Unite 1 : Curriculum and Instruction

Curriculum and Instruction 

(C&I) is a field within education which seeks to research, develop, and implement curriculum changes that increase student achievement within and outside of schools. The field focuses on how students learn and the best ways to educate. It is also interested in new trends in teaching and learning process. It tries to find answers to questions such as "why to teach", "what to teach", "how to teach" and "how to evaluate" in instructional process. 
Curriculum Definition 
The Oxford Learner's Dictionary defined the word word curriculum as the subjects thought in a course of study or taught at a particular school or college
But it is a very narrow definition because it use the word curriculum only for certain subjects like mathematics, English or science. In a border view it can be defined as the total learning experiences of an individual under the direction of a a school inside or out side in a society. 

Scope and Sequence of Curriculum 

Scope:The breadth and depth of content to be covered in a curriculum at any one time (e.g. week, term, year, over a student’s school life).All that you do in a given period.

Sequence: The order in which content is presented to learners over time. The order in which you do it.

Together a scope and sequence of learning bring order to the delivery of content, supporting the maximising of student learning and offering sustained opportunities for learning. Without a considered scope and sequence there is the risk of ad hoc content delivery and the missing of significant learning. 

Element of curriculum 

The process of curriculum development consist of various element. These element should be kept in mind while designing a curriculum. 
The well-known elements are goal/objectives, content , method of teaching , and evaluation. 

1) Goals/ Objectives
objectives are those behavioral changes that we bring in the personality of an individual through a particular course. They fix the target of educational programme. Any educational programme with out objectives is like a ship without  having a specific direction. It provides the basic aim for curriculum to be developed. Objectives are based on the values of the society. and it should always reflect the value of a society and should be according to the need of demand of a society.

2) Content 
From content we mean the subject matter. Content is the 2nd important element in the curriculum. It is used for the preservation , transmission and promotion of a culture. The content should always reflect the demand of the society. The content should be flexible enough that new changes should be adopted accordingly with passage of time.

3 ) Method of Teaching    
We know that curriculum is designed for the purpose to bring changes in the behavior of  individual but this  is not possible with out a teacher. Teacher are the agent who are to bring about the desired changes that is demanded by the curriculum. Teacher need to be trained about different teaching methodology so that they should be able to achieve the desired goals of the curriculum. 

4) Evaluation 
it is also one of the main element in curriculum design.  Curriculum evaluation is not a student evaluation. It is a broader term being used to make judgment about the worth and effectiveness of it.  With the help of evaluation phase experts can modify the curriculum by bringing about desirable changes.