Curriculum is a long word for a broad topic; it encompasses everything that the teacher strives for in a lesson whilst also encompassing those things that inevitably happen in the classroom when things do not go to plan.
The Australian Curriculum (http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home[1]) is one of many outcomes and goals, as well as certain perspectives teachers must teach to their students for them to get the 'best' out of their education. Whilst many of the outcomes are of broad scope some would undoubtedly require careful handling with some classes, and at the same time, others may be all but impossible to teach to other classes.
At the same time, is The Australian Curriculum really a fair representation of what curriculum is? Or is just a set of outcomes which influence the real curriculum that comes through in classes from the teacher’s pedagogy and practice, as well as the environment and resources available?
The transformation outcomes in an outcome based educational story line simply require ‘big picture’ outcomes[2]. Where will students be at the end of year 6-7? What do these students really need to know when they exit the schooling system? And whilst we would all like to think that we’re teaching students, not subjects, an outcome based education system undermines teaching to student’s individual needs and interests.
Pedagogy is just a complicated and ¾ the size. We may shorten our definition to the ‘Act of teaching’, but what does that really tell us about the word? And about the act itself? Pedagogy includes everything from lesson plans to seating charts, the use of technology in the classroom and the way the teacher presents their lessons. Everything that is teaching is everything that pedagogy is.
To each teacher there may be a different type of pedagogical
approach, and because of this, the types of pedagogy are not listed as an
exhaustive list in any form. There are though, many different types of
pedagogical approach that fit into categories such as Productive pedagogies and
Critical pedagogies[3]. It is
interesting to explore the many ways in which teachers approach quite similar
lessons in a variety of effective and ineffective ways.
Practice is the shortest word of all and this could be
because they thought Pedagogical-Curriculum was too long and students wouldn’t
really want to read it. Practice incorporates what the teachers are trying to
teach (Pedagogy) and what the students and trying to, and actually are,
learning (Curriculum). It is only by combining pedagogy and curriculum that
effective teaching can take place in the classroom. The practice of being a
teacher is more than just the art of teaching and it is more than just 1+1=2.
It is only in practice that we can develop as teachers.
[1]ACARA
(n.d) The Australian Curriculum. Retrieved on the 17th of February,
2012, from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home
[2]Robyn
Ewing (2010) Curriculum and Assessment (pp. 31-35). Hong Kong: Sheck Wah Tong
Printing Press Ltd
[3]Churchill.
R, Ferguson. P, Godinho. S, Johnson. N, Keddie. A, Letts. W… Vick. M (2010)
Teaching: Making a Difference (pp. 242) China: Printing International Ltd
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