CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES

BEC3341Title: Enacting Curriculum Development –

Selecting Educational Environment and Participants in Curriculum Development

Prepared for: Madam Wan Zainira Wan BakarPrepared by: Maslinda Binti Mohamad Saad

(BEC132103)

SELECTING EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS

• William Ayers notes, “The learning environment is a complex, living reflection

of a teacher’s values.”• It is more than a reflection of a teacher’s values.• Representation of values from communities of persons, seen and unseen.• Represents a surrounding in which teachers and students engage in

mutual communications.• William Ayers:

An educational environment must be arranged both physically and conceptually – to challenge the breadth and depth of students’ abilities and interests.

• Deborah, Voltz, Sims and Nelson: An educational environment must be created and orchestrated – so that

students feel intellectually safe.• Students should be encouraged to investigate content realms in ways that

appeal to them and in ways the celebrate their cultural orientations to learning, topics and people.

• Often are ignored by curricularists and teachers.• They just accept the classroom to which one is assigned.• Should be planned so that purposeful student activity is

stimulated.• Ayers – individuals learn what they deem important

without much outside intervention.• Try to make the environment appealing in order to tempt

the individual to try some learning and action.• An effective educational environment encourages

learning, cheers human effort, celebrates social interaction and encourages forming a learning community.

• The educational environment is an ecosystem or biosphere.

• Ursula M. Franklin: “Education is not just happening in natural and human

biospheres, it is happening in numerous bitspheres.”• Bitspheres exists within the ‘space’.

The inner environments of the various technologies – in school or out-of-school lives.

• Our technologies are enabling us to expand school space or educational environments, to limits known and unknown.

• Much of the transformation of our lives by our increasing use of technologies is occurring without our awareness.

• The new technologies are contribute to destruction or major alteration.

• This may be less willing to engage in face-to-face interactions, preferring instead to dialogue in cyberspace.

• John Goodlad – schools must develop an ecocentric ethics. A school’s particular culture – the relationships

among all the people within the school and outside the school.

Students interact with institutions and school practices.

• Brian Castaldi – suggested that curriculum planners must consider educational environments in which curricula are experienced.

• 4 criteria that educators should employ when designing curriculum environments.i. Adequacy ii. Suitabilityiii. Efficiencyiv. Economy

1. Adequacy Refers to planned spaces. Example: size of classroom, temperature controlled.

2. Suitability Relates to planned activities. Teachers must consider both the chronological and

development ages of their students.3. Efficiency

Refers to operational and instructional effectiveness. With the technology becoming a central part of the educational

environment, the efficiency criterion has taken on new meaning. Students can skim through documents provided by ‘the

internet’ or ‘World Wide Web’ in a minutes instead of hours. Students can instantly develop personal connections with

multiple learning communities.

4. Economy Refers to cost-effectiveness. Dealt with the specific cost of teaching some part

of the curriculum in the environment provided. Not simply related to the cost of doing

something teaching some subject.

PARTICIPANTS IN CURRICULUM

DEVELOPMENT

• Teachers• Students• Principals• Curriculum Specialist• Assistant Superintendents• Superintendents • Boards of Education • The Federal Government

Teachers Occupy the central position in curriculum making. Decide which aspects of the curriculum to implement in a particular

class. Decide how much time to spend on developing basic or critical thinking. Involved with curriculum committees – organized by grade level,

subject area or the type of student under consideration. The committees reflect either Site Based Management (SBM) or

School Based Curriculum Development (SBCD). Teachers should involved in every phase of curriculum development. Michael Fullan – “Teachers function is not only as codesigners of expert

curricular and instructional systems, but also as co-researchers into the effectiveness of implemented curricula.”

Teachers can create quality programs and also modify external programs to personalize them.

Students Should have a voice in curriculum development. Their input into the contents and experiences of

the curriculum is important. Motivated to learn that explicit content. Motivated to learn implicitly that their opinions

and choices matters. Empowered and encouraged to assume

responsibility for matters that concern them.

Principals They need to involved to make sure that the

curriculum planning for school system is successful.

Fullan – “The school has been successful in creating quality education as administered by a good principals.”

No new curriculum will be introduced or created for schools systems without the moral and psychological support of principals.

Curriculum Specialists Play major role in curriculum development and

implementation. Have broad knowledge of curriculum and are

experts in creating and implementing curricula. Responsible for ensuring that programs are

conceptualized, designed and implemented. Must know how to design and develop curriculum

and how to supervise and evaluate instruction.

Assistant (Associate) Superintendents

Most responsible for curriculum development. Reports directly to the superintendent. Usually this person:

1) Chairs or advises the general curriculum advisory committee.2) Informs the superintendent of major trends in the field of curriculum

– how these trends are affecting the school system.3) Works with elementary and secondary directors regarding curricular

activity.4) In charge of the budget for curricular activity.5) Provides input into the statement of philosophy, aims and goals.6) Guides evaluation relevant to aims and goals.7) Manages long and short term activities designed to strengthen

programs. Also helps formulate policies concerning curriculum innovation.

Superintendents The school system’s chief administrator. Responds to matters before the school board. Initiates curriculum activity. Starts programs for in-services training for teachers. Informs all district personnel of changes occurring in other

schools. Process demands from outside the system for change or

maintenance of educational offering. Must establish the means for curricular action. Interpret all aspects of the school’s program to the board. Set up communication networks to inform and involve the public

with regard to curriculum process.

Boards of Education Schools’ legal agents. Composed of laypeople – usually elected as

representatives of the general public. Responsible for the schools’ overall

management. Must ensure that the curriculum advances the

school system’s goals.

The Federal Government• Beginning in 1960s, the Federal Government

become a powerful force in determining educational materials and their uses.

• Fullan – government should and can:- Push for accountability . Provide incentives. Foster capacity building.

Conclusion • Educators must determine whether they are

responsible for educating students or schooling students.

• Educators must make sure that, to what camp they have allegiance.

• Reflection is required just to determine for what purposes curricula are being developed.

THANK YOU…