What Makes a Good Curriculum?
The educational system, and schools in particular have a responsibility to individual children and the society at large to prepare future ready learners for the world.
This is why a standards based curriculum is very important – All good curricula are based on certain requirements and standards usually outlined by a controlling body. So what are the characteristics of a good curriculum? Let’s quickly take a look:
10 characteristics of a good curriculum
- Stand.org puts it best: At the heart of a high quality curriculum is the premise that all students are able to learn and are capable of being successful. In effect, a standard curriculum is built on high expectations and should be rigorous to undertake.
- Because the curriculum prepares learners for life in the society, a curriculum obviously should be dynamic and evolve regularly to meet the needs of learners as well as the society. –
- A curriculum should gradually build the learning experience. This means that it should allow for continuity of experiences as the learner progresses and grows.
- Every curriculum should meet the needs of individual learners – whether it’s for private or public schools, every student’s needs should be considered while choosing a curriculum.
- Because it caters to a wide variety of people, a good curriculum should be developed democratically. This means educators representing all grade levels and disciplines should be included in order to achieve cohesiveness that targets the success of every child.
- Every aspect of the curriculum should have a clear objective or end goal to achieve.
- A good curriculum is not rigid- it allows room for flexibility, monitoring and evaluation by administration.
- It should provide sufficient scope for the cultivation of unique skills, interest, attitudes and appreciations.
- It should be psychologically sound. It should take into account the theories of learning relevant to the fields of study. As such, a broad range of possible learning styles must also be considered.
- Lastly, a Curriculum should be responsible for personality development of the learners.