Change is essential no matter what aspect of life it is. When everything is rapidly developing, then it has become crucial to change every aspect of life accordingly. Education is one of the necessary elements which also required changes.
Yes, change is not easy, but it has become essential in all possible way. If the education system or the curriculum is not changed with the passage of time, then the growth which supposed to happen in the generations will stop. Thus for the growth purpose, it is essential to make some changes in the curriculum.
A guide to Curriculum Change Process :
The curriculum serves the purpose of the guideline which will be used in the classrooms so the education process as directed. When a change in the curriculum becomes necessary, then it is essential to make the changes through a systematic process.
This article is going to focus on the curriculum change process and the steps that need to be followed.
1. Analysis of the existing situation
The first step in the change process is what we already have. It means you have to understand what students are learning with the current curriculum.
Many American curriculum schools in Dubai start with the rapid need assessment to ensure adequate understanding of the required change and process of integration. So, the question is asked that why there is a need for curriculum change or what is missing in the curriculum that needs to be added?
Once you have answered this question, then the next step is to understand the goal of a student for that particular subject. For example, the teacher should be able to analyze about the fundamental skills which students should learn from a specific course.
The learning goals are set up front aiming that what a child should learn when the course is completed. If the learning goals are not matching today’s learning needs, then there is a need for change in the curriculum.
What are the Primary knowledge and skills that a student must get in order to complete a course successfully?
2. The actual changes required
The next step in the change process is to know what needs to be changed. It means an expert has to identify the changes which can be made to update the curriculum. The changes have to be meticulously thought of and built in a way that it can be readily accepted.
The changes need to be prioritized like which one cannot be ignored at all costs and which one can be made once the priority ones are implemented.
Input from both teachers and parents can be useful because they can suggest from a different perspective and will enhance the overall implementation of the curriculum in real life. Read more
3. Compare the changes with national and international standards
It is understandable that change is required, but more importantly, the change has to align with the international and national standard of the education. Students are going to work and compete with the peers at global levels so a curriculum should prepare them to that extent.
However, it primarily depends on the education policies and the vision of the educational institution that how they have integrated standard within the curriculum. For instance, American curriculum schools operating in Dubai have a predefined set of rules and regulation to meet local and international education laws. So, they decide curriculum changed based on these policies. It is a critical step because there is a lot of thought process which goes behind this. There are two things which need to be considered,
1) the goals and mission of the school itself
2) the alignment with other standards of education.
Teachers need to be updated of what is going around and reflect what will work and what won't.
4. Communication the curriculum change at all levels
When all the steps mentioned above are completed, then it is time to disseminate any changes which are being made. Communication should be clear and precise so that there is no misunderstanding.
Teachers should understand the necessary changes and implement the changes one by one. Students might not be able to take the changes well if they are bombarded with them all at once. A proper communication plan is essential to be followed all through. Change is hit and trial, so it has to be successful.
Implementation can be hard at the start, but when it needs to be done, it should be done smartly.
5. Monitor and revise:
The last step is to monitor the effect of the communication, and if there is a need for anything new, then it should be changed right away. It is evident that not all changes are going to work because real life circumstances are different. However, the efforts should be made to monitor over a period, not just one day because time is required to accept any changes fully.
Conclusion
The curriculum is central to education, and it should be dynamic and not static. A dynamic curriculum will give the edge to improve the education and learning process. The above curriculum change process is generalized, and steps can be modified based on the context.
Every educational institution has its ways to determine the need for change in curriculum and implementation. However, American curriculum schools in Dubai strive hard to make the assimilation of change as the smooth transition.
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