TET Study Materials - Curriculum Development From Top to Down

 

 

       CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT     FROM TOP TO DOWN

v Top-down policy is popular in many developing and developed countries to determine the nature of curriculum teaching and assessment.

 

v The top-down policy relates a hierarchical structure or processes that progress from a large to small parts curriculum development.

 

v Top-down approach in curriculum development begins the curriculum development from the educational administrators and brings it to the bottom people in the hierarchical structure of the administration.

 

v In this approach the topmost educational administrators or policy makers make the decision of how the curriculum should be developed.

 

v This approach is disseminated under their authority to lower levels in the hierarchy.

 

v Hence the educational administrators make curriculum changes and these changes are carried out by the various levels of administrators, and finally it is implemented in the classroom by the teachers.

 

v The teachers are supervised by the school administrators.

Advantages of top-down curriculum development:

v Uses of the curriculum and its implementation are realized easily.

 

v It enhances automation in the system.

 

v It is useful for the large number of learners.

 

v It enhances management skills and it broadens the organization.

 

v It is useful for a centralized structure of organization.

 

v Changes in the curriculum can be easily disseminated. 

 

v It enables the control of curriculum content by subject matter specialists.

 

v Central administration supports all of the subject matter concepts incorporated in the curriculum.

 

v It enhances the efficiency of curriculum development.

Disadvantages:

v Teachers and school managers who implement the curriculum in the classroom have no control over the subject matter.

 

v There is no opportunity for teachers input and feedback.

 

v The organizational structures have to be changed in accordance with the needs of the curriculum.

 

v It requires the greater co-operation of the entire structure of the administration.