| Credit |
6 points |
| Availability |
Semester 2, offshore teaching period |
| Old unit code |
300.678 |
| Outcomes |
Students have a broad understanding of (1) the meaning of the concepts 'curriculum design', 'curriculum development', 'curriculum implementation', 'curriculum diffusion', 'curriculum innovation', 'curriculum evaluation' and 'curriculum management'; (2) the contemporary educational scene in Australia, particularly in Western Australia, with respect to each of these concepts; (3) the major research questions in Australia in the areas associated with these general concepts; and (4) the variety of approaches to researching these curriculum areas. |
| Content |
This unit focuses on national curricula as a phenomenon in a variety of countries; teachers' views on curriculum initiatives in a climate of restructuring and devolution; curriculum and ideology, curriculum as a social construct; the nature of curriculum development, differentiating between curriculum design and curriculum development; the nature of situational analysis, the relationship between situational analysis and curriculum development, Skillbeck's approach to situational analysis; an introduction to different forms of curriculum organisation, the subject-based approach to curriculum organisation, the relationship between a subject-based approach to curriculum organisation and the teaching of thinking skills; organising the curriculum according to pupils' interests, 'themes' or 'topics', and 'integration'; and the nature of the curriculum change process, Vanterpool's principles of curriculum change, Adams and Chen's proposition on curriculum acceptance and persistence. |
| Assessment |
This includes a 5000-word essay describing, analysing and evaluating curriculum materials of choice or an essay discussing a curriculum in action in one school or other educational setting.
Supplementary assessment is not available in this unit. |
| Unit Co-ordinator(s) |
Winthrop Professor Tom O'Donoghue |
| Location |
UWA (Crawley), offshore |
| Mode |
on-campus |
| Unit Rules |
Contact hours—lectures: 2 hrs per week for 13 weeks; offshore as required
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| Texts | |
There are no prescribed texts. In the first and subsequent lecture sessions students are introduced to the sections of the Library dealing with the various aspects of the field of curriculum studies. They become familiar with the location of relevant books, encyclopaedias, handbooks, other reference material and journals. |
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- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change.
- Assistance with study skills, including English language skills, is available free of charge from Student Services for all enrolled students (see http://www.studentservices.uwa.edu.au/ss/learning). Student Services location: Second Floor, South Wing, Guild Village; telephone: 6488 2423.
- Books and other materials wherever listed may be subject to change. Book lists relating to 'Preliminary Reading', 'Recommended Reading' and 'Textbooks' are, in most cases, available at the University Co-operative Bookshop (from early January) and appropriate administrative offices for students to consult. For first-year units the Bookshop will endeavour to make available photocopies of book lists for individual units. Books marked with an asterisk (*) are available in paperback.
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