Education is a powerful tool for shaping individuals’ perspectives, attitudes, and behaviours, which can create a more harmonious and interconnected world.
Sustainable Development Goal 4 focuses on education in the post-2015 development agenda. It aims to provide inclusive, equitable, and high-quality education while promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. The curriculum plays a crucial role in enabling quality learning and in supporting education that is relevant to holistic development. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the factors that make a quality curriculum and support curricular innovation in UNESCO Member States to achieve Sustainable Development Goal Four.
The curriculum is a determining factor in ensuring inclusive education and equitable provision. It provides the structure for quality learning, especially important when teachers may be underqualified or inexperienced, classrooms are under-resourced, and students lack prior frameworks to situate their knowledge. Additionally, the curriculum outlines the competencies necessary for lifelong learning and holistic development.
At the crossroads of SDG 4, education should have a curriculum encompassing all four key aspects.
(1) inclusive and equitable,
(2) characterized by quality learning,
(3) promoting lifelong learning, and
(4) relevant to holistic development. 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.
Education and knowledge are recognized as significant factors that contribute to the reduction of poverty, sustainable development, and economic growth. The curriculum is increasingly viewed as the foundation for educational reforms that aim to achieve high-quality learning outcomes.
The curriculum is a deliberate and systematic selection of knowledge, skills, and values. It shapes how teaching, learning, and assessment processes are organized and addresses essential questions about what, why, when, and how students should learn. Moreover, the curriculum is considered a political and social agreement that reflects a society’s shared vision while considering local, national, and global needs and expectations.
In other words, the curriculum embodies a society’s educational aims and purposes. Recent curriculum reform and development processes have involved public discussion and consultation with diverse stakeholders.
Curriculum design has become a subject of considerable debate, with frequently conflicting perspectives. Policymakers, experts, practitioners, and society at large engage in discussions about the complexity of curriculum development processes. The range of issues related to teaching, learning, and assessment presents significant challenges for policymakers and curriculum developers. Since local needs and broader transnational trends influence curriculum development processes, a comprehensive international perspective on curriculum issues, trends, and approaches is critical.
It is universally acknowledged that implementing changes in an era of rapid and diverse social and global change is a complex challenge all nations face. The unprecedented pace of transformation and the wide range of practical and ethical risks associated with it have necessitated a global effort to address this issue.
Never before have educators needed to prepare young people for lives in such an unpredictable and challenging global context. In confronting these challenges, curriculum developers need to answer many fundamental questions, including:
∙ Which knowledge, skills and values should we include in our curriculum?
∙ Would the acquisition and development of such knowledge, skills and values, and the associated capabilities and competencies, enable our young people to lead meaningful and productive lives?
∙ Is our current paradigm of a set of ‘subjects’ constituting a curriculum adequate?
∙ How can we make learning relevant and exciting to students?
The development of students of broadly defined competencies or capabilities, such as critical and creative thinking, depends on integrating three broad learning domains: knowledge, skills and values.
1) Knowledge When 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 and non-cognitive skills, ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills: knowledge ‘how’, as in “I know how…”.
3) Values ‘Values’ refer to dispositional knowledge and include, for example, attitudes (which are consequent on the values we hold), moral dispositions, motivation, will and commitment: knowledge ‘to’, as in “I know to …”.
Curriculum is, in the simplest terms, a description of what, why, how and when students should learn. The curriculum is not, of course, an end in itself. Instead, it seeks both to achieve worthwhile and valuable learning outcomes for students and to realize a range of societal demands and government policies. It is in and through the curriculum that critical economic, political, social and cultural questions about the aims, purposes, content and processes of education are resolved.
The policy statement and technical document representing the curriculum also reflect a broader political and social agreement about what a society deems of most worth – that which is of sufficient importance to pass on to its children.
A principal objective of a quality curriculum is, fairly and inclusively, to enable students to acquire and develop the knowledge, skills, values, and associated capabilities and competencies to lead meaningful and productive lives.
Critical indicators of curriculum success include the quality of the learning achieved by students and how effectively students use that learning for their personal, social, physical, cognitive, moral, psychological, and emotional development. A quality curriculum maximizes the potential for the effective enhancement of knowledge.
Of prime importance in this is the fact that the quality, relevance and effectiveness of the curriculum greatly enhances good teaching and learning.
Learning in schools can occur in both intended and unintended ways. Intended learning, which is often referred to as the “formal” or “planned” curriculum, is typically delivered in a controlled environment such as the classroom. Its focus is on the curriculum endorsed by the state and implemented by teachers, with assessment conducted in various formal ways by teachers and examination authorities.
Unintended learning, on the other hand, can manifest anywhere, both inside and outside the classroom, and is largely uncontrolled. It can arise from various factors including the school’s culture and ethos, unintentional features of the intended curriculum, societal power structures, economic, political, social, and cultural relationships, and the way in which students perceive and understand the world around them.
For instance, if students only see male teachers in authoritative positions in their school, they may form the impression that positions of power are exclusively reserved for men, or that women have a limited capacity for leadership.
A new social contract for education, how it will help?
Large-scale transformation and innovative approaches are feasible within the realm of education. We can establish a new social contract through collective acts of courage, leadership, resistance, creativity, and care. This new agreement must overcome discrimination, marginalization, and exclusion and ensure gender parity and equal rights regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, age, or citizenship status. A comprehensive commitment to social dialogue is essential to bring about this new contract. Together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable educational landscape.
The international community is pivotal in facilitating the alignment of states and non-state actors around shared purposes, norms, and standards necessary to establish a new educational social contract. It is imperative to extend support for the educational needs of asylum seekers, refugees, stateless persons, and migrants, mainly through international cooperation and the work of global institutions.
The education of these groups is a significant challenge, given their unique circumstances and vulnerabilities. The international community must work together to address these challenges, providing them access to quality education aligned with their needs and aspirations. This effort requires the participation of all stakeholders, including governments, civil society, the private sector, and other relevant actors.
In conclusion, the international community must take concerted and collaborative action to support the educational needs of vulnerable groups, such as refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, and migrants. By doing so, we can help to realize a new social contract for education built on shared purposes, norms, and standards and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Curricula should enhance learners’ abilities to access and contribute to the knowledge commons – Principles for dialogue and action – mandate.
In today’s information age, educational programs must empower learners to not only access but also contribute to collective knowledge. By enhancing their skills, learners can become valuable contributors to the knowledge commons, making a meaningful impact on society. Let’s ensure that our curricula are designed to cultivate these essential abilities.
The knowledge resources accumulated by humanity over generations should serve as the foundation for educational curricula. These resources, commonly called the knowledge commons, should be easily accessible for everyone to utilize and contribute. We must teach individuals of all ages to approach knowledge with creativity and critical thinking skills, questioning their biases and interests. Education should empower people to rectify any omissions and exclusions in the knowledge commons and ensure that it remains an enduring and open resource that reflects the diversity of ways of knowing and being in the world.
The contemporary ecological crisis necessitates curricular reform that fundamentally reorients the role of humans in the world.
A priority must be placed on practical and relevant education on climate change throughout the curriculum. Across all areas of study, it is crucial to instil the art of living respectfully and responsibly on a planet damaged by human activity. We must foster a culture of respect and responsibility for our world, which has been damaged by human activity.
To combat the spread of misinformation, it is crucial to develop scientific, digital, and humanistic literacies. This involves educating individuals on how to critically analyze information, use technology responsibly, and understand diverse perspectives.
To adequately prepare students for the future, curricula must place a robust emphasis on scientific inquiry and the ability to discern between rigorous research and fallacious information. The development of digital skills is equally significant, as it empowers learners to utilize technology meaningfully.
In addition, curricula should ensure that students possess the competence to “act on” science and technology by taking an active role in determining their utilization and intended purposes. This will enable them to make meaningful contributions to society while applying their knowledge in a practical setting.
It is widely recognized that the principles of human rights and democratic participation are fundamental pillars upon which practical and meaningful learning can be built, leading to transformative impacts on individuals and society.
It is imperative to prioritize human rights education that empowers learners to act and creates a space for a moral universe that values everyone’s rights and well-being. Gender equality should be a fundamental aspect of all curricula, and harmful gender stereotypes should be eliminated sensitively and respectfully.
Furthermore, students should be guided to confront all forms of racism and discrimination through peaceful dialogue and understanding. Following these four guiding principles, we can translate a new social contract for education into educational practice with a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.
We all must take responsibility for turning guiding principles into policies and practices. This task falls to every learner, citizen, educator, and parent, as they possess the potential to work locally and connect with others near and far.
By working with all others through collaborative and partnership efforts, we can facilitate changes in day-to-day educational practices, institutions, and systems. These collective efforts, both big and small, have the potential to impact the future positively.
Issues and Discussion – In Focus
The organization of a curriculum reflects the social and political conventions surrounding education. It serves as a guide for the regulation, implementation, and evaluation of curricula. Organizational methods can include competencies, disciplinary subjects, learning areas, and interdisciplinary or cross-curricular topics. These methods also define the appropriate learning objectives for each successive level of learning.
A competency-based curriculum is focused on learners demonstrating mastery of interconnected knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Curriculum frameworks may also address cross-cutting competencies such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and principles such as personalization, inclusive systems, sustainable development, and social justice.
Developing curricula and expected learning outcomes is a continuous and dynamic process that requires regular reassessment and adaptation over time. However, it is essential to acknowledge that this process can sometimes be fraught with political considerations, as it involves deciding the validity and importance of different types of knowledge.
In different education systems, curricula development can take on various forms. Some countries may prefer to define curriculum primarily at the national level. In contrast, others may prefer a more localized or classroom-based approach, often guided by a learning standards framework.
In today’s global education context, it is essential to balance the needs for universality and contextualization. While some learning goals may be universally applicable, the curriculum must consider national, local, and minority concerns.
Involving teachers in all levels of curriculum development is a crucial component for ensuring relevance. However, it is vital to provide them with the necessary resources, time, and incentives for extensive deliberation. Additionally, new curricula can be tested and refined through feasibility studies and piloted in select schools.
To ensure that the curriculum is both adequate and relevant, it is recommended to begin the planning process with the desired learning outcomes and how they can be measured. While there has been a long-standing debate on the relative merits of traditional didactic approaches versus constructivist or student-centred approaches, research suggests that a balanced approach should be taken that integrates teacher-led guided learning, student-led action learning, and context-dependent experiential learning. To be relevant, the curriculum should connect with learners’ daily lives, interests, and motivations and allow for differentiated learning experiences to meet different students’ needs. In addition, the curriculum should provide teachers with guidance on how to structure teaching and learning activities while also ensuring that learning achievements are appropriately assessed.
For the successful dissemination of new curricula and expected learning outcomes, it is crucial to have specific plans in place. Educators should be made aware of these changes, and necessary adjustments in teaching practices should be implemented through the dissemination plans. Aligning textbooks and other teaching materials is also crucial and should be addressed during the curriculum planning process. Plans for curriculum dissemination should also consider the development of curricular literacy at the district, school, and individual teacher levels.
Implementing a curriculum framework is a complex process that requires careful planning and consideration of various factors. Policymakers can use a range of levers to facilitate implementation, including teacher training, incentives for school districts, external facilitators, demonstrations, and sharing of information and expertise. Education planners may need to decide on the importance of fidelity and adaptability in meeting the needs of learners.
To support the implementation process, planners can monitor the progress by asking essential questions such as what teachers and students are doing, how materials are being used, and what data should be collected. Various methods can be employed for data collection, including direct observation, checklists, self-reports, and student portfolios.
The importance of teacher professional development cannot be overstated when it comes to implementing changes in curriculum and achieving expected learning outcomes. However, it is important to recognize that teachers’ commitment to change may vary depending on their curricular literacy, competence, and confidence levels. As such, it is crucial to include teacher perspectives in the curriculum development process to ensure their buy-in.
To facilitate the implementation of new curriculum frameworks, pre-service teacher training systems may need to be revised. Additionally, interactive professional development programs can help build teachers’ understanding of learning outcomes, curriculum, and effective teaching practices. By providing multiple cycles of assimilation of knowledge, practice, and reflection on experience, such programs can be instrumental in promoting positive change.
Finally, teachers must also learn how to develop formative assessments that provide evidence of student understanding and skills. By doing so, they can better interpret evidence and adjust their classroom practices to bridge the gap between desired and actual learning outcomes.
Inclusiveness Considerations
The contemporary education system has been heavily influenced by the Western model of schooling, which was introduced through missionary activity and colonialism. Consequently, indigenous forms of education and socialization have been altered or replaced in many instances. In light of this legacy, it is essential to provide indigenous and minority populations with opportunities to participate in curriculum development and help determine the knowledge and skills to be included in the official curriculum. Such an approach will foster a greater sense of inclusion and representation, enabling a more holistic and culturally sensitive education system.
- It is recommended that learning outcomes, curricula, assessments, and teaching practices strive towards being gender inclusive and non-discriminatory.
- It is important to recognize the unique needs of language minority students in order to provide them with a quality education. This includes implementing appropriate curricula and ensuring that teachers are supported in their efforts to meet the needs of these learners.
- The curriculum is a carefully crafted set of plans designed to create meaningful learning experiences for children, allowing them to acquire knowledge, skills, abilities, and understanding. The outcomes of implementing a curriculum are undoubtedly important, and it is essential to determine which outcomes are most significant and how they can best be achieved. Developmentally appropriate practice takes into account the unique cultural and linguistic backgrounds of children and creates a curriculum that is both educationally and developmentally significant. This is achieved through learning experiences that are tailored to meet the needs of each child and reflect our collective understanding of young children in general.
- Incorporating play into the curriculum is a fundamental aspect of early education, and it involves implementing various strategies to enhance learning across all age and grade levels. Ideally, the curriculum should be planned in a coordinated manner to ensure that children’s knowledge and skills are developed cohesively and sequentially, with each level building upon the previously learned concepts. A well-designed and culturally relevant curriculum should avoid any potential biases or stereotypes and foster a positive learning attitude in each child across all curriculum areas.
- The concept of mirrors and windows is a valuable tool for developing effective curriculums. A curriculum should include mirrors that reflect children’s families, communities and themselves in the learning environment, materials, and activities. Additionally, it should provide windows that offer opportunities for children to learn about different cultures, places, arts, sciences, and other subjects they might not have encountered otherwise. In diverse and inclusive learning environments, one child’s mirrors are another’s windows, enabling collaborative learning opportunities.
- For programs to be successful, it is essential to have a written curriculum that is well-planned and implemented, providing children with a knowledge-rich and well-rounded learning experience. It should be aligned with applicable early learning standards, and educators must ensure children’s learning experiences are consistent with the program’s goals.
The following key factors, taken together, describe curriculum planning that is developmentally appropriate for children from birth through the primary grades.
A. Desired goals that are important for young children’s development and learning in general and culturally and linguistically responsive to children in particular have been identified and clearly articulated.
- Educators consider what children are expected to know, understand, and be able to do when they leave the setting. This includes the domains of physical, social, emotional, linguistic, and cognitive development across the subject or content areas, including language, literacy, mathematics, social studies, science, art, music, physical education, and health.
- Educators are familiar with state early learning standards or other mandates. They add to these other goals missing from the existing standards.
- Educators and administrators establish and regularly update goals with input from all stakeholders, including families. Goals are clearly defined for, communicated to, and understood by all stakeholders, including families.
B. The program has a comprehensive, practical curriculum that targets the identified goals across all domains of development and subject areas.
- Whether or not educators participated in developing the curriculum, they familiarize themselves with it and consider its comprehensiveness in addressing all essential goals.
- When the program uses published curriculum products, the selected products are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically responsive for the children served and provide flexibility for educators to make adaptations to meet the specific interests and learning needs of the children they teach.
- If educators develop the curriculum themselves, they make sure it targets identified learning goals and applicable early learning standards. They actively engage families and communities to inform its development. Educators use up-to-date resources from experts to ensure that curriculum content is accurate and comprehensive.
C. Educators use the curriculum framework in their planning to ensure ample attention to essential learning goals and to enhance the coherence of the overall experience for children.
- Educators are familiar with the understandings and skills in each domain (physical, social, emotional, linguistic, and cognitive) that are key for the children in their group. They know how development and learning in one domain impacts the other domains and crosses subject areas. They recognize that ensuring the curriculum is culturally and linguistically relevant for each child is essential for supporting all development and learning across all domains and subject areas.
- In their planning and follow-through, educators use the curriculum framework and what they know (from their observation, documentation, and other assessments) about the children’s knowledge, interests, progress, languages, and learning needs. They carefully shape and adapt the experiences to be responsive to each child and enable them to reach the goals outlined in the curriculum.
- In determining the sequence and pace of learning experiences, educators consider the learning progressions children typically follow, including the typical lines in which skills and concepts develop. To maximize language development, educators recognize differences in developmental progressions for monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual children and support the development of multilingualism. Educators use these progressions to help each child progress in all areas, and they make adaptations as needed for individual children. When children’s experiences have not matched the expectations for schooling, educators can both work to change inappropriate expectations and adapt the curriculum to build on children’s strengths and help them gain skills and knowledge. Such adaptations should maintain children’s agency; children can be partners with educators in guiding their learning, which reinforces high expectations and beliefs (on the part of both the child and the educator) in that child’s potential.
D. Educators make meaningful connections a priority in the learning experiences they provide for each child.
- Educators plan curriculum experiences that integrate children’s learning. They combine learning within and across developmental domains (physical, social, emotional, linguistic, and cognitive) and subject areas (including language, literacy, mathematics, social studies, science, art, music, physical education, and health).
- Educators plan curriculum experiences to build on the funds of knowledge of each child, family, and community to offer culturally and linguistically sustaining learning experiences. Educators build on ideas and experiences that have meaning in the children’s lives and are likely to interest them, recognising that developing and extending children’s interests is particularly important when children’s ability to focus their attention is in its early stages.
- Educators plan curriculum experiences that follow logical sequences and allow for depth, focus, and revisiting concepts. That is, learning lines allow children to spend sustained time with a more select set of content areas rather than skimming briefly over a wide range of topics. Educators plan to return to experiences in ways that facilitate children’s memory and further understanding of concepts.
E. Educators collaborate with those teaching in the preceding and subsequent age groups or grade levels, sharing information about children and working to increase continuity and coherence across ages and grades.
Educators also work to protect the integrity and appropriateness of practices at each level. For example, educators advocate for continuity in the curriculum that is coherent, consistent, and based on the principles of developmentally appropriate courses.
Educators working with infants and toddlers plan routines and experiences to facilitate the development and learning of each child, even if it isn’t referred to as a formal curriculum. The focus for infants and toddlers is creating secure relationships with caregivers and family members in a manner that is culturally and linguistically responsive. While social, emotional and language development, including home languages as much as possible, are prioritized, these interactions and experiences also provide a foundation for vocabulary and concepts that support later academic development across all subject areas. As children progress to preschool, kindergarten and primary grades, the curriculum expands to incorporate more advanced knowledge and skills across all subject areas. It’s essential to continue providing culturally and linguistically sustaining care while supporting all domains of development and all subject areas.
So a curriculum is typically a phenomenon which includes many dimensions of learning, including rationale, aims, content, methods, resources, time, assessment, etc., which refers to various levels of planning and decision-making on knowledge (for example, at the supra-, macro-, meso-, micro- and nano-levels); or, international, national, local, classroom and individual levels; and which relates to multiple representations of learning (for example, as already mentioned, ‘intended’, ‘implemented’, ‘attained’, etc.).
Curriculum can be understood as the totality of what children learn at school – including what they learn through classroom activities in interdisciplinary tasks across the school, for example, in the playground, at lunchtime when eating (civic responsibilities, etc.). This curricular totality also includes opportunities for broader achievement through sports, music, debating, and the like. For this paper, the curriculum is defined in a holistic, process-oriented way. This definition is based on the belief that, while curriculum might commonly be perceived as a set of documents, the quality of those documents is closely connected to the processes used to develop them and 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 broader processes of curriculum development, implementation and evaluation.
In the following episode, let us throw more light on the following insights,
- What educational purposes do we seek to attain?
- What educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes?
- How should these educational experiences be effectively organized?
- How should we determine whether these purposes are being attained?
In addition to these questions, we shall address the question of
‘What makes a quality curriculum?’, listing the following as criteria:
∙ Are there clear aims for the curriculum?
∙ Is the curriculum up to date?
∙ Is it relevant to students’ current and future lives, experiences, environments and aspirations?
∙ Does it create a socially and economically prosperous future while respecting the country’s past – its cultural history and traditions?
∙ Is the curriculum equitable and inclusive? (i.e. does it take into account the diversity of learners and the different learner needs; does it cater for marginalized groups; does it avoid biases) ∙ Is the curriculum learner-centred and learner-friendly? (i.e., does it take learner needs into account; does it avoid biases and discrimination; is it well sequenced about the learners’ age; does it contribute to personal development and life skills; does it make sense – is it meaningful for learners; does it avoid overloading learners) ∙ Is the curriculum open and flexible, so that it can address new challenges and opportunities by integrating new/emerging issues?
∙ Is the curriculum coherent and consistent across different education stages/grades/streams and learning areas/subjects?
“Education for All – For the Cause of Education”, which is driven by the doctrine of
Education-Of the People; Education-By the People; Education-For the People.
Education is a powerful tool for shaping individuals’ perspectives, attitudes, and behaviours, which can create a more harmonious and interconnected world.
To be contd……………….
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Education 2050 – In 50 Ways & Plus – Episode 5
Education for Peace and Cooperation – Episode 4
