Curriculum development is referred to as a process of improving the curriculum for better learning outcomes. Several approaches have been used in developing the curriculum. Some of the commonly used approaches are design, analysis selecting, formation, and review. Curriculum doesn’t include only the academic topics taught in the schools but also includes the overall teaching experience. It also includes co-curricular and extracurricular activities.
Principles in Curriculum Development:
Some of the major principles in curriculum development include:
Principle of Child-centeredness:
Child’s concern, nature, need, and motive should be the most fundamental consideration in the development of a curriculum as a child is the central part around which all the curriculum revolves.
Principle of Creativity and Conservation:
An effective curriculum should be based on the principle of creativity and conservation. While designing the curriculum, one should ensure that the subjects and experiences of cultural importance must be included. A modern curriculum should be flexible so that it can be modified as per changing needs.
Principle of Flexibility:
The curriculum should be flexible so that it can cater both the changing concerns and needs of students as well the needs of the society. It should enable desirable changes and revision of the course content from time to time.
Principle of Utility:
During curriculum development, utility instead of subject knowledge should be the basis. Only the course material which is useful to the society and individual must be incorporated in the curriculum and which is not vital, can be discarded.
Principle of Character Formation:
The main focus of the curriculum lies with the development of personality and character in the students. It should train their desirable qualities and traits through the program of regulations, rules, and routines.
Principle of Mental Disciple:
One of the key tasks of the curriculum is to train different mental powers of the student for their precision, efficiency, and better learning outcome. Mental powers of learners can be developed by cognitive training and practice.
Curriculum theory is the theory of development of curriculum. Within the wide array of curriculum studies, it refers to both a historical analysis of curriculum and a way of viewing the current educational curriculum & policy decisions.
Theories in Curriculum Development:
Two of the common theories in curriculum development are:
John Dewey’s Curriculum theory:
John Dewey, an American educational reformer, felt that the curriculum must eventually create students who can deal effectively with the modern challenges. Thus, the curriculum should not be presented as finished abstractions. It must include the student’s preconception and should incorporate how the child sees the world. He uses four impulses or instincts, to describe how to characterize children’s behavior, which include constructive, social, artistic, and expressive. John hoped to use occupations to connect the smaller versions of basic activities of life to classroom activities, meaning, to combine subject areas and materials. This method enabled us to make connections between the child’s life and subjects.
Social Meliorism
It refers to education as a tool to reform society and foster change for the better. The socialization goal was based on the power of student’s intelligence, and their ability to boost their intelligence through education. A student’s future was not predetermined by race, heredity, gender, or socio-economic status. The vice and corruption in the cities, the abuse of power & privilege, and the inequalities of gender & race could be addressed by a curriculum which entirely focused on the above stated issues.
The process of curriculum development is critical for need analysis or task analysis. It helps in the designing of curriculum, and formation of curriculum implantation committees at different levels of education, as well as reviewing the effectiveness of existing educational programmes. Microlearning can also be incorporated in curriculum development for better grasp of the course, thus boosting the learning process. Furthermore, Bloom’s Taxonomy can also be adopted during the framework of the curriculum, which thereby enhances the learner’s learning experience at each level. MasterSoft, an ERP solution provider, can help in framing the curriculum in accordance with the principles & theories, thus helping students improve their learning experience.
