Curriculum Development

What this page covers

Most of the material here is mind maps, and they cover curriculum from several angles. Some deal with theory, such as Types of Curriculum, which lists overt, hidden, null, phantom and other kinds. Others look at planning, such as the notes on goals and learning outcomes, which set out academic rationalism, learner centeredness, social reconstructionism and cultural pluralism.

Syllabus design and language teaching

A strong group of resources is about foreign language teaching. The Topic 20 maps look at the foreign language area in the curriculum and what a school educational project and a school curricular project should reflect. These suit candidates preparing for oposiciones. Alongside them you will find Syllabus situacional, Syllabus based on skills and a discussion of the notional-functional syllabus, plus flowcharts comparing a syllabus with a curriculum.

Inclusive and framework approaches

The map on Universal Desing for Learning (UDL) covers multiple means of representation, flexible presentation and removing barriers to learning. Other resources look at the National Curriculum, the Australian Curriculum, the 7 principles of CfE, the understanding by Design framework and Bloom's Taxonomy.

A sensible order

1. Begin with Types of Curriculum and Curriculum to fix the vocabulary.
2. Move to the syllabus maps to see how content is specified and sequenced.
3. Read the framework resources, such as UDL and Bloom's Taxonomy.
4. Finish with the quizzes, including Curriculum: Planning, Assessing, Reporting.

Use maps to build the picture, then a quiz to check what stuck. Where you find a gap, go back to the map and note it down.

Where it sits

This unit belongs to the Curriculum and Planning strand of Education and pedagogy. Choose one map today, and make a few flashcards of your own as you read.