Current Issues and Trends

in Education

Curriculum Trends
and
Innovations
Introduction
• Curriculum and modes of learning
are constantly evolving as
educational policy and theory
changes.
• Some trends circle in and out of
fashion and others become fads
and are then discarded.
• Some are true and necessary
innovations based on sound
science or detailed and lengthy
observations and others are mere
knee-jerk reactions to the political
climate of the day, or to the desire
to avoid the pitfalls of previous
methods.
• Whatever their direction, and
whatever the reason, curriculum
changes are a phenomenon that is
central to education and to the very
act of teaching itself.
• As curriculum and methods are
constantly changing, it is important
for teachers to understand the
trends currently taking place, as well
as to anticipate the developments to
come in the future.
Technology
• Technology has had a tremendous
impact on society.
– The light bulb, telephone and
television have changed the way
man thinks, acts and lives.
– Artificial lightening, fast
communication and moving objects
on a screen have added new
dimensions to the way man
perceives the world and himself.
– Learners can stay awake longer and
learn in fast and effective ways.
– There are no limitations of time and
place because days do not have to
end just when it turns dark outside.
Therefore Educational
Curriculums must keep up
with the pace so that future
generations will benefit and
continue developing
technological innovations.
In a Paper entitled Curriculum
Trends: Today and Beyond,
Jason Mehner wrote:
• “Of all of the items and events that
have taken place over the last 100
years, nothing has had more of an
impact on society than technology.
Inventions such as the cellular
phone, internet and GPS systems
have allowed humans to stay in
touch as well as find each other
with a click of a button.”
• He further commented that
computers and the internet have
also helped inside the classroom,
making learning more inventive
and captivating to the students
while also offering all sorts of
information at their fingertips.
• According to Mehner:
– Learning can also travel home with
the student because the internet is
accessed through computers at
many homes in this country.
– This serves as a great advantage to
the students today as opposed to the
students of yesteryear that had to
rely on expensive encyclopedias to
help them with their studies in the
home.
• When it comes to developing a
curriculum in today's world, however, it
is not as simple as it may seem.
• Administrators today must develop
curriculums that keep up with the times
through use of technology so students
can assimilate themselves in the
modern world, and also must stand the
test of time so future generations will
also benefit.
• In another Paper entitled Curriculum
Trends: Changes Occurring in
Schools Throughout the World
published in 2006, collegiate coach
Mignon Brooks mentioned that with
so many changes occurring
throughout the world, alterations
need to be made in our schools so
that our students are prepared for the
current and future environments that
they will be expected to succeed in. 
• Brooks envisioned the following
changes:
an increase in high school
internships. Many students are
going to work right out of high school
and need to be prepared for the type
of jobs that will await them.
several students work while
attending college. These students
will also need to be trained in the
skills that are necessary for them to
achieve their goals.
• Another change to happen
within the next ten years is the
increase of students who are
home schooled. As a result of the
increase, she thinks that schools
are going to open up their doors to
the students who are home
schooled so that they can
participate in extra-curricular
activities, sports, and sometimes
even elective classes.
• another change that seems to be
underway in America is the
increase in multicultural
students who speak little to no
English. In order for the public schools
to educate these students properly, they
will have to increase the amount of
special attention that they give to them.
This might include providing more
English as a Second Language classes
or actually teaching some students in
their native languages. 
Innovations in America
• The advances in Technology
caused the schools to:
• Revamp in the curriculum and
change in their budget
• Force schools to implement it
within the curriculum
• Many colleges have already begun
teaching their students through
online classes.
• ExtremeTech.com (2005) announced
that Empire High School in Arizona
kicked off their current school year
with the state's first high school that
was completely laptop and wireless
oriented.
• The article said, "All students will
receive Apple iBooks in lieu of
traditional textbooks, and teachers
will encourage the use of technology
both in class and at home, all as part
of the newly adopted Apple 1 to 1
learning initiative."
• In order for schools to implement more
technology into the classrooms, the
content of the curriculum will have to
change.
• Students will spend more time learning
about how to use the technology than
ever before.
• Many students and teachers are
not educated in a variety of
software programs. Therefore,
districts will have to be
responsible to teach both
teachers and students how to
use the programs they will be
using.
• Computer software companies will
be a major influence in the content,
development and design that these
students will be learning because
they will be the ones making it.
• School districts might need to work
with the software programs directly
so that the programs can be
tailored to fit their students and
school environment.
In terms of implementing technology
into the schools, everyone in the
district will have to take on some
sort of responsibility.
 It will be the responsibility of the
administrators to educate their
teachers on the programs.
 It will be the responsibility of the
teachers to implement the
technology into their classrooms.
 Finally, it will be the responsibility
of the computer technicians to
oversee all of the technology
changes that a school might be
implementing. They will need to be
able to assist teachers, students,
and administration by setting up
the programs and they will need to
be available for assistance if any
problems occur.
• Online classes amongst college
students are on the rise. In an
Information Week (2005) article about
online classes at the University of 
Phoenix Online, the school's CEO Brian
Mueller said that there were about
155,000 students taking their online
classes this year.
• Their most popular degree programs
are business management, IT,
healthcare, and education, he said.
Students are able to earn their
undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral
degrees from the school.
• "The online curriculum makes it
possible for busy working
people to attend classes that
they wouldn't otherwise be able
to attend in-person at a
traditional school," Mueller said.
There are many reasons why using
online distance learning tools is
beneficial.
Online education is available at all
times of day and night, which
makes it extremely handy for
children as well as adult students
alike (McDonald, 2002).
Many leading educators state that
accredited online learning courses
are becoming the future of
education (Castro, 2001), so much
so that many people will be
"rethinking education" (New house,
et al., 2002).
Castro also predicts that there will
be a huge increase in online
courses that will be offered through
the Internet, particularly for high
school students that are preparing
for college (2001, p. 2).
It is definitely difficult for students
as well as adults to go to college
campuses for learning with all of
the pressures of this world and
responsibilities that people have in
their daily lives.
It seems that that in the future, the
most popular way to gain an
education will be through online
distance learning.
• With technology being used inside
the classroom, it can improve the
effectiveness of student learning
and make it easier for teachers to
instruct and steer the students in
the right direction. In the near future
the use of educational technology
will become much more affordable
while also being much more
powerful (Snyder, 2004).
• It will definitely make sense to
have it in any school budget.
Educators must work alongside
administrators to help overcome
the hurdles and challenges in the
classroom so students can share
ideas with each other and, in turn,
grow together.
• As mentioned previously, the
teachers and administrators both
share the responsibility of preparing
students for the outside world.
• Students must be able to think in a
critical manner, be able to analyze
information to become problem
solvers (Mills & Roblyer, 2002). This
can be accomplished with a clear
and concise curriculum written with
the technology age in mind.
Ofsted Report - UK
Curriculum Innovations
• The aim of the survey was to identify
the factors which contribute to
successful curriculum innovation in
schools. Between April 2006 and
December 2007,
• Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) visited
16 secondary schools, 12 primary
schools and two special schools that
were involved in developing their
curriculum.
• The survey also drew evidence
from a focus group of six primary
schools as well as from inspectors’
discussions with school and local
authority staff in three areas where
groups of schools were working
together on curriculum change.
• The schools in the survey shared
the view that their curriculum
provision could be improved or did
not give the best possible support
to learners’ achievement and
personal development.
The survey identified four broad
categories of curriculum
innovation:
• organising the curriculum around
themes which drew from different
subjects
• reorganising the school day or
adjusting the school year to
allocate longer blocks of time to
activities
• introducing a number of pathways
through Key Stages 3 and 4 in
order to meet the needs of
learners of all abilities and
interests
• developing pupils’ learning skills.
• The most successful schools went
through a systematic process of
investigation, consultation, planning
and evaluation.
Essential contributors to successful
innovation included :
head teachers’ confident, persuasive
and visionary leadership
complementary strengths in middle
managers
a committed, collaborative and well
trained teaching force.
 Honest evaluation of the impact on
pupils’ learning and well-being,
combined with a readiness to
adapt where necessary, ensured
that the demands made on schools
by the changes were justified by
positive impact.
Key findings
 In most of the 30 schools visited,
the innovations led to clear
improvements in pupils’
achievement and personal
development. In two of the schools,
although the modified curriculum
had increased pupils’ interest and
engagement, it was not providing
sufficient academic challenge.
• The innovations fell into four broad
categories:
organising the curriculum through
themes or inter-disciplinary links
rather than discrete subjects;
using curriculum time flexibly;
providing alternative curriculum
pathways; and
developing learning skills.
 The principal barriers to innovation
included
anxiety from staff about a possible negative
impact on national test and examination
results
concerns about inspectors’ attitudes to
innovation
uncertainty about longer-term finance and
resources
concerns about the reluctance or inability of
staff to implement change
possible resistance to change among
governors, parents and the local
community
 Successful innovation was linked
principally to strong leadership at
all levels. This ensured that
everyone involved had a clear
understanding of the rationale
behind innovation and the roles
and responsibilities of individuals.
 Other factors in successful
innovation included detailed
planning linked to:
rigorous self-evaluation;
clear systems, timescales and
criteria for evaluating
impact that drew on detailed data
and information from a wide range of
stakeholders;
carefully designed professional
development programmes for staff to
implement the new approaches.
 The most successful schools
based their reforms on
considerable background research
into theories of learning and
different ways of approaching the
curriculum.
Recommendations
Schools considering significant
change to the curriculum should:
 be clear about why change is
necessary and its intended
benefits
 research widely to ensure changes
are suitable, necessary and
appropriate to meet learners’
needs
 ensure that there is strong
leadership at all levels to support
innovation and that everyone
involved understands clearly the
rationale for it

 control implementation and

development costs tightly so that
the innovation gives good value for
money
 provide high-quality professional
development and support,
matched closely to the
requirements of the innovation and
the needs of staff
 undertake rigorous and regular
evaluation, based on clear criteria,
focusing on the impact on pupils’
achievement, standards and
personal development, and use
the outcomes to adjust the new
approaches.
Choosing curriculum
innovation
• The schools in the survey had
different reasons for making
changes to the curriculum.
However, they all started with the
assumption that, through
curriculum changes, pupils could
enjoy learning and achieve more.
There was, therefore, a common
focus on finding ways to:
 improve pupils’ motivation and
engagement
 develop their resilience,
independence and ability to work
in teams
 raise their attainment
The types of innovations
the schools made
The innovations made by the
schools in the survey fell into four
broad categories:
 curriculum delivery through themes or
interdisciplinary links rather than
discrete subjects
 flexible use of curriculum time
 alternative curriculum pathways
 a concentration on developing learning
skills.
“The secret of education lies in
respecting the pupil. It is not for
you to choose what he shall know,
what he shall do. It is chosen and
foreordained and he only holds the
key to his own secret."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson