Evaluate the curriculum development process of USA. Recommended suitability of various ideas and processes of curriculum development for adaption of USA curriculum in Pakistan.
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Answer:
The development of curricula can be thought of as the process by which specific information is transferred to a student or group of students. Curriculum development in the United States has an interesting history that follows the trends and patterns in population, industrial development and economic globalization. As a candidate pursuing a master’s degree in education in curriculum and instruction, it will benefit you to understand how curriculum has developed in the United States.
Early Education in the United States
In the 1700s and 1800s, apprenticeships were the primary form of education. Apprentices trained with experts in specific vocations, such as a blacksmithing or textile production. But as industry has evolved, education has moved away from apprenticeships. In the early 1900s, curricula maintained a strong agricultural focus, which reflected a thriving agricultural sector demonstrated by many families making their living by growing farm products. But as domestic agriculture has declined, education has begun to evolve into a study of broader subjects.
Introduction of Technology
As computers and other technologies have become available, they have become a cornerstone of curriculum development. Education has widely supported the learning of technology in order to maximize students’ success in a technology-driven world. If we consider that one of the purposes of school is to prepare students for entry into the workforce, it makes sense that encouraging systems-based learning and technological literacy would become a priority.
A More Holistic Approach Based on Research
Research has guided the development of important educational theories, which have deepened our understanding of how children and adults learn. This cognitive, social and cultural research directly affects curriculum development and shapes the way in which we communicate information to students. Today’s teachers can use a wide array of classroom practices and tools to effectively convey information to each student.
Curriculum development in the United States has evolved as trends in demography, economy and industry have changed. This fascinating history is further explored through coursework in a master’s of education program. As a teacher, you will gain perspective on the evolution of curriculum development over the decades as well as curricula in today’s educational systems.
Toward Systematic Curriculum Development
Perhaps one of the earliest forms of systematic curriculum building in career and technical education may be attributed to Victor Della Vos, director of the imperial Technical School of Moscow. At the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876, Della Vos demonstrated a new approach to teaching the mechanical arts that "became a catalyst for career and technical education in the United States" (Lannie, 1971). Rather than leaning through conscious imitation, the Russian system utilized shops where formal instruction in the mechanical arts could be provided. This system attempted to teach mechanical arts fundamentals
(a) in the least possible time; (b) in such a way as to make possible the giving of adequate instruction to a large number of students at one time; (c) by a method that would give to the study of practical shopwork the character of a sound, systematical acquirement of knowledge; and (d) so as to enable the teacher to determine the progress of each student at any time. (Bennett, 1937)
Using these basic principles, Della Vos set up separate shops in the areas of carpentry, joinery, blacksmithing, and metal turning where students completed graded exercises that were organized logically and according to difficulty (Lannie, 1971). The Russian system, which was noted by many Americans, had a most substantial impact on Calvin Woodward and John Runlke. Woodward initiated a manual training school at Washington University in St. Louis that closely paralleled the system developed by Della Vos. Runkle, who served as president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, favored the Russian system to the extent that practical shop instruction was initiated for engineering students, and a secondary school of mechanical arts was established on the M.I.T. campus. These pioneer efforts served as important precursors of the contemporary career and technical and technical curriculum.
The successes of Runkle and Woodward generated great interest in this form of instruction, and soon manual training began to spring up in a number of schools around the United States. Shopwork was even introduced into the elementary schools and, by the late 1800s, it was a formal part of many grammar schools across the nation. However, this progress did not serve as the best substitute for apprenticeship. Manual training and other forms of practical arts such as domestic science represented course work 'of a career and technical nature but these courses were incidental or supplementary to the primary function of the school" (Roberts, 1971). In response to this deficiency, schools began to organize so that students could be prepared to enter work in a variety of occupational areas. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, technical institutes, trade schools, commercial and business schools, and agricultural high schools began to flourish. Many of the offerings provided in these schools were similar in scope to those found in today's comprehensive high schools and community colleges. However, the standards associated with these programs were quite tax or even nonexistent. Quality was at best a local matter and, more often than not, did not extend beyond the concern of the individual instructor. The result was a considerable amount of inconsistency in quality among programs across the nation.
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