Many educators have emphasized the importance of teachers' curriculum development. They argue that teachers need to adapt or develop curriculum materials to effectively support students' learning.
Teaching practice supports and fosters students' lear...
Many educators have emphasized the importance of teachers' curriculum development. They argue that teachers need to adapt or develop curriculum materials to effectively support students' learning.
Teaching practice supports and fosters students' learning. Hence, teachers research and develop the curriculum and context based on the demand of students and their situations. National curriculum also recommends that teachers need to use and advance curriculum in their class. Although there have been many studies regarding the teachers' curriculum development, much of these studies have few empirical data about the patterns and characteristics regarding the issue. In this paper, attempts have been made to focus on how teachers practice and improve their curriculum development in their classrooms within the class.
Several research questions provide the basis for the investigation. First, what are the patterns found in the teachers' curriculum development? Second, what are the characteristics? Finally, what are the implications of teachers' curriculum development on it-self, national curriculum development, and teachers’ professional development?
Most research about teachers' curriculum development show that teachers develop their curriculum passively, do not understand what curriculum development is, and do not practice it at all. Many research papers emphasize teacher's professional role as a reflective practitioner, researcher, and developer on their curriculum, and I agree with them. Teachers try to contemplate on the contents of not only curriculum but also on how to teach. They also make efforts to consider the knowledge, development, and interests of learners. In sum, teachers are able to develop, practice, and improve their own curriculum professionally.
This research conducted an in-depth case study on teachers' curriculum development. As the types of teachers' curriculum development, four teachers participated in this study (from now on referred as Teacher A, B, C, and D). Teacher A developed mathematics curriculum by himself. Teacher B developed mathematics curriculum in collaboration with other teachers. Teacher C and D developed curriculum for integration of subjects with other teachers. In order to investigate the teachers' curriculum development, I observed their classes, participated in teachers' meetings, and interviewed them. All interviews were recorded and transcribed with teachers’ permission. I analyzed these data focusing on the patterns, characteristics, and implications.
The following conclusion could be derived from the acquired data. First, the patterns of the teachers' curriculum development vary according to different types of curriculum developments. Teacher A contemplates, and practices his mathematics-curriculum alone due to personal patterns, guidelines, and values. Teacher B manages and participates in meetings with teachers of mathematics for researching and developing curriculum collaboratively. Teachers C and D discuss topics and issues of curriculum for integrating subjects, develop the integrated curriculum and materials, and practice/reflect them with ones teaching different subjects. While exploring the patterns of teachers' curriculum development, I could find the common patterns. Teachers have researched, developed, practiced, reflected and improved their whole curriculum development.
Second, I was able to discover autonomy, situatedness, and practice as the characteristics of teachers' curriculum development. Teachers research and develop curriculum by having the initiative. They also consider their own subject, students, context, and various situations for curriculum development. Moreover, teachers practice and reflect constantly on what they teach and how they do it. In other words, they have and improve their own curriculum development professionally.
Finally, teachers' curriculum development has implications on it-self, national curriculum development, and teachers’ professional development. It can become the guidelines and references for other teachers. And it is able to support teachers' participants in national curriculum development. Curriculum development by teachers fosters their own professional development. The present study suggests ways to understand and support curriculum development and promote teacher professional development.