What Is Curriculum Development?

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In our modern, global society, things change at an ever increasing pace. In the words of Heraclitus - everything changes and nothing stands still. We are faced with changes, sometimes radical changes, in everything from technology to belief systems, values, politics and economies - the list is endless. It is therefore necessary to constantly evaluate, adapt and develop our curricula offered in school and other educational institutions so that our children can stay abreast of these changes. Before discussing curriculum development and evaluation, it is necessary to understand what is meant by curriculum. 2. What is Curriculum? Curriculum is often defined as the academic content taught in schools or other academic institutions. It …show more content…

3. Stages of Curriculum Development In order to set up a curriculum that will support learners in their development of knowledge, personal growth and aspirations, a systematic approach is best. Mostert (cited in Carl 2014) identifies six authoritative phases to the process of curriculum development: Initiation, Planning, Development, Testing, Implementation and Summative evaluation. Carl (2014) summarizes the process as curriculum design, curriculum dissemination, curriculum implementation and curriculum evaluation. Diagram 1 attempts to summarize the process: Diagram 1: Stages in Curriculum Development ( Adapted from Carl and Mostert in Carl …show more content…

• All developmental aspects of the ‘receivers’ of the curriculum must be taken into consideration - cognitive and physical development as well as values and attitudes • The needs of the community should be reflected and link with their reality and content should be relevant • There should be a correlation between different subject curricula and content should build up progressively from one phase or level to the next 3.3 Development Development is closely linked to the planning and design phase. Primary objectives of this stage are the selection of content and the scope thereof, and the educational strategies and methodology to achieve set goals. Summarized by Carl (2014), Mostert points out that there is also production and development of teaching material, didactic guidelines are supplied and evaluation mechanisms are supplied. A further aspect of the development phase is formative evaluation and the review by experts to make sure that all aspects were covered and that the curriculum caters for all learners’

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