Nature of curriculum need and importance of curriculum development

Curriculum and School
Nature of curriculum need and importance of curriculum development

1. Nature of Curriculum, Need and Importance of Curriculum Development Dr.M.Deivam Assistant Professor Department of Education The Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University) Gandhigram , Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu

2. Curriculum: Definitions Curriculum includes all the learning experiences offered to all the learners under the direction of the school – C.Ronald It is a plan for action or a written document that includes strategies for achieving desired goals or ends – Ralph Taylor & Hilda Taba It is the total efforts of the school to bring about desired outcomes in and out of school situation – Alexander & Saylor

3. Nature of Curriculum

4. Content / subject matter Curriculum was nothing but the different subjects taught in schools. In fact content or subject matter does not stop just by the facts and information but involves many more things right from planning to that of reconstruction.

5. Program of planned activities It can be the overall activities planned by the teacher as to how to teach, what to teach, how to motivate , what devises are required to draw their attention, and so on; all that is planned in advance before the real teaching – learning process commences.

6. Curriculum as an Objective B.F. Skinner views the curriculum as being formulated according to behaviouristic objectives. The curriculum is the series of experiences which children and youth must have by way of attaining activity-based objectives. W. W. Chatters (1923) viewed curriculum as a series of objectives that students must attain by way of a series of learning experiences

7. Intended learning outcomes Johnson (1977) and Posner (1982) contended that curriculum as the intended learning outcomes . i.e , there is a clear shift from means to ends as criticized in the earlier approach. Here the specified ends are before the planner; they go by their precise planning by their intentions and achieve the same.

8. Cultural reproduction The curriculum is the reflection of the culture of a particular society. They identify appropriate skills and knowledge for e.g values, religion, and political system etc. Concepts will be incorporated with the curriculum, which in turn reflects their belief and all cultural aspects.

9. Curriculum as experience Dewey says curriculum as a single experience. He says that these two are inseparable. Curriculum provides experiences to respond and react and reflect on various processes of learning . It depends on the learner as what he experiences.

10. Discrete tasks and concepts This can be related to training or industry where individual gets exposed to different tasks to master over the task and attain the concepts . For instance rules of grammar, mathematical problem, other mechanical skill-oriented tasks in various professions, expose the learner to the relevant tasks to acquire the concepts.

11. Agenda for social reconstruction Dewey , says that schools should provide an agenda of knowledge which guides students to enrich society and the cultural institutions, beliefs and activities support it, i.e the students are prepared well with adequate knowledge and skills to adopt in their future life.

12. Curriculum as currere It is not meaning a mere race course. Meaning Gurmet (1980) says here the individual are expected to re-conceptualize their own autobiography. An individual gets into his own entire past events, recollects, and tries to reconstruct his own future. By sharing this with others they also become better in understanding themselves.

13. Curriculum as a system Curriculum can be considered as a system for dealing with people and the processes or organization of personnel and procedures for implementing the system (Babcock, McNeil, Untruth).

14. Need and Importance of Curriculum Development

15. a. Realisation of Educational Objectives: An organisation of education is based on the curriculum. The curriculum development is done in view to realise the objectives of education . Thus the curriculum is the means for achieving the educational objectives.

16. b. Proper use of Time and Energy: It provides the guidelines to the teachers as well as to students, what a teacher has to teach and what the students to learn?

17. c. Acquisition of Knowledge: The curriculum is the mean for the acquiring knowledge. Actually human knowledge is one but is divided in to subject for the convenience and organisation point of view. Thus the curriculum is designed for the different subjects.

18. d. Determining Structure Of Content: Every subject’s content has its wide structure which is to be taught lower level to the higher level. Thus the main task of curriculum development is determining structure of content for a particular stage teaching. Thus the curriculum of different subjects is designed from primary level to university level.

19. e. Development of Personality: The curriculum is also important and significant from personality development of the student. The curriculum is designed which helps in development in good qualities in students. It helps in developing physical, social and moral qualities of learners.

20. f. Preparation of Text Book: The curriculum provides the guide line and bases for preparing text book for the use of students and subject teacher. If the curriculum is changed or codified, the test books are also changed. A good text has wide coverage of curriculum content of subjects.

21. g. Conducting Examination: Our education is examination centred . The students have forced obtain good mark in the examination. Thus examination paper is prepared as per curriculum of the subject and students also prepare the content for the examination. Thus, curriculum is basis of teaching, learning and testing.

22. h. Organising Teaching And Learning Situation: The teaching and learning situation are organised in view to the curriculum teaching work is also assigned with help of curriculum

23. i . Decision about Instructional method: The instructional method is selected and used in view of the curricular. The same content is taught from memory to reflective level. It may be teacher centred or learner centred .

24. j. Development of Knowledge, Skill And Attitude: The nature of curriculum provides the basis for the developing knowledge, skills, attitude and creative ability. It also helps in developing leadership qualities.

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