10 AXIOMS OF CURRICULUM CHANGE

• Change is inevitable• Change as a product of its time• Concurrent change• Change in people• Change is a cooperative endeavor• Change involves a decision making process• Change is a continuous process• Change is a comprehensive process

INEVITABILITY OF CHANGE

Axiom 1:

Change is inevitable and necessary, for it is through change that life forms grow and develop

• Human institutions, like human being themselves, grow and develop in proportion to their ability to respond to chance and to adapt to changing conditions

• Society constantly encounter problems to which they must respond or perish

Major changes in the society:- changing values and cultural diversity- changing values and morality- family- macro electronics revolutions- changing world of work- equal rights- crime and violence- global interdependence-Parkay, et.al 2004

Change in the form of responses to contemporary problems must be foremost in the minds of every educator.

Who are the 21st Century Learners?

• As large in number as Baby BoomersAs large in number as Baby Boomers

• Consumers- $150 billion annuallyConsumers- $150 billion annually

• Digital Media Users – 6 ½ hrs daily Digital Media Users – 6 ½ hrs daily

(Exposed to 8 ½ hours)(Exposed to 8 ½ hours)

• Multi-taskers: online - phone - printMulti-taskers: online - phone - print

• Hyper-Communicators -socially & civicallyHyper-Communicators -socially & civically

• Gamers-interactive learningGamers-interactive learning

Who are the 21st Century Learners?

• Risk-TakersRisk-Takers

• Pursuers of ongoing educationPursuers of ongoing education

• Futurists & OptimisticFuturists & Optimistic

• IQ is up by 17 points between 1947-IQ is up by 17 points between 1947-

2001 with most gains post 19722001 with most gains post 1972

Time-based Outcome-based

Fragmented curriculum

Integrated and interdisciplinary curriculum

Focus: memorization of discrete facts

Focus: What students know, can do and are like after all the details are forgotten

Lessons focus on the lower level of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Learning is designed on upper levels of Bloom’s and the updated Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy

Diversity in students is ignored

Curriculum and instruction address student diversity

Literacy in the 3R’s – Reading, Writing and Math

Multiple literacy of the 21st Century- aligned to living and working in a globalized new millennium

Textbook-drivenLimited access to information and knowledge

Research-driven infinite access to materials/ sources (information and knowledge multiple)

Passive learning Active learning

Learners work in isolation

Learners work collaboratively with classmates and others around the world-the global classroom

Teacher-centered-teacher is center of attention and provider of information

Learner-centered – teacher is facilitator/coach

Low expectations High expectations- “if it isn’t good, it isn’t done.”

Curriculum is irrelevant and meaningless to the students

Curriculum is connected to student’s interests, experiences, talents and the real world (community engagement)

Print is the primary vehicle of learning and assessing

Performances, projects and multiple forms of media are used for learning and assessment

Teacher as judge. No one else sees students work

Self, peer and other assessments (public audiences.. Authentic assessments)

Factory model, based upon the needs of employers for the industrial age of the 19th century

Global model, based upon the needs of a globalized, high-tech society

Goal- to master content knowledge (literature, history, science)

Goal – to learn skills and strategies (access, analyze, evaluate, create) to solve problems

Conceptual learning on individual basis

Project-based learning on team basis

• The society faces a plethora of contemporary problems, some of which threatens its existence.

Therefore, there is a need to embrace changes in the curriculum in order to respond to contemporary problems.

CURRICULUM AS A PRODUCT OF ITS TIME

Axiom 2:

The school curriculum not only reflects but also a product of its time. IT is corollary to the first.

Before the advent of television, computer works an other media curriculum was relatively slow, but now everything is instant.

Changes in the curriculum over period of time:

• Team teaching• Instructional television• Open-space education• Values clarification• Behavioral objectives• Computer literacy• Cooperative learning• Etc.

The curriculum is a product of its time

SOCIAL FORCESPHILOSOPHICAL PROCESSPSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONSACCUMULATING KNOWLEDGE

PSYCHOLOGY• Faculty of the muscles

• Faculty Psychology

• Behavioristic• Experimental• Gestalt• Perceptual

PHILOSOPHY

• Essentialism

• Essentialism• Utilitarianism

• Essentialism• Progressivism

SOCIAL

• Male chauvanism• Rich-poor dichotomoy• Calvinist

• Industrial revolution• Rise of the middle class• Westward thinking

• Immigration• Armed conflicts• Civil rights• Equal rights• Changes in family• Enviromental growth• Rapid change in tech• Change in family

• PWD• Economic Crisis• Population Growth• Global warming• Globalization

AIDS• International conflicts• Terrorism

ACCUMULATING KNOWLEDGE

• Discovery of vaccines• Computer• Laser• Multipurpose cell phone• Moon landings• Mars flight• Galileo probe• Cassini and Genesis mission

The pervasive educational groups and individuals has been responsible for the

adoption of curricular innovations in the history AND

IT CAUSED PERMANET AND CONTINUING CHANGE

IN THE CURRICULUM

CONCURRENT CHANGESAxiom 3:

Curriculum changes made at an earlier period of time can exist concurrently with newer curriculum changes at a later period of time

• Curriculum changes starts and ends abruptly

• Changes co exist or sometimes overlap

– Because of this, curriculum and management change is very tasking and challenging

– The competing changes have almost mandated an eclecticism, especially in the public school

–People behind curriculum select the best response to the emerging changes in the society

• Write behavioural objective• CHANGES IN THE EDUCAITON OF THE PHILIPPINES

When status qou no longer serves the needs of the learners…

…we should replace it…..

….to promote appropriate responses…

The re-emergence of the prior responses will be new responses, not old in the sense of being unchanging and unchangeable.

CHANGE IN PEOPLEAxiom 4:

Curriculum change results from change in people

–Stakeholders should be involved and committed to change

–Sadly, subbordiantes don’t work very well on the rules

There is a need to change the people

who must ultimately effect

the curriculum

To change the curriculum of the school is to change the factors interacting to shape the curriculum. In each instance this means bringing changes in people – in their desires, beliefs, attitudes, in their knowledge and skills.

(Meil, 1998)

The lack of enthusiasm usually affected the performance of the students

–Sadly, subbordiantes don’t work very well on the rules

–Unless the subordinates embrace this change and rules as theirs, then change will become meaningful and long lasting

And what we should not forget, everything spills out to the students…..

COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR

Axiom 5:

Curriculum change is effected as a result of cooperative endeavor in the part of the groups.

Significant changes in the curriculum should be brought about as a result of group decision

Any change in the curriculum should involve all the stake holders. The students, teachers, administrators even the non certificated personnel.

Teachers and specialists are involved in the professional core.

The teachers work together under the direction of the school administrator as the overseer.

The administrator will take the bow for successes and will also take the barbs for efforts gone awry.

Any change made without the understanding and support of at least a core majority of educators will fail.

Not because of the changes themselves, but the way these changes came about.

DECISION MAKING PROCESS

Axiom 6:

Curriculum development is basically a decision-making process.

• Choices among discipline• Choices among competing

views• Choices for emphases• Choices of methods• Choices in organization

CURRICULUM

DECISION – MAKING

IS A

POLITICAL PROCESS

The administrator should have a political will

The teacher should have a political will

CONTINUOUS PROCESS

Axiom 7:

Curriculum changes is a never ending process.

The stakeholders should always have a room for improvement.

• Remember, when dealing with work, nothing is taken personally against you.

•How do we see feedbacks?

•Do we FIGHT or FLIGHT?

Stake holders should always have room for improvement

As the needs of learners change, as the society unfolds, as new knowledge appears, there should be change.

•Changes does not end in a temporary modification and newer implementation

There should be a continuous monitoring to assure that the program is on track and problem does not re-occur

COMPREHENSIVE PROCESS

Axiom 8:

Curriculum change is comprehensive process

Avoid

HIT or MISS

There is an importance in looking at the whole picture.

“Look at the whole forest and not only on the trees”

What does the macro curriculum is showing?

•For example sex education-who will be affected by it?

A good investment is needed in order to create the comprehensive change needed.

Systematic DevelopmentAxiom 9

Systematic curriculum development is more effective than trial and error

The set of procedures should be made systematically by following an established set of procedures.

Starting from existing curriculumAxiom 10

The curriculum planners starts from where the curriculum is, just as the teacher starts where the students are.

When we embrace change, then and only then success will take place.

One thing will remain the same….

CHANGE.

1. What is instruction2. What is curriculum