Curriculum development process consists of various phases or elements. The curriculum planners have to consider all these phases while working on such process. According to J.S. Farranta (1990; P.24), the elements of curriculum development are philosophy, society, aims, educational administrators, school organization, teaching material, teacher's role and teaching methods.
In the words of Law ton D. (1976: P.21) the elements of curriculum are the goals, objectives, content, processes, resources and means of evaluation.
Weeler (1974; P.30) has given five phases/elements of curriculum as:
1. The selection of aims, goals and objectives
2. The selection of learning experiences calculated to help in the attainment of these aims, goals and objectives.
3. The selection of content (subject matter through which certain types of experience may be offered.
4. The organization and integration of learning experiences and content with respect to the teaching-learning process with in school and class room.
5. Evaluation of the effectiveness of all aspects of phases 2, 3 and 4 in attaining the goals detailed in phase 1."
In the light of above mentioned phases/elements and taking into consideration the educational system in Pakistan, curriculum must have the following important basic factors:
1) Situational analysis
2) Setting the objectives.
3) Contents.
4) Learning experiences.
5) Evaluation.
1) Situational Analysis:
Geographical condition of the country, society, its religion and culture, all influence the process of curriculum development, as one of the functions of curriculum is to preserve the cultural heritage of a society and the school programmes are responsible to transmit this heritage to the coming generations.
The curriculum development process is also influenced by the geographical conditions especially when general decisions are made for school timings, duration of working time, summer and winter vacations, availability of natural sources, animals, plants etc.
In the same way sociological conditions are also important to be kept in view. According to Murrary, Print (1993; P.39), "Curriculum developers serve the function of translating traditional assumptions, ideas, values, knowledge and attitudes into curriculum objectives, content, learning activities and evaluation. Of these elements sociological sources have their greatest impact on education system of a country".
When curriculum is planned, the cultural background of the concern society is also considered. The objectives which are set, the content which is selected, the methods which are followed and the evaluation procedures which are adopted, all can only be effectively done if they are according to the cultural and religious background of the country.
Curriculum planners have to give due importance to the society beliefs, attitudes, values, likeness, dislikeness etc. during the process of curriculum development.
2) Setting the Objectives:
The objectives play pivot role in the curriculum design. They are the starting point. Nothing can be done without having any target to be achieved.
Hughes (1967) indicated that there are normally four sources or inputs through which curriculum developers go for objectives. These are
1. Society,
2. Knowledge,
3. Learners and
4. Learning process.
Curriculum planners use research findings and opinions of philosophers, educationists, psychologists, subject specialists and sociologists as inputs for their designs. The selection of objectives is based on their collective value position which is supposed to be the representative of society because the composition of the committee is meant to reflect this and the opinion of the committee is focussed on the main targets or objectives to be achieved.
The terms 'goals' ‘aims’ and 'objectives' express different concepts. Therefore, we should be clear about the main distinctions at this stage.
1. Educational aims refer to the overall purposes of education which represent the needs and aspirations of a society as manifested in its educational policy.
2. Goals are the general purposes of education that are normally prepared for a particular stage or level of the education system; whereas
3. Objectives refer more precisely to the changes in behaviour which we hope will result from studying particular courses.
Note :-( Goals are less general than aims but less specific than objectives.)
The very first question one must face in developing a curriculum is "what are its aims and objectives?" There must be some point to planning activities, some intended educational outcomes.
When we consider the nature of aims and ' objectives, we come across many conflicting views about issues like
· Why do we teach?
· What should be the purpose of education? For example, what is the major purpose of education and
· What should we select as a teaching material to reach and achieve the main purpose?
3) Subject Matter or Content:
This is the element which has been emphasized mainly in the past. At the time of subject matter selection, the following factors are to be considered:
o Type of society/culture
o Type of curriculum
o No of diversified courses offered.
o Scope of the subject it-self.
o Level age of the learners.
o No. and qualification of the teachers.
o Available sources and resources.
o Strength in the class rooms.
o Demands of the society.
o International needs.
o Methods of content organization.
o System of examination etc.
4) Methods of Teaching/Activities:
This is another important element of curriculum development. It includes the method adopted, by the teacher during instruction and the learning experiences or activities performed by the students. This element has been ignored too often in the past and even it is being ignored at present. It is not fair to ask teachers to achieve certain goals without giving them guidelines how to go to the achievement of desired goals. In Pakistan the curriculum development process is centralized. Teachers are not directly involved in this process, so most of them are ignorant of the process of achievement of desired goals. They may be subject specialists with full command on subject matter but still they may have the problem of selecting appropriate methods of teaching and engaging the learners in various activities accordingly. After we have determined the goals, aims and objectives, the next important problem is the selection of the subject matter. Out of the huge amount of ever expanding knowledge,
o What should we impart to our pupils?
o What knowledge is of the greatest value to them?
o Further, should we emphasize process or information?
o Should a curriculum be fixed or flexible, constant or common to all or differentiated, practical or liberal?
5) Evaluation:
Curriculum development is a dynamic process which needs a continuous research and evaluation for its betterment. In order to cope with the society demands and bring about desirable changes, evaluation is made by the curriculum planners/ researchers and teachers.
Curriculum evaluation must not be misinterpreted as student evaluation. It is a board term used to make judgments about the set curriculum and to make decisions about the worth or effectiveness of it. On the basis of evaluation the experts can modify the curriculum by bringing about desirable changes. Keeping into account the process of dynamic nature of the curriculum development, evaluation becomes necessary for decision making at all stages in curriculum planning. Guba and Stufflebeam.(l970) identified four types of decisions which are involved in curriculum evaluation:
a. Planning (objectives to be selected).
b. Planning procedure (personnel, method and material to employ).
c. Implementing procedures (whether continue, modify or abandon a procedural plan).
d. Out comes (extent of achievements of targets or objectives).
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