A curriculum is a compilation of study materials that are used at all grade levels, classroom and homework assignments and a set of teacher guides. It could also include a list of prescribed methodology and guidelines of teaching and some material for the parents etc. It is generally determined by an external governing body. However, there are some cases where it may be developed by the schools and teachers themselves.
Educational institutions today are increasing their emphasis on high standards as a crucial factor in improving the quality of education imparted to their students. They are, therefore, looking at new and better ways to develop such a curriculum that meets all the pre-decided standards. This calls for a change in the way schools are run and the methods of teaching in order to design, implement and evaluate curriculum effectively.
Before understanding how to evaluate curriculum we must first know why we should evaluate any curriculum. The reasons are:
• Students could be dissatisfied with the current curriculum and methods of teaching.
• Students are not achieving the desired goals set in the curriculum.
• There is a change in the student market.
• The professional expectations could be changing, which in turn call for a change in the curriculum.
• There could also be changes in the time and staff resources.
The need to evaluate curriculum arises because it is necessary for both teachers and students to determine the extent to which their current curricular program and its implementation have produced positive and curricularly suitable outcomes for students. To evaluate curricular effectiveness we must identify and describe the curriculum and its objectives first and then check its contents for accuracy, comprehensiveness, depth, timeliness, depth and quality.
A curriculum can be evaluated by the results that it claims to achieve and the teachings that it inculcates in the students. You can look at the following factors while evaluating a curriculum:
• Does the curriculum encourage students to use their own reasoning and thinking to find solutions to real-world problems in a more productive and realistic way?
• Does it give them a practical knowledge about the topic being taught?
• Does it help students to adopt lateral thinking and form their opinions about a particular topic or concept?
• Does the curriculum groom their personality?
In order to conduct a thorough curriculum evaluation you must:
• Focus on one particular curriculum program or compare two or three programs at once.
• Use a recognized methodology for evaluation.
• Study a large portion of the curriculum that is being evaluated.
Now, in order to evaluate curriculum we need to focus on the evidence gathering and the decisions that must be made for proper evaluation.
teachers and students. It is true that students that this will help to increase their reasoning
Definitions for curriculum are many and varied. Broad sweeping statements claim that curriculum is what is taught in various subjects and the amount of time given to each. While a more specific view is that curriculum are performance objectives for students that focus on specific skills or knowledge (Marsh, 2010). Marsh (2010, p. 93) defines curriculum as “an interrelated set of plans and experiences” that are completed at school. The curriculum used in education can have various interpretations, it may refer to the curriculum as a plan that encompasses all the learning that is planned and directed by the school. Cu...
Franklin Bobbitt in The Curriculum writes: ‘The central theory [of curriculum] is simple. Human life, however varied, consists in the performance of specific activities. Education that prepares for life is one that prepares definitely and adequately for these specific activities. People need the abilities, attitudes, habits, appreciations and forms of knowledge and these will be the objectives of the curriculum. The curriculum will then be that series of experiences which children and youth must have by way of obtaining those objectives.’ (Bobbit...
...m while having freedom to choose how to teach it. This allows the curriculum to become more personable. Teachers currently associate curriculum with government mandates. They believe that curriculum is what they are told to teach instead of what is desired to learn. Curriculum in the educational setting, according to Pinar, is intended to be used to teach us to think intellectually, sensitively, and with courage to prepare us to be individuals committed to other individuals.
Thomas S. Stone Elementary located in Prince George’s County School District, is experiencing the implementation of a new initiative mandated by the state of Maryland called America’s Choice. The goal of America’s Choice new curriculum is crafted to make the teachers and students more accountable in raising student’s test scores in order to make AYP (Annual Yearly Progress). More than half of our students are illiterate and many don’t speak English. This research paper will explore the philosophical and psychological foundations, socioeconomic factors, curriculum design approach, curriculum development approach, aims, goals and objectives of curriculum development, the strategies used for implementation and the evaluation criteria and issues.
The student will not longer rely on the internet and or a peer for their work resulting in critical thinking being used more often. Not only is improving the students skills but,“It also provides students a clear explanation of the importance of behaving with the
Cole, H., Hulley, K., & Quarles, P. (2009). Does assessment have to drive the curriculum?
The Pacer Center has also identified in their article the importance of evaluation and assessment methods (2007). The first type of assessment is and ought to be used is performance based; for instance, individual portfolios that can illustrate a student’s strengths and weaknesses throughout a course. Teachers must be cognitive of the fact that portfolios need to demonstrate a student’s best work in properly assessing their academic improvement. In other words it is not an assessment tool to evaluate every assignment completed by the student. Even though portfolios are used by teachers in a variety of manners the most effective use is to display a student’s preeminent ...
Curriculum is the organized framework that explains the content that children are to learn, the processes through which children achieve the identified curricular goals, what teachers do to help children achieve these goals and the context in which teaching and learning occur. The best curriculum for early childhood teacher is developmentally appropriate curriculum that allows teachers to set-up an effective learning environment for children.
Since then, Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction has been a standard reference for anyone working with curriculum development. Although not a strict how-to guide, the book shows how educators can critically approach curriculum planning, studying progress and retooling when needed. Its four sections focus on setting objectives, selecting learning experiences, organizing instruction, and evaluating progress. Readers will come away with a firm understanding of how to formulate educational objectives and how to analyze and adjust their plans so that students meet the objectives. Tyler also explains that curriculum planning is a continuous, cyclical process, an instrument of education that needs to be fine-tuned.
Curriculum is important being it’s the underlying factor that plays a role in determining ones growth, achievement and success. The majority of curriculum con...
Jacobs, H. H. (1997). Mapping the big picture: Integrating curriculum and assessment. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
According to Marsh (2010) curriculum is “An interrelated set of plans and experiences which students complete under the guidance of the school or early childhood settings.”(p. 93). The curriculum is many things, it is a document containing a set of expected performance outcomes and content to guide teachers. Curriculum can also be the delivery of objectives and personal experiences to accelerate student learning (A. Smith, personal communication, April 10, 2014).
Often time’s curriculum is thought of as a set of rules and standards given to teachers to follow. However, more goes into a curriculum than just what meets perceived. Teachers are not just the vehicles from which a curriculum flows but in a sense, they embody it. There are four main different avenues in which curriculum is constructed. It’s constructed through government agencies, publishers, school systems, and teachers. It can be defined as “content, a set of specific educational plans, a changing series of planned learning experiences, or as everything that learners experience in school” (Van Brummelen, 20). A curriculum is strongly built behind a worldview. “A worldview is a comprehensive framework of basic convictions about life. Worldviews
Designing curriculum, instruction, and assessments are steps teachers use to help them make sense of the concepts they teach and helps drive instruction. These steps can take on many different forms and drive a classroom in a plethora of ways. These steps, when developed properly, can help a teacher utilize each moment in the classroom and help students gain more insight to the standards they need to become proficient.