Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Curriculum

About this course: Curriculum is a framework for guiding teaching and learning. This course provides an opportunity for you to consider the relationship between the teacher, the learner and the curriculum.

Created by:  Commonwealth Education Trust

• Taught by:  Associate Professor Suseela Malakolunthu, Director of the Leadership for Learning and Research Network

  University of Malaya, Malaysia

• Taught by:  Professor John MacBeath, Professor Emeritus

  University of Cambridge, UK

Commitment 3-4 hours per week Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.5 stars Average User Rating 4.5See what learners said Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

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Commonwealth Education Trust The Commonwealth Education Trust invests in primary and secondary education and the professional development of teachers throughout their careers. Through education it seeks to enhance the opportunities for children from all walks of life to contribute to the sustainable development of their communities.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


Getting to know the curriculum



This week introduces the course's emphasis on the relationship between the teacher and the curriculum. The sessions this week deal with three basic topics: the concept of curriculum, the teacher’s curriculum, and adapting to curriculum. These topics will help to broaden your understanding of curriculum and the ways in which it effects students’ experience.


5 videos, 6 readings expand

1. Video: Introduction to course 4
2. Reading: Syllabus
3. Reading: FAQ
4. Reading: Grading and Logistics
5. Reading: Portfolio
6. Reading: Peer Assessment Overview
7. Reading: Outline for Week One
8. Video: Lecture 1: The concept of Curriculum
9. Video: Lecture 2: Aspects of Curriculum
10. Video: Lecture 3: Teacher’s Curriculum
11. Video: Lecture 4: Adapting to Curriculum

Graded: Quiz 1

WEEK 2


Curriculum development



In this week we explore the fundamental issues of curriculum in greater depth, examining mechanisms that underpin the entire system of education in a country. The topics covered are: curriculum formulation, the need for curriculum, curriculum process, and administration of curriculum.


5 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Reading: Outline for Week Two
2. Video: Lecture 1: Formulating the Curriculum
3. Video: Lecture 2: The Need for Curriculum
4. Video: Lecture 3: Curriculum Process
5. Video: Lecture 4: Management of the Curriculum
6. Video: Interview 1: Looking at weeks one and two

Graded: Quiz 2
Graded: Peer Assessment 1

WEEK 3


Putting students first



The focus of this week is learning before teaching – putting students first. You will learn about the three-way relationship of the teacher, the curriculum, and the students. As a teacher, you have to be able to contextualize a curriculum that has been made available to you. The curriculum is a general set of content and pedagogic strategies which have to be made real, relevant, and as contextualized as possible for each and every one of the students. The topics to be covered this week are: the three-way relationship, learning as student-specific, theories of student learning, and student-centered teaching.


4 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Reading: Outline for Week Three
2. Video: Lecture 1: A three-way Relationship
3. Video: Lecture 2: Learning is Student-Specific
4. Video: Lecture 3: Theories of Student Learning
5. Video: Lecture 4: Student-Centered Teaching

Graded: Quiz 3

WEEK 4


Putting Curriculum to Work
This week we will bring together some important aspects of teaching and learning that were discussed in the previous weeks. The sessions cover issues of interpretation, designing learning activities, planning lessons, and bringing lessons to life.


5 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Reading: Outline for Week Four
2. Video: Lecture 1: Issues of Interpretation
3. Video: Lecture 2: Designing Learning Activities
4. Video: Lecture 3: Planning the Lesson
5. Video: Lecture 4: Bringing Lessons to Life
6. Video: Interview two: Looking at weeks three and four

Graded: Quiz 4
Graded: Peer Assessment 2

WEEK 5


Theories and Theorists



We will begin this week by briefly summarizing some philosophical insights into education which have hugely influenced curriculum. You can become a better teacher by learning about philosophical contributions to the practice of teaching. We present the idea of educational philosophy as a system of beliefs and values that affect thinking about education, how it may be conceived, and how it is engaged with by students and by teachers so as to produce desired outcomes.


4 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Reading: Outline for Week Five
2. Video: Lecture 1: The idea of Educational Philosophy
3. Video: Lecture 2: Three Philosophies
4. Video: Lecture 3: Jerome Bruner
5. Video: Lecture 4: Paulo Freire

Graded: Quiz 5

WEEK 6


Optimizing Curriculum Outcomes



In this final week we will focus on four main topics: amplifying the role of curriculum, communities of learning, self-check, and the final dialogue. We will look at Lee Shulman’s theoretical work ‘pedagogical content knowledge’ (or PCK). Additionally, we will at collaborative learning and take a look at a powerful developing idea - the professional learning community. You will also reassess your knowledge of curriculum through a discussion of six key questions. Finally, we will reflect on what you will take away from the course.


4 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Reading: Outline for Week Six
2. Video: Lecture 1: Amplifying the Role of Curriculum
3. Video: Lecture 2: Communities of Learning
4. Video: Lecture 3: Self Check
5. Video: Interview 3: Looking at weeks five and six

Graded: Quiz 6