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Regular version of the site
Master 2021/2022

Curriculum Theory

Category 'Best Course for Career Development'
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'
Type: Elective course (Pedagogy)
Area of studies: Pedagogy
When: 2 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies: offline
Open to: students of all HSE University campuses
Instructors: Natalia V. Smirnova
Master’s programme: Pedagogy
Language: English
ECTS credits: 5
Contact hours: 30

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course will teach you how to apply curriculum development theories to evaluate and improve the curriculum of an educational institution. While as a teacher you might consider theories to be unnecessary and too far from to you immediate teaching needs and concerns (micro level), you will see how big picture views on what counts as education generated from the curriculum development theories (macro level) can genuinely, unexpectedly, and significantly inform your teaching practices. For example, together we will explore a) how your curriculum meets (or does not?) the educational goals of the Russian Federation, b) if/how it meets (or does not?) the ‘international’ standards in education (and who sets these standards?), and c) how you would change (or would not?) your curriculum and why. By engaging in critical thinking, you will become a reflective, professionally knowledgeable, and inquiring expert who is able to demonstrate leadership and bring about changes in education.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • In the context of significant changes in geopolitics, economic development, technological advancements globally. The pressure on educational institutions to meet the societal expectations is unprecedentedly high. As a result, schools and universities need not only react fast to the changes but be proactive. Teachers need to be able to apply curriculum knowledge and engage in thoughtful leadership in making curriculum related decisions. The course is designed to provide master students with the theoretical knowledges to become perceptive and inquiring educators. The participants will learn theories behind the curriculum development, recognize philosophical, sociological, psychological, and pedagogical orientations in ‘education’ to better understand problems and how they can be approached. The key curriculum questions that we will address are: what counts as ‘knowledge’? Why? How do curriculum frameworks emerge, and which is best? Why? We will explore a) how your curriculum meets (or does not?) the educational goals of the Russian Federation, b) if/how it meets (or does not?) the ‘international’ standards in education (and who sets these standards?), and c) how you would change (or would not?) your curriculum and why.
Expected Learning Outcomes

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • demonstrate analytical understanding of the relationship among the four components – curriculum, teacher, students, and context
  • develop an understanding how to shift from being the teacher as a curriculum doer as a curriculum leader
  • evaluate your curriculum at a national level (the set of subjects that children must study in one country) and an international level (the subjects studied in a school, college, and what each subject includes).
  • participate in curriculum inquiry through participation in professional discourse
  • use theories to examine philosophical, historical, sociological, psychological, and political orientations in curriculum development
Course Contents

Course Contents

  • What is curriculum and the field of curriculum studies
  • What counts as knowledge?
  • Curriculum as content and product
  • Curriculum as Process and Development
  • Curriculum development, change, and control. The politicization of the school curriculum
  • Curriculum evaluation. National and ‘international’ standards in education
Assessment Elements

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Class participation
    By actively participating in each seminar, you earn a pass. By actively participating in ALL seminars, you earn 30% of class participation. There will also be three assessed activities.
  • non-blocking Exam
    Curriculum evaluation team project. Assessment criteria will be circulated during the course.
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • 2021/2022 2nd module
    0.7 * Exam + 0.3 * Class participation
Bibliography

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

  • The Primary Curriculum : Learning from International Perspectives, edited by Linda Hargreaves, and Janet Moyles, Taylor & Francis Group, 1998. ProQuest Ebook Central,

Recommended Additional Bibliography

  • Key concepts for understanding curriculum, Marsh, C. J., 2009