Introduction
Curriculum development is an essential part of teaching and instruction; it’s a way of designing educational experiences that are likely to promote learning. When creating new curricula, there are three fundamental foundations that must be considered: the educational context, the learners, and the content or subject matter to be taught. All three of these components interact with one another, and the curriculum designer must make sure that they are integrated and balanced.
This article will outline the three foundations of curriculum and explain how they affect the design and implementation of a curriculum.
Educational Context
The educational context is composed of the values, resources, physical environment, climate of the learning institution, and stakeholders. Knowing the educational context is essential to developing a curriculum because it provides the boundaries and guidelines within which the curriculum must adhere. Values, resources, standards, and assessment should be considered when designing a curriculum, as well as the institutional mission, subject-specific standards, and expectations of stakeholders.
Moreover, the physical environment can shape the way in which the curriculum is implemented and experienced by students. If the classroom is too small or has inadequate lighting, it can interfere with the learning process, so it is important to consider the physical environment when designing a curriculum.
Learners
Another important factor to consider is the learners. Who is the curriculum intended for?
How old are they? What abilities and prior knowledge do they have? How do they learn and how do they think?
All of these questions must be answered in order to create an effective curriculum. It is important for the curriculum designer to consider the learners’ needs in order to create a curriculum that is appropriate for their age, knowledge, and skill level.
Furthermore, the learners’ emotions and attitudes about the topic should be taken into account. If the topic is controversial, for instance, the curriculum must take into account any potential emotional responses from the students.
Content or Subject Matter
The third and most critical foundation of curriculum is the content or subject matter that is going to be taught. The curriculum must contain a sequence of activities and objectives that help the learner move towards a particular outcome.
The activities and objectives should appropriately fit the learners’ needs and the content should be aligned with standards and assessments. Furthermore, the content should be sequenced in a way that is purposeful and logical; each step should move the learner logically towards the desired outcome.
Conclusion
The three foundations of curriculum – the educational context, learners, and content or subject matter – must be considered when developing any curriculum. Each of the foundations interacts with and affects the others, and it’s imperative that they are integrated and balanced in order for the curriculum to be successful. The educational context provides boundaries and guidelines for the curriculum, the learner’s needs and attitudes must be taken into account, and the content should be aligned with standards, sequenced appropriately, and tailored to the learners’ needs.