Critique Paper on the Role of Teachers in Curriculum Development
for Teacher Education
Hypothesis/Research Questions
The research questions presented by Jadhav and Patankar (2013) are:
1. What is curriculum development process?;
2. What is the role of the teacher as curriculum developer?; and
3. What are best practices in the context of curriculum development?
Major Theories
There are data towards the Role of Teachers in Curriculum Development for
Teacher Education that are stated in this journal as it follows;1st is curriculum
(itself);2nd is Importance of curriculum in teacher education;3rd is Curriculum
development; 4th is Curriculum development process ; 5th one is The challenges in
curriculum development; 6th is Role of teacher in curriculum development.The study is
anchored from the theoretical support of one theory which is experiential learning theory
by John Dewey. According to Dewey (1938), knowledge is constructed through society
and experiences wherein the statement is aligned with nature of curriculum which is
learner-centered.
Research Methodology
The methodology used in this paper is applied research. This methodology is
used in education to test pedagogic processes to find the best teaching and learning
approaches. According to Formplus Blo (2020), applied research is also used for testing
education policies before adoption and addressing various problems relating to teaching
paradigms and the dynamics of classrooms for a better learning experience. The
dependent variables present in this research were the knowledge, skill and
development of positive attitude, values and beliefs of the student-teachers with the
help of the provided curriculum. Patankar and Jadhav (2020) added that the
independent variable is the quality of teachers produced by the curriculum offered
during their training period.
Summary of Major Results
In education there are things that should be considered and studied as it helps
to provide information in development and preservation in quality education. As
researchers gather data there are journals that have been made out of it and one of
these journals was Role of Teachers in Curriculum Development for Teacher
Education.
In the realm of teacher education, curriculum is extremely significant. The planned
engagement of children with instructional content, materials, resources, and processes
is referred to as curriculum. Importance of curriculum in teacher education Curriculum is
crucial in teacher education. Teachers' instructional lessons are guided by a curriculum.
A curriculum specifies what the learner will learn and can help the learner determine
when the information from the lesson will be retained.
Curriculum creation is the process of developing a planned syllabus, teaching,
training, and exhibition modes is known as curriculum development. It is a term that is
used to describe the process of establishing and implementing detailed curriculum
rules. It explains the methods by which teachers and various training organizations plan
and guide learning in groups or individually. According to Patankar and Jadhav (2013),
there are several roles of teachers in curriculum development and those are: (1) the
teachers should identify the different needs of the stakeholders, (2) The teachers should
be aware of the teaching methodologies/modalities and teaching strategies to be used
in a classroom setting, (3) Teachers served as an evaluator for the assessment of
learning and must possess qualities in planning, designing, management, evaluation,
research, decision making, and administration of the curriculum. (4) Lastly, the teachers
have a respective role for every step of curriculum development. As eloquently stated
by Patankar and Jadhav (2013), teachers are fully engaged in curriculum development
because they are the implementer of the curriculum wherein teachers create
instructional materials in a particular subject that needs to be completed in a semester.
In addition, teachers also planned the lessons that corresponded with their time table.
Furthermore, teachers use transactional strategies in the delivery of lectures,
appropriate media, and learning resources. Furthermore, Teachers promote classroom
learning experiences and also provide progressive and formative assessments through
testing.
Major Contribution of the Study
The author says in the major contribution of the study that it is true that
teachers have a big role in the curriculum development. Jadhav and Patankar (2013)
stated that, “Teachers are aware of the psychology of their students and teachers are
knowledgeable about teaching methods and strategies. In that case this study have lots
of information why teachers can considered as one of factors in the curriculum
development” through this statement it really prove that teacher can be worked as
planner, designer, manager, programmer, implementer, coordinator, decision maker,
evaluator, researcher etc. so teachers can play important role in the process of
curriculum development for teacher education. According to Carl (2009) “If the
curriculum has already been produced by another party, the teachers must make an
effort to learn and understand it. As a result, instructors should be involved in the
construction of curricula. Teachers' thoughts and opinions, for example, should be
incorporated into the curriculum for development. The curriculum development team, on
the other hand, must consider the teacher as part of the program's environment.”
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Study
Jadhav and Patankar (2013) discussed that, “Curriculum development is
intellectual and research activity. It needs skillful programmers for planning, developing,
designing, implementing, evaluating and improving phases.” The strength of this paper
is that it talks about how important the teachers are in the curriculum development. It
says all that a teacher can do to innovate and to make a better curriculum for the
students. According to Meier (2018) “Active learning will improve curriculum focus and
retention, resulting in a more engaging learning environment. To present content,
teachers create classes that incorporate simulations, experiments, case studies, and
exercises. This hands-on method combines curriculum with real-world experiences to
immerse pupils in learning. Teachers can be innovative and put their own stamp on the
classroom experience through the curriculum approach.” The methodology proves that
this study has made a huge contribution to the next researcher who will have the same
topic, because the methodology used is applied research which is also used in
education to test pedagogic processes to find the best teaching and learning
approaches. The weakness of this paper is that if someone promotes or creates a study
that contradicts this topic. “Importance of Curriculum Development in Modern Teaching”
(2016) discussed that “Curriculum development is not a simple process to do, and it
cannot be delegated to anyone at random. It has its own politics and method of doing
things. You must have a clear understanding of how you should approach curriculum
development. Curriculum is crucial in laying the foundation for schooling. As a result,
professional training in curriculum development might be beneficial in learning the
process. The teacher education institutes offer well-developed curriculum development
courses. You might take the course to gain a better understanding of responsibility and
how crucial it can be in terms of educational development”