CONCPET OF CURRICULAM

Curriculum play avital role in attaining the aims and objectives of education tend to. It
reflects the curricular and co-curricular trends in our institutions such as the course of study,
the objectives of education, the methodology of teaching including teaching aids and
evaluation methods.

Curriculum comes from the Latin root CURRERE which means To RUN which later come
to stand as the COURSE OD STUDY.

DEFINATIONS OF CURRICULAM
According to Alberty A and Alberty E (1959)
Curriculum is the sum of total student activities which school sponsors for achieving its
objectives.
According to H. Robert.
Curriculum is this sum of educational experiences that children have in the school.
According to J.F Kerr.
All the learning which is planned and guide by school whether it is carried on in group or
individually inside or outside of school.

Curriculum is the base on which subject matter/ subject activities and experiences are
planned. It is more than text book, more than subject matter or course of study. It is totality of
all the learning to which you are exposed during study in the school, classroom, library,
laboratory and playground.

NEED OF CURRICULAM
The child of today is the builder of tomorrow. It is possible only through well design
effectively implemented curriculum which in child to realize his inner potential and make
him contribute meaningfully for nation building.
CURRICULAM DEVELOPMENT
Definition of Curriculum Development:
Curriculum development is defined as planned, purposeful, progressive, and systematic
process in order to create positive improvements in the educational system. Every time there
are changes or developments happening around the world, the school curricula are affected.
There is a need to update them in order to address the society’s needs.
It is defined as the process of selecting, organizing, executing, and evaluating learning
experiences on the basis of the needs, abilities and interests of the learners and the nature of
the society or community.

Stages of curriculum Development:

The curriculum development process systematically organizes what will be taught, who will
be taught, and how it will be taught. Each component affects and interacts with other
components.  For example, what will be taught is affected by who is being taught (e.g:their
stage of development in age, maturity, and education).  Methods of how content is taught are
affected by who is being taught, their characteristics, and the setting. 

Input, Process and Output:

I can say that the idiom Input refers to the syllabus, the item Process refers to the
methodology and the item Output refers to the learning outcomes.

Curriculum Development Techniques:

Curriculum development in language teaching can start from input, process or output.   Each
starting point reflects different assumptions about both the means and ends of teaching and
learning.  This leads to the distinction I wish to make between forward design, central design,
and backward design.
1-Forward design means developing a curriculum through moving from input, to process,
and to output.

2-Central design means starting with process and deriving input and output from classroom
methodology.

3-Backward design as the name implies, starts from output and then deals with issues
relating to process and input.
Steps of development:

1-Planning:
A Committee is formed.  This committee must include teachers, administrators, experts,
members of the public and learners.  A research is wanted. This research allows a curriculum
committee to identify key issues and trends that will support the needs assessment that should
be conducted and the philosophy that should be developed.

2-Articulation:
Why is learning? What are our beliefs about teaching and learning? This philosophy must be
linked to the aims, goals, and objectives. The course content, learning experiences and
activities must be linked to the aims, goals and objectives.  Assessment must be linked to the
learning experiences.

3-Implementing:
Putting the New Program into Practice through choosing the relevant method of teaching and
material.

4-Evaluating:
Determining the Success of the New Program.  Using surveys, focused discussions and
meetings.  A curriculum development committee needs to periodically gather data on
perceptions of program strengths, weaknesses, needs, preferences for textbooks and other
materials, and topics or objectives that do not seem to be working effectively.

Philosophical perspective of curriculum development:

There are three philosophical categories that have a particular relevance on curriculum
development.
1. PHILOSPICHAL FOUNDATIONS
2. PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
3. SOCIOLOGICAAL FOUNDATIONS
1: PHILOSPICHAL FOUNDATIONS:
Philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge. It is the study of general principals and
realities. It is concerns with the research of internal truths.
Philosophy provide systematic procedure for clarifying issues and problems and making
decisions on critical points of curriculum development.
Philosophical work can aid curriculum development in many ways but it is particularly useful
in helping us to understand:
 Nature of educational objectives.
 The structure or inter-relationship of the objectives.
 The nature of curriculum activities.
Philosophy provide educators, teachers and curriculum makers with framework for planning,
implementing and evaluating curriculum.
It helps in answering what educational institutions are for, what subject is important and how
should students learn and what methods and materials should be used.

2: PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS:
The word psychology is derived from two Greek words PSYCHE and LOGES, the word
psyche means soul and loges means study. Psychology is the scientific study of human
behaviour.
Psychology attempts to describe, explain and predict human behaviour. Psychology gives us
an insight into child’s development and learning and provide us various techniques of inquiry
for the use in the curriculum area.
The contribution of psychological basis to curriculum is significant and growing.
Psychological foundations help us to understand:
 Educational objectives
 Learner characteristics
 Learning process
 Teaching methods
 Evaluation procedures

3: SOCIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS:
The curriculum must take into account the sociological considerations otherwise it will
remain bookish and divorced from life. A curriculum that ignores sociological foundations
does not serve any purpose it will results in waste of time, energy and resources and it will
produce individuals who cannot play their role and Enlighted members of society.
A sound curriculum must be based on the needs and aspirations of society. An unrelated
curriculum may lead the individuals who can neither find employment nor engage themselves
and fruitful occupations and consequently remain dissatisfied, maladjusted and frustrated.
According to sociologist schools are social institutions especially setup for the preservations
of culture and transmission of culture by society. Schools seeks to discharge the functions
through curriculum. The curriculum therefore includes learning experiences based on the
ways of life, kinds of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs that are considered important by the
society.
There are various sociological foundations such as political, cultural and economical
that deeply influence the school curriculum its conception, content and organization.
Among the most important sociological considerations that should guide those engaged in the
task of curriculum development, may be listed as below:
 Core values of society
 Changing values of people
 Demands of modernization
 Criterion of a good family life
 New forms of cooperation’s
 Media explosion
 Population explosion
 Regional and national imbalances
 Economic efficiency
 Education for fellowship and leadership creative and purposeful activities.