Assignments on

Curriculum

1
QUESTION 1

Curriculum is "an interrelated set of plans and experiences that a student undertakes
under the guidance of the school" (Marsh & Willis, 2007, p.15)

Using relevant literature and the NCF (2016), critically discuss the above statement.
You are required to use pertinent examples from your subject area to illustrate your
arguments.

The definition of curriculum by Doll (1996) is appropriate because it better meets the
challenges of the fast changing world and is applicable in Mauritius Education system. Doll’s
theory encourages critical thinking, decision-making by all people thus promoting a
democratic society. Our curriculum, when compared to other countries, is different because
for Mauritius, the Mauritius Institute of Education alongside the Ministry of Education and
Human Resources is charged to implement the curriculum alongside stakeholders for lower
levels of Grade 1 to Grade 9. At higher levels, Cambridge from London implements a
curriculum for all subjects for students‟ needs (National Curriculum Framework, 2016).

The International Bureau of Education defines Curriculum Planning as "a process concerned
with making decisions about what to learn, why, and how the teaching and learning process is
to be organized for the students while considering existing curriculum requirements and the
resources available". T.Vontz (2020) explains "the existence of a variety of resources for this-
state and national standards, textbooks, district-level curriculum guides".At a State level The
National Curriculum Framework is designed according to the country’s status in term of our
National level expectations, aims and objectives, teaching, learning and assessments taking
into account the schools infrastructure and Cultures . That NCF is "a product of a series of
consultations and discussions made through several workshops with key stakeholders such as
teachers, rectors, union leaders and others that contributed to bring in different ideas and
capture the system, school and classroom realities" (NCF,Section 1.1). The educational
system should take into consideration the 21st century competencies and a holistic approach
when designing the actual curriculum. For example, refer to the NCF, teaching Social and
Modern studies in Grade 9 mainstream at a lower secondary level, the curriculum has been
designed in such a way that emphasis on the actual society and issues the world is facing. For
example, the ‘History’ part of SMS provides an understanding how Mauritius is a multi-
cultural society, thus putting emphasis on the history of colonist, slavery, indentured labor,
free colored people. A good notion of the history builds a sense of pride for the citizens and
avoid misconception about the past and help the students to be grateful to our ancestors and
build a better future for the upcoming generation. In the Geography part, it is not only about
learning places, space, interconnection but also much emphasis has been put on the
environmental/ resources threats and global warming problem. The word sustainability is
much used in the actual curriculum helping the students to understand how to be sustainable
and prioritize sustainable measures practices to be a responsible citizen. In the Sociology
part, the curriculum has been set in such a way that help the students a better understanding
of social life, accept the differences in the society as well as co-existing peacefully in a multi-
cultural society. The NCF has designed a four-year cycle with an inbuilt support system for
the extended stream students. A different pace and teaching method should be used in
adapting to the learning pace of the students. Section 7 of the NCF wholly elaborates on how
effective use of assessment and evaluation across Grades 7 to 9 must be made by the
educators towards the students, in line with the overall goals of the Nine-Year Continuous

2
Basic Education (BYCBE) goals in Section 1.3. A planned curriculum guide teachers over
what need to be taught over the course of a each term or year.Every teacher, of any subject, at
any level must consider the curriculum and plan the curriculum in a unique way. The NCF
help teacher to avoid getting out of context during the teaching and avoid confusing learning
among students as well.

C. Kridel (2010) refers to the Experienced Curriculum as to "how the child responds to,
engages with, or learns from the events, people, materials, and social or emotional
environment of the classroom". Dr N.B.Jumani & Dr A.J.Bhatti (2012) mentions
Experienced Curriculum as "the curriculum absorbed by a learner as a result of interaction
with the teacher, class-fellows or the institution and includes the knowledge, attitudes and
skills gained by the learner". Teaching strategies convert the planned curriculum into action
where both teacher and learners will take action in order to facilitate learning in the
classroom. The action are the planned aims and objectives that the teacher will implement
according to the subject being taught. This will include various teaching methods and
educational activities chosen by the teacher to enhance learning. Preferred learning style
should be chosen by the teacher. There are three learning styles that are identified in students
are the auditory learning style, the visual learning style, and the Tactile/Kinesthetic learning
style. Learning style should be chosen according to the subject and the preferences of the
students. Teaching the higher secondary for Travel and Tourism, choosing the following
curriculum proved to be effective. Teachers can choose the Subject centered curriculum using
textbooks and explanation to pass on knowledge to students where the subject taught should
reflect topics that are prior and agreed upon content for learner attainment. Learner centered
curriculum connects the subject taught and the children psychology. A learner centered
curriculum brings together cognitive, emotional, environmental influence and enhance the
knowledge, skills, values, and world views of the students. The learner centered curriculum
focus on both the instructor and the students where communication is encouraged between
both parties, students work in pair/group encouraging teamwork, students are given the
freedom to evaluate their own learning. Short documentary/videos can be viewed and
afterwards class discussion to assess/evaluate whether the students have been enjoying and
grasping information with this style of learning approach. The activity bases curriculum can
also be chosen to eradicate the spectrum of boredom during lectures. This include teaching
strategy where the students are engaged in various activities like poster designing, role play
that make learning more interesting and engaging. Hidden curriculum are lessons that are
being taught to students informally usually intentionally in the school system. For example,
during food day organized within the school premises, students are engaged in customer
service, selling of food and beverages, cooking food, organizing, and engaging in activities
thus unintentionally putting in practice what they have learnt in Travel and Tourism class.
The school, being in the main platform where the curriculum is experimented is very
important. Section 5 of the NCF (School Culture and the Home-School Nexus) states that
"successful schools succeed in channelling the child to fully develop his/her strength".

Curriculum developers involve careful considerations while planning the curriculum such as
National educational goals, subject, students’ needs and abilities, societal expectations, and
resources availability in schools. The planned curriculum serves as a roadmap for teachers
and students, providing structured learning experiences to achieve the desired educational
outcome. A planned curriculum emphasizes the order the subject needs to be taught and the
learning objectives associated with each. However, the curriculum is a dynamic and should
be updated periodically to adapt to changing technological and societal needs. A structured
framework of the curriculum is mandatory to receive the best quality of learning experience.

3
QUESTION 2

The curriculum "promotes a joy for learning and a sense of well-being"

(MOEHRTESR, 2016,p.16)

Using relevant literature and the NCF, critically analyse the type of curriculum that
would assist you in achieving the above goal.

Section 2.4. of the NCF elaborates on 11 General Goals of the Curriculum whereby the fourth
goal states that "The Curriculum promotes a joy for learning and a sense of well-being". N.C.
Meng (2017) suggests "nurturing a joy of learning so that students can be naturally
motivated, will love what they are doing, and will enjoy attending school". Professor J.Wang
(2017) explains that "a classroom where a joy of learning exists is one in which the students
are given adequate levels of challenges and one in which they are able to make decisions
about their learning and when being faced with difficulties, a support system must be in place
to help them". He further explains that "when students experience that joy of learning, they
benefit from a positive learning experience and become more motivated and eager to learn
and when teachers will see that, they too will become more keen to teach".

While this consideration in future outcomes of children and adolescents is very important,
policy makers and educators need to pay attention to the students' well being as well (Ben-
Arieh et al, 2013). OECD (2016) refers to the students well-being as "the psychological,
cognitive, social and physical functioning and capabilities that students need to live a happy
and fulfilling life". Well- being is important at school because schools play a vital role in
enhancing the students making healthy lifestyle choices and understand the effects of their
choices on their health and well-being by providing them with genuine information and
intensify their understanding of the choices they face (Council of Europe, 2010).

To achieve both the joy of learning and the sense of well being from the students, the Student
Centered Curriculum exercised as the Student Centered Learning (SCL) is implemented.
A.Sudderth (2022) explains that "Students succeed when what they're learning interests them
and in SCL, students' interest drives education". She further adds that " SCL gives students
the opportunity to decide on what material they learn and how they learn it and it engages
students as leaders and decision- makers in their own learning".Each student is unique and
has his/her personalized learning approach. By personalizing each student learning
experience, he/she will feel more engaged and motivated. SCL allows student to have more
autonomy and control thus increase their intrinsic motivation. When students pursue their
interest and set their goals, they increase their sense of achievement and self-esteem,
positively impacting their well-being. A teacher act as a facilitator or a mentor, creating space
where the students are valued. The SCL respect and encourage the students to express
themselves, voice out without any prejudice, ask questions, explore ideas, and solve problems
and such a positive learning environment contributes to the overall students’ emotional well-
being and critical thinking. The SCL strengthens the relationship between the teacher and the
students. With this teaching approach, teachers get to know their students as an individual,
learning their strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. These teacher-student relationship
create a sense of belonging and make learning more fun. SCL often have team activities and
peer learning. Students work together as a team, sharing ideas and support their team
members learning thus encouraging a sense a community, connectedness and promotes
diversity. This inclusivity creates a welcoming atmosphere where all the students feel

4
accepted. Traditional teacher centered approach rely heavily on standardized assessment and
competition that can lead to high level of stress and anxiety in students. However, the SCL
focuses on the on the personal growth and progress of the students thus reducing the pressure
on the students.

Edupedia (2014) explains about the SCL "encouraging students to find their passions and
paths in education and follow them, resulting in students' achieving their structures of
knowledge rather than simply being bearers of a standard, identical knowledge base
transmitted to all students”.In the Travel and Tourism industry, it is becoming more
challenging for students as future employees in the service industry to develop interpersonal
skills, to excel in their communication and creativity skills. At the upper secondary level
students start considering their career paths. For travel and tourism students, a SCL approach
bring hand-on learning opportunities such as running an event which involves searching for
sponsorships, planning itineraries and budget management. Such hand-on experiences
prepare them for challenges of the industry. Some students may have already focused starting
their own travel business in the future. A SCL approach allow students to explore
entrepreneurial concept by developing feasibility studies, business plan, analyse and evaluate
possibilities of running a travel enterprise. SCL also organize conferences by inviting
speakers from travel and tourism field or organize field trip concerning the travel and tourism
industry providing the students with clear insights of the industry. Learning directly from
professionals help to break the gap between classroom knowledge and real-life practices.
SCL cultivate soft skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills which
are essential for the Travel and tourism industry. Teachers can provide career guidance
advice, helping students to identify their strengths and interests, suggesting, and
recommending relevant career paths and guide students making important decision about
their future. Adopting a SCL approach create more meaningful and relevant Travel and
Tourism education, equipping students with necessary confidence, soft skills, and knowledge
to pursue their inspiration in the industry.

Overall, a student-centered learning approach to education is prior for nurturing the students
not just academically, but emotionally and socially. By encouraging joy for learning and a
sense of well-being, the SCL approach guides students on a path to become lifelong learners
and well-adjusted individuals.

5
REFERENCES

OF EDUCATION (2016) National Curriculum Framework- Nine Year Continuous Basic

Education Grades 7,8 and 9. Republic of Mauritius: Ministry of Education and Human
Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research, pp. 12,16, 29, 32, 43, 98-99.

2. VOTZ, T. (2020) Module 6: Curriculum Planning [WWW] Center for the Advancement of
Digital Scholarship. Available from:
https://kstatelibraries.pressbooks.pub/EDCI702/chapter/module-6-curriculum- planning/
[Accessed 27/02/2022].

3. MONK, J. (2007) The Curriculum as Experience. Journal of Geography in Higher

Education, 14(1), pp. 101.

4. COUNCIL OF EUROPE (2017) Improving well-being at school. [Online]. Available from:

https://www.coe.int/en/web/campaign-free-to-speak-safe-to-learn/improving-well-being-at-
school. [Accessed on 15/03/2022].

5. INTERNATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARD ( Curriculum Design [Online]. Available

from: http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/COPs/Pages_documents/
Resource_Packs/TTCD/sitemap/Mo dule_3/Module_3.html. [Accessed on 16/03/2022].

6. DR JUMANI,N.B. & DR BHATTI,A.J. (2012) 'Understanding Curriculum- Learned

Curriculum (also known as Experienced Curriculum)' [WWW] MeshGuides. Available from:
https://www.meshguides.org/guides/node/777?n=763. [Accessed on 18/03/2022].

7. EDUPEDIA (2014). What is Student-Centered Curriculum? [Online]. Available from:

https://www.theedadvocate.org/edupedia/content/what-is-student-centered-
curriculum/#:~:text=The%20student%2Dcentered%20curriculum%20encourages,base
%20imparted%20to%20a ll%20students [Accessed 18/03/2022].

8. MCCARTHY, J.(2015) Student-Centered Learning: It starts with the teacher. [WWW]

Edutopia. Available from: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-centered-learning-starts-
with-teacher-john-mccarthy. [Accessed 19/03/2022].

9. SUDDERTH, A. (2022) What is Student Centered Learning and Why is it important?

[WWW] RethinkTogether. Available from: https://xqsuperschool.org/rethinktogether/what-
is-student-centered-learning/. [Accessed 22/03/2022].

11. WANG, J. (2017) The Joy of Learning: What it is and how to achieve it. The Exchange
2017, 1, pp. 7-11.