Elements of a Curriculum (The School & Curriculum)

Summary

This video explores the four key elements of curriculum design: intent, content, learning experiences, and evaluation. Curriculum intent defines the direction and goals, such as aims, goals, and specific objectives. Content covers the topics, concepts, skills, and values to be taught, aligned with the curriculum's intent. Learning experiences encompass instructional strategies, methods, and activities used to implement the curriculum. Finally, evaluation assesses whether the curriculum's objectives were achieved and gauges student performance. Hilda Taba emphasizes that curricula include aims, content selection, teaching patterns, and evaluation programs, all crucial for effective curriculum development.

Takeaways

• 😀 Curriculum intent refers to the direction curriculum developers aim for, including aims, goals, and objectives.
• 😀 Aims are broad statements of social or educational expectations within a curriculum.
• 😀 Goals are more specific than aims, focusing on general concepts, skills, and values to be learned.
• 😀 Objectives are specific learning outcomes that include clear concepts, skills, and values for students.
• 😀 Content consists of the topics covered in a curriculum, including values, concepts, or skills to be learned.
• 😀 Learning experiences include all instructional strategies, methods, and activities used to teach the curriculum content.
• 😀 Evaluation tools assess whether curriculum intent was achieved and evaluate student performance.
• 😀 Hilda Taba emphasized that curricula always contain certain elements: aims, objectives, content selection, learning patterns, and evaluation.
• 😀 A curriculum usually outlines a statement of aims and specific objectives for student learning.
• 😀 Content in a curriculum is selected and organized to align with the curriculum's intent and teaching goals.
• 😀 Evaluation in a curriculum helps measure both the achievement of the curriculum's objectives and the performance of the learners.

Q & A

What are the four elements of curriculum?

The four elements of curriculum are curriculum intent, content, learning experiences, and evaluation.

What does 'curriculum intent' refer to?

Curriculum intent refers to the direction curriculum developers aim to take as a result of participating in the curriculum. It includes aims, goals, and objectives found in any curriculum document.

What is the difference between 'aims' and 'goals' in the context of curriculum?

'Aims' are broad statements of social or educational expectations, describing what is hoped to be achieved by the total curriculum. 'Goals' are more specific than aims and define what concepts, skills, and values should be learned.

What are 'objectives' in curriculum development?

Objectives are specific learning outcomes that outline the concepts, skills, and values students should learn. They help in making decisions or planning for instruction.

What does the 'content' element of curriculum encompass?

The content element includes the various topics to be learned or covered in a curriculum. These topics are based on the curriculum intent and may include values, concepts, or skills important for learners.

How are 'learning experiences' related to curriculum implementation?

Learning experiences are the instructional strategies, activities, methods, or approaches used to implement the curriculum and teach its content.

What is the role of 'evaluation' in the curriculum?

Evaluation is the process of assessing whether the curriculum intent was achieved. It also involves evaluating learner performance after undergoing the curriculum.

How does Hilda Taba describe the components of a curriculum?

Hilda Taba observed that curricula, regardless of their design, include a statement of aims and specific objectives, content selection and organization, teaching and learning patterns, and an evaluation program to assess outcomes.

Why are aims considered broad in curriculum development?

Aims are considered broad because they express general, overarching social or educational expectations, focusing on what the entire curriculum seeks to achieve.

What is the importance of 'evaluation tools' in curriculum?

Evaluation tools are important for determining whether the curriculum objectives have been met and for assessing the performance of learners after completing the curriculum.