Curriculum Change and Development Perspectives

The purpose of this course is to provide students with opportunities to understand development of curriculum as historical, social, political and management process. The course helps students acquire skills and abilities to be active participants of curriculum change and development process by evaluating upcoming changes in society, labour market and by assessing learners’ needs. The course invites students to recognise a shift of educational paradigms and its manifestation in educational institutions, on national and international level. The course deals with practice and implementation of social justice, equal opportunity, social inclusion in curriculum. One of main study methods is case study of Lithuania and other countries.

The purpose of the course is to help students understand the development of the curriculum as a historical, social, political and managerial process and to provide the ability to actively participate in the curriculum development process.

Management, Educology

Curriculum development and change as a political and social process. Identification and analysis of stakeholders on national, regional and local level. Involvement of stakeholders into social dialog and negotiation of interests. Ideological, political, professional and value debates on curriculum. Political economy of skill formation and it’s implications to curriculum change and development. Development of culturally and politically sensitive curriculum (language politics, identity building and diversity, sexual education). Different notions of time (political, technical, professionals’, bureaucratic, pedagogical kinds of time). Lithuanian case and cases of other countries. Educational reform and curriculum change: components and processes. Educational reform, educational politics and curriculum change. Changes in management of educational system. Curriculum change. Development of new curriculum and learning resources. New skills of teachers and other participants. Change of educational aims and goals, criteria, curriculum, methods, assessment. Dialog with society. Historical dimension of curriculum change and educational reform. Lithuanian case and cases of other countries. Systemic management. Balancing between national and local interests. Curriculum development and management processes. Policies of autonomy and decentralisation. National, regional and local levels of curriculum development. Localisation of curriculum, autonomy and freedom of communities and schools in curriculum implementation. Politics and practices of development, approval and use of textbooks and learning materials. Accountability of schools and educational institutions. Control, supervision and audit. Education and financing. Curriculum development on school level (planning lessons, timetable, teaching/ learning methods, assessment, resources). Teachers’ professional development. Lithuanian case and cases of other countries. Curriculum and educational change. Stages and processes: assessment of needs, initiation, implementation and use, institutionalisation and sustainability. Technical, cultural and political perspectives of changes. International dimension of curriculum. Implications of globalisation on the curriculum design. Implications of the Industry 4.0 on the curriculum design. Change of educational paradigms: from traditional teaching to new liberal learning paradigm. Aims of change. Change for better quality. Elements of change: context, politics, general aims and objectives of education, standards for every level of education, structure of educational system, structure of school subjects and content, standards for resources, teaching/ learning methodology, assessment. New tendencies in development of new curriculum. Content-oriented traditional curriculum versus competence-based curriculum New skills and competences for real life. Tension between learning process and outcomes. Lifelong learning approach. Politics and practices of assessment of competences. Evidence-based approach in education. Learning outcomes, educational standards (frameworks and descriptions of competences, tests, exams). International comparative research: political and practical implications. System of national testing and exams: political and practical implications. Lithuanian case and cases of other countries. Policy borrowing and policy learning in design and implementation of competence-based curriculum policies. Curriculum development of school subjects and disciplines. Historical aspects of curriculum change in social sciences, humanities and arts, exact and natural sciences. Integrated education. Lithuanian case and cases of other countries. School as a social inclusion environment. Social justice and equal opportunities in curriculum. Equal opportunities to get access to education (gender, race, class, ethnicity, health). Personalisation of learning, assessment of individual need of pupils and students. Hidden curriculum. Lithuanian case and cases of other countries.

The analysis of social dialogue in education at national, regional and local levels identifies interest groups, explains their aspirations and applies negotiation strategies. Peculiarities of ideological, political, values, professional debates on the educational program are described. The content of the process of creating a politically and culturally sensitive curriculum is revealed. Manifestations of educational paradigm shift have been identified and explained by analyzing the processes of educational change at the educational institution, education sector, national and international levels. The needs for the implementation of curriculum changes in individual subjects, disciplines and directions have been singled out. Specific conditions and circumstances for the implementation of changes in the curriculum in specific subjects, disciplines and directions are described, and obstacles to the implementation of these changes are envisaged. The planned and planned changes in the curriculum are reviewed, assessing their potential impact. The principles of social justice, equal opportunities and social inclusion are revealed, assessing their observance in the practice of the curriculum. Measures are in place to help achieve or ensure equal access to education. The advantages and disadvantages of personalization of education and assessment of individual students' needs are revealed. Hidden curricula have been identified and described. The localization of the curriculum, the autonomy and freedom of communities and schools in the implementation of specific curricula were assessed. Specific policies and practices for the development, approval and use of textbooks and teaching materials have been critically assessed. Accountability, inspection, supervision and audit of schools and educational institutions were reviewed and evaluated. The similarities and differences of Lithuanian and foreign curriculum development management practices have been revealed, providing opportunities to learn from existing experience and improve these practices. The peculiarities of an evidence-based approach to education and the evaluation of its results are explained. The peculiarities, advantages and disadvantages of the unified national examination system are explained. Assumptions and reasons for education reform are explained. Areas, goals and objectives, coverage and depth of education reform are described. Peculiarities of curriculum reform are revealed. Educational reforms implemented or underway in different countries were compared, assessing their causes, goals, coverage and results. Comparative centralized and decentralized curriculum development policy models. The roles of autonomy and freedom of communities and schools in the development and implementation of curricula at the national, regional and local levels have been identified and revealed. Policies and practices for the development, approval and use of textbooks and teaching materials have been critically assessed. Peculiarities of accountability, inspection, supervision and audit of schools and educational institutions in the analyzed cases of curriculum development and implementation are described.