Unit Code: EDU560

Unit Name: Curriculum Studies and Practices in Secondary Education

Description: This unit covers various processes and procedures of curriculum development work required of a professional teacher.The entire course is divided in three major phases of curriculum initiation, curriculum implementation and curriculum institutionalization. There are a number of topics that form part of each phase as the Unit Descriptor outlines below.Knowledge of curriculum is, by definition, central to the professional teacher and an essential orientation for all professionaly responsible beginners. Curriculum development and practice is an established part of teacher education programme in Collages and Universities and all pre-service teachers have to become familiar and knowledgeable with the concepts of curriculum in some way. Curriculum is, after all, the very substance of schooling and reason for existence of teachers in schools. Therefore teachers need to be knowledgeable about curriculum and also understand the processes by which school curricula may be developed. When teachers consider curriculum issues fundamental questions of curriculum, such as what?, how?, why? to teach and what is the impact of teaching? are generally asked. From these general questions comes a flurry of well recognized curriculum-directed questions directed towards the objectives, content, pedagogy and evaluation are asked for the teacher and the curriculum developer to answe and begin their curriculum development work. The person best equiped to answer and implement these questions is the professional teacher. The unit covers the definitions of important terms common to curriculum work such as Education, schooling, curriculum, ideaologies, foundations, conceptions and orientations, designs and models of curriculum development.. This course will also provide an opportunity to students to apply knowledge and skills in the development of classroom curriculum. The Fiji National Curriculum Framework which guides the teachingand learning in Fiji - ECE, Primary and secondary schools is also been examined in this unit. The units concludes with curriculum evaluation and how it informs future practice.

Learning Target Outcomes:

Prerequisite: N/A

Prerequisite Sentence: Students need to have successfully completed all 500 level units offered in this program in Semester 1, Year 1.

Credit Point: 15

Offered In: Semester 1,2