Critique Paper on the Role of Teachers in Curriculum Development

 for Teacher Education

Hypothesis/Research Questions

           The research questions presented by Jadhav and Patankar (2013) are: 

1. What is curriculum development process?;

2. What is the role of the teacher as curriculum developer?; and

3. What are best practices in the context of curriculum development?

Major Theories

                 There are data towards the Role of Teachers in Curriculum Development for

Teacher Education that are stated in this journal as it follows;1st is curriculum

(itself);2nd is Importance of curriculum in teacher education;3rd is Curriculum

development; 4th is Curriculum development process ; 5th one is The challenges in

curriculum development; 6th is Role of teacher in curriculum development.The study is

anchored from the theoretical support of one theory which is experiential learning theory

by John Dewey. According to Dewey (1938), knowledge is constructed through society

and experiences wherein the statement is aligned with nature of curriculum which is

learner-centered.

Research Methodology 
             The methodology used in this paper is applied research. This methodology is

used in education to test pedagogic processes to find the best teaching and learning

approaches. According to Formplus Blo (2020), applied research is also used for testing

education policies before adoption and addressing various problems relating to teaching

paradigms and the dynamics of classrooms for a better learning experience. The

dependent variables present in this research were the knowledge, skill and

development of positive attitude, values and beliefs of the student-teachers with the

help of the provided curriculum. Patankar and Jadhav (2020) added that the

independent variable is the quality of teachers produced by the curriculum offered

during their training period.

Summary of Major Results

              In education there are things that should be considered and studied as it helps

to provide information in development and preservation in quality education. As

researchers gather data there are journals that have been made out of it and one of

these journals was  Role of Teachers in Curriculum Development for Teacher

Education.

In the realm of teacher education, curriculum is extremely significant. The planned

engagement of children with instructional content, materials, resources, and processes

is referred to as curriculum. Importance of curriculum in teacher education Curriculum is

crucial in teacher education. Teachers' instructional lessons are guided by a curriculum.

A curriculum specifies what the learner will learn and can help the learner determine

when the information from the lesson will be retained.

 Curriculum creation is the process of developing a planned syllabus, teaching,

training, and exhibition modes is known as curriculum development. It is a term that is

used to describe the process of establishing and implementing detailed curriculum

rules. It explains the methods by which teachers and various training organizations plan

and guide learning in groups or individually. According to Patankar and Jadhav (2013),

there are several roles of teachers  in curriculum development and those are: (1)  the

teachers should identify the different needs of the stakeholders, (2) The teachers should

be aware of the teaching methodologies/modalities and teaching strategies to be used

in a classroom setting, (3) Teachers served as an evaluator for the assessment of

learning and must possess qualities in planning, designing, management, evaluation,

research, decision making, and administration of the curriculum. (4) Lastly, the teachers

have a respective role for every step of curriculum development. As eloquently stated

by Patankar and Jadhav (2013), teachers are fully engaged in curriculum development

because they are the implementer of the curriculum wherein teachers create

instructional materials in a particular subject that needs to be completed in a semester.

In addition, teachers also planned the lessons that corresponded with their time table.

Furthermore, teachers use transactional strategies in the delivery of lectures,

appropriate media, and learning resources. Furthermore, Teachers promote classroom

learning experiences and also provide progressive and formative assessments through

testing.

Major Contribution of the Study

              The author says in the major contribution of the study that it is true that

teachers have a big role in the curriculum development. Jadhav and Patankar (2013)

stated that, “Teachers are aware of the psychology of their students and teachers are

knowledgeable about teaching methods and strategies. In that case this study have lots

of information why teachers can considered as one of factors in the curriculum

development” through this statement it really prove that teacher can be worked as

planner, designer, manager, programmer, implementer, coordinator, decision maker,

evaluator, researcher etc. so teachers can play important role in the process of

curriculum development for teacher education. According to Carl (2009) “If the

curriculum has already been produced by another party, the teachers must make an

effort to learn and understand it. As a result, instructors should be involved in the

construction of curricula. Teachers' thoughts and opinions, for example, should be

incorporated into the curriculum for development. The curriculum development team, on

the other hand, must consider the teacher as part of the program's environment.” 

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Study

            Jadhav and Patankar (2013) discussed that, “Curriculum development is

intellectual and research activity. It needs skillful programmers for planning, developing,

designing, implementing, evaluating and improving phases.” The strength of this paper

is that it talks about how important the teachers are in the curriculum development. It

says all that a teacher can do to innovate and to make a better curriculum for the

students. According to Meier (2018) “Active learning will improve curriculum focus and

retention, resulting in a more engaging learning environment. To present content,

teachers create classes that incorporate simulations, experiments, case studies, and

exercises. This hands-on method combines curriculum with real-world experiences to

immerse pupils in learning. Teachers can be innovative and put their own stamp on the

classroom experience through the curriculum approach.” The methodology proves that

this study has made a huge contribution to the next researcher who will have the same

topic, because the methodology used is applied research which is also used in

education to test pedagogic processes to find the best teaching and learning

approaches. The weakness of this paper is that if someone promotes or creates a study

that contradicts this topic. “Importance of Curriculum Development in Modern Teaching”

(2016) discussed that “Curriculum development is not a simple process to do, and it

cannot be delegated to anyone at random. It has its own politics and method of doing

things. You must have a clear understanding of how you should approach curriculum

development. Curriculum is crucial in laying the foundation for schooling. As a result,

professional training in curriculum development might be beneficial in learning the

process. The teacher education institutes offer well-developed curriculum development

courses. You might take the course to gain a better understanding of responsibility and

how crucial it can be in terms of educational development”