Curriculum Theory to Teaching or Education

Curriculum theory was developed in the early 1860s, when the brain was still thought to be like a muscle. Theorists believed that a sufficient amount of memorization and practice would lead to mastery of the desired behavior. B. F. Skinner, a psychologist, provided a strong psychological foundation for the origin. Other philosophers had criticized the theory of classical conditioning, which prompted the development of the theory. They claimed that animals and humans were two completely different species with distinct brain functions. This paper will discuss how learners can be involved in curriculum development, how they can participate in assessments, and the instructional strategies used to engage learners in curriculum participation. The cross-curriculum integration and application of curriculum theory in practice will also be explored.
Reflection
Pinar (2013) states that education curricula have undergone transformation and reshaping with the contribution of curriculum theory and other academic disciplines. The theory focuses on the learning process of one individual student and how he/she can employ the learned classroom work in the practical field and benefits for his/her future. Curriculum theory borrows from sociological, educational, psychological and philosophical disciplines. According to the theorist James MacDonald, there is a central concern that drives every theory and that is the identification of its fundamental units for constructing conceptual systems (Pinar, 2013). The fundamental unit of curriculum theory is founded on values and integrity. The learning program analyzes the current state of education to determine the future formation.
The curriculum theory is an integration of available theories of learning and collection of qualities that are likely to benefit a student the most. The learner must thus be allowed to fully participate in the decision-making process of all matters pertaining to the studying process given that it impacts directly on his/her life (Pinar, 2013). The curriculum theory is an emergent teaching and educational processes that put the learner as the key beneficiary of the education system. It enables a student to understand the course content and its symbolic representations. The theory was first heard in 1828 following the Yale Report that promoted Greek and Latin Memorization (Pinar, 2013).
Involvement of Learners in Curriculum Development
Curriculums of schools are planned and organized by academic staffs. Some of the learning programs are developed by staff members who lack actual experience of what is required for training in this field. An effective curriculum of any faculty of study acknowledges the abilities, needs, and priorities of students undertaking the course. The best strategy for achieving the needs, priorities, and abilities of the students is by including them in every level of the new curriculum development (Young, 2013). Studying theory allows learners to be involved in the planning stages of curriculum development and perform advocacy roles. The student representative who is appointed to take part in the curriculum development brings the majority learners perspective regarding the curriculum. Students to some extent have had experience during their entire education life and it is thus from the challenges and limitations the opinions can be drawn.
Information on learner's resources and his/her effectiveness can only be understood by the student oneself. The balancing of the course content and how students feel about the relevance of certain aspects of the curriculum should be emphasized on as described by the curriculum theory. The assessment strategies and contributions of today’s students must have insights that are likely to have a positive good for the future generation (Young, 2013).


Involvement of Learners in Assessment
Curriculum theory recognizes that the education system is constantly changing to even more complexity and strictness. Guiding principles and expected accountability are under transformation. The best strategy inferred by curriculum theory is to develop life-long standards that assist students in acquiring clear and accessible targets in their studies (Tyler, 2013). The Training program advocates for the ability of a student to prove and make sense of what he/she has learned during the education period and, hence assessment. The learners have to balance the assessments and achieve growth through effective accountability.
The theory confirms that involvement of students in assessments allows them not only to develop confidence in what they can achieve but also enable them to focus on their targets. The learners involved in every assessment are able to make judgments about their own performance in units and make the necessary adjustments to score better grades (Tyler, 2013). Students develop the responsibility for their own learning and teachers can thus move from being graders to facilitators of course contents. Learners are able to make their own goals out of the assessments whose main aim is to promote growth rather than providing grades according to the curriculum theory.
When evaluations are taken correctly and accurately, students get to realize their potentials. Curriculum theory illustrates that it is from the potentials that the teachers can identify the weak points of each student and make the necessary adjustments that can potentiate the academic growth and development of the student. The theory supports that formative assessment is effective in ensuring that learners are fully involved in the assessment process (Tyler, 2013). The case is observed where students are mandated to ask for what would make them do better in given assessments.


Instruction Strategies of Including All Learners
Curriculum theory acknowledges that good behavior is a key component that has to be considered in engaging the learners in an assessment and learning process in general. Emotional and cognitive competencies facilitate the entire process of students’ engagement. The theory recommends that behavioral, positive cognition and feelings of students have to be considered during involvement of all students in learning and assessments (Tyler, 2013). The first instruction comprising all the students is making the engagement meaningful. As such, each learner should consider the involvement process worthy of spending their time.
The engagement should emphasize on sense and competence. Students, hence get the opportunity to evaluate their individual intellectual abilities. Learners should be able to prove that they understand the entire process of the curriculum theories so that when they are all engaged in the studying process, they show understanding (Tyler, 2013). Feedback after they have been involved in the assessment process makes the students seek for the individual progress.
The involvement process should provide autonomic support. Curriculum theory defines autonomy as accepting the opinions of students and still maintaining control over the whole assessment process. The learners should also be provided with adequate time for absorption of the course contents before they are actively engaged in the act of evaluation (Tyler, 2013).
Cross-Curricular Integration
Research has shown that every curriculum is complemented more when combined with another studying program (Young, 2013). Cross-curricular integration concept has begun early in 1902 and since then it has proven to have a lot of benefits for students. The combination makes the education process more flexible to facilitate studying at all conditions using the variety of teaching methods. The cross-Curricular integration promotes critical and creative thinking amongst the learners who are able to save more time on learning the most significant aspects of the course. The process improves integrity by providing numerous options for developing students’ assessments (Young, 2013). The learners can thus be involved in numerous appropriate ways in assessments and thereby improving their academic achievements.
Application of Curriculum Theory
The curriculum theory is widely used in schools as a collection of study plans both at elementary and high school levels. The studying program has been linked with the creation of good opportunities to learners. Research has shown that the curriculum theory has always attempted to answer what the students are required to know by the time they are leaving schools. The theory is thus applicable to any educational institution (Tyler, 2013). The curriculum supposition has widely been employed in the political arena in developing leadership qualities and managerial institutions that apply holistic approaches to problem-solving and decision-making. The impact of the learning theory is far much felt at the society and government levels.
Conclusion
Curriculum theory has the initial agenda of ensuring that students come out of the classrooms with the tools that they can effectively use in earning an income and help them contribute to the overall growth of a nation's economy. This theory recognized the shortages of employment opportunities and, therefore, developed the goal of creating possibilities that make students graduate employer.




References
Pinar, W. F. (2013). International handbook of curriculum research. New York, NY: Routledge.
Tyler, R. W. (2013). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. University of Chicago Press.
Young, M. (2013). Overcoming the crisis in curriculum theory: A knowledge-based approach. Journal of curriculum Studies, 45(2), 101-118.