Structure and Development of Curriculum

Structure and Development of programIntroductionThe course of study is non a simple word that can be defined it is a discipline that consists of many factors that ultimately create the course. Upon reading come along into this subject, it has become overt that the programme is a complex field and is more likely to reveal that many authors, scholars, academic writers each take on a definition describing what the programme better means to them or its best definition in the context they cover. This paper allow focus on the Australian Curriculum and will attempt to distribute issues such as the various definitions of the course of instruction, the purpose or goal of the computer program, how the curriculum is developed, the expression of the curriculum, how the curriculum is fixd by different acquirement theories, the processes of teaching, erudition and assessment and how the curriculum relates to 21st Century learners. Incorporating these factors and understanding t his instruction will on the wholeow the reader to formulate his or her own educated definition of the curriculum whilst recognising the aboriginal features which influence learning within our schools.Definition of Curriculum and its StakeholdersSeveral definitions surround the meaning of curriculum to get an overview of the definition we can throw relevant words unneurotic such as plan, objective, content, subject matter, opportunities, guidelines, framework, experiences or strategies, although in order to compensate sense of these words and their relationship to the curriculum we must(prenominal) connect these words in a logical pattern. Authors and academics Brady Kennedy (2010, p.5) simply say In seeking to understand better the role of the curriculum in the 21st century, the purpose should be to plug that children and young people be well equipped to handle whatever it is that this century will call them to do and be, in other words, there must be a common interest an d a common bond by all those involved, duration marshland and Willis (2007, as cited in Marsh, 2010, p.93) define curriculum as an interrelated set of plans and experiences which a student completes under the guidance of the school. Other definitions of the curriculum arise, dependant on the stakeholders in question, these stakeholders are people who have an interest in the curriculum, its formation and its delivery. The business community feel that the curriculum must be able to support students in their future employment opportunities while preparing them for the economic needs of society (Brady Kennedy, 2010) and parent groups are concerned that the curriculum could be manipulated by government bodies for academic analysis instead of concentrating on furnish their children with the appropriate knowledge and experiences for a successful future (Brady Kennedy, 2010). ACARA (2010c) describes the new National curriculum as a broad scope and sequence of core learning. circumsta ntial decisions about the total educational program and how it will be implemented and adapted to meet the needs and interests of students will be the responsibility of education governing, schools, teachers, parents and studentsMarsh (2010, p.24) provides a list of stakeholders with whom the National Curriculum Board (NCB), now known as the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) consultsGovernment Federal/ raise Minister for Education, Council of Australian Governments, Premiers, State/Territory ministers, Federal opposition, State/Territory oppositionEducation authorities Government and Non-Government Schools, Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification governing (ACACA), Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).Professional associations Unions, Business, EmployersSchool-based Principals, Administrators, Teachers, StudentsCommunity Parents, Parent groups, Parent AssociationsTertiary Sector Universities, TAFE, Industry training sectors, AcademicsFrom this information it is evident that the curriculum is complex, detailed and is influenced by many groups. Fundamentally, it is a plan that consists of goals/aims, content and hitment standards for each subject to be taught within Australian schools, in other words, the curriculum is a planned description of the what, how and when of teaching, learning and assessment. Understanding the foundation of curriculum, we can now concentrate on the goal of the curriculum WHO is it for and WHAT do we expect from our education system and for young Australian citizens?The purpose or goal of the Curriculum and EducationCurriculum must be of direct relevance to the childs affectionate, cultural, environmental and economic context and to his or her present and future needs and take full account of the childs evolving capacities teaching methods should be tailored to the different needs of different children (UN delegation on the Rights of the Child, Ge neral Comment 1 as cited in Sullivan Keeney, 2008, p.38).In order to understand the goal or purpose of education, we must understand who we are directing our learning to. Acknowledging the diversity of learners will assist in identifying the scope and range of the content to be covered by the curriculum.Brady and Kennedy (2010, p.38) state Teachers must learn the curriculum carefully to ensure it does not exclude the diverse experiences that students bring with them to the classroom. More positively, the curriculum should highlight those experiences and make them the basis for discovery and learning. The K-12 National Curriculum is directed towards students developing their knowledge and understanding of the major disciplines Mathematics, English, Science and account to enable students to further their knowledge and specialise in fields through further tertiary education. Further to this, the curriculum provides the foundation that allows young Australian citizens to deal confide ntly with issues that arise and enables them to make informed decisions regarding social and personal matters. (EQUITY)ACARA is responsible for the information of the Australian curriculum from Kindergarten to social class 12. ACARAs work with the Australian curriculum is directed by the 2008 Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. This declaration commits to supporting learners with lumber education and providing them with the skills necessary for future endeavours (ACARA, 2009a). The Australian curriculum will outline the scope and sequence of key learning areas, in other words WHAT and WHEN it is to be taught at schools, although teachers will ultimately make the decision on HOW to organise, structure and deliver this information to benefit each and every students learning experience (ACARA, 2009b). The educational goals for young Australian citizens focus on creating successful learners such as developing their capacity to be creative, resourceful an d motivated individuals, to be able to think, dumbfound and evaluate evidence, work independently and in teams, be able to communicate ideas, utilise current technology and be able to make informed decisions and collect the necessary skills regarding their learning and employment directions. These goals to a fault aim to create confident individuals by providing the tools that promote a sense of self-awareness to be able to manage all facets of their wellbeing, develop values such as honesty, empathy and respect for themselves and others, form personal, social and professional relationships and have the confidence to pursue further education and training. In addition, comme il faut active and informed citizens is addressed through the cross-curriculum dimensions, which aim to instil an understanding and appreciation for Australias indigenous history and diverse culture and sustaining and improving our natural and social surroundings (ACARA, 2009b).So far we have discussed what the curriculum is and how it can be defined, the major influences on the curriculums development, namely the stakeholders and the purpose or goals of the curriculum and education. Before we discuss the structure and development of the curriculum, it is important to be aware of where and how the curriculum originated and why the curriculum is structured the way it is.Structure and Development of the CurriculumThe structure of the curriculum and how it is developed caters for the wide range of stakeholders involved while endeavouring to achieve the best learning outcomes for Australian students. The core-curriculum was developed through the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) by the former Director, Malcolm Skilbeck in 1980. The 24-page document attempted to reconceptualise the existing school subjects within a social-reconstructionist framework (Marsh, 2010, p.11). Even though parts of the core-curriculum were adopted in NSW, WA and NT, the development did not continue due to a lack of funding for the CDC. As the decades passed, many attempts at developing a national curriculum failed to make it successfully through its journey, finally in 2008, under the Rudd Government, a National Curriculum Board (NCB) was created to develop a National Curriculum for students Kindergarten to Year 12, consisting of four Key Learning Areas (KLAs) Mathematics, English, History and Science, with additional components of general capabilities and cross-curriculum dimensions working alongside these KLAs (Marsh, 2010).ACARA (2009c) was created to oversee the successful development of the Kindergarten to Year 12 Curriculum, plus the of age(p) Secondary Curriculum and the Early Years Curriculum Framework. Below outlines the four stages involved in the development of the Australian Curriculum Kindergarten to Year 12.Curriculum do stage- This involves the development of the draft shape paper, where expert advice is requested and endorsed by ACARAs board for public feedback. This creates the final shape paper, consisting of an outline of the Australian curriculum including design advice for learning areas.Curriculum writing stage A team consisting of writers, curriculum experts, and ACARA curriculum staff developing the Australian curriculum. The information includes content description and achievement standards to achieve this, the team refers to national and international research on curriculum, while also referring to current state and territory curriculums. After public feedback and necessary modifications, the Australian curriculum for the incident learning area is ready for publication.Implementation stage Implementation plans are developed by ACARA and state/territory curriculum and school authorities (ACARA, 2010b)Evaluation and review stage Implementation feedback is reviewed carefully via processes that monitor this information.Below is a visual snapshot of the components included in the National Curriculum to be implemented in the year 2011.Australia n curriculum graph.pngSource (ACARA, 2009a)Each KLA contains a statement of rationale, aims, content structure and descriptions, and achievement standards.Statement of rationale Overview of the particular subjectAims What students will achieve from this subjectContent structure/organisation How the subject is arranged/designed and the information involvedContent description specifies what teachers are expected to teach for each learning area at each year level, also provides the scope and sequence of teachingAchievement standards describes the quality of learning e.g. the understanding, knowledge and skill students are required to achieve at each year level.While the National curriculum will keep the original structure of scope and sequence for the KLAs, it is evident the new curriculum has become more detailed and involved, by introducing general capabilities and cross-curriculum dimensions in addition to the KLAs, teachers may find it effortful to be able to get through all the required content in the time allocated, while some may require further intense training to increase their knowledge in certain areas such as History. Few primary teachers have a sufficient background in History and that they will require concentrated training to develop academic and pedagogical knowledge in History (Harris-Hart, 2009 as cited in Marsh, 2010, p.26), although ACARA (2010c) states the key focus during curriculum development is on depth of learning and not breadth of learning, so as not to overcrowd the curriculum. Since the Australian Curriculum has been collated from different components of the eight state/territory curriculums currently in operation, they have maintained the KLAs, added general capabilities and cross-curriculum dimensions while keeping the existing structure for sequencing within the learning areas. (REFERENCE) For example, the NSW curriculum comprises of six KLAs for primary school and eight KLAs for secondary school. Below is a visual snapshot of the NSW Primary syllabus.http//k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/images/time_on_each_subject.jpgSource (NSW-BOS, 2008)Schools in New South Wales purpose the Kindergarten to Year 10 Curriculum Framework as the foundation of what, how and when the content is to be taught, although the NSW Board of Studies acknowledges that schools and teachers take responsibility for the way in which the content is organised and delivered (NSW-BOS, 2002a). NSW primary teachers use the NSW Primary Curriculum Foundation Statements to find out what needs to be taught in each subject. The six subjects within the NSW curriculum are English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, own(prenominal) Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE), Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) and Creative arts (NSW-BOS, 2002b), while the Australian Curriculum takes into consideration two new components that will enhance the learning process by working alongside the four KLAs, these components are ten (10) general capabilities and three (3) cross-curriculum dimensions. The ten (10) general capabilities are literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology, thinking skills, ethical behaviour, creativity, self-management, teamwork, intercultural understanding and social competence. The three (3) cross-curriculum dimensions are Indigenous history and culture, Asia and Australias engagement with Asia and Sustainability (ACARA, 2010a).ConclusionThe Curriculum is a planned description of the what, how and when of teaching, learning and assessment, it is the foundation for learners, students and teachers while being influenced by the many stakeholders that want a share/input in the direction of the Curriculum. The structure and development of the Australian Curriculum includes many components such as teaching, learning and assessment which have focused on the depth of learning not the breadth. Throughout this paper it is also evident that the Australian Curriculum has been influenced by t he theories of teaching and learning from several theorists such as Piaget, Bloom, Krathwohl, Vygotsky, Bruner and Maslows taxonomy. In addition, we must keep in mind that by understanding our students changing nature and their diversities, the Australian Curriculum has the opportunity to be in the forefront of teaching and learning in the 21st Century.