Parts of the
curriculum Design Process
Factors to consider in designing a course:
- Learners´ present knowledge and lacks.
- Available resource and time.
- Teachers’ skills.
- Curriculum designer’s strengths and limitations.
- The principles of teaching and learning.
The curriculum design model consists of three outside circles and a subdivided
inner circle. The outer circles (principles, environment, needs) involve
practical and theoretical considerations that will have a major effect in
guiding the process of course production. The sub- divided inner circles (environment
analysis, needs analysis and the application of principles) is based in analysis
is a ranked list of factors and a consideration of the effects of these factors
on the design. Also, is based in the development of ideas or skill items, as a
result of considering the present proficiency, future needs and wants of the
learners. And in the last point to take into consideration is the deciding on
the most important principles to apply and monitoring their application through
the process. The result of applying principles is
a course where learning is given the greatest support and continues evaluation.
Considering the
environment
It is important to consider factors of the situation in which the course
will be used and determining how the course should take account of them.
Factors that teachers considered the most important in curriculum design:
· The small amount of time available for the course
• The large size of the classes
• The wide range of proficiency in the class
• The immediate survival needs of the learners
• The lack of appropriate reading materials
• The teachers’ lack of experience and training
• The learners’ use of the first language in the classroom
• The need for the learners to be more autonomous
Discovering Needs
There is a division of learners´ needs that is:
- Necessities: what the learner has to know to function effectively.
- Lacks: what the learner knows and does not know already.
- Wants: what the learners think they need.
Following Principles:
- Importance of repetition and thoughtful processing of material.
- Individual differences.
- Taking into account individual differences.
- Learning style.
- Learners’ attitudes and motivation.
Goals:
Goals can be expressed in general terms and be given more detail when
considering the content of the course. Here are some examples of goal that have
been set for language courses. Having a clear statement of goals is important
for determining the content of the course, for deciding on the focus in
presentation, and in guiding assessment.
Content and
Sequencing:
Content of language course: language items, ideas, skills and strategies
that meet the goals. One way to provide a systematic and well-researched basis
for a course is to make use of frequency lists and other lists of language
items or skills. These lists should be chosen and adapted as a result of the
needs analysis in order to set the language learning content of the course.
Monitoring and
assessing:
The aims of curriculum design are to make a course that has useful
goals, that achieves its goals, that satisfies its users, and that does all
this in an efficient way. An important recurring part of the design process is
to assess how well these aims are achieved.
Evaluating a course:
Evaluation tries to answer the question “Is this a good course?”. A
“good” course could be one that:
- attracts a lot of students
- makes a lot of money
- satisfies the learners
- satisfies the teachers
- satisfies the sponsors
- helps learners gain high scores in an external test
- results in a lot of learning
- applies state-of-the-art knowledge about language teaching and learning
- is held in high regard by the local or international community
- follows accepted principles of curriculum design.
The purpose of the evaluation of the course is to continue or
discontinue the course or to bring improvements to the course.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario