Purpose of a Curriculum

Perspectives about the purpose of a curriculum

Academicrationalist

Cognitive
process

Focus

- Academic
excellence
- Academic
subject

Goal and
purpose

- Foster academic- Improve critical - Provide

excellence
thinking and
intrinsically
- Transmit
problem solving rewarding
skills and
learning
tradition or
abilities
experiences
cultural
- Motivate
heritage
- Conserve the
personal
interests in
existing social
learning
order

Aim

Content
source

Curriculum
content

- Intellectual
processes

Humanistic /
Personal
- Individual /
Holistic
- Student /
Personal
- Selfactualization

- Prepare
- Prepare
students to
students to
function
solve problems
effectively in - Students adapt
society
to ever
- Develop insight
changing
and intellectual
society
skills required
(change=const
to study
ant)
academic
- Learn how to
subjects
learn (?life-long
learners)
- Constructs and - Cognitive
concepts
processes
- Recognise
achievements
- Contribute to the
body of
knowledge
- Teach
- Content specificknowledge, - Knowledge
skills and
needed for

Prepare
students to be
creative
thinkers
Development of
total person- intellectually,
emotionally,
morally and
spiritually.

Social
Reconstructionist
Community- based
Society (ideal)
Contributing to
social reform
(needs and
problems)
Develop thinkingskills
(scepticism) via
a Liberatory
education
Focus on the
greater good ofsociety
-

Personal
commitment
Commitment
Ethical
behaviour

Personal
commitment to
intellectual
inquiry and
learning
Intellectual
exploration
Knowledgeable
and competent
practitioners
Empower
- Create students
student to
who will work
contribute/creat hard
e a better
- Students who
social order
enjoy
To develop a
intellectual
healthy
exploration
scepticism
about the world

Student
- Societal needs interests with- Problems
subject context
experienced by
humankind
- Successful work
behaviours
Experiential - Needs and
- Eclectic
learning
problems of
Consists of
society

Perspectives about the purpose of a curriculum

Academicrationalist

Structure of curriculum -

Student
competencies
Structuring
elements

Technology Educational
goals

Curriculum
model

Cognitive
process

Humanistic /
Personal

Social
Reconstructionist
values that
problemintrinsically
(contemporary
shaped
solving
valuable
issues?)
civilisation and - Self-directed
learning
- Community
profession
experiences
learning and
surveys
Usefulness and
- Holistic focus - Political
discovery
has vocational
practices
value
Content-centred- Content specific- Learner- Community- Objective/
- Problem-based
centred /
based
Individualised
education
outcome based curriculum
approach
Praxis
Behavioural - Process
- Flexible
curriculum
curriculum
curriculum
- Experiential
learning
Develop rational- Active learner - Autonomy
- Analyse
mind
involvement - Personal growth arguments
Standards of - Problem-solving- Integrity
- Find Evidence
reason
- Reach sound - SelfInsight and
conclusions
actualization
intellectual
- Students shape
skills
own destiny Research
take control
over own lives

Personal
commitment

Eclectic
(academic
rationalist +
humanist)

Knowledgeable
and competent
practitioners
Create students
who will work
hard
Students who
enjoy
intellectual
exploration
Taxonomies - Problem solving- Student
- Social problems- Intellectual
Scaffolding of
and troubleresearch and
or work
exploration
shooting
projects
adjustment
knowledge
processes
skills
Industry and - Intellectual
- Career
- Critical
Technology:
Processes:
Exploration and Consumerism:
appreciate the
develop
Vocation:
establish
evolution of
creative
develop human values on the
industry and
solutions to
potential for
impact of
technology
present and
responsible
industry and
future societal
work, leisure,
technology and
problems using
and citizenship
how it alters
technical
roles in a
our
means.
technological
environment.
society.
Lawtons
- Lawtons
cultural
cultural
analysis model
analysis model
Cyclic
- Print s dynamic-

Perspectives about the purpose of a curriculum

Academicrationalist
curriculum
model- Nicholls
and Nicholls

Cognitive
process

Humanistic /
Personal

Social
Reconstructionist
interactive
development
model

Personal
commitment