importance of curriculum development

By Khan

Key words; curriculum,  What is curriculum, old concept of curriculum , modern concept of curriculum, Curriculum development process, Need and importance of curriculum development, The purpose of curriculum construction, Meaning and concept of curriculum development, definition of curriculum

Need and importance of curriculum development

Curriculum development explains all the methods through which teaching or training is planned and guides the learning process in learning institutions. This learning process could take place in groups or with individual learners. This learning process could take place inside classroom or outside the classroom. It could also take place in an institutional setting like school, college, training center, or in a social gathering in villages.

Curriculum development process

Curriculum development is a process which involve activities;

• conceptualizing the curriculum
• selection and organization of  the content, material and learning experiences
• suggesting the method of teaching and ways of imparting these experiences
• Evaluating the learning outcomes in terms of objectives attainment of desired subject.

In simple words

A curriculum refers to a defined and prescribed course of studies, which students must fulfill in order to pass a certain level of education.

CURRICULUM:

Encarta Dictionary defines “Curriculum” as:

“The subjects taught at an educational institution or the elements taught in a particular subject”.

The Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary defines the word “Curriculum” as:

“The Subjects included in a course of study or taught at a particular school or college”.

Some influential definitions combining various elements to describe curriculum are as follows

•  According to John Kerr a curriculum is a planned and guided by the school, whether it is carried on in groups, individually inside or outside the school.
• The curriculum is a total learning experience provided by the school. It includes the content of courses (the syllabus), the method employed (strategies) and other aspects like norms and values, which relate to the way school are organized.
• Thus a curriculum is neither a development nor a sequence of experiences. It is a plan for facilitating learning for students.
• This plan starts with where the child is. It enumerates all the aspects and dimensions of learning that are considered necessary. It gives a reason why such learning is considered necessary and what educational aims it would serve.

In a nutshell,

• The curriculum is a means followed by the teachers and students for achieving the set of goals, aims and objectives of education being provided in the school.
• The purpose of curriculum is to provide all experiences. These experiences may be curricular or co-curricular, imparted by the school or college for the realization and achievement aims and objectives of school education system.

Old Concept of Curriculum:

According to old concept of curriculum, in the past the teacher used to impart some factual knowledge to his pupils and the pupil had to memorize it and produce it on the demand of the teacher.

In short, we can say that, in the old concept of curriculum was nothing but a second name of text book. This was a static view of curriculum because it emphasized only on the text book knowledge or factual information.

Modern concept of curriculum:

The modern concept of curriculum was developed with the beginning of Twentieth Century.  This concept of curriculum is different from the old one.  According to the modern concept, “curriculum” is not the name of text book knowledge of factual information.  It is not a static-view but a dynamic one.

Now-a-days, “Curriculum is used for the whole environment in which a child is given education.  It is a series of all those activities which a school performs to organize students for physical, social, moral and spiritual development.  These activities are necessary for the development of a balance personality of the child.

Need and importance of curriculum development

• Curriculum development is a purposeful activity for the development of a nation
• Curriculum is design or redesign for the realization of certain specific educational objectives according to needs of a society or a nation.
• The curriculum is the foundation of imparting learning experiences to the student’s in school or college.
• The curriculum should be reviewed and revised on a regular basis on the needs and requirements of a society and the learner so that it serves the changing needs of both students and society.

Following points highlight the needs and importance of curriculum development.

1. The purpose of curriculum construction provides written curricular aims and goals which are the intended student over all development outcomes. These aims, goals and objectives are specified in detail.

2. Continuous assessment and improvement of quality of curriculum; A valid and reliable assessment of curriculum is very necessary. The curriculum followed by an institution or nation should be reviewed regularly in order to maintain its effectiveness for the changing needs of the students and society as a whole.

4. A rational sequence; curriculum educational activities are carefully planned in specific ordered.
5. Making strategy in teaching and learning; Curriculum development helps in suggesting suitable teaching-learning strategies for institutions, teaching methods for teachers and instructional materials etc. It helps in the proper implementation of the curriculum and methods of teaching for of teachers and learning suitable opportunities for learners.
6. It helps in the selection of learning experiences for learner. The main purpose of Curriculum development is for the selection of appropriate learning content and organization of learning experiences for learner. It helps in the selection of study material and educational activities for the learners so they acquire their aims, goals and objectives of teaching.
7. The process of curriculum development is needed for conceptualizing a curriculum in terms of the determination of educational objectives for teaching-learning at a particular grade of school education.
8. Curriculum development helps in the continuous and comprehensive education system. Continuous changes in curriculum and education system for the betterment of society and learner.

Curriculum development considers the need of providing a scheme of education that helps in teaching-learning process and outcomes. With proper feedback from society and learner it can bring necessary improvement in the teaching-learning process and environment in the institutions