Curriculum and Pedagogy in School Education

Griffith University　FAN Wei

【Abstract】Both curriculum and pedagogy play a significant role for the success of school education， curriculum and pedagogy are indicate respectively the teaching content and teaching methods implemented by teachers.In this paper， the relationship between curriculum and pedagogy will be studied in detail.

【Key Word】curriculum； pedagogy； teaching content； teaching method； teacher； role

1.Introduction

Both curriculum and pedagogy play a significant role for the success of school education and much attention have been paid to them by educationists and scholars.Although the definitions of the two terms are distinctive， indicating respectively the teaching content and teaching methods， they commonly merge together in the classroom education.And compared with curriculum， pedagogy is often less concerned by faculty members， and many of the teaching failures are attributed to the use of unsuccessful pedagogy approaches and strategies.

In this paper， the relationship between curriculum and pedagogy will be studied in detail.First， the definitions of the two educational terms will be distinguished.The different roles of curriculum and pedagogy in education will be described， and the insufficient focus on pedagogy in comparison with curriculum will be pointed out.The mutual relationship of curriculum and pedagogy in teaching practice will be demonstrated， and the requirements of outcomes-based education will be discussed.Particularly， the principles for a proper pedagogy and the requirements for teachers will be considered.

2.Curriculum and pedagogy in practice

The definition of curriculum and pedagogy

The definitions of the terms of “curriculum” and “pedagogy” are clear.Curriculum is defined as the subject or content matter being taught， and pedagogy indicates the teaching art or science or the techniques utilized by teachers to teach students （Gregory， 2001）.The structure of a curriculum is usually divided on several levels.In the overall framework， the purposes， principles and values which underpin the curriculum are set out， and the learning outcomes that are required to be achieved by students are provided.The pedagogy approaches and strategies are designed and implemented by the teacher responsible for the curriculum teaching.

It is necessary to develop appropriate curriculum and pedagogy to motivate and engage students in classroom learning and achieve anticipatory results （Penney et al，，2009）.In the curriculum framework， the teachers are generally provided with opportunities to adjust the teaching content and delivery manners to meet the special needs of the students， school， local communities， and so on.A series of flexibilities are available for teachers in classroom， including the selection of studying text， the use of techniques of learning， the choice of a topic employed to present a conception or theme， the manners of instruction， and the assignment of topics and fashions of presentation.Teachers could use these flexibilities to choose the most appropriate content and approaches of teaching that are most appealing to students and maximize the motivation and engagement of all students.

The difference between curriculum and pedagogy

As discussed above， a good teaching result could not be guaranteed merely by the formulation of a well-thought-of curriculum.However， in reality pedagogy is often not concerned as curriculum.It is criticized by Gregory （2001） that conventional faculty members paid less attention to pedagogy than curriculum.As described by him， the curriculum is treated by most faculty members in the manner that bankers deal with investments.Much time and effort are spent on the thinking and planning of curricular matters， including reasoning and analyzing， experience collection， the consideration of long-term and short-term knowledge dividends， and so on.However， when facing the matters of teaching， many faculty members act more like barnstormers， who behave primarily by instinct and repeat things that worked previously， instead of formulating teaching methods via meticulously speculating and planning.Many teachers do not have the professional or intellectual control on teaching as they have on curriculum formulation.In most cases， it is not realized the fact that teaching not only affects but often decides how students comprehend the curriculum （Booth， 1998： 298）.Therefore， many of the teaching failures are considered as the result of utilization of unsuccessful pedagogy approaches and strategies （Gregory， 2001）.

For teachers， it is a different problem about presenting a well-planned curriculum to students as educating them.The real objective of educating， as indicated by Gregory （2001）， is that students are helped to understand the approaches to assimilate and integrate the curriculum content into their minds and daily to help them in their real livelihood.The essence of curriculum could not be delivered to students by the method of rigid lecturing.Taking the education of humanity science for example， the great writings and arts do not appear great automatically to most of the students， and the interests and passion for them have to be fired not only by the presence of great works but also by the example of the teacher who seems to be filled with a particular kind of life due to the understanding and love for a specific subject （Palmer， 1998：21）.

The curriculum and pedagogy in practice

Although curriculum and pedagogy are clearly defined， they could not be separated in classroom education.In practice， curriculum and pedagogy merge together.The content of curriculum is mandated by the education departments， and the manner in which the curriculum is delivered and presented is controlled by the teachers.There the educational effect and achievement depend both upon the curriculum content and pedagogy of the teachers.A dull curriculum could be energized and linked to real lives by a teacher that is talented and inspired.On the contrary， an interesting and imaginative curriculum could be poorly delivered and made as less appealing an unmotivated or mediocre teacher.It is concluded by various researches that the impact of classroom teachers is a large factor for the academic achievements of students， which is much important than the influence of school and socio-economic elements （Rivkin et al ， 2005； Wenglinsky， 2002）.It is found that the impacts of classroom practices of teachers are comparable to the student background， and that teachers could contribute as much to classroom learning as students themselves （Wenglinsky， 2002）.Therefore， a series of strategies to support and meet the learning needs to students should be developed.

The development and update of curriculum have posed new challenges for pedagogy.The design of curriculum is being changed in the direction of outcomes-based education， which is different from the traditional content-based approach （Killen， 2000； Lawson & Askell-Williams， 2007）.In this form of curriculum， the expectations as to the achievements of knowledge and skills by students are more explicitly stated.And it is recognized the difference of students in the respects of starting point and progress rate， and teachers are allowed with more flexibility to have approaches adopted that are suitable to students and circumstances.Also， the knowledge and skills which are needed for the success through life are emphasized by the frameworks of outcomes-based curriculum.Trans-disciplinary knowledge and skills are aimed to be embedded via the teaching and assessment of various subjects.By implementing the new approaches， it is probable to provide a much more expansive scope of learning experience than in the traditional case.And learning and assessment tasks that are more realistic and relevant are made possible by developing tasks that are related to the real world （Cooper， 2007； Soudien & Baxen， 1997）.

Particular attention is paid to pedagogy by the frameworks of outcomes-based curriculum， and the requirements for teachers to adapt suitable and flexible teaching approaches for the students and the school community are emphasized （Killen， 2013）.It is believed that if the outcomes-based approaches of curriculum and pedagogy are implemented successfully， the engagement and interest of all students could be Improved， and the learning experience would be significantly enriched.However， to have the curriculum implemented as assumed and achieve significant achievement， the pedagogy should be undated to support the implementation.Particularly， the teachers should be provided with relevant in-service trainings to support them in the teaching process.

Principles for pedagogy

In fact， there is not a teaching method which works automatically better than others， as students could produce different responses to different methods and the knowledge and skills that are required to teach to students might vary with the life situations and contexts （Gregory， 2001）.For example， the teaching aims ate different for liberal education and technical education.Therefore it is natural that there is not a single teaching method that satisfies all the requirements of learning.

It should be remembered that each student is an individual， and the general approaches should not be considered as adaptable to every pupil.According to the report about Australia1， three major principles are advocated for boys and girls education .First， the support for literacy should be focused in the curriculum， and it should be noted that girls commonly respond to the personal and boys typically respond to the physical.Second frequent changes should be personal and boys typically respond to the physical.Second， frequent changes should be provided for the structured activity， and girls prefer the verbal change， whereas boys prefer the visual.Third， commonly a positive response is expected from boys to encouragement and structured challenges， and girls positively respond to popularity and encouragement.It is believed that a successful pedagogy absolutely depends upon the development of effective relationship between teacher and students ， as well as the promotion of communication and trust between them .The practical instructions for use of literacy include attracting attention， utilization of short and clear sentences ， interval between sentences ， and so on （Alexander ，2004）.And it is found that effective motivators for students include the use of genuine praise ， challenge for effort and achievement ， appropriate behaviors ， etc （Van Mane，1999）.Clear rules and proclaimed expectations as to appropriate behaviors are found to be required for all students ， especially boys .Best of all， the negotiation with students as to the expectations and the implementation of the rules as well as punishments should be carried out （Hendrixet al，2003）.The proper use of competition and cooperation could produce a positive effect in classroom education.For the proper use of competition ， it is indicated that the confidence of students should not be injure.And students who prefer less cooperative work should be encouraged by specific strategies.The learning interest of students could also be motivated by taking lessons outside and organizing out-of-school activities.Periodical personal discussions and interviews could assist students to set goals， have their progress monitored， and help them understand clearly as to the reason for the requirements （Van Manen， 1999）

Requirements for teachers

The role of teachers is crucial for the design and implementation of successful pedagogical methods， and to achieve this goal， some qualities and skills are required by teachers.

It is primarily important for a teacher to have a genuine respect and enthusiasm for the teaching profession.A wiliness to deliver knowledge and skills to students and help them in the grow-up process is required.And the determination to shoulder such a significant responsibility is needed to be established.A high-qualified teaching could be inspired by the commitment to students and the belief that the acts of teachers produce a great difference as to the academic and social outcomes of students （Alexander， 2004）.Besides the teaching subject， they focus on the development of comprehensive capacity for each student.

Also， a passion and deep understanding of the teaching curriculum is required， and the teaching methods should be designed based upon this understanding as well as the requirements of students， instead of merely on the curriculum requirements and teaching experience.As discussed above， the teachers should be presented themselves as the spokesmen and live examples of the impact of teaching subject on real lives （Gregory， 2001）.Such an effect could only be produced when the teacher is filled with a particular kind of life due to the love for a specific subject.And with the accumulation of teaching experience， the comprehension of teachers for what they are teaching is being enriched， and the link of the teaching subject with real life is being more and more clear.

In the teaching process， teachers should make flexibilities that are allowed and necessary.As discussed above， teachers are generally allowed with certain flexibilities to adjust the content and delivery manners to meet the special needs of the students.Flexibilities also are the demands of the development of outcomes-based curriculum and the diversity of student characteristics.Good teachers should be able to change the pedagogical practice to meet the demands of students according to the requirements of curriculum and students （killen， 2013）.Teachers could benefit from the inspiring career development that demonstrates what change they could do for all students.Good teachers are expected to exploit to exploit the learning styles that are preferred by their students to motivate and engage them in the learning process.To obtain the art of handling flexibilities properly and effectively， it is necessary for teachers to follow the track of the change of curriculum， circumstance and needs of students.And when the deficiencies as to the teaching skills are discovered， they should set out to take relevant professional trainings initiatively.

3.Conclusions

Curriculum and pedagogy are indicate respectively the teaching content and teaching methods implemented by teachers， 0And the two issues to work together to motivate and engage students in classroom learning and achieve the success of classroom education.The pedagogy approaches and strategies are designed and implemented by teacher to achieve the goals set out in the curriculum.Besides the definition of teaching content and aims， the curriculum framework also provides the teachers with certain flexibilities to adjust the teaching content and delivery manners to meet the demand of various circumstances， including the needs of students， school， local communities， and so on..

Compared with curriculum， pedagogy is often less concerned by faculty members， and many of the teaching methods are primarily formed by instinct and experience， instead of being made via meticulously speculating and planning .The goals of the curriculum could not be obtained by rigid lecturing ，and teachers have to present themselves as an example for a particular kind of life due to the understanding and love for a specific subject.Curriculum and pedagogy could not be separated in classroom education as they merge together in practice.The impact of classroom teachers is a large factor for the academic achievements of students.And new challenges for pedagogy are posed by the development and update of curriculum， such as the outcomes-based education， which demands the design of suitable and flexible teaching approaches.

There is not a teaching method which works automatically better than others， but some principles for pedagogy should be noted by teachers， including the support for literacy ， frequent changes， and the use of encouragement.Particularly， the difference between boys and girls should be kept in mind.Other principles include developing effective relationship between teacher and student， proper use of language ，negotiation with students， encouraging competition and cooperation， organizing out-of school activities， etc.

Some qualities and skills are required by teachers for the design and implementation of successful pedagogical methods.Primarily it is important for a teacher to have a genuine respect and enthusiasm for the teaching profession.And a passion and deep understanding of the teaching curriculum .is required to present live examples of the impact of teaching subject on real lives.The pedagogical practice should be adjusted to meet the demands of students according to the requirements of curriculum and students.

References：

[1]Alexander，R.（2004）.Still no pedagogy？Prinicple，pragmatism and compliance in primary education.Cambridge Journal of Education，34（1），7-33.

[2]Booth， W.C.（1988）.The vocation of a teacher： Rhetorical occasions，1967-1988.University of Chicago Press.

[3]Cooper，R.（2007）.An investigation into constructivism within an outcomes based curriculum.Issues in Educational Research，17（1）.

Gregory，M.W.（2001）.Curriculum，pedagogy， and teacherly ethos.Pedagogy，1（1），69-89.

[4]Hendrrix，K.G.， Jackson， II，R.L.，& Warren， J.R .（2003）.Shifting academic Landscapes： Exploring co-identities， identity negotiation， and critical progressive pedagogy.Communication Education，52（3-4），177-190.

[5]Killen， R.（2000）.Outcomes-based education： Principles and possibilities.Unpublished manuscript.University of Newcastle， Faculty of Education.

[6]Killen， R .（2013）.Teaching strategies for outcomes-based education.Juta and Company Lad.

[7]Lawson，M，J.，&Askell-Williams，H.（2007）.Outcomes-Based Education.[Online].Available ：http：//www.ied.edu./obl/files/pretical - guide -5.pdf.

[8]Palmer， P.J.（1998）.The courage to teach： A guide for reflection and renewal.San Francisco： Jossey-Bass.

[9]Penney， D.， Brooker.，Hay， P.，& Gillespie， L.（2009）.Curriculum， pedagogy and assessment： three message systems of schooling and dimensions of quality physical education.Sport， Education and Society，14（4），421-442.

[10]Rivkin，S.G.， hanushek，E.A.，& Kain，J .F.（2005）.Teachers， schools， and academic achievement.Econometrica， 73（2），417-458.

[11]Soudien， C.， & Baxen， J.（1997）.Transformation and outcomes-education in South Africa： Opportunities and challenges .Journal of Negro education，449-459.

[12]Van Manen， M .（1999）.The language of pedagogy and the primacy of student experience.Researching teaching： Merhodologies and practices for understanding Pedagogy， 13-27.

[13]Wenglinsky， H.（2002）.The Link between Teacher Classroom Practices and Student Academic Performance.Education policy analysis archives， 10（12），n12.