Curriculum_Design_for_Inclusive_Practice

Curriculum Design for Inclusive Practice I am going to examine the theories, principles and models of curriculum design and implementation, and their impact on teaching and learning. I will explain the significance of equality and diversity and the ability to promote equality within my own practice. I will also make proposals for improvements to my own curriculum with reference to a range of sources relevant to my own practice. Bradford College is an educational organization within the public sector which operates within the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS). Learning not only takes place in schools, colleges and universities, but can occur throughout a person’s life and it wasn’t until this module that this was highlighted. Work based learning, distance learning, private training providers, voluntary and prison education are some other contexts within the LLS that delivers education to its learners. The different context in which education sits contributes to the way in which the curriculum is designed and facilitated. There is a critical requirement for differentiation in the way the curriculum is designed for educating learners on an Electrical Installation course in a college compared to a prison as the welfare of its learners would be of the upmost importance. With this in mind the supervision and safe use of tools and equipment would have to be closely and continuously monitored. I teach Electrical Installation which is made up of equal theory and practical sessions to many diverse learners with mixed abilities, varied ethnicity, gender and age. The learners range from full-time students with limited electrical experience, to part-time students on a modern advanced apprenticeship scheme honing their psychomotor skills on-site. In my opinion this must have an impact on the design of the curriculum to cater for the difference in abilities between the learning cohorts. The earliest reference to curriculum was exposed by Plato (427-348 BC) who was the pupil of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle that set out in some detail, the shape and curriculum of an education system and portrayed the ideal society in The Republic. (Smith, 2009. online) Plato’s ideal state meant that the curriculum was designed to educate the elitist creating a classical humanistic approach for the guardian class. This approach continued into the twenty first century. My initial thought on the definition of curriculum meant the overall content of what is to be taught, (Atherton, 2009. online.) such as the syllabus; however after some extensive research I believe this not to be the case. In contrast, I consider the curriculum to be much more intense by incorporating activities, experiences and learning opportunities for which the teacher takes responsibility for (Harvey, 2004-9. Online) and what actually happens in the classroom. (Smith, 1996 ,2000. Online) In addition to the formal curriculum explicitly taught, the hidden curriculum is a key attachment to the design of a course and is responsible for the enhancement of effective learning. “The hidden curriculum refers to the set of rules or guidelines that are often not directly taught but are assumed to be known” (Myles et al, 2004. p.5) The hidden curriculum is not formally stated within the curriculum but relates to the ethos of the organisation having a positive impact on learning. As part of the curriculum design of an electrical installation course at Bradford College, learners encounter enrichment in order to expand their horizons, freshen opportunities and unlock new experiences. It relates to the comfort of the learners and how safe they feel in their educational surroundings. Enrichment is achieved by incorporating activities that enhance the learner experience including interaction and socialisation between learners. The hidden curriculum is not only integrated within enrichment but can transpire in a simulated workshop environment, learning through observation and body language where the learner “just picks up” knowledge and techniques. (Myles et al, 2004. p.5) “The central theory [of curriculum] is simple.  Human life, however varied, consists in the performance of specific activities.  Education that prepares for life is one that prepares definitely and adequately for these specific activities.  However numerous and diverse they may be for any social class they can be discovered.  This requires only that one go out into the world of affairs and discover the particulars of which their affairs consist.  These will show the abilities, attitudes, habits, appreciations and forms of knowledge that men need.  These will be the objectives of the curriculum.  They will be numerous, definite and particularized.  The curriculum will then be that series of experiences which children and youth must have by way of obtaining those objectives”.  (Tyler, 1918, cited by Smith, 1996,2000. online) At present the curriculum content is determined by the awarding body and primarily follows the outcomes (product) model which is the primary model used in the twentieth century and commonly used when dealing with vocational subjects such as electrical installation. City & Guilds (C&G) define the underlying curriculum and set the compulsory aims and objectives the learner has to meet in order to achieve. Moreover, this approach defines what the learners will be able to do rather than what is to be learned. The aims and objectives created by C&G are standardised for each course, however there is flexibility in the delivery of the main structure in terms of the selection of the structure and order in which the course content can be facilitated. It is down to me as a tutor to ensure learning has taken place by continuously checking learning through the formative assessment process. There is no requirement to use generic resources providing the learning outcomes have been met and their knowledge broadened so the learner can undertake the summative assessment at the end of each unit to accomplish their oval goal. The resources used have been created within the department to promote inclusivity, equality and diversity ensuring all members of staff are “singing from the same hymn sheet”. One particular criticism with this model is the difficulty in writing satisfactory smart objectives for higher levels of learning. All learners yearning for an electrical qualification gain the same qualification whether they are attending college on a full-time or a part-time basis. As a tutor I find the full-time learners more difficult to control as their mindset is different and sometimes it feels like they are only at college to get paid Education Maintenance Allowance. (EMA) A major impact this has is that valuable learning experiences may be lost. “Dewey (1916) saw the liberal humanism as too teacher centred so he developed a middle road. This places the learner at the centre of the educational and learning process and its purpose is to unlock the potential of the learner.” (Neary, 2003. p.58) The ideology of educational progressivism was portrayed by Dewey (1915) whose assumptions encouraged the personal growth of individuals. This approach arose from ‘The School and Society’ where the main principle meant that humans are like social animals that learn best in real-time activities. Progressivism works more efficiently by finding its roots in the learner’s present experience. This ideology has an impact on teaching and learning by relieving some pressure on the tutor and improving the confidence on the learner resulting in increased achievement. Progressivism goes hand in hand with the process model in that the purpose of education is to enhance individual effectiveness in society and give learners practical knowledge and problem solving skills. (Dewey, 1915) Hirst (1974) writing under the influence of Immanuel Kant, formulated his theory of curriculum subjects as forms of knowledge. (Haynes, n.d. online) Smith (1996, 2000. online) therefore states that the curriculum, essentially, is a set of documents for implementation. In some instances the content model can be referred to during the theoretical sessions as it is essentially a form of transmitting facts and knowledge to the learners as they have to employ deep learning in order to achieve their final exam result. This model has an impact on learning as it can become extremely monotonous. I disagree with this particular model as the teacher tends to take the autocratic role bombarding them with information resulting in de-motivated and confused learners. This model utilises the prior learning of the students allowing them to progress onto the next level of their chosen subject increasing the depth of knowledge with the passage of time. Lawrence Stenhouse (1975) argues that rather than concentrating on the behavioural objectives or merely reciting a syllabus, it is the individual student development that is critical and the process in which the student needs to learn. The process model assumes that the content and learning activities have an innate value bringing into account the questioning of the reasons behind the learning process, not just to accept learning in an inactive way, but to question why we undertake the task and for what reason. This model is built around not only the justification of the thought process but also the development of the procedures as a way to intensify learning. The situational model relates to areas within education of a more vocational nature, where the students have attained a good level of general learning within their mainstream educational institutes, especially in the area of literacy and numeracy. They have developed a platform of knowledge on which they can build upon in their chosen vocation. The subject of electrical installation is mainly science and maths biased, with the prerequisite for entry onto the course specifying a good grounding in the above disciplines. “People do not launch themselves into adulthood with the momentum of their childhood and youth and simply coast along to old age. Adulthood has its transition points and its crises. It is a developmental period in almost as complete a sense as childhood and adolescence are developmental periods” (Havinghurst and Orr, 1956, cited in Neary, 2003. p.67) Acknowledgement of the needs of adult learners should be built into the curriculum by taking the andragogical approach. The prospect of self-motivated and independent learning is appealing as some adult learners have not been in a classroom situation for many years since they first left education. This model has an impact on learning and as a tutor it is extremely hard to ensure learning has taken place therefore the more pedagogical strategy should be chosen. On the other hand teenagers and young adults are capable of responding to an andragogical strategy. This module has given me the opportunity to examine the theories and ideologies relating to curriculum design. Each theory and ideology has its distinct qualities offering something for the students in the development of their understanding of their chosen subject balanced between the unfolded inadequacies thus allowing me to make substantial improvements to better facilitate the learning process. Firstly, I think that my curriculum is intended for a specific cohort of learners particular those who are undertaking an apprenticeship scheme. This leaves a gap in the curriculum for full time learners who are expected to achieve the same qualification in the same time and don’t seem to get the best from the course, resulting in poor attendance and punctuality, and reduced achievement and success rates. Having experienced this continuously throughout my career I would change the curriculum to include their preferred learning style and existing experiences. Part time learners currently work in the trade and augment their electrical experience onsite on a daily basis. I would therefore increase the guided learning hours (GLH) for the full time learners to ensure they have enough time to at least gain simulated practical experience in a workshop environment to counterbalance what part-time learners achieve on-site. The City & Guilds 2330 Certificate in Electro-technical technology predominantly pursues the outcomes (product) model through the use of behavioural outcomes however; the content of the course is an abundance of knowledge and understanding. The majority of learners complete the course becoming fully skilled qualified electricians working in different environments and very few utilise the knowledge they have gained within education and interpret it in the workplace. The infinite knowledge educated at this level is suitable for the learner to progress onto further and higher education and is not necessarily required unless they choose a career as an engineer or technician. I agree that the content model of curriculum design should target the knowledge and understanding but should cater for the individual requirements of the learner taking their workplace environment into consideration. I would make amendments to the curriculum taking a more progressivist approach in supporting the learners’ individual personal growth. I favour the outcomes (product) model particularly for vocational subjects as the methods of work-based assessment and online multiple choice questions are appropriate for all groups of learners and are managed effectively through continuous summative assessment. The assessments are valid and relevant because of the theoretical and practical aspects of the course. I support the hidden curriculum strategy as it brings out the learners values. Having accurately calculated the pros and cons designed for the curriculum I can conclude that the current curriculum within electrical installation incorporates many theories, models and ideologies collectively and the process of learning is just as important as the product. When designing a curriculum it is important to be aware of the educational needs of the learners taking them into consideration as individuals as well as in groups. This module has given me the opportunity to develop my teaching style from the more didactic teaching method towards a more learner centred environment. Word Count: 2257