Updated: Mar 2000 | Curriculum Provision Review Classroom Approaches

Review Classroom Approaches to Curriculum Provision

	Reviewing Curriculum Provision
	Subject Content Approach
	Competencies Approach
	Role Performance Approach

Reviewing Curriculum Provision

Another way of reviewing curriculum provision is to reflect on how the school or teachers select and organise curriculum content around desired learning outcomes.

Traditionally, learning outcomes have centred on delivering a syllabus created and disseminated by the Education Department.

Schools, departments, learning teams and individual teachers are now encouraged to make their own choice of content to create opportunities for students to achieve the Learning Outcomes of the Curriculum Framework. This means considering how well their choice of content addresses both the Overarching Learning Outcomes and the Learning Area Outcomes.

In a quality school curriculum, curriculum provision will be a balance of approaches.

The following outlines three common approaches to curriculum provision.

Subject Content Approach

This approach involves developing desired learning outcomes on the basis of subject content (both conceptual understandings and process skills), in relation to a specific learning area.

It has often been associated with teachers structuring sequential units of material with diagnostic assessment to ascertain whether students have mastered the content taught.

The goals may be short term and limited because they are confined to the Learning Area and focus on students learning factual knowledge and gaining basic skills.

This approach is, at times, necessary for all students, so they achieve the essential knowledge and skills.

Competencies Approach

This approach is based on longer-term goals of schooling. It is concerned with what cognitive skills and affective attributes students should have when they leave school.

It focuses on developing higher-order skills such as critical thinking, complex problem-solving abilities and appropriate attitudes over the time a student attends school. When a student leaves school, the learning area understandings and skills acquired contribute to the achievement of the higher-level competencies.

This approach links understandings, processes, values and competencies across learning areas and provides students with a holistic perspective on learning for life.

Role Performance Approach

This approach is based on providing real-life learning situations that require the students to successfully perform roles that they may be called upon to play in their lives.

It allows them to apply and demonstrate their culminating understandings and skills in real-life situations.

Students need to know how to develop positive interpersonal relationships, manage resources at home and in the workplace, and be aware of civic and international issues.