WHAT MAKES A GOOD QUALITY SCHOOL CURRICULUM? Background paper developed by Mr. Philip STABBACK Dr. Brian MALE Ms. Dakmara GEORGESCU1 Geneva, November 2011 1 The paper is meant to inform the curriculum process in Iraq by drawing attention on important aspects of current education and curriculum quality that underpin options considered in the process of developing the new Iraqi Curriculum Framework. 1 WHAT MAKES A GOOD QUALITY SCHOOL CURRICULUM? INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to provide both specialists and non-specialists in the field of curriculum with some ideas to help them assess whether a school system curriculum is of good quality or not. The paper is not intended to be prescriptive in any way. Rather, it is intended to provide a conceptual framework within which to judge the quality of both existing and proposed curricula. In the simplest terms, curriculum is a description of what, why and how students should learn. The curriculum is therefore not an end in itself. The objective of curriculum is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to be successful in their lives. The ultimate indicators of curriculum success are the quality of the learning achieved by students and whether and how students use that learning for their personal development and to bring about positive social change. Learning in schools occurs in a range of intended and unintended ways. Intended lea i g ofte efe ed to as the pla ed o fo al u i ulu ost ofte occurs in the classroom and other controlled settings. Its focus is the endorsed curriculum as planned and implemented by teachers. The outcomes of the formal curriculum are normally assessed by teachers and by the relevant authorities. Uninte ded lea i g the u pla ed o hidde u i ulu a o u a he e – in the playground, in the corridors and in the classroom – and is largely u o t olled . Fo the pu poses of this pape , u i ulu is defi ed as the i te ded u i ulu as prescribed by education authorities in its formal curriculum documentation. The paper identifies four areas to consider when evaluating curriculum quality, and discusses contemporary practices within each of these areas. The authors hope that one use of the paper might be to promote and encourage discussion of these practices, and to judge how practical they are in specific contexts. The four broad areas are: 1 2 3 4 The focus on learning and learners in the curriculum The content and delivery of the curriculum Documentation of the curriculum Curriculum development processes, including monitoring and evaluation. 2 1 THE FOCUS ON LEARNING AND LEARNERS IN THE CURRICULUM A good quality curriculum Values all children as individuals Is based on a clear understanding of modern, broadly accepted concepts / understandings about how children learn Promotes teaching practices that reflect these concepts of learning Reflects that decisions and choices made during the curriculum development process are made in the interests of learners. A curriculum that is based on this approach is ofte e t ed o hild- e t ed . What does this efe ed to as learner- ea i p a ti e? What does a hild- e t ed u i ulu look like? Inclusiveness. Firstly, the clearly stated broad aim of the curriculum will be to be inclusive – to assist every student, regardless of ability, gender or social and economic circumstances, to reach their individual potential as learners. Each student is different. Not all are academically gifted. Not all can be ranked first in assessments. But all students can be encouraged to do their best, and good u i ulu ill take a ou t of ea h lea e s pe so al, so ial a d og iti e development in helping them achieve their potential. Future-orientation. Secondly, the curriculum will be forward-looking and prepare learners for the future through the development of broad competencies. It will acknowledge that, while still important, the learning, retention and repetition of knowledge will not alone ensure successful lives. The 21st century will be very uncertain, constantly changing and throwing up new challenges. It will require people to develop and apply new understandings and to adapt to new ways of doing things. Across subjects and learning areas the curriculum will need to develop student competency in such areas as Communication Collaboration Critical thinking and problem-solving Creativity Managing diversity peacefully and constructively Learning to learn, giving students an enthusiasm for learning and the skills to learn independently throughout their lives. Differentiation. Thirdly, the curriculum will permit or even encourage curriculum diffe e tiatio . In other words, it will provide space for teachers to adapt the curriculum to suit the students in their classes. It will not demand that every student learn exactly the same content in exactly the same way and in exactly the 3 same number of hours. It will provide teachers with the flexibility to ensure that the t eat e t of the o te t is app op iate to thei stude ts eeds a d capabilities. In developing approaches to differentiation, the curriculum and the pedagogy it promotes will acknowledge that students learn in different and individual ways. Some students are very effective and skilled listeners, others require visual stimulation and others learn best through practical exercises. A good quality curriculum will encourage teachers to get to know their students and ensure that their teaching style and their classroom behaviours are directed towards achieving the best learning outcomes for them. New teacher roles. Finally, the curriculum will describe and promote a new role for the teacher. The tea he s approach will shift f o I a he e to tea h to I a here to facilitate good lea i g . With this approach come a new, individualised teacher-student relationship and a desire in teachers to encourage inquiry and curiosity. Similarly, the teacher in the role of assessor should use assessment not just to test how well content is learned, but to understand the strengths and weaknesses of individual learners and to ensure that planning future classroom activities uses this information. 2 THE CONTENT OF THE CURRICULUM AND ITS DELIVERY 2.1 Content A good quality curriculum is comprised of content which is Up-to-date Relevant Balanced Integrated Consistent with international norms and expectations. There has been a clear trend in recent decades away from content being simply knowledge or information. In past curriculum models, curriculum content has ee pe ei ed as lists of fa ts o i fo atio hi h, to e o side ed su essful, students need to memorise and be able to repeat. Often these lists were to be found only in textbooks. 4 This k o ledge-based2 odel has a number of shortcomings, most important of which are: The nature and extent of human knowledge is expanding extremely rapidly and therefore can soon become superseded, disproved or irrelevant. Memorising information alone does not help deal with challenges and problems encountered in real life. Dealing with challenges and problems by appl i g k o ledge e ui es u de sta di g athe tha just k o i g . The knowledge and information is usually presented in discrete subject areas and no attempt is made to demonstrate and build links between subjects. An undue emphasis on knowledge and information does not prepare students well for their future lives. Students also need to develop the skills, values and attitudes so important for life and work and fundamental to their continued personal, physical, social and cognitive growth. Traditional models of knowledge as disciplines does not acknowledge the i po ta e oss-cutting- o oss- u i ula issues a d the es – such as peace, environment and sustainability, the impact of technology, and media literacy. Ho ha e u i ulu de elope s espo ded to these o te t hallenges? To ensure knowledge is up-to-date and relevant, a number of strategies have been developed, such as: 2 1 Curriculum development is now seen as a cycle of development, implementation, evaluation and revision. Curriculum cannot afford to be static. It must be a continuing process of monitoring and checking, evaluating and updating. 2 Students are encouraged to acquire learning skills so that they know how to learn and how they learn best. They should know that knowledge about every subject will develop and expand, and they should know that not all information sources are reliable. They must therefore learn the skills of research, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of information. 3 There is decreasing reliance on textbooks as the only source of learning activity. While textbooks still have a place, it is acknowledged that they are static and expensive learning support tools. Increasingly, teachers use media articles and programs, the internet and resources they produce themselves to support learning in current and interesting ways. These curricula typically focused on transmitting pre-fabricated information, and did not foster the development of higher-order skills. They focused very clearly on subjects and were teacher-centred rather than learner-centred. 5 4 Content can be made relevant by using teaching and learning activities that efle t stude ts pe so al i te ests. Fo e a ple, skills of research, information-gathering and synthesis can be learned through subject-based projects but for which students choose their own topics. In the Social “tudies a ea, fo e a ple, a oad topi of Lo al Co u it ould allo students to research issues related to the politics and government, local environment, community leisure, or commerce of the local area. 5 Learning about cross-cutting themes and issues can be encouraged through cross-curricular projects and assignments, structured student discussion groups and by ensuring that each subject syllabus contains specific reference to these priority themes and issues. Curriculum also needs to achieve balance. This means that the curriculum must give due emphasis to Each of the various subject areas (in terms of time allocation and status) The personal, social, affective, aesthetic, physical/motor and cognitive development of students Each of the elements of curriculum content – knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. The curriculum must also promote integrated learning. Traditionally, curriculum has been structured into a number of subject areas which have developed and changed over time. To a large extent, schools subjects also reflect to some extent how university study is structured. However, the ways in which we use or apply knowledge and skills in our lives is not always based on separate disciplines. In most cases, we use our learning from a range of subject areas in order to respond to a social or work situation or to solve a problem. The way our brains work is to use all the tools at their disposal (multi- and crossdisciplinary knowledge, skills and experience) to find the best way to respond to new circumstances by creating connections between existing and new information, and searching for meaning and relevance. Curriculum developers should therefore seek ways to demonstrate connections et ee su je ts a d to i teg ate stude ts learning. This can be achieved through, for example, Grouping subjects into broader Learning Areas through which links between similar subjects can be demonstrated and used. In some circumstances, hours of study might be allocated to the Learning Area rather than the subject, thus providing students with some flexibility and choice within the learning Area. 6 Within the Learning Area, teachers can be encouraged to teach co-operatively and set common projects. There are many ways in which education systems group subjects. One commo e a ple of this oade Lea i g A ea app oa h would be: Indicative Learning Area Name Creative and Performing Arts Social Sciences or Social Studies Science Languages Personal Development/Life skills Technical and Applied Studies Subjects                            Dance Music Visual Arts Media Arts Drama Geography History Citizenship Economy/Commerce Cultural Studies Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, etc. Biology Chemistry Physics Geology Mother Tongue Official languages Other languages Health and Nutrition (including education; HIV and aids) Physical Education Personal Growth and Development Life skills Information Technology Technical Production Crafts Home economics Entrepreneurial education sex Elective and optional subjects Presenting students with challenges which require a multidisciplinary response. This can be done through cross-disciplinary research assignments or other independent projects. 7 Ensuring that each subject syllabus contains appropriate cross-references to similar content in other , and provides guidance to schools about how this cross-referenced material can be integrated. Overlaying subjects or Learning Areas with learning themes. This approach is particularly relevant in p i a s hool u i ulu he e the es su h as M Fa il a d M Village a e ou age lea i g i a ious dis ipli es to e integrated within the theme. The curriculum must also be consistent with international standards and expectations across the subjects or Learning Areas. These standards and expectations should be met in, for example: The range of subjects or Learning Areas included in the curriculum The scope and breadth of content within each subject or Learning Area In broad terms, the time allocated to subjects and Learning Areas in each grade or stage The types of learning outcomes expected of students, most importantly moving away from knowledge memorisation and repetition to capacity to apply knowledge International standards of achievement at various grades and stages of development I te atio al good p a ti es of ti e allo atio fo a d atio-weights among learning areas/subjects. 2.2 Delivery of the Content Good quality curriculum content is important to good learning outcomes for students, but content must be supplemented and supported by good delivery strategies3. Good quality curriculum not only prescribes what should be taught and learned in the various subjects and grade or stage levels, but also how that curriculum should be delivered. This should include expectations that the curriculum places on: Students 3 Deli e i this o te t efe s to how the written curriculum is presented to students and how learning is actually facilitated. Education systems, schools and teachers make numerous decisions as they t a slate the e ui e e ts a d ad i e of u i ulu do u e ts i to ea i gful a d effe ti e lea i g a ti ities i the lass oo . Deli e i cludes all the decisions taken in turning curriculum documents into real practice so that student learning outcomes are maximised. 8 In modern teaching and learning practice, students are no longer seen as passive recipients of knowledge. As major beneficiaries the curriculum, students should be active participants in and contributors to teaching and learning processes. This transition from passive to active learners can be difficult. It cannot be expected to happen immediately, and students need to be guided gradually into their new roles as learners in ways that reflect their stages of development. However, real learning requires real engagement. To really learn, students need to actively make connections between known and new knowledge, explore the skills needed in various situations and how to develop and adapt them, and appreciate the importance of developing a set of personal, community, social and national values. By being active learners, students can become truly competent as they grow into adulthood. Good quality curriculum expects students to Understand the purpose of classroom activities and actively participate in them Be willing to make any choices available to them in selecting subjects or topics that suit their interests Be open to new ideas Be curious and willing to ask questions Engage i assessi g thei o a d othe stude ts lea i g As well as learning the content, understand how they learned it and try to become better learners “uppo t a d espe t othe stude ts effo ts to lea Teachers Teachers should be provided with examples of how to plan lessons and sequences of lessons, and of the kinds of classroom learning activities that bring the curriculum to life. The content of any topic in the curriculum can be presented to students in an almost endless variety of ways, and teachers should be helped to create classroom situations and activities that will make learning most effective. Fo e a ple, the topi of “tatisti s a e taught i a theo eti al a th ough teacher dissertations on various statistical concepts. Alternatively, students 9 can be taken outside the classroom and set group data gathering assignments, such as the number of different species of birds visible in the playground in a number of 30 minute periods, or the number of men and women entering a particular local store in a given timeframe. Statistical processes can then be applied to this data in the classroom and conclusions drawn. Teachers can be provided with ideas for delivering the content through professional development courses or written Teacher Guides which provide Sample lesson outlines for a topic or unit within a syllabus Detailed lesson notes and resources which describe how to conduct a lesson on a particular topic in a step-by-step way. Schools/Learning environments School leaders should understand the content of the curriculum and make management decisions within their areas of responsibility to support its delivery. They should be supportive of teachers adopting new and innovative teaching practice. For example, if a teacher wants to encourage groups of students to discuss important concepts or issues related to a topic, school leaders should understand why this is being done and not be dismayed by increased levels of noise. They should understand that silence does not necessarily result in effective learning. Similarly, i the e a ple of tea hi g the “tatisti s topi efe ed to a o e, school leaders should encourage teachers to take students outside the classroom by ensuring that students are safe and providing additional assistance to the teacher if possible. Within their responsibilities, schools should also ensure that the classrooms are as clean, safe and well-equipped as possible, and that the best materials to support good teaching and learning practice are provided. The objective is to provide learner-friendly environments that enable and encourage effective and enjoyable learning. Education systems and authorities There are different approaches to specifying the time to be allocated to each subject or learning area. Many systems and authorities adopt flexible approaches and allow schools some autonomy in deciding how much time should be allocated. Rather than allocating hours to subjects in a highly regulated way, it is possible to: 10 Prescribe minimum hours over a certain period of time leaving some discretion to schools and teachers to spend more hours Express time to be spent on particular subjects as percentages of the total available hours, thus acknowledging variation total school days in a school year in different parts of the system Allocate hours to a Learning Area rather than to individual subjects, allowing some flexibility and autonomy in deciding how the time should be allocated to subjects Allo ate otio al o i di ati e hou s hi h a e a i di atio of ho many hours are required to achieve the learning outcomes, but are not prescriptive and allow the school and teachers some autonomy to vary the time spent to the needs of their students. Whichever approach is adopted, the time allocation should be sufficient to achieve meaningful learning outcomes. For example, it is not realistic to allocate one hour per week to learn a language. There are international standards and expectations in this area and in Europe, for example, 1,000 hours over nine years would be considered a minimum allocation for achieving acceptable language proficiency. In this area, the relative percentages of time allocated between subjects or learning areas should also reflect accepted international practice. Education systems also need to maximise curriculum support budgets and ensure that schools are provided with the best quality teachers, buildings, equipment and resources (including Teacher Guides, text books and other materials) that the system can afford. 3 DOCUMENTATION OF THE CURRICULUM Good quality curriculum is carefully and clearly documented. The documents themselves are written with clear structure and purpose, send consistent messages and should be written for a wide readership. They should be userfriendly and accessible to education practitioners/actors and stakeholders. What students learn in school is a matter of great social and public importance, and numerous social sectors and groups have a legitimate interest in what the curriculum contains and aims to achieve. For example, Curriculum is important to … Because … Students and their They want to see that the curriculum will provide them 11 families with life opportunities. Teachers They need to know what is expected of them and their students. They also benefit from being willing contributors to curriculum development processes. Employers They can be confident that students are being prepared to enter the world of work. They should therefore take an interest in and contribute to curriculum development processes. Tertiary education institutions They need to know that students are well prepared for post-school study. Communities They need confidence that students will know their social and community responsibilities and can help define developmental prospects and needs. Governments They want to know that schools are contributing to national identity, social stability and economic prosperity. So what is considered to be good quality curriculum documentation? Contemporary curriculum is generally expressed in a number of distinct but inter-related documents. They are not adaptations of other documents (such as education policies or existing textbooks), but documents developed and drafted specifically for a curriculum purpose. Common curriculum documents include: Curriculum Framework Subject Syllabus Subject Syllabus Textbooks Subject Syllabus Subject Syllabus Teacher Guides Subject Syllabus Subject Syllabus Other support materials 12 What is a Curriculum Framework? A Curriculum Framework is an important overarching curriculum document. It describes a range of requirements, regulations and advice that should be respected by other parts of the education system, schools, teachers and the developers of other curriculum documents (such as and teacher guides). A Cu i ulu F a e o k a e ie ed as a ki d of Co stitutio fo the education system. In the same way as a National Constitution defines, legiti ises a d pla es pa a ete s a ou d a ou t s la s, a Cu i ulu framework defines and legitimises decisions within classrooms, schools and, in some cases, the education system as a whole. A Curriculum Framework can perform a range of specific functions, such as: Placing national statements of vision, economic development and education policy in a curriculum context Setting out broad aims and objectives of the curriculum at the various stages of schooling Providing general guidelines for the resolution of contentious issues within the various regions of the country Explaining the educational philosophy underlying the curriculum and approaches to teaching, learning and assessment that are fundamental to that philosophy Outlining the curriculum structure – its subjects or Learning Areas and the rationale for the inclusion of each in the curriculum Allocating time to various subjects and learning areas in each grade or stage. Providing guidelines to teacher trainers and textbook writers Prescribing requirements for curriculum implementation, monitoring and evaluation. What is a Subject curriculum (or Syllabus)? A subject curriculum (syllabus) describes the learning required in a specific subject at various grades or stages. It is normally drafted by subject specialists who are familiar both with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes specific to the subject. Ideally, subject syllabus writers also have expertise in pedagogy and child development. 13 In all respects, each syllabus should meet the requirements of the Curriculum Framework. In particular, it should Be consistent with its educational philosophy and respect its approaches to teaching, learning and assessment Contain a breadth and depth of content that is achievable at defined standards within the time allocation prescribed in the Framework Contain the elements of a syllabus as prescribed in the Framework (which might include, for example, a Rationale, Aims, Objectives, Anticipated Learning Outcomes, Content, Advice on Teaching and Assessment, and so on). One significant component of many curricula is the space given in the curriculum model to schools and other local authorities to develop or topics within that are particularly important to the local community. If this possibility is available, the local material should meet similar quality standards to those expected of a centrally developed syllabus. The fundamental purpose of a subject syllabus is to provide a cohesive and consistent programme of learning that takes account of the way young people learn, but which has the flexibility to adapt to local circumstances and stude ts eeds, and to be adapted over time. A syllabus should ensure that A planned programme of learning activities is constructed to develop understanding over time This p og a e is o siste t ith the a hild e s e tal a d ph si al abilities develop There is consistency of approach between subject areas, and with the values and principles Links are established between the subject areas The development of skills and values is integrated into subject areas The curriculum is capable of being adapted to local circumstances and interpreted relevantly in different contexts The curriculum is capable of being adapted to the needs of different students The curriculum constructed to be dynamic, and is capable of being adapted, amended and improved over time. What are Textbooks, Teacher Guides and Other Support Materials? The Curriculum Framework and subject curriculum (syllabus) documents contain important information for teachers, but normally do not help them directly in the day-to-day planning of classroom activities. This is the function of textbooks, teacher guides and other materials which provide teachers with 14 the resources and ideas to translate the curriculum into interesting and effective teaching plans and activities. It is an unfortunate legacy of many education systems that the only tangible and visible curriculum documents are textbooks. Most contemporary curriculum models do not view textbooks as core curriculum documents, but as one of the resources used by teachers to implement the curriculum. In particular, text books should be lively, engaging and stimulating. As well as covering the content of the syllabus, they should excite curiosity and promote inquiry and creativity. They should not just provide information, but should describe activities that will challenge students, and encourage them to question, research and find answers of their own. It is critically important, and also a characteristic of good quality curriculum, that there is a very high level of consistency between the framework, and learning support materials so that the curriculum as a whole is coherent and clear. Lack of consistency can lead to confusion, dispute and, most importantly, poor learning outcomes for students. A good curriculum should not be driven by textbooks and/or assessment, but by the vision that is defined by a framework and then applied in textbooks, and other learning materials. 4 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES Good quality curriculum is most likely to be achieved as the result of good quality curriculum development processes. Good processes Are planned and systematic Are led by curriculum professionals Are supported by specialized bodies, such as Curriculum Centres Are cyclical in nature Value the input of stakeholders Cater for sustainability and (long-term) impact of curriculum changes As mentioned earlier in this paper, curriculum documents are very important public statements in which a range of individuals and groups have a legitimate interest. It is therefore no longer appropriate for curriculum documents to be de eloped ehi d losed doo s . What should e o side a e good u i ulu de elop e t p o esses ? Three important characteristics of good curriculum development processes are that they are: 15 1 Led by curriculum professionals Curriculum development is a specialist field within the education sector, and curriculum development processes should be led and managed by qualified and experienced professionals. This can have significant implications for systems in ensuring that those responsible for curriculum have the skills, knowledge and experience to undertake the task. Sufficient training and resources should be provided for the necessary capacity-development to occur. 2 Planned, systematic and sustainable The development of curriculum should follow a transparent and publicly known process and be well-managed in terms of focusing on the curriculum vision, effectiveness of activities, and adherence to timelines and budgets. There are well-considered and contextually appropriate plans for the development of curriculum which allow for expert inputs, specialist drafting and consultation. Plans should include (at least) Sequenced development workshops and other activities Timelines Required expertise Anticipated costs Above all, curriculum development processes should be sustainable. As discussed in the following section, curriculum development is a dynamic and continuing process and systems should ensure that they provide the leadership, resources, and expertise to ensure that curriculum can be regularly evaluated and improved. 3 Cyclical in nature Good quality curriculum development is an ongoing and continuous process. This is because curriculum needs constantly to respond to change. As much as it can, curriculum must keep pace with a world in which knowledge is rapidly expanding, communication technologies are broadening our access to information, and, as a result, the skills needed by students are constantly changing or being invented. A well-planned and systematic curriculum development process is therefore best conceived as a continuous cycle of development – implementation – evaluation, leading to and informing a new cycle. 16 There are clear implications for adopting this cyclical approach to curriculum development, particularly those related to Development costs Teacher training and Resource and support materials development. However, governments can no longer afford to view curriculum development as time-constrained and must make provision for continuous curriculum updating and improvement to occur. This is not to say that there should be a new curriculum every year or even three years. But it does mean that curriculum must be flexible enough to allow adaptation and that periodic, large scale re-development should be anticipated and planned for. This implies that rigorous processes for monitoring and evaluation should occur. There are usually two stages to this. Firstly, standards are needed against which to test the quality of the curriculum being developed, even before it is implemented in schools. Secondly, when the new curriculum is implemented in schools, then the impact on students needs to be monitored and evaluated against the key aims that have been set. 4 Value the input of stakeholders A good quality curriculum development processes acknowledge that stakeholders not only have a legitimate interest in the outputs of the education system, but also have valuable contributions to make to its inputs. If the opinions and views of each stakeholder group are sought and recognized during the curriculum development process, there is a greater chance that the curriculum itself will be inclusive and practical, and will meet the needs of the diverse range of students it seeks to serve. A good quality curriculum is therefore the result of good quality development processes, such as those related to communication, consultation and community discussion. SUMMARY What makes a good quality school curriculum? This paper has described a number of characteristics of good curriculum. In summary, a good school curriculum: Focuses on learning and learners by 17 Being inclusive, providing every student with opportunities to grow and achieve their personal potential Being forward-looking, preparing students to become competent and successful in their future lives in an uncertain century Differentiating teaching so as to recognise students as individuals Acknowledging and accommodating different ways of learning Encouraging teachers to be facilitators of learning. Contains content that is Up-to-date Relevant Balanced Integrated Consistent with international progressive practices and expectations. Provides clear and helpful advice about their roles in curriculum delivery to Students Teachers Schools and principals Education systems Consists of specific, purpose-written documents, such as A Curriculum Framework Subject curricula () Curriculum Support documents (textbooks, teacher guides and others) which Are comprehensive are clearly expressed are consistent in their philosophy and approach support curriculum implementation and evaluations processes Is the result of good curriculum development processes which Are led by capable curriculum professionals Are sustainable, being supported by specialized curriculum units/bodies Are planned and systematic Acknowledge the cyclical nature of curriculum development Value the inputs of stakeholders. 18