Module 4: The Teacher as a Curriculum Implementor and Manager

Module Overview :
The next step after a curriculum planning and design is to implement it.
As a techer, this is one of the major roles that you do in the school. Many of the
curricula that you use may have been recommended and written down. Your task is to
implement such. Daily your plan should be ready for implementation. The success of
learning depends on your implementation effort.
There is a minisculecurriculum like your lesson plan, or a big one like the K to 12
curriculum. You will be both an implementor and a manager of these curricula. You will put
action to what has been planned and designed. It is you, who will add more meaning to the
various activities in the clasroom. This is what we call teaching styles. You have to make the
day of the learners interesting, engaging and unforgetable. No curriculum should stop at
planning or designing phase. It has to be implemented.
Good luck on your new journey, Teachers!

Lesson 1: Implementing the Designed Curriculum a Change Process

Intended Learning Outcomes:

 Define curriculum implementation
 Analyze what is change process in curriculum implementation
 Explain the process of curriculum implementation

Take Off
We hear teachers say: “Here goes again, another curricular change! We are already
overload! Why do we have to do this?”
This is a common voice that we can hear from teachers and curriculum
implementors. But as we mentioned earlier, change is inevitable in curriculum development.
To be relevant, we need to change – change for the better and it can be obviously seen
through implementation.

Content Focus
Curriculum Implementation Defined
Following the curriculum models of Tyler, Taba, Saylor and Alexander or Lewis, is
the next step to curriculum designing which is curriculum implementing. This is the phase
where teacher take action takes place. It is one of the most crucial process in curriculum
development although many education planners would say: “A good plan is work half done.
“If this is so, then the other half of the success of the curriculum development rests in the
hands of the implementor who is the teacher.
Curriculum implementation means putting into practice the written curriculum that has
been designed in syllabi, course of study, curricular guides, and subjects. It is a process
wherein the learners acquire the planned or intended knowledge, skills, and attitudes that
are aimed at enabling the same learners to function effectively in society. (SADC MoE,
Africa, 2000)
Ornstein and Hunkins in 1998 defined curriculum implementation as the interaction
between the curriculum that has been written and planned and the persons (teachers) who
are in charge to deliver it. To them, curriculum implementation implies the following:
 Shift from what is current to a new or enhanced curriculum.
 Change in knowledge, actions, attitudes of the persons involved.
 Change in behaviour using new strategies and resources.
 Change which requires efforts hence goals should be achievable.

Loucks and Lieberman (1983) define curriculum implementation as the trying out of a
new practice and what it looks like when actually used in a school system. It simply means
that implementation should bring the desired change and improvement.
 In the classroom context, curriculum implementation means “teaching” what has
been written in the lesson plan. Implementing means using the plan as the guide to engage
with the learners in the teaching and learning process with the end in view that learning has
occurred and learning outcomes have been achieved. It involves the different strategiesof
teaching with the support instructional materials to go with the strategy.
In a larger scale, curriculum implementation means putting the curriculum into
operation with the different implementing agents. Curriculum implementation takes place in a
class, a school, a district, a division, or the whole educational system. In higher education,
curriculum implementation happens for the course, a degree program, the institution, or the
whole higher education system. It requires time, money, personal contacts, and support.

Curriculum Implementation as a Change Process

Kurt Levin’s Force Field Theory and Curriculum Change

Kurt Levin’s (1951), the father of social psychology explains the process of change.
The model can be used to explain curriculum change and implementation.
In the education landscape, there are always two forces that oppose each other.
These are the driving force and the restraining force. When these two forces are equal, the
state is equilibrium, or balance. There will be a status quo, hence there will be no change.
The situation or condition will stay the same. However, when the driving force overpowers
the restraining force, then change will occur. If the opposite happens that is the restraining
force is stronger than the driving force, change is prevented. This is the idea of Kurt Levin in
his Force Field Theory.
We shall use this theory to explain curriculum change. The illustration below shows
that there are driving forces on the left and the resisting forces on the right. If you look at the
illustration there is equilibrium. If the driving force is equal to the restraining force will change
happen? Do you think, there will be curriculum change in this situation? Why?

Driving Force E Restraining Forces

Government Intervention Q
Fear of the Unknown
U
Society’s Values I Negative Attitude to Change
Technological Changes L
I Tradition Values
Knowledge Explosion B
R Limited Resources
I
Administrative Support U Obsolete Equipment
M
Based on Kevin’s Force Field Model
According to Levin, challenge will be better if the restraining forces shall be
decreased, rather than increasing the driving force. As a curricularist, how would you do
this?
Let us look first at the different changes that occur in the curriculum. It is important to
identify these as part of our understanding of curriculum implementation.
Categories of Curriculum Change
Mc Neil in 1990 categorized curriculum change as follows:
1. Substitution. The current curriculum will be replaced or substituted by a new one.
Sometimes, we call this a complete overhaul. Example, changing an old book to entirely new
one, not merely a revision.
2. Alteration. In alteration, there is a minor change to the current or existing curriculum. For
example, instead of using a graphing paper for mathematics teaching, this can be altered by
using a graphing calculator.
3. Restructuring. Building a new structure would mean major change or modification in the
school system, degree program or educational system. Using an integrated curriculum for
the whole school for K to 12 requires the primary and secondary levels to work as a team.
Another example is a curriculum that will be restructured when there is a significant
involvement of parents in the child’s instead of leaving everything to the teacher. Using the
“In-school Off-school” or a blended curriculum is an example of restructuring.
4. Perturbations. These are changes that are disruptive, but teachers have to adjust to
them within a fairly short time. For example, if the principal changes the time schedule
because there is a need to catch up with the national testing time or the dean, the teacher
has to shorten schedule to accommodate unplanned extra curricular activities.
5. Value orientation. To McNeil, this is a type of curriculum change. Perhaps this
classification will respond to shift in the emphasis that the teacher provides which are not
within the mission or vision of the school or vice versa. For example, when new teachers
who are recruited in religious schools give emphasis on academics and forget the formation
of values or faith, they need a curriculum values orientation. Likewise, all teachers in the
public schools, undergo teacher induction program which is a special curriculum for newly
hired teachers.

Regardless of the kind of changes in curriculum and implementation, the process of

change may contain three important elements. As a process, curriculum implementation
should be developmental, participatory and supportive.
It should be developmental in the sense that it should develop multiple perspectives,
increase integration and make learning autonomous, create a climate of openness and trust,
and appreciate and affirm strengths of the teacher. There should be teacher support in trying
a new tasks, reflection on the new experiences and challenge.
There are simple stages in the developmental change process for the teachers. First,
is orientation and preparation. The initial use is very much mechanical or routinary. However,
as the skills are honed and mastery of the routine is established, refinement follows. This
means adjustments are made to better meet the needs of the learners and achieve the
learning outcomes. In this step, there will be continuous reflection, feedback and refinement.
Participatory. For curriculum implementation to succeed, it should be participatory,
specially because other stakeholders like peers, school leaders, parents and curriculum
specialists are necessary. Characteristics of teacher styles, commitment, willingness to
change, skills and readiness are critical to implementation. This should be coupled with
organizational structure, principal style, student population characteristics and other factors.
Trust among key players should also be sought as this is a positive starting point.
Involvement and participation encourage sense of ownership and accountability.
Participation builds a learning community which is a very necessary curriculum
implementation.
Supportive curriculum implementation is required in the process of change. Material
support like supplies, equipment and conductive learning environment like classrooms and
laboratory should be made available. Likewise, human support is very much needed. The
school leader or head should provide full school or instructional support to the
implementation of the new curriculum change as part of the instructional as well as
management functions.
Time is an important commodity for a successful change process. For any innovation
to the fully implemented, period of three to five years to institutionalize a curriculum is
suggested. Time is needed by the teachers to plan, adapt, train or practise, provide the
necessary requirements and get support. Time is also needed to determine when the
implementation starts and when it will conclude, since curriculum implementation is time
bound.
Support from peers, principals, external stakeholders will add to the success of
implementation. When teachers share ideas, work together, solve problems, create new
materials and celebrate success, more likely that curriculum implementation will be
welcomed.
Name: _________________________________________ Date: ________
Course & Year: __________________________ Score: _______
Name of Instructor: _______________________________

Take Action
Activity 1: K to 12: Can We Make a Curriculum Change? (By Groups, you may use
the former groupings from your previous activity)

The K to 12 is the current reform in our national basic education curriculum. There
are driving forces as well as restraining forces that affect its implementations. In
other words, there are factors that will make K to 12 succeed but there are also
factors that will make K to 12 fail.
1. What factors make the K to 12 succeed? Write these on the left column A. You may not fill
up all the boxes.
2. What factors make the K to 12 difficult to succeed? Write these on the right column B. You
may not fill up all the boxes.
3. You see that the middle portion is the word equilibrium or balance

A. Driving Force/Factors E B. Restraining Force/Factor

Q
U
I
L
I
B
R
I
U
M

1. If A is more than B, there will be a successful curriculum change.

2. If B is more than A, there will be an unsuccessful curriculum change.
3. If A and B are equal, then there will be a status qou.
Write your analysis relative to this activity.

Activity 2: Making Sense of Curriculum Implementation.

In as much as you cannot observe a class during this time of pandemic you are required to
watch a video presentation via YouTube channel on actual teaching process, preferably
considering your specialization. Document properly this activity by indicating the source and
answer the following questions.
1. Observe a class where the teacher is actually teaching (via YouTube).
2. Describe what the teacher is doing for at least the whole period.
3. Write down your observation based on the following questions:
3.1 What were the different learners’ activities?
3.2 What did the teacher do, to make the learners engage in the activities?
3.3 Were majority of the children actively participating? Why?
3.4 Did the teacher control most of the activities?
3.5 Did the learners and the teacher together achieve the desired learning outcomes?

Self - Reflect
1. As a future teacher, what would be your response to curriculum implementation as part of
curriculum change? Are you willing to take part in the implementation? Why? Why not?
My Response to Curriculum Implementation…..