3 Barriers To Curriculum Designing

Having an excellent curriculum at your school can put your school in a better position. There are several templates and standardized curriculum designs which are available online. However, being a teacher if you are designing curriculum for your class it can be a challenging yet rewarding process.

I have been living and teaching in Dubai for past few years, and the first thing I explore about an international school is their curriculum. Being non-native it is hard to find the curriculum which will meet the needs of the students who will be enrolled in an international school. 

During advertisement, most of the schools highlight the curriculum they follow. For example, you might find on one of the advertisement British curriculum schools in Dubai, and this gives you an idea that this school follows a curriculum standardized according to British education system. 

There is a lot which can go wrong while designing a curriculum and this article has identified three main barriers which can hamper the process of developing a curriculum of international standard.  

These barriers are identified based on my experience as a teacher and what my fellow teachers have faced.

Lack of curriculum framework

One of the main barriers which influence the curriculum designing process is the absence of curriculum framework. 

The curriculum framework is basically a systematic plan of learning and learning outcomes which provides a defined and precise set of standards for both teachers and students. For example, if you have the basic structure of what should be the ultimate learning goals of a class, then the teacher can use that framework and modify according to the needs of the class.

But if there is no curriculum framework, then each teacher will have a different structure and a different standard making the whole idea of learning outcomes messy. When each teacher has a different standard or framework, then it will not remain standardized.

Time

Curriculum design does not happen in a blink of an eye. Efficient curriculum designing takes time and if they need to follow the protocol which is provided by the national curriculum it is even more time consuming. 

Most international schools are following the curriculum which fit the global standards of learning. For British curriculum schools in Dubai are following the curriculum devised based on the international standards and learning outcomes. 

However these curriculums were not developed in a month, but instead, it took several months of hard work, dedication, understanding and devising the learning outcomes. So when teachers are given one month or so to design a curriculum, then they will do just for the sake of doing. Therefore, the end result will be the sloppy and mismatched curriculum.

Even in some cases, teachers are asked to design a curriculum after the classes. Practically how it is possible for teachers to design a well-organized and resourceful curriculum after 6 hours of teaching? 

In short, curriculum designing takes time and efforts.

Lack of inputs from teachers and peers

In general different organization or institutions have curriculum designing committee who are the ones designing the curriculum for the teachers. However, these are some of the experienced people who have left the field of teaching a few years back or even a decade ago. Education is evolving continuously, and each day new patterns are being followed this means these teachers are at a disadvantage and lack new updates and trend on education.

When the curriculum designing does not have input from the teachers who are in direct contact with the students, then there will be a gap of learning and communication. This will hamper the quality of education and the learning process.

But the schools which are present in different parts of the world devise their curriculum; they keep in mind the latest updates such as British curriculum schools in Dubai involve their teachers to provide input in the curriculum designing process. 

It is essential for the institution to involve teachers in the designing process instead of handing them the curriculum. 

Concluding remarks- Curriculum designing is a roadmap for the quality education and learning process. If it is done right then, everything will fall into place. The barriers mentioned above can be easily eliminated with time, effort and communication between teacher and experts.