Running head: DESIGNING APPROPRIATE CURRICULUM

Designing Appropriate Curriculum for Special Education in Urban School in Nigeria:

Implication for Administrators
Rogelio Nava Jr.
Concordia University

DESIGNING APPROPRIATE CURRICULUM

Designing Appropriate Curriculum for Special Education in Urban School in Nigeria:

Implication for Administrators
This article is important because it thoughtfully spells out the process and key features to consider when
developing curriculum for special education students in an urban setting. As the number of students who require
special education services in schools increases it is important that we adjust to meet their needs. Outlined in the
article are the means to accommodate student needs. The article positions the campus administrator as the
curriculum leader charged with determining the best curriculum approach in order to ensure student learning.
I found that the clear and concise lists consisting of the various measures and focal points when developing
curriculum to be very helpful. The article lays out the concept of curriculum, planning foci, guidelines, and teaching
methodologies, which I felt allowed for a holistic view of curriculum planning for special education students.
The approach taken in the article aligns mostly with the behaviorist and cognitive approach as its guiding
principles with a dash of humanistic approach coming in through the engagement strategies suggested for the
classroom setting. The process oriented and prescriptive approach to the curriculum reads as cognitive and
behaviorist while a more humanistic principle taking over when instruction occurs in the classroom through activitybased learning, self-directed learning, cooperative and group work as well as peer learning. I noted hints of
pragmatism, behaviorism, and cognitive theory coming through as the basic approach from which the curriculum is
molded but it is then forced through a humanistic and even existentialist lense when instruction is delivered in the
classroom at the teacher level. The humanistic approach is also noted in the national council for curriculum
assessment in Nigeria as emotional cognitive development, aesthetics and creative skills, personal and social skills
are assessed right along more traditional areas of testing like mathematics, and scientific education.
This article fits into the content discussed in class in that it positions the campus administrator as the
curriculum leader responsible for all aspects of curriculum selection, development, and ensuring proper
implementation. The administrator as the curriculum leader mirrors statements made in chapter one about them also
being responsible for proper resource allocation but the article goes a bit further in stating they should also
champion teacher involvement. This approach allows for honest dialogue to occur between both parties to ensure
the curriculum fits the needs of special education students.

DESIGNING APPROPRIATE CURRICULUM

References
Eskay, M., & Oboegbulem, A. (2013). Designing Appropriate Curriculum for Special Education in Urban School in Nigeria:
Implication for Administrators. Online Submission,