WHAT MAKES A QUALITY CURRICULUM?

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In-Progress Reflection No.2 on Current and Critical Issues in Curriculum and LearningWHAT MAKES A QUALITYCURRICULUM?

TitleWhat Makes a Quality Curriculum?SeriesCurrent and Critical Issues in Curriculum and LearningIn-Progress ReflectionMarch, 2016, No.2IBE/2016/WP/CD/02IBE DirectorDr. Mmantsetsa MaropeCoordination and ProductionTeam at the UNESCO IBEMassimo Amadio, Renato Opertti, Lili Ji, Émeline BrylinskiAuthorPhilip StabbackAcknowledgementsWe would like to express our special thanks to ClementinaAcedo, Jan van den Akker, Amapola Alama, Massimo Amadio,Irmeli Halinen, Mark Mason, Goodswill Obioma and RenatoOpertti. The content of this document has been enriched bytheir comments and suggestions.This paper is based on a background paper prepared by PhilipStabback, Brian Male and Dakmara Georgescu in the context ofIBE’s project “Developing Iraqi Curricula” (2011).2

Open NoteThe IBE has launched the series In-Progress Reflections on Current and Critical Issues in theCurriculum and Learning to open a communal space for a global conversation, collectiveproduction and discussion on those issues of high concern for Member States. It intends tosupport country efforts in mainstreaming challenging issues within the processes ofcurriculum renewal and development across different levels, settings and provisions of theeducation system.Initially, the focus areas of the In-Progress Reflections series encompass, among others,: (i)Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) as a foundation of holistic child developmentand learning; (ii) Reading and writing in early grades to support the development of essentialcompetencies; (iii) Youth Culture and competencies for Youth in the early 21st century(covering formal, non-formal and informal education); (iv) ICT curricula and inclusivepedagogy contributing to relevant and effective learning outcomes; (v) STEM (Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curricula to foster sustainable development; (vi)Curriculum for Global Citizenship Education (peace, human rights, sustainable development,values, ethics, multiculturalism, etc.); (vii) Assessment to enhance and support learningopportunities and (viii) Inclusive education as an over guiding principle of education systems.The series of reflections covers a wide array of knowledge products, among them: discussionpapers, policy briefs, frameworks, guidelines, prototypes, resource packs, learning tools andmultimedia resources. These materials are discussed, refined, used and disseminated engagingeducation and curriculum agencies / institutes, and in particular curriculum developers andspecialists, development experts, policy makers, teacher trainers, supervisors, principals,teachers, researchers and other educational stakeholders. Also, they serve as referencematerials for the IBE menu of capacity-development training on curriculum, learning andquality education – namely masters, diplomas, certificates and workshops –, to forge policyand technical dialogue involving a diversity of stakeholders and to support sustainablecountry field work.Through blogs and e-forums, we encourage the audience to actively interact and bring indiverse perspectives. Effectively, the online space for reflection allows us to stay connected,facilitates exchange between experts from different regions of the world, and truly fosterscontinuous reflection on the issues concerned. The blog is structured to gather diverseresources, which include tools and documents (as previously mentioned) under specificthemes so as to provide a complex and rich set of materials targeted to the specific needs ofMember States. The In-Progress Reflections will capture relevant visions, views andcomments shared by the audience, and serve as a key resource to support Member States’efforts in mainstreaming relevant findings and effective practices in national policies,curriculum frameworks and developments and in professional practices.Dr. Mmantsetsa Marope : Director, International Bureau of Education3

What Makes a Quality Curriculum?Abstract: Sustainable Development Goal Four has to do with education in the post-2015development agenda. It aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promotelifelong learning opportunities for all”.Given the essential role of curriculum in enabling quality learning and in articulating andsupporting education that is relevant to holistic development, our purpose in this paper is toidentify what makes a quality curriculum, so as to support curricular innovation in UNESCOMember States to the end of the realization of Sustainable Development Goal Four.In this we are assuming that curriculum, given its essential role in the provision of qualitylearning for all children and young people, and in articulating and supporting education that isrelevant to holistic development, is critical in the realization of SDG 4. It is the curriculumthat determines to a large extent whether education is inclusive, thus playing a significant rolein ensuring that provision is equitable. It is the curriculum that provides the structure for theprovision of quality learning, especially where teachers might be under-qualified andinexperienced, their classrooms under-resourced, and their students lacking the priorframeworks within which to situate their learning. And it is the curriculum that articulatesboth the competencies necessary for lifelong learning and the competencies needed forholistic development. We thus argue that curriculum lies at the crossroads of these four keyaspects of SDG 4: that education should be (1) inclusive and equitable, (2) characterized byquality learning, (3) promoting lifelong learning, and (4) relevant to holistic development.Curriculum, in other words, provides the bridge between education and development – and itis the competencies associated with lifelong learning and aligned with development needs, inthe broadest, holistic sense of the term, that span that bridge.Given the nature of the audience for which we are writing, the paper is necessarily pitched ata general level. A challenge in writing a paper such as this is how best to make it relevant toall countries when education systems, and particularly teachers’ skills and qualifications, varyso widely across the world. Curriculum development needs, after all, to take into accountwhere any country is in terms of the current breadth and depth of curriculum; attainmentlevels; the quality of teachers; the range and effectiveness of teaching, learning andassessment practices; the quality of the infrastructure at local education authority level and atnational level; and the like. Our audience is world-wide, with actors at many levels of theeducation system and in very different national, economic, political, historical, social andcultural contexts. That said, our primary intended reader group would include curriculumpolicy makers at various levels, and curriculum developers. We invite colleagues in MemberStates to contextualize the generalities of this paper. The IBE and its partners stand ready towork with Member States to respond innovatively to the challenges associated with theeffective realization of SDG 4.4

Table of ContentIntroduction .6I.In Other Words, What Makes a Quality Curriculum? .8II.Development of the Curriculum .121.Planned and systematic .132.Inclusive and consultative .133.Led by curriculum professionals .154.Cyclical in nature .165.Sustainable .16The Curriculum Itself .17III.1.Values each child and holds that every child matters equally .182.Comprises high quality ‘content’ and contributes to the development of competence .193.Is well organized and structured .254.Is underpinned by a set of principles about how children learn .29IV.Implementation of the Curriculum .321.Students.332.Teachers .343.Schools / Learning environments .354.Education systems and authorities .36Evaluation of the Curriculum .39V.1.Clearly defined purpose and scope .402.Based on valid data and criteria .413.Regular .414.Conducted by qualified and experienced people .415

IntroductionKnowledge and education are considered among the major factors contributing to thereduction of poverty, sustainable development and economic growth – and it is the curriculumthat is increasingly viewed as foundational to educational reforms aimed at the achievementof high quality learning outcomes. The curriculum represents a conscious and systematicselection of knowledge, skills and values: a selection that shapes the way teaching, learningand assessment processes are organized by addressing questions such as what, why, when andhow students should learn.More broadly, the curriculum is also understood as a political and social agreement thatreflects a society’s common vision while taking into account local, national and global needsand expectations. The curriculum, in other words, embodies a society’s educational aims andpurposes. Contemporary curriculum reform and development processes therefore increasinglyinvolve public discussion and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. Curriculumdesign has evolved into a topic of considerable debate – with frequently conflictingperspectives – engaging policy-makers, experts, practitioners and society at large. Thecomplexity of curriculum development processes and the range of issues informing the ‘what’and the ‘how’ of teaching, learning and assessment present major challenges for policymakers and curriculum developers. Since curriculum development processes are influencedboth by local needs and by broader, transnational trends, a comprehensive internationalperspective on curriculum issues, trends and approaches is critical.The International Bureau of Education has such a global mandate to support the developmentof good quality curricula in the Member States of UNESCO, and it has a long and successfulhistory of doing so. The IBE works with countries seeking to improve their curricula with thebroad aim of enabling young people to acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and valuesthat will help them lead successful lives.A core challenge for all countries, however, is how to make these changes in an era of rapidand diverse social and global change. Never before has humankind experienced an era of suchrapid change or had to deal with such a range of practical and ethical risks as a consequenceof this change. Never before have educators needed to prepare young people for lives in suchan unpredictable and challenging global context.6

In confronting these challenges, curriculum developers need to answer many fundamentalquestions, including: Which knowledge, skills and values should we include in our curriculum? Would the acquisition and development of such knowledge, skills and values, and of theassociated capabilities and competencies, enable our young people to lead meaningful andproductive lives? Is our current paradigm of a set of ‘subjects’ constituting a curriculum adequate? How can we make learning relevant and interesting to students?Box 1: Knowledge, skills and values in the curriculumThe development in students of broadly defined competencies or capabilities, such ascritical and creative thinking, depends on the integration of three broad learning domains:knowledge, skills and values.1) KnowledgeWhen used in this limited sense and contrasted with skills and values, the term,‘knowledge’, refers to content knowledge, or to propositional, or declarative,knowledge, including, for example, both theoretical and empirical knowledge:knowledge ‘that’, as in “I know that ”.2) Skills‘Skills’ refers to procedural knowledge, and includes, for example, cognitive andnon-cognitive skills, ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills: knowledge ‘how’, as in “I knowhow ”.3) Values‘Values’ refers to dispositional knowledge, and includes, for example, attitudes(which are consequent on the values we hold), moral dispositions, and motivation,will and commitment: knowledge ‘to’, as in “I know to ”.In this paper the terms knowledge, skills and values are principally used, and by each isintended the range of concepts and descriptors indicated above.Central to curriculum change is the notion of quality. The aforementioned questions are allrelated to this notion. But what does ‘quality’ mean in a curriculum context? What is thequality framework within which curriculum developers can set goals, develop and implementchange processes, and eventually gauge their success? Some useful indicators of a qualitycurriculum have to do with its relevance, consistency, practicality, effectiveness andsustainability – descriptors which we explore in greater depth throughout the paper.7

I.In Other Words, What Makes a Quality Curriculum?The purpose of this paper is to provide both specialists and non-specialists in the field ofcurriculum with some criteria and guidance to help them define the quality of a curriculum atnational, local or school level. The paper is not intended to be prescriptive. It is intended toprovide a conceptual framework within which to judge the quality of existing and proposedcurricula.Curriculum is, in the simplest terms, a description of what, why, how and when studentsshould learn. The curriculum is not, of course, an end in itself. Rather, it seeks both to achieveworthwhile and useful learning outcomes for students, and to realize a range of societaldemands and government policies. It is in and through the curriculum that key economic,political, social and cultural questions about the aims, purposes, content and processes ofeducation are resolved. The policy statement and technical document that represent thecurriculum reflect also a broader political and social agreement about what a society deems ofmost worth – that which is of sufficient importance to pass on to its children.A principal objective of a quality curriculum is, in a fair and inclusive manner, to enablestudents to acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and values, and the associatedcapabilities and competencies, to lead meaningful and productive lives. Key indicators ofcurriculum success include the quality of the learning achieved by students, and howeffectively students use that learning for their personal, social, physical, cognitive, moral,psychological and emotional development. A quality curriculum maximizes the potential forthe effective enhancement of learning. Underlying this paper is the premise that educationalquality should be understood primarily in terms of the quality of student learning, which inturn depends to a great extent on the quality of teaching. Of prime importance in this is thefact that good teaching and learning are greatly enhanced by the quality, relevance andeffectiveness of the curriculum. That is a key rationale for this paper.Learning in schools occurs of course in a range of intended and unintended ways. Intendedlearning (frequently referred to as the ‘planned’ or ‘formal’ curriculum) most often occurs inthe classroom and other ‘controlled’ settings. Its focus is the ‘state-endorsed’ curriculum asimplemented by teachers. The outcomes of the formal curriculum are normally assessed invarious formal ways by teachers and examination authorities.Unintended learning (such as through the ‘hidden’ curriculum) can occur anywhere –inside oroutside the classroom – and is largely ‘uncontrolled’. It can emanate from, for example, theethos or culture of the school, from unintended features of the intended curriculum (such asgender or cultural bias), from relationships between students and teachers and betweenstudents themselves, from societal power structures and existing social arrangements andpatterns, from economic, political, social and cultural relationships in the broader society, and,at the broadest level, from how students understand the way things are in their world. If, forexample, students see only male teachers in positions of superior authority in their school,8

they may conclude that positions of power are reserved for men, or that women have adiminished capacity for leadership.Curriculum is typically a phenomenon which includes many dimensions of learning,including rationale, aims, content, methods, resources, time, assessment, etc; which refers tovarious levels of planning and decision-making on learning (for example, at the supra-,macro-, meso-, micro- and nano-levels); or, international, national, local, classroom andindividual levels; and which relates to multiple representations of learning (for example, asalready mentioned, ‘intended’, ‘implemented’, ‘attained’, etc). Curriculum can be understoodas the totality of what children learn while at school – including what they learn throughclassroom activities; in interdisciplinary tasks; across the school, for example, in theplayground, at lunch time when eating (civic responsibilities, etc.). This curricular totalityalso includes opportunities for wider achievement through sport, music, debating, and thelike. For the purposes of this paper, curriculum is defined in a holistic, process-oriented way.This definition is based on the belief that, while curriculum might commonly be perceived asa set of documents, the quality of those documents is closely connected to the processes usedto develop them and to the means through which they are put into practice. In other words,judging the quality of the curriculum itself cannot be done in isolation from the broaderprocesses of curriculum development, implementation and evaluation.The paper therefore considers criteria for judging the quality of curriculum in four maincategories, as illustrated in Figure 1.Figure 1: Categories of criteria for judging curriculum qualityDevelopment ofthe curriculumEvaluation of thecurriculumThe curriculumitselfImplementationof the curriculumThe criteria to be considered within these four categories are summarised in Table 1.9

Table 1: Summary of criteria in categoriesCategoryDevelopment of theCurriculumDescription Planned and systematic Inclusive and consultative Led by curriculum professio

Curriculum, in other words, provides the bridge between education and development – and it is the competencies associated with lifelong learning and aligned with development needs, in the broadest, holistic sense of the term, that span that bridge.

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