Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

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ASSIGNMENT 1 – THE IDEAL
CURRICULUM
4141EBL – CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

COURSE CONVENOR: PROF. STEPHEN BILLET

SUBMITTED BY: DAVID MARTIN

STUDENT #2636349

S2636349@STUDENT.GRIFFITH.EDU.AU

DATE SUBMITTED: 15 SEPTEMBER 2008

David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development
 Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

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An ideal curriculum is a much contested idea with no single, clear definition. A curriculum is

often thought of as an official document that contains all the necessary information to run an

education qualification, program or course[ CITATION Sch02 \p 3 \l 1033 ]. While the

curriculum document will have multiple influences on deciding what is intended to occur and be

used, what is actually implemented will have a great effect on the actual experience. It will be

shown that the implemented and experienced curriculums are as real and important as the

intended curriculum, also having multiple factors and stakeholders having influence. By being

aware of the underlying theories, possible consequences and being able to actively reflect on

experiences, an ideal curriculum can be brought about.

National competencies in the content area of business technology and office skills will be used

as the context to argue for an ideal curriculum. The competencies are delivered as part of a

nationally recognised qualification at certificate and diploma levels in a TAFE institute.

Therefore, a top down approach to indented curriculum will be used to discuss what kind of

intents are to be used and how they can be developed, along with recognition of the

transformation that will occur when it is implemented. How the curriculum is experienced is then

evaluated as part of a cyclical and reflective improvement process. This will show how this view

of curriculum is as ideal as the complexity and contention of the situation allows.

David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development
 Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

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CONCEPT OF CURRICULUM AS SOMETHING INTENDED

A simple statement such as “a curriculum is a definition of what is to be learned” [ CITATION

Ros99 \p 8 \l 1033 ] defies the complex nature of curriculum which needs to be clear and

organised but at the same time flexible enough to cater with the diverse situations that arise in a

learning environment [ CITATION Ski84 \p 1 \l 1033 ]. These definitions describe the curriculum

as something intended and allow all involved in the education process be aware of the targets

or goals of a learning program.

There are many stakeholders in vocational education. First, it requires the input of industry to

create the ideal curriculum and does so in many ways. In Australia, industry has representatives

across government, boards and committees that advocate the current and predicted future skills

and attitude requirements in the workplace and therefore “industry defines the skills needed for

people for work” [ CITATION Aus08 \p 3 \l 1033 ]. The amount of influence has often depended

on economic conditions of the time; recently in Australia industry has increased its influence

over the intended curriculum in many ways, including reforming vocational education in schools

[ CITATION Ski84 \p 4-5 \l 1033 ] and is turning the vocational system towards their own needs.

In the business technology area there are changes happening in the workplace that need to be

reflected in the ideal curriculum. Industry is likely to give valuable input on trends, technology

type, usage and skills required to use this technology. However, the needs and wants of

industry are contested by other stakeholders, including government.

Because the government provides funding for vocational education, various agencies demand a

high level of input into the design and intended implementation of curriculum. Vocational

education in Australia, using competency based outcomes provides an intended curriculum by

explicitly determining what is intended by the sponsors and developers. The national framework

David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development
 Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

defines principles of training, and therefore principles of curriculum that need to be adhered to
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for a course to be nationally recognised and accredited [ CITATION Mic97 \p 5 \l 1033 ]. The

intended curriculum for vocational education is provided in the form of a national set of

competencies grouped into different industries. There are clearly stated goals that show what

skills and knowledge the students are intended to obtain through training. The National Training

System is designed to provide “skills needed to enter the workforce for the first time, to re-enter

the workforce, to retrain for a new job, to upgrade skills for an existing job, and to learn

throughout their lives” [ CITATION The08 \l 1033 ]. While some teacher representation is

present on industry and governmental boards, it seems there is an aim to keep their input as

low as possible in this stage of the curriculum, perhaps to counter the power they have in the

classroom, as will be shown with the implemented curriculum.

Regardless of the powers and processes in creating the curriculum, an intended curriculum is

what is shown in official documents [ CITATION Sch02 \p 3 \l 1033 ] and needs to contain

several elements to be successful. It requires aims, goals and objectives to be explicitly stated.

Aims are “broadly phrased statements of educational intent” [ CITATION Mur87 \p 93 \l 1033 ],

goals are precisely worded using non-technical language [ CITATION Mur87 \p 93 \l 1033 ] and

objectives are specific statements of intent “expressed in terms of changed learner behaviour”

[ CITATION Mur87 \p 93 \l 1033 ]. These need to be defined before the content is decided

upon, providing a solid foundation and to provide direction towards learning activities

[ CITATION Mur87 \p 92 \l 1033 ]. General course information, methods of delivery and

assessment should also be included in a curriculum document [ CITATION Mic97 \p 118-119 \l

1033 ]. This information will start to form what and how curriculum will be enacted in learning

organisations.

David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development
 Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development
 Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

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ENACTING THE CURRICULUM

An intended curriculum, as described in the previous section outlines many details. However, an

ideal curriculum will not intentionally determine the way the curriculum is enacted. This allows

other stakeholders, especially teachers, to interpret and implement curriculum in the local

context. This will determine what content will be included and how that content will be delivered

to students in order to attain the goals, aims and objectives that were stated in the intended

curriculum.

There are likely to be differences between what is intended and what is enacted. Curriculum

cannot be considered just as the prescribed content, but needs to consider “the nature and

impact of different curricula” [ CITATION Sch02 \p 2 \l 1033 ]. The curriculum that is taught in

the classroom is different from what was initially intended, which can occur for a number of

reasons.

Sometimes the differences can simply be a teacher’s personal approach to a topic [ CITATION

Sch02 \p 3 \l 1033 ]. However, in some situations this is not appropriate, for example where

safety is a paramount concern work instructions or training methods need to be followed

correctly and exactly to ensure the safety of the trainees [ CITATION Mul00 \l 1033 ]. While it is

argued that only content which leads to attaining assessment criteria should be included in the

course materials [ CITATION Mic97 \p 123 \l 1033 ], teachers input into the enacted curriculum

is vital to ensure that local and up to date content is included to meet the overall aims and

objectives.

The amount and type of resources available will also have an effect on how the curriculum is

enacted. It is important to remember that “delivery methods are only helpful if they contribute to

the achievement of the learning outcomes” [ CITATION Mic97 \p 127 \l 1033 ]. This supports

David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development
 Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

the need to counteract the overwhelming push for technology based solutions, which teachers
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can do by using a deliberate approach to using innovations that recognises the centrality of the

teacher’s practical knowledge [ CITATION Wil08 \p 47 \l 1033 ].

Delivery plans and class session records are examples of documentation available for the

enacted curriculum. These documents are based on the intended curriculum, but have been

interpreted and often expanded for local conditions and specific organisational requirements.

These interpretations and implementations will have a direct affect on how the curriculum will be

experienced.

EXPERIENCING THE CURRICULUM

The literal translation of curriculum as a “course of life” offers the opportunity to give students

not only a vocational experience, but a social education as well. This is another area of

contention, industry has a set of skills and attitudes that are considered ideal for their workers

which may be very different from what proponents of social justice would consider important.

In the previous sections it was show that a curriculum is something planned by various parties

and then implemented by organisations and teachers. What the learner experiences is affected

by more than just these factors; their own experiences with previous education, motivation and

even current personal issues.

Evaluation needs to be done to ensure that students are meeting the aims and objectives of the

curriculum. Further, evaluation needs to be done on the curriculum itself; are the experiences of

the student in line with the intended curriculum and is the enacted curriculum capable of helping

students achieving the outcomes. While this is part of a cyclical process of curriculum

development, systems that focus on controls through measures of accountability and standards

tend to focus on efficiency and therefore rationalise social needs within the context of what is

David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development
 Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

best for the current economic climate [ CITATION Wil08 \p 48 \l 1033 ]. This is not always a bad
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thing, economic climates are cyclical and social wellbeing can often be tied to economic

wellbeing. However, the ideal curriculum should be experienced for more than economic and

industrial needs only. The ideal curriculum requires moderation by social, political and economic

requirements of the wider society [ CITATION Ski84 \p 9 \l 1033 ]. This is often experienced in

the form of the hidden curriculum, which refers to processes and outcomes that are not explicitly

intended or stated in the intended curriculum documents [ CITATION Mur87 \p 5 \l 1033 ]. An

ideal curriculum could attempt to harness the hidden curriculum by making it explicit and using

positive social and multicultural reinforcement.

WHY IS THIS CONCEPT OF CURRICULUM IDEAL?

For whom must the curriculum be ideal; is the ideal curriculum for industry different to the ideal

curriculum for the student? Society as a whole must also be considered. This means there is no

one ideal curriculum; it must be constantly updated and changed to reflect the ever changing

needs of all the stakeholders and society as a whole.

There is contention within the processes of creating, implementing and reviewing curriculum as

something that is intended, enacted and experienced. In many ways this contention causes a

cycle of continuous change, which is necessary. Work patterns and requirements and therefore

educational requirements reflect the needs of current economic, social and political climates and

will therefore change over time. There are several models of curriculum development; rational

models use a logical and sequential structure, creating objectives that lead to other elements

and evaluation of those objectives being met while cyclical models are more responsive to

changing needs and consider the interrelationship and interdependence of different elements of

the curriculum [ CITATION Mur87 \p 20-27 \l 1033 ]. The ideal curriculum must be a balance of

these, the rational model provides part of the solid national framework which vocational

David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development
 Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

education works in, yet the speed of change, especially in the business technology area
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requires the use of a cyclical evaluation and reflection for the curriculum to be current and

relevant.

The basic concepts and knowledge of what and who is involved in creating and maintaining an

intended curriculum will assist teachers in implementing and being a vital part of the experience

learners will have when participating in education. Teachers are becoming more involved with

curriculum development and need to “bring conceptual considerations to their task” [ CITATION

Mur87 \p 18 \l 1033 ].

Curriculum is a complex and multi-faceted concept which leads to comprehensive

documentation that shows the intended outcomes and probable methods of reaching those

outcomes. What is implemented often varies, or in some cases is not explicitly determined by

the intended curriculum. The experiences that the curriculum provides are then tempered by the

teacher, context and the students past and present attitudes and abilities. There is also a hidden

curriculum which is made up of social, cultural and personal attitudes which can vary the

experience. There is much contention over curriculum because of the number and variety of

stakeholders and what aims they each have for the students engaged in curriculum. While there

is no one ideal curriculum, an awareness of these concepts and how they fit together to create a

learning environment will certainly improve the end result of vocational training.

David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development
 Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

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LIST OF REFERENCES

Australian National Training Authority. (n.d.). Shaping our Future: Australia's National Strategy

for VET 2004-2010. Retrieved August 2, 2008, from Department of Education,

Employment and Worklpace Relations: http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/98206EC7-

3B9A-4A58-991F-4F28010BF825/16445/national_strategy.pdf

Mulchay, D. (2000). Turning the Contradictions of Competence: compency-based training and

beyond. Journal of Vocational Education and Training , 52 (2), 259-280.

Print, M. (1987). Curriculum Development and Design. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Reynolds, W. M., & Webber, J. A. (2008). Expanding Curriculum Theory : Dis/Positions and

Lines of Flight. Taylor and Francis e-Library.

Ross, A. (1999). Curriculum : Construction and Critique. London: RoutledgeFalmer.

Schugurensky, D. (2002). The eight curricula of multicultural citizenship education. Multicultural

Education , 10 (1), 2-6.

Skilbeck, M. (1984). School and Curriculum Decisions. School-Based Pretend Development.

London: Harper & Row.

The National Training System. (n.d.). Retrieved August 2, 2008, from Department of Education,

Employment and Workplace Relations:

http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/training_skills/policy_issues_reviews/key_issues/national

_training_system/

Tovey, M. (1997). Training in Australia: design, delivery, evaluation, management. Frenchs

Forest: Pearson Education Australia

David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development
 Assignment 1 – The Ideal Curriculum

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David Martin Student #2636349 4141EBL

Curriculum Development