Different aspects of curriculum organization-M.Ed Notes
(For M.Ed Students. However B.Ed students can go through it)
Prepared by
SABARISH-P
M.Sc., M.Ed., JRF & NET
Lecturer in Physical Science, Arafa Institute for Teacher Education
Attur, Thrissur.
Different aspects of curriculum organization are
1. Integrated approach
2. Interdisciplinary approach
3. Correlated approach
4. Unified approach
Integrated
curriculum
The concept of integrating curriculum is
nothing new. It’s been around, in fact, since the 1800s and was advocated by
such well-known educational theorists as John Dewey and Meredith Smith (Beane
2, 5). It has gained recent attention, however and more and more educators
think that it is the best way to teach. It is a curriculum in which subject
matter boundaries are ignored, all subjects being taught in a relation to broad
areas of study and in relation to one another as mutually associated to some
genuine life relation.
Curriculum
integration can be described as an approach to teaching and learning that is
based on both philosophy and practicality. It can generally be defined as a
curriculum approach that purposefully draws together knowledge, skills,
attitudes, and values from within or across subject areas to develop a more
powerful understanding of key ideas. Curriculum integration occurs when
components of the curriculum are connected and related in meaningful ways by
both the students and teachers.
Integrated curriculum is a way to teach students that
attempts to break down barriers between subjects and make learning more
meaningful to students. In its simplest conception, it is about making connections.
The integrated approach aspires to help pupils obtain a coherent view of
science by establishing numerous links between the various branches of science.
Integrated science integrates the perspectives of subdisciplines such as
biology, chemistry, physics, and earth/space science. Through this integration,
teachers expect students to understand the connections between the different
subdisciplines and their relationship to the real world.
Integrated curriculum requires accessing knowledge
from all of the traditional subjects without labeling them as such. In
addition, integrated curriculum adds problem-solving, real-world application
and social consciousness to the learning process, making it a more
comprehensive way of educating and of learning.
In general, all of the
definitions of integrated curriculum or interdisciplinary curriculum include
(Lake, 1994):
- a combination of subjects;
- an emphasis on projects;
- sources that go beyond
textbooks;
- relationships among concepts;
- thematic units as organizing
principles;
- flexible schedules;
- flexible student
groupings
Why Integrated Curriculum is Effective
Integrated curriculum is an effective way to teach and learn because
it corresponds with the way our brain works physiologically. Rather than
separating knowledge into discrete partitions, the brain creates a complex web
of information that recognizes patterns. Moreover, learning within a known
context or experience helps the brain remember information more effectively
(Caine 5). In fact, the physical structure of the brain changes as a result of
experience, and it grows and develops more in an interactive environment (Caine
27-28). Integrating curriculum is a way to capitalize on these existing
features of the human brain and work with, rather than counter to its natural
function.
Besides being compatible with brain function, there are other
reasons integrated curriculum makes sense. First, it teaches concepts that help
students approach any situation or problem, rather than facts which have
limited application. When you think about how knowledge has grown, but
classroom time has not, you can see how this way of approaching education is
more beneficial to the student in the long run. We can’t teach every fact, so
it’s better to teach how to think about facts (Brandt 24).
Finally, there is no particular rationale for the way things
are done currently. The current system is, in fact, somewhat counterproductive,
as it does not encourage teacher-teacher communication or resource-sharing.
With integrated curriculum, however, these kinds of communications are an
indispensable part of the process. They ensure that information is not
repeated, and that teachers help each other teacher, rather than working at
odds with each other (Brandt 26).
Benefits of Curriculum Integration
• Allowing for flexibility: Through curriculum integration,
teachers can plan for the development of key skills and understandings that
transcend individual strands and subjects.
• Building on prior knowledge and experiences: Choosing
meaningful connections among subject areas helps students build on their
diverse prior knowledge and experiences, supports their holistic view of the world,and
ensures more meaningful learning.
• Unifying the students’ learning: Curriculum integration
enables students to develop a unified view of the curriculum to broaden the
context of their learning beyond single subject areas.
• Reflecting the real world: When curriculum is organized
in a holistic way,it better reflects the real world and the way children learn
at home and in the community.
• Matching the way students think: Brain research supports
the theory that younger students take in many things and process and organize
them at one time. Teaching ideas holistically, rather than in fragmented
pieces,better reflects how young students’ brains process information.
Curriculum integration enables teacher to:
• identify the
connections within and among the content of subject areas
• provide a relevant
context for learning, based on the needs of students
• assess students’
skills and understandings in a variety of learning contexts
• manage the content of
the program of studies more easily because outcomes from different areas or key
learning skills are both addressed at the same time and reinforced
• Increases student’s motivation
and participation.
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Interdisciplinary curriculum
An interdisciplinary curriculum combines several
school subjects into one active project or is organized to cut across
subject-matter lines, bringing together various aspects of the curriculum into
meaningful association. It focuses on broad areas of study since that is how
children encounter subjects in the real world—combined in one activity. In the
interdisciplinary curriculum, the planned learning experiences not only provide
the learners with a unified view of commonly held knowledge (by learning
models, systems, and structures) but also motivate and develop learners’ power
to perceive new relationships and thus to create new models, systems, and
structures. Interdisciplinary curriculum involves using the knowledge view and
curricular approach that consciously applies methodology and language from more
than one discipline to examine a central theme, issue, problem, topic, or
experience. In inter disciplinary science curriculum science is treated as one
discipline, a combination of separate disciplines such as physics, chemistry,
biology.
Unified Science curriculum
It
must be emphasized that there will be various approaches to science curriculum
development that are rightfully labelled unified science. Each has unique features
of its own which may depart somewhat from the assertions and descriptions that
follow.
A
unified science approach to curriculum is based on the premise that science is
a unity. It is a unity because science is more than a sum of its parts. That is,
science as a natural phenomenon is more fully understood by studying the whole
phoneme of science rather than by studying fragments of it as represented by
the separate sciences. Science is viewed as a unity that has been fragmented
only as a convenience in defining narrow fields for specialized research.
This
view of science as a unity is paralleled by the view that an organism is more
than the sum of its parts. The approach is holistic rather than particulate.
That is, one starts with the whole of science (or the whole organism).This does
not mean that the parts are of no use in seeking an understanding of the whole
on the contrary the parts are very useful but they are subsidiary to the whole.
It
should be noted that the view of science as a unity regards unity as the prior
condition. The unified science view does not reflect a combining of entities
that here to fore had been separate. In considering the question, "which
came first, science or the sciences"? The unified science answer is clearly,
"science." Generally unified curriculum is employed in lower classes.
Correlated Curriculum
The
words correlation and interrelation mean practically the
same thing. Correlation is the recognition and establishment of relationships
among the various subject areas or fields. Sometimes the term correlation is used to indicate
planning a proper sequence of experiences in one subject field. Correlation refers to horizontal
relationships―relationships on the same grade level between two subjects, or
among all the subjects. One may correlate English with Music, Mathematics,
History, and other subjects.
Correlation means the relationship between different subjects of the
curriculum. The necessity for correlation is implied in the present
arrangement of subjects. This arrangement, or any other arrangement, was
brought about because of the necessity of organizing the curriculum, not
because there is a natural or inevitable way to divide pupil experiences among
subjects.There can be no rigid inflexible boundaries between subjects.
Education will be more realistic if, in each subject, the borderlines between
it and other subject are considered very flexible, so that pupils' experiences
in accordance with their needs can be planned without undue attention being
paid to whether or not the territory of another field has been invaded.
Correlation implies, indeed makes it
essential, that teachers must work closely together to plan pupil experiences
designed to achieve the major aims of education. In order to secure really
effective correlation, it is necessary to provide a free period each day during
which teachers may meet together to discuss the work their classes have done,
to plan and prepare future project, and to plan correlation in every aspect of
their teaching.
Correlation is of three
kinds - Correlation within the
subject,Correlation with the other subjects, and Correlation with life and
environment.
Correlation
of science with other subjects can be of two types-
a. Incidental correlation
b. Systematic correlation
a.
Incidental correlation
It
is the natural correlation in which the teacher coordinates a topic with allied
materials from other subjects. This would mean a broad treatment of the subject
that brings about points of similarities between science and other related subjects.
The success of incidental correlation depends on wide knowledge and versatility
of the teacher.
b.
Systematic correlation
Systematic
correlation with other subject is achieved by a careful organization of the
curriculum in different subjects avoiding unnecessary duplication of the
subject matter and at the same time developing related topics from different subjects.
The syllabus in science must be so arranged with those of other subjects that
when the knowledge of scientific principle is needed in understanding a topic
like root pressure and osmosis. Systematic correlation will be effective only
when the teachers of different subjects co-operate and co-ordinate their work.
This is achieved by careful planning of the curriculum.
Correlation
of science with other subjects
All
the branches of science are independent upon each other and there are a number
of facts and principles which are common to various subjects.as a result of
this, new subjects like physics, chemistry, bio-chemistry, soil chemistry,
electro chemistry, and geo-physics have been introduced.
Correlation
of science with life and environment
Modern
man lives in a scientific society. Many natural phenomena that we see in our
daily life can be explained with the help of simple scientific principles.in
every topic, there can be innumerable local examples like eco system; such
correlation makes the teaching of science interesting and realistic. Science
teacher should relate the class room teaching with the social and physical
environments by quoting examples from the daily life of the child. He should
take the students to a factory or on excursion while dealing with the topics
concerning this.
Defects in the present
curriculum
- Examination oriented
- Bookish and theoretical
- Overcrowded or heavy syllabus
- Encourages rote learning
- Not life oriented
- Not helpful to vocation
- Does
not develop the whole personality
Conclusion
Curriculum is a piece of paper till it reaches the class room.
There it comes alive.it must remain under constant revision in order to adopt
it to the needs of a continuously changing and constantly improving society.The
major social aim of a curriculum is that the student who completes his/her
school education is expected to be able to face any real life situation boldly
and should be equipped to get employed at the time of completion of his course.
This is the purpose of general education and not a mere internalization of
academic subjects.
Reference:-
Science education: Dr. T.K. Mathew, Dr. T.M. Mollykutty
Modern Trends in Science education: T.T. Joseph
Innovative Science Teaching for Physical science Teachers: Radha
Mohan
Science Education:Dr.Fazziludin, Dr.Sivarajan
