Dear Reader, Below are my contributions as convener to stimulate group and panel discussion on Curriculum Strengthening at the recently concluded National Annual Education Conference in Abuja Nov 2019👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
Issues raised by Noel ihebuzor for panel discussion:
What makes a good curriculum?
Can curriculum be strengthened? And if yes, how, at what level and by who?
What is curriculum strengthening (CS), by the way?
What are the essential elements of Curriculum strengthening – content addition, content renovation? Increase in Breadth of content? Improving depth of subject matter?
TEACHERS AS AGENTS OF CURRICULUM STRENGTHENING
How do we help teachers engage in school based CS?
What role is there for continuous professional development (CPD)?
Teachers as strengthening agents and duty bearers to be strengthened? Yes, but in what areas and by whom?
How do narrow band and broad band conceptions of curriculum and instruction affect policy makers, practitioners and teachers in their every day management of curriculum and instruction?
Do such narrow band and broad band conceptions of this rich and amazing field affect views on the theories of knowledge and by implication theories of pedagogy held by practitioners, policy makers and teachers?
Do technical and technicists ideas (concerned largely with tactical what and narrow how to do) as different from technological views (concerned with strategic Why to and deep structure issues) affect our choices of approaches and techniques in Assessment, M&E and docimology? And do different approaches to Assessment and M&E not yield different results?
Can all participate equally in curriculum building or does curriculum building not reflect power and privilege?
Questions of participation at various levels of curriculum work bring to mind the works of Young and Bourdieu on sociology and power, whilst skirmishes around “how to” bring to mind the works of Gagne, for example!
Where are PAI, Bajah, Balogun, OC Nwana, Obioha, Kabiru, Nafisa MohD in all of this?
Can we ground our discourse in Nigeria’s curricular, pedagogical and sociological realities?
What is a good curriculum? One that links to and prepares for the work – external criterion reference? One that stimulates and prepares one for more learning ?
if world of work determines curricular offerings, what happens when world of work suddenly challenges? Who has read Sabre tooth curriculum?
How can PRESET be structured to capacitate teachers to engage in school level curriculum strengthening (CS)?
What support systems can be put in place at school and school cluster levels to promote CS?
What is the role of networks in CS?
WHAT role can head teachers play in CS?
Noel Ihebuzor.
Grateful if these inchoate ideas and ramblings could be shared to all.
Reflections 