968) Considered curriculum to be [all the learning activities which are planned or guided by the school, whether they are carried out in group or individually]. The above definitions indicate that the purpose of curriculum, with all its elements and components, is to guide the teachers and allow learners to develop intellectually, socially, physically and morally; which are the primary objectives of education. **3.l.2 The Scope of the Curriculum** The scope of the curriculum is viewed as all the planned activities to promote the growth of knowledge. It is aimed at developing the mental, spiritual, physical and social activities of the learners. But as a result of divergent views of what curriculum should include to achieve its purpose, the education should reflect the following: - Aspects and values in its organizational patterns - The teacher pupil's relationship - Extracurricular activities - The link with educational institutions and other agencies - Better social living in general and - Occupational and political knowledge. The scope can also take any of the five approaches prepared by philosophers' schools of thoughts thus: **The Idealists**: They based their knowledge about the universe that nothing exists except as an idea in the mind of man. Ideals are the standards by which things of the senses are to be judged. The ideals or forms are external and unchanging. **The Realists:** They believed that there exists a real world independent of the interpretations of man. The world is a reality and is not dependent on any person's perception. Objects have a reality not dependent on our knowledge or desire to know them. Thus whether we know certain objects do exist or not, they do exist. **The Pragmatists:** It is an educational philosophy based on doing or action. What is called value depend on the relative circumstances as the situation arise. But there is no ultimate value since truth is relative and always changing. This school of thought stressed that human beings can know only what they experience through their senses. **The Existentialists:** They derived their philosophy from the continuous search for the meaning of human existence on earth and the quest for significance of man in an age of impersonal technology. It is built on the tested heritage of skills and laws that could be obtained in trade etc. **The Perennialists:** This is the most conservative and traditional school ol thought. This group believed that knowledge is constant. The purpose of education is to develop, in the individual's mind, the ability to reason. The major focus of education therefore is rationality; and it is everywhere a preparation for life. **3.2. Historical Foundation of Curriculum Development in Nigeria** A curriculum is educational program aimed at offering experiences to learners under the guidance of the school to effect certain changes in their behaviours. Thus, curriculum development was defined by Onwuka (1981) as a process of planning the learning opportunities intended to bring about certain changes in the pupils and to assess the extent to which these changes have taken place. The curriculum developments in Northern Nigeria do exist before the advent of the Missionaries in 1842. Although it was not in a written or formal form, but there was the Arabic and Qur'anic education which were thought to be quite relevant to the needs of the society which also have functional objectives. The objectives are to transmit cultural heritage, Islamic values and Political associations thereby equipping the child with ability to survive in his society. With the advent of colonial masters, a formal form of curriculum was introduced which was ordinarily rudimentary in nature. It emphasized on reading, writing and arithmetic, and was called the 3rs. The first school to be established for western education was in Badagry in 1842 by the Wesley Methodist Mission (WMM) led by Reverend Thomas Freeman and Mr. William Craft. Others that followed were the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in 1848 and Roman Catholic 1issionary Society (RCM) in 1853; they established schools long side their churches. But in 1882, the British Government formally got involved in the education of the natives. The government was only interested in training clerks and laborers to serve for their economic, political and religious interest. When Dr. Henry Larr was appointed as a chief clerk in the colonial office and the queen as sub-inspector of schools in the colony of Lagos In 1889, he made good recommendations to the curriculum development. He suggested for a review of the curriculum in the elementary, secondary and training schools. He recommended that teachers should be trained in content areas, methods and methodology. He also introduced pre-vocational courses in the areas of farming, carpentry and blacksmith. The expansion of these programmes came at the time of Fredrick Lugard who was appointed as Governor General of Nigeria in 1898. Between 1909-1914, western education had covered some parts of northern Nigeria in the predominant Muslims community. At that time, there were over 25,000 qur'anic schools with a total population of 218,618 as mentioned by Fafunwa (1984). Meanwhile, in October 1960, Nigeria gained her independence from British colonial rule. In realization of the enormous role education would play in the national development, the first curriculum development conference was organized in 1969, under the chairperson of Chief S.O. Adebo. It involved stake holders from all works of life in Nigeria; and the 6-3-3-4 system of education and the vocational courses were adopted and made compulsory at primary and the junior secondary levels. **3.3 Curriculum Design. Concept and Practice**: already we have discussed the concept of curriculum in item 3. 1. Now we going to discuss the curriculum design and practice. There are two types of curriculum design, the teacher-centered and learner-centered curriculum; and now we can distinguish their differences and implications. 1. A). Teacher- centered curriculum: There are two types of curriculum here, the discrete/subject curriculum and the broad field/integrated curriculum; and these types of curriculum are characterized by the following features: i. The teacher is the dominant factor in the class ii. The teacher gives instruction while learners listen passively. iii. The learners are not involved in classroom activities iv. The method of teaching is chalk and talk." v. It encourages memorization and recall of facts, ideas, and principles. vi. It emphasizes on what the learners should know rather than what they could be able to do. B). Learner-centered curriculum: there are two types of curriculum under this category; the activity/experience and core curriculum. These types of curriculum are characterized by the following features: i. The learners are the focus of the learning. ii. It takes into consideration, the individual, interests, needs, abilities and development of the learners. iii. The learners are involved in classroom activities. iv. The learners' experiences are given consideration v. Subject is offered to meet the learners' interests, needs and abilities. vi. It employs problems solving techniques