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Handout: Teaching- Learning Process 1. Physics Department.

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Lesson Two

A definition of curriculum

1. 1. WHAT IS CURRICULUM ?

The purpose of education or training is to provide a series of structured

learning experiences. These may involve classes in an elementary school, courses

in a secondary school or a higher education institution, or a training program in a

business company. The term curriculum refers to the subject content and skills

that comprise an educational program. A school or curriculum includes the course

offerings; at a company, the training programs may represent the curriculum. The

emphasis of a curriculum depends on philosophical, social, and cultural forces

that affect the school in terms of the broad society and the specific community it

serves. For a business concern, a training curriculum reflects the organization's

management policies, strategic plans, and identifyed.

The following questions help determine a curriculum: What is the purpose

or mission of the institution or department or the strategic plan of the

organization? What goals for education or training are necessary to serve or plan?

How can instruction be categorized and organized to ac complish the goals?

2.2. BACKGROUND FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

The most frequently cited statement of curriculum planning, which the

thinking of many educators, was formulated by Ralph Tyler. It consists of four

elements, originally stated as questions:

What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?

How can educational experiences be provided that are likely to achieve

these purposes?

How can these experiences be effectively organized?


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How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained?

Seeking answers to these questions, Tyler suggested, requires the

examination of three primary sources: characteristics of the learners, the

contemporary society in which the learners live and will work, and the nature of

the subject to be taught. This overall procedure, known as The Tyler Rationale,

was the first recognized, systematic approach to curriculum planning.

1.3. LIMITATION OF CURRICULUM PLANNING

To many educators and trainers, curriculum means more than just a listing

of course tides and subject content outlines. A review of curriculum guides reveals

that it also involves

General statements of major goals or objectives to be accomplished

Suggested class activities

Lists of readings and other resources for possible use

Sample examination questions

In terms of the Tyler Rationale and the indicated content of many curricu-

lum guides, curriculum specialists believe curriculum helps teachers plan

instruction successfully. But most often the objectives, activities, resources, and

tests are only guidelines and suggestions from which a teacher can choose according

to individual preference and possible student interests. Also, this Tyler model for

most curriculum planning (a) is based on a class, (b) is group paced, : is scheduled

during the school day, and (d) assumes the teacher is the primary source of

information.

This approach to instructional planning results in vague direction and a bck

of specificity, which may account for many of the problems in schools today. In

this information age, among other charges, educational programs must be capable

of:

serving diverse student populations better; raising levels of student

motivation for learning


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changing teaching and learning methods to accommodate different edu-

cational needs, individual student preparation, and student learning styles

providing quality instruction that requires learning on high-order, intel-

lectual, and competency levels for all students

integrating new technologies for individual and group learning; controlling

ongoing per student costs while promoting higher levels of achievement

developing skills so individuals can become self-directed lifelong learners;

and providing greater job satisfaction for teachers and others involved in

the educational process.

While curriculum planning can set a broad framework of what should be

accomplished, a more systematic, functional procedure is necessary for deter-

mining how to fulfill the preceding requirements. Here, curriculum planning

merges into instructional design. There three part to educating a professional,

transmitting knowledge, acquire skills and abilities, also acquire and develop

attitudes. Consider to the information hierarchy, the information is comes from

data, and the information becomes a knowledge, and when knowledge used to

solve a problem, it called wisdom or intelligence.

QUESTIONS

1. What do you know about the development of Indonesia curriculum?

2. What do you think about our curriculum we use right now?

REFERENCES

Kemp, Jerold E., Gary R. Morison, & Steven M. Ross. 1994. Designing EffectiveInstruction. New York: Macmillan College Publishing Company.

Nellist, John & Brian Nicholl. 1986. Science Teacher’s Handbook. Victoria:

Hutchinson.

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