CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT: THEORY AND PRACTICE

THE PROFESSOR: Maurice Gibbons

SPRING

1

85:

Tuesdays 14:30-8:30

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- Location: On Campus ?

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PRE READING: Students can pick up the pre-reading package from

the undergraduate desk after December 10. It should be read

before the first class.

THE FORMAT: The basic format of class meetings will be

Presentation ... Workshop Application... Teamwork

Assignment ... Student Presentations.

THE TEXTS: Participants should be prepared to pay $15.00 for

the reproduction of current material.

THE ASSIGNMENTS: Students are expected to be present, on

time and prepared. Readings will be assigned for most

sessions and ten minute weekly quizzes will sometimes be

given on their essentials. ?

Individuals will develop a class

curriculum unit for actual use following a systematic process,

and will work with a team of four or five others to develop

a larger scale curriculum applying the same process. Students

will keep a working journal to track the development of their

curriculum. ?

In anticipation, students may wish to consider

the most promising and ambitious new developments they might

pursue. These two assignments will be conducted as negotiated

learning contracts.

THE COURSE: The focus of the course will be on the

following topics:

* What is curriculum? What is the range of

choices? What processes are involved?

*What is the role of the teacher: user, chooser or

developer? Can developers develop curriculum without developing

themselves? What program of development can developers follow?

How can we make systematic,strategic curriculum

decisions? How can we analyze the situation we're in to derive

appropriate goals and purposes?

How can we generate new ideas, ideas about how to

achieve the goals in powerful ways? What are the basic paradigms

of education?

* What content should be selected and how should it be

organized into sequences?

What activities should be selected for high impact

teaching? What are the sources of instructional power? How

should learning activities be organized?

How can new programs be implemented effectively?

How can they be improved in use? How can we determine how

effective a hew program is?

*What do we do if we fail? If we are successful?

How do we build themes of improvement thoughout our

professional lives?

As you can see, the course follows the developmental stages

students will be pursuing in their individual and group

projects. The course concludes with demonstrations and

celebration of student accomplishments.