CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

 A curriculum is more than a list of topics to be covered by an educational programme, for which the more commonly accepted word is a ‘syllabus’. A curriculum is first of all a policy statement about a piece of education, and secondly an indication as to the ways in which that policy is to be realized through a programme of action. It is the sum of all the activities, experiences and learning opportunities for which an institution (such as the Society) or a teacher (such as a faculty member) takes responsibility – either deliberately or by default (Coles, 2003)

 May be defined as an educational plan that spells out which goals and objectives should be achieved, which topics should be covered and which methods are to be used for learning, teaching and evaluation (Wojtczak, 2002)

 Is the planned and guided learning experiences and intended learning outcomes, formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences, under the auspices of the school, for the learners’ continuous and wilful growth in personal social competence (Tanner, 1980)

 The term curriculum refers to the sum total of organized learning stated as educational ends, activities, school subjects and/or topics decided upon and provided within an educational institution for the attainment of the students (Garcia, 1976, SEAMEO RELC)

 'A curriculum is an attempt to communicate the essential principles and features of an educational proposal in such a form that it is open to critical scrutiny and capable of effective translation into practice'. A curriculum is rather like a recipe in cookery (Stenhouse,1975)

SYLLABUS DESIGN

 One aspect of curriculum development but is not identical with it. A syllabus is a specification of the content of a course of instruction and lists what will be taught and tested. Syllabus design is the process of developing a syllabus (Richards, 2001)

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

 Is a more comprehensive process than syllabus design. It includes the processes that are used to determine the needs of a group of learners, to develop aims or objectives for a program to address those needs, to determine an appropriate syllabus, course structure, teaching methods, and materials, and to carry out an evaluation of the language program that results from these processes (Richards, 2001)

Language Curriculum

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The Ideology of the Curriculum

In developing goals for educational programs, curriculum planners draw on their understanding both of the present and long-term needs of learners and of society as well as the planners’ beliefs and values about schools, learners, and teachers. These beliefs and values are sometimes referred to as curriculum ideologies, and represent the philosophical underpinnings for educational programs and the justification for the kinds of aim they contain.

Each of the five curriculum perspectives or ideologies below emphasizes a different approach to the role of language in the curriculum (Richards, 2001).

1. Academic Rationalism

The justification for the aims of curriculum stresses the intrinsic value of the subject matter and its role in developing the learner’s intellect, humanistic values, and rationality. The content matter of different subjects is viewed as the basis for a curriculum. Mastery of content is an end in itself rather than a means to solving social problems or providing efficient means to achieve the goals of policy makers.

2. Social and Economic Efficiency

This educational philosophy emphasizes the practical needs of learners and society and the role of an educational program in producing learners who are economically productive. Bobbit (1918), one of the founders of curriculum theory, advocated this view of the curriculum. Curriculum development was seen as based on scientific principles, its practitioners were “educational engineers’ whose job was to “discover the total range of habits, skills, abilities, forms of thoughts…etc., that its members need for the effective performance of their vocational labors.” In language teaching, this philosophy leads to an emphasis on practical and functional skills in a foreign or second language.

3. Learner-centeredness

In language teaching, this educational philosophy is leading to an emphasis on process rather than product, a focus on learner differences, learner strategies and on learner self- direction and autonomy.

4. Social Reconstructionism

This curriculum perspective emphasizes the roles schools and learners can and should play in addressing social injustices and inequality. Morris (1995) observes: The curriculum derived from this perspective focuses on developing knowledge, skills and attitudes which would create a world where people care about each other, the environment, and the distribution of wealth. Tolerance, the acceptance of diversity and peace would be encouraged. Social injustices and inequality would be central issues in the curriculum.

5. Cultural Pluralism

This philosophy argues that schools should prepare students to participate in several different cultures and not merely the culture of the dominant social and economic group. Cultural pluralism seeks to redress racism, to raise the self-esteem of minority groups, and to help children appreciate the viewpoints of other cultures and religions (Phillips and Terry , 1999)

Language Curriculum

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