CURRICULUM AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES

Curriculum and Professional Issues

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Curriculum and Professional Issues

Introduction

Many people often link the two terms syllabus and curriculum. The notion of curriculum is not new but the manner in which it is theorizes and understands has changed over years. Curriculum origins from Greece chariot tracks, meaning a course.

Two qualifications are offered that are GCSE D-G and GCSE A-C with OCR at level 1 and level 2 respectively. The curriculum is vital to the adult basic skill strategy. It embarks the entitlement for all those mature people who have difficulties in numeracy. It explains the content of what is being taught in program of numeracy; the workplace program for unemployed adults aged more than 19 years. It aids teachers to meet the needs of every adult individual by means of teaching and selection of appropriate skills aligned with the needs of adults.

Curriculum Theories

The further education and schooling has long been allied with the curriculum idea. However, what in fact curriculum is, and how could it be conceptualized. The theory and practice of curriculum is explored coupled with informal education.

Curriculum as Product

Curriculum used to be that there were some skills to facts and master to know. Knowledge was viewed as something alike to a product. In general, a person knows nothing until is taught, and conveys that knowledge to put into practice (Eggins, 2003, 86-135). Curriculum product model leads to some sort of desirable end-product; for instance, mastery in specific competencies and skills, given knowledge about certain facts, and attainment of certain appropriate values and attitudes. Key steps involve are: need diagnosis, objectives formulation, content selection, content organization, learning experience selection, learning experience organization, and determination of what and how to evaluate means of doing.

Behavioral objectives offer the basis on which curriculum of product models are built. It is highly asserted that the behavioral objectives use aid communication of what is anticipated and as a result, guides towards more focused learning. One of the early critics is that an approach based on objectives is a rational one and does not have its pitfalls. A contention point is that outcomes of learning are often volatile and thus not possible to specify in advance. Other major concern with this orientation is that students are left out. By having a pre-specified program or plan, the product model inclined to direct attention to methodology of teaching. For instance, emphasize is on how information is offered to students (Avis, Fisher & Thompson, 2010, 25-110).

Curriculum as Process

In this model, the learners are not objects to be worked upon. The theory of curriculum as process focuses on interaction and students have an apparent voice in the manner that the sessions develop. Here, the attention is on learning rather than on teaching. Curriculum as process is not a tangible thing, but refers to the interaction of knowledge, students and teachers. Similarly, curriculum is in fact what takes place in the classroom and what people do evaluate and ...