[MUSIC] Welcome to week six: optimizing curriculum outcomes. Lecture one, this will focus on amplifying the role of curriculum. Actually, it's all about curriculum, what we have been talking about. And when we look what Goddard and Clinton have got to say, they have said that "The constant need to work the curriculum through is as important for the teacher in making sense of what has to be taught, as it is for the child in learning it." So, it is such a clear message that is coming through is the understanding of teacher about the curriculum is going to make all the difference in the child's learning process. And Lee Shulman has spoken a lot about the tools of the trade, and he says that "The particular knowledge and skills contained in the curriculum in the form of materials and programmes serve as the "tools of the trade" for the teachers." So, teacher's thorough understanding about the materials that has been provided in the programmes that has been outlined, is going to give them the understanding of running a class in an effective manner. And talking about the supporting knowledge and skills that teachers need to have, Lee Shulman again has come up with this new concept called Pedagogical Content Knowledge. He says, Pedagogical Content Knowledge is an important element that teachers need to have. Or a knowledge that teachers need to posess in order to provide a rich learning experience for students. And he says that Pedagogical Content Knowledge is that special amalgam of content and pedagogy that is uniquely the province of teachers, their own special form of professional understanding. And in order to possess the Pedagogical Content Knowledge, teachers need to have thorough knowledge about curriculum. In addition to curriculum knowledge, they also need to have understanding about the subject matter knowledge. That's the substantive facts, concepts, procedures within a discipline and subject. And, in addition to that, they also need to have the general pedagogical knowledge, that is the broad principles and strategies of teaching and learning across disciplines and subjects. And also, as we've seen earlier during lecture two and three, the importance of learners and their characteristics. A teacher's thorough understanding of the students' background, their socioeconomic status, their cultural context is going to further enrich teacher's teaching. Next comes the eductional context. Teachers' understanding of the organisation and management of the school, understanding of the communities and cultures in which they live, and that will shape the workings of the classroom. And knowledge about the educational aims and purposes is going to add more value to teacher's teaching. For example, the values, beliefs and practices, the philosophy and historical orientations that you can find in the school, the community. It's also going to enrich the teaching. Over the last few weeks, we have seen the importance of giving real life examples to students, or teaching through analogies, metaphors, and giving them stories that they could connect with their real life experiences. And, in this manner, I think we could really help students learn better, understand the subject matter in an in-depth manner. So, we as teachers may want to think about different ways how we could create these learning experiences for children. Now, let's look at this slide. Okay, and see what Lee Shulman has got to say about creating learning experiences through different ways. Now, let's ask ourselves a question. It is one thing to have an educational master plan, the curriculum. And quite another to have it implemented. And ask ourselves, are we implementing it effectively? Are we making it happen systemically? So, these are some of the important questions we may want to ask ourselves so that we have a thorough understanding of what is curriculum, and how it can be integrated and implemented in the classroom level. So, now is the time for us to think, pair, and share. There are two questions here for you to think about either in group or in pairs. Is curriculum getting due recognition, and investment of time and energy at your work place? Do you agree with John Taylor Gatto who says, "When you take the free will out of education, that turns it into schooling."? Think about these two questions, and see what you can find out more about the implementation of curriculum at school level. Thank you very much. See you again in the next lecture. [MUSIC]
