CFC3702/CFP/U3749 PAGES 66 - 79

UNIT 4
 In this UNIT we will look at the
curriculum development process

OBJECTIVES
and students are expected to be
able to explain the five
phases/stages of curriculum
development process as well as
its concepts.
FIVE PHASES

1. Needs assessment and situational

analysis
2. Goals, aims and objectives
3. Selection and organizing of content
4. Teaching and learning opportunities
5. Evaluation and assessment
CURRICULUM
DEVELOPMENT
Development is a comprehensive
process:
Facilitates an analysis of purpose
Designs a program or event
Evelop teaching and learning materials.
Implements a series of related activities
Aids in the evaluation process
CURRICULUM
DEVELOPMENT
Curriculum designed at different levels
Government – Macro
Regional – Meso
Classroom – Micro

Curriculum development can be regarded as the umbrella and

ongoing process from design to evaluation
APPROACHES

Academic approach
 Guided by academic rationality and theoretical
logic in educational decision making
 It is subjective, heuristic and activity orientated
 Emphasis that teachers and learners are engaged
in cooperative decisions
 Strongly learner-centered
 Aim is to provide direction – not final objectives
APPROACHES
Technological approach
 Regards educational planning in terms of systems, management and
production
Nothing is meaningful if it cannot be subjected to objective analysis
Learning a system that can be reduced to parts that can occur in a
systematic and predictable way
APPROACHES

Pragmatic approach
Sees curriculum development
process as the outcome of a long and
interactive process of involvement and
interaction.
PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT CYCLE
Step 1: Problem identification
Step 2: Needs assessment of learners
Step 3: Goals and objectives
Step 4: Educational strategies Step 5:
Implementation
Step 6: Evaluation and feedback
NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

Important questions:
 What is the purpose of the new curriculum?
 Who is the audience?
 How long is the envisaged curriculum intended to be?
 Is this envisioned to be a program delivered by experienced well
qualified teachers?
 What are the outcomes expected of the curriculum?
NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
For a curriculum to be considered relevant, it mean that it meets the
needs of the stakeholders
To be considered valid, it means that it has to be considered
legitimate in the eyes of the stakeholders
There is a need to determine the needs of the society, teachers,
learners, the school
NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
Needs represent what is deemed essential for individuals to have, to
learn or to understand in order for something of value to occur.
Needs represent ‘deficiencies’ that most people find unacceptable.
A need can also be recognized as and accepted as discrepancy
between a current state and a desired state.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
 It is a process of gathering information about the community
external to the school.
 Aspects to consider:
 Literacy
 Vocational skills
 Social order and morality
 Interpersonal skills
 Transmission of values and cultures
 Creativity and innovation
 NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Needs of learners must include:
Cognitive development
Linguistic development
Psycho-social development
Moral/affective development
Vocational focus
NB: Must determine what to address in curriculum, what to continue with, and
what to change.
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
It is a process of gathering information about the community within
the school.
Assessors talk to:
Learners
Teachers
Administrators
Educational officials
Parents
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
Questions to learners:
What their home environments are like?
How does home environment affect quality of their learning?
What content knowledge do they lack?
What skills do they need?
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
Questions to teachers:
What are their levels of qualifications?
How will that affect implementation of new curriculum?
What training and support needs do they have to implement
curriculum effectively
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
Information gathered will give curriculum developers a good sense
of what kind of curriculum can be implemented under the identified
circumstances
Can then plan for conditions (physical facilities) and teacher qualities
that will support effective implementation of new curriculum
NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
 Evaluating the effectiveness of a curriculum, we must always
consider how well it is addressing the identified needs,
 The ability of the situational context to support the effective
implementation.

A curriculum will never be completely finished developed for the

cycle keeps going on!
NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
 The establishment and grounding of a curriculum consist of two
parts:

1. Establishing the facts

2. Deciding how the information should be used in curriculum
planning and development
METHODS OF
COLLECTING INFO
Informal discussions with teachers, learners, parents, clergy, political
leaders
Brainstorming with teachers, learners, parents, clergy, political
leaders
Analysis of existing school and other official documents and
regulations
Checklists and inventories of teaching and learning activities
METHODS OF
COLLECTING INFO
Questionnaires and surveys distributed throughout the larger
community
Public hearings e.g. Presidential Commission

Major purpose is for participants in curriculum planning to obtain a

wide spectrum of options to enable them to make sound decisions
EXTERNAL FORCES
Resources available at school
Skills required by employers
Academic standards expected by the academic community
Pressure from special interest groups
Social norms of community
Global focus such as internet