Unit 6 kn & curr a,b,c

Course 4: Knowledge & Curriculum

Module 3

Unit 6: Making of Curriculum

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B.Ed Regular Univ of Mumbai 2015-17 course 4: Knowledge & Curriculum CC by SA

22/07/15

Module 3: Unit 6: Making of curriculum

• a) Translation of curriculum into text books

• b) Role of Representation and non-representation of various social groups in curriculum making,

• c) Concerns for curriculum making in context to power embedded in various structures of society and knowledge.

2B.Ed Regular Univ of Mumbai 2015-17

course 4: Knowledge & Curriculum CC by SA

22/07/15

Unit 6a) Translation of curriculum into text books

Four ways of approaching curriculum theory and practice:

• Curriculum as a body of knowledge to be transmitted.

• Curriculum as an attempt to achieve certain ends in students – products.

• Curriculum as a process .

• Curriculum as praxis. ( practice, as distinguished from theory.)

• "modern political praxis is now thoroughly permeated with a productivist ethos“ or accepted practice or custom.

for example "patterns of Christian praxis in Church and society“)

• Reference - Smith, M. K. (1996, 2000) ‘Curriculum theory and practice’ the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/biblio/b-curric.htm.

• From : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curriculum3

B.Ed Regular Univ of Mumbai 2015-17 course 4: Knowledge & Curriculum CC by

SA22/07/15

http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-curric.htm



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curriculum

Translation of curriculum into text books

• the "written" curriculum does not exhaust the meaning of curriculum, it is important because it represents the vision of the society. The "written" curriculum is usually expressed in comprehensive and user-friendly documents, such as curriculum frameworks; subject curricula/syllabuses, and in relevant and helpful learning materials, such as textbooks; teacher guides; assessment guides.



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Translation of curriculum into text books

• In some cases, people see the curriculum entirely in terms of the subjects that are taught, and as set out within the set of textbooks, and forget the wider goals of competencies and personal development.[16]

• This is why a curriculum framework is important. It sets the subjects within this wider context, and shows how learning experiences within the subjects need to contribute to the attainment of the wider goals.[15]

22/07/15 5B.Ed Regular Univ of Mumbai 2015-17


• Reference15-http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29259

• Reference 16-https://books.google.com/books?id=qILGb7xcXFIC&pg=PA13

• From -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curriculum



http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29259

https://books.google.com/books?id=qILGb7xcXFIC&pg=PA13

https://books.google.com/books?id=qILGb7xcXFIC&pg=PA13

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curriculum

Unit 6b) Role of Representation and non-representation of various social groups in

curriculum making, CURRICULUM AS REPRESENTATION

• The concept of representation as it is used in cultural analyses is closely linked to the investigations of Michel Foucault, particularly to his formulation of the concept of discourse. Foucault focused specifically on the notion of representation in The Order of Things. There, however, ‘representation’ has a rather restricted meaning, referring to the episteme of the historical period that Foucault called the ‘classical epoch’: roughly, the seventeenth- and eighteenth-centuries.



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• the use of the notion of representation made by cultural analysis. Discourses and representations are located in a strategic field of power: ‘the formation of discourse and genealogy of knowledge must be analysed not from the point of view of types of consciousness, from modalities of perceptions or from ideological forms, but from the tactics and strategies of power’

• (Foucault, 1994, III, p. 39).



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Unit 6b) Role of Representation and non-representation

• Representation is not a passive field of mere register or expression of existing signifieds. Neither is representation simply the effect of structures that are external to it: capitalism, sexism, racism. The different social groups use representation to forge their identity and the identities of other social groups.



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http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14681369900200055 page 13

• Representation is not, a leveled field of play. Through representation, decisive battles of creation and imposition of particular signifiers are fought: representations are crossed by relationships of power.

• Identity is, therefore, actively produced in and through representation: it is precisely power that gives identity its active, productive character.

10B.Ed Regular Univ of Mumbai 2015-17 course 4: Knowledge & Curriculum CC by SA22/07/15

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14681369900200055


Unit 6b) Curriculum as representation

• To understand the curriculum as representation means also to emphasise that the rhetorical resources that govern its knowledge which do not have merely function of disseminating information or its effects, but the mobilization that curriculum makes of these resources is closely linked to relations of power.

• From -http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14681369900200055 page 26



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Representation in curriculum and text books- implications.

• In the institutional mechanism of printing the text books and choosing content for the curriculum, the government keeps the goals and aims of education . It promises that education which satisfies the constitutional obligations . Hence that content which ensures representation of the marginalized and diverse minority groups becomes a challenge.



Unit 6c) Concerns for curriculum making in context to power embedded in various structures of society and knowledge.

• The properties of power that are relevant for our discussion may be summarized as follows:

Social power is a property of the relationship between groups, classes, or other social formations, or between persons as social members. Although we may speak of personal forms of power, this individual power is less relevant for our systematic account of the role of power in discourse as social interaction.



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Unit 6c) Power as social interaction• Power distribution, which also involves various forms

of power sharing, there is the important dimension of resistance: Dominated groups and their members are seldom completely powerless. Under specific socioeconomic, historical, or cultural conditions, such groups may engage in various forms of resistance, that is, in the enactment of counter power, which in turn may make the powerful less powerful, or even vulnerable, typically so in revolutions.

• Therefore, the enactment of power is not simply a form of a action, but a form of social interaction

• http://www.discourses.org/OldArticles/Structures%20of%20discourse%20and%20structures%20of%20power.pdf 14

B.Ed Regular Univ of Mumbai 2015-17 course 4: Knowledge & Curriculum CC by

SA22/07/15

http://www.discourses.org/OldArticles/Structures of discourse and structures of power.pdf



Power as social interaction

• power agents may be powerful in social domains like —politics, the economy, or education or in specific social situations as in the classroom or in court.

• power distribution, which also involves various forms of power sharing, there is the important dimension of resistance: Dominated groups and their members are seldom completely powerless



Power Distribution

• Under specific socioeconomic, historical, or cultural conditions, such groups may engage in various forms of resistance, that is, in the enactment of counterpower, which in turn may make the powerful less powerful, or even vulnerable, typically so in revolutions. Therefore, the enactment of power is not simply a form of a action, but a form of social interaction



• The exercise and maintenance of social power presupposes an ideological framework. This framework, which consísts of socíally shared, interest-related fundamental cognitions of a group and its members, is mainly acquired, confirmed, or changed through communication and discourse.

22/07/15B.Ed Regular Univ of Mumbai 2015-17


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• It should be repeated that power must be analyzed in relation to various forms of counter power or resistance by dominated groups (or by action groups that represent such groups), which also is a condition for the analysis of social and historical challenge and change.



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NEED TO CONSIDER VARIOUS SOCIAL GROUPS IN CURRICULUM CONSTRUCTION

• The following guidelines may help • 1. To sensitize the entire country to the problems and

issues faced by certain groups• 2. To foster bonding and ensure a sense of fraternity • 3. To fight insular forces which threaten the unity of India• 4. to find viable solutions to social problems• 5. to reduce animosity and mistrust among groups by

building trust, co-operation and credibity• 6. to build healthy social climate by ensuring an unbiased

secular approach• 7. To avoid influence of “culture of power” and “power

distribution” for profit



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According to Focault’s theory

• Power exists everywhere, acts everywhere and it has the ability to to shape people’s behavior

• Power is a producer of reality , it produces domains of objects and rituals of truth

• According to Focault , power & knowledge comes from observing others , where people accept power put on them , rules get accepted and docility comes in. The tendency of power to get accumulated where power and knowledge reinforce each other. Thus the social order get fabricated due to the influence and penetration of power.

• Try finding put power and knowledge connect from the field of education and politics.



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• The implication of Focault’s theory is that when groups of people control knowledge , theey can also oppress them.

• There are very high possibilities of curriculum construction to propogate control through education, hence curriculum

• In the era of RTE and universalisation of education, the chances are that education could be distorted , controlled through personal agenda which could harm the society.



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In this respect the concerns can be addressed through the following:

• Curriculum must inculcate critical thinking• Curriculum must emphasize values specially

those of Dr B Ambedkar. Promote values like humanism and tolerance

• Develop vocational skills in the curriculum to address the power due to socio-economic divide. Follow Mahatma Gandhiji’s life centered education

• Curriculum should not get distorted due to power but it should empower the students and learners to be able and be a resource to the country.



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Approach to curriculum concerns

• The teachers can create positive curriculum and make responsible citizens by showing the good use of power and knowledge connect. The values of justice and economic prosperity should be held high in curriculum. Hence critical thinking , decision making and effective communication will ensure that power is not an impediment to progress but works towards empowerment to all.



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Education

Unit 6 kn & curr a,b,c