In its purest form, education is the simple means of passing knowledge and understanding on to a new generation. Education is something we should value for its own sake, not for another purpose – it is an end in itself, not a means.
But curriculum development is defined as planned, purposeful, progressive, and systematic process in order to create positive improvements in the educational system. Every time there are changes or developments happening around the world by which the school curricula is affected. There is a need to update them in order to address the society’s needs. With its importance in formal education, curriculum has become a dynamic process due to the changes that occur in our society. Therefore, in its broadest sense, curriculum refers to the “total learning experiences of individuals not only in school, but in society as well” (Bilbao et al., 2008).
During the ancient times, people taught their children knowledge and skills in order to survive which other educators call as, the saber-tooth curriculum in which the purpose of teaching was for survival. In today’s knowledge economy, curriculum development plays a vital role in improving the economy of a country. It also provides answers or solutions to the world’s pressing conditions and problems, such as environment, politics, socio-economics, and other issues on poverty, climate change and sustainable development.Curriculum for Excellence signals a need to revisit traditional assumptions. The model of the curriculum should be designed to embrace all experiences which promote effective learning. This will involve teachers to contribute to the learner’s confidence, participation and success. Effective learning and teaching are at the heart of a curriculum. Our goal should always enable all young people to become successful learners, responsible citizens, effective contributors and confident individuals.
The country’s economy can improve the people’s way of life through curriculum development. And in order to develop it, curriculum experts or specialists should work hand in hand with the lawmakers (Senators and Congressmen), the local Government officials, such as Governors, Mayors, and others; the business communities and industries; and stakeholders to set implementing rules and policies for educational reforms. Our education system rarely rewards what deserves highest academic accolades. Deviance is discouraged. Risk taking is mocked. Our testing and marking systems need to be built to recognize original contributions, in form of creativity, problem solving, valuable original research and innovation. If we could do this successfully Indian education system would have changed overnight. Memorizing is no learning; the biggest flaw in our education system is perhaps that it incentivizes memorizing above originality. Instead of focusing on outdated models of brick and mortar colleges and universities, we need to create educational delivery mechanisms that can actually take the wealth of human knowledge to the masses.The goal of our new education system should be to create entrepreneurs, innovators, artists, scientists, thinkers and writers who can establish the foundation of knowledge based economy rather than the low-quality service provider nation that we are turning into. Indian education system is built on the presumption that if something is good for one kid, it is good for all kids. If, however, we can effectively decentralize education and if the Government did not obsessively control what would be the “syllabus” and what will be the method of instruction, there could be an explosion of new and innovative courses geared towards serving various niches of learners.Curriculum redesign is not an avant-garde idea. Collaboration, Curriculum, diversity and inclusion, grassroots leadership, and focusing on educating the whole child indicating the student’s health and wellness are the main five areas of development which need to be focused in education reform.Today there is a need to explore the aspects of curriculum design and to think on preparing learners for the dynamic nature of the 21st century. As teachers are expected to bridge the gap between research findings and student success in 21st century learning, the need to access professional learning for a changing landscape is also growing.
A dynamic, tech-savvy and interconnected world requires curricula that attempt to keep up. Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and innovation are considered the competencies widely valued for future student success. But when teachers model effective leadership, for all the ingredients of their development, students will mimic this democratic process, ultimately preparing them to be responsible, active participants in our society. There is a need for social justice education to promote empathy and engagement where students have voice and choice, reiterating the importance of active citizenship to encourage critical thinking and democratic values. As society strives to create an education system that empowers student leaders, entrusting our teachers to model these values through greater distributed leadership and ownership of professional development is a momentous step towards systemic change.
(Dr Das is an English teacher based in Dubai. She can be mailed at Subhashree.das1201@gmail.com)