The Philosophy of Curriculum Planning

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The Philosophy of Curriculum Planning

• Andy Theodoulides

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The Aims of Education

• education should provide
• learning for all
• knowledge, skills, experience for employment
• understanding of economic and social conditions
  of society - adult roles
• self-development (FEU, 1987)

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• To produce people who are
• knowledgeable
• capable of critical appraisal
• able to think autonomously Kelly (1986)
• Empowering people through the transmission of
  knowledge . to reflect, to reason, to argue and
  to solve problems Pring (1989, p.98)

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Types of knowledge - multiple intelligences

• Musical - recognise/express rhythm, pitch tone
  etc
• Bodily/kinaesthetic - skilful performance
• logical/mathematical - solve problems through
  abstract concepts
• linguistic - solve problems through language
• spatial - body awareness/movement
• interpersonal - work with others
• intrapersonal - self-awareness (Gardner,
  1993)

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The National Curriculum

• Essentially a broad and balanced curriculum
  within which each subject specified
• the knowledge, skills and understanding which
  pupils of different abilities and maturities are
  expected to have by the end of the key stage
• the matters skills and processes which are
  required to be taught to pupils of different
  abilities and maturities during each key stage
• the arrangements for assessing pupils at or near
  the end of each for the purpose of ascertaining
  what they have achieved DE S (1988)

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What are the aims of physical education?

• Many and varied!
• Essentially
• pupils should be able to solve physical problems
  in a range of different activities

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A Broad and balanced PE Curriculum

• Why is it important to have a broad and balanced
  curriculum?
• because the govt. says so!
• development of the whole person - to meet the
  aims of education
• What are the criteria for a broad and balanced
  curriculum?

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Breadth and Balance

• NCPE requires that pupils experience dance, gym
  and games at KS 1
• 5 of 6 activity areas at KS 2 (swimming must be
  taught in either KS 1 or 2)
• 4 at KS 3 - one of which MUST be gym or dance
• 2 at KS 4
• THESE ARE ONLY THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

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• How might you reconcile the fact that the NCPE
  suggests that a broad and balanced curriculum at
  KS 1 centres around the teaching of 3 activity
  areas, whilst at KS 4 schools need only teach 2?
• Does the nature of breadth and balance change
  across KS?

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TASK

• Write 2/3 sentences outlining the distinctive
  contribution each NCPE activity area makes to
  pupils development

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The experience offered by different activities

• Athletics - work to achieve max performance
• Dance - expression and aesthetic development
• Games - tactical/strategic contest
• Gym - agility and personal control
• OAA - challenge against the environment
• Swimming - lifesaving

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The fundamental question

• Can we accurately assess pupils against the NCPE
  levels of attainment if the PE curriculum is NOT
  broad and balanced?
• Who says it is not broad and balanced?
• Many school curriculum frameworks!

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Non-contact task - time audit
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Factors that might affect breadth and balance

• staffing
• the school ethos - mixed or single sex school
• the department ethos
• facilities
• finance
• pupils previous experiences

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Continuity and progression

• continuity - are pupils able to continue the work
  they do throughout the KS?
• progression - does the knowledge, skills and
  understanding (SA Ad EI HF) pupils learn
  build upon what has been learned previously?

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Continuity and progression - cont.

• Does each activity area have to allocated the
  same amount of time within the PE curriculum?
• schools must allocate enough time to each
  activity area taught in order to meet the
  requirements of the PoS and be able to assess
  pupils against the levels of attainment
• How can extra-curricular activities support what
  is taught within the curriculum?

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References

• DES, (1988). The Education Reform Act, London,
  HMSO.
• FEU, (1987). Relevance, Flexibility and
  Competence, London, FEU.
• Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences The
  Theory in Practice, NY, Basic Books.
• Kelly, A. V., (1986). Knowledge and Curriculum
  Planning, London, Harper Row.
• Pring, R. (1989). The New Curriculum, London,
  Cassell.