10th Week Reflection

Here is my class reflection for week 10. This week we learnt about evaluating the curriculum which is very important to test whether the curriculum is worth pursuing.

What is evaluation? Evaluation is a systematic determination of a subject's merit, worth and significance, using criteria governed by a set of standards. It can assist an organization, program, project or any other intervention or initiative to assess any aim, realisable concept/proposal, or any alternative, to help in decision-making; or to ascertain the degree of achievement or value in regard to the aim and objectives and results of any such action that has been completed. The primary purpose of evaluation, in addition to gaining insight into prior or existing initiatives, is to enable reflection and assist in the identification of future change.

Evaluation is often used to characterize and appraise subjects of interest in a wide range of human enterprises, including the arts, criminal justice, foundations, non-profit organizations, government, health care, and other human services. It is long term and done at the end of a period of time.

Evaluation Approaches & Types

There are various types of evaluations but two main philosophical approaches: formative and summative. After a brief introduction to these two approaches, we shall share several specific types of evaluations that fall under the formative and summative approaches.

Formative evaluation is an on-going process that allows for feedback to be implemented during a program cycle. Formative evaluations (Boulmetis & Dutwin, 2005):

1.Concentrate on examining and changing processes as they occur

2.Provide timely feedback about program services

3.Allow you to make program adjustments “on the fly” to help achieve program goals

COMMON TYPES OF FORMATIVE EVALUATION

1.Needs assessment determines who needs the program, how great the need is, and what might work to meet the need.

2.Structured conceptualization helps stakeholders define the program, the target population, and the possible outcomes.

3.Implementation evaluation monitors the fidelity of the program delivery.

4.Process evaluation investigates the process of delivering the program, including alternative delivery procedures. Summative evaluation occurs at the end of a program cycle and provides an overall description of program effectiveness. Summative evaluation examines program outcomes to determine overall program effectiveness. Summative evaluation is a method for answering some of the following questions:

Were your program objectives met?

Will you need to improve and modify the overall structure of the program?

What is the overall impact of the program?

What resources will you need to address the program’s weaknesses?

Summative evaluation will enable you to make decisions regarding specific services and the future direction of the program that cannot be made during the middle of a program cycle. Summative evaluations should be provided to funders and constituents with an interest in the program.

COMMON TYPES OF SUMMATIVE EVALUATION

1.Goal-based evaluation determines if the intended goals of a program were achieved. Has my program accomplished its goals?

2.Outcome evaluation investigate whether the program caused demonstrable effects on specifically defined target outcomes. What effect does program participation have on students?

3.Impact evaluation is broader and assesses the overall or net effects — intended or unintended — of the program. What impact does this program have on the larger organization (e.g., high school or college), community, or system?

4.Cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis address questions of efficiency by standardizing outcomes in terms of their dollar costs and values. How efficient is my program with respect to cost?

Below is a figure depicting the different ways formative and summative evaluation can be utilized.

9th Week Reflection

Hi, this is my class reflection for week 9. Today we were learning about topic 12 which was about Curriculum Implementation.

What is Curriculum Implementation?

This term refers to the act of working out the plans and suggestions that have been made by curriculum specialists and subject experts in a classroom or school setting. Teachers are the main curriculum implementer, while at the same time students, parents, school administrators can be directly or indirectly involved in the implementation process.

The Roles of Stakeholders in Curriculum Implementation

Stakeholders

1.They are individuals or institution that is interrelated in the school curriculum.

2.They are the one who put into action and give life to the curriculum.
3.They shape the school curriculum implementation.

Stakeholders:

# Learners

# Teachers
# Curriculum managers and administrators
# Parents
# Community members
# Other stakeholders

Learners

1.The very reason a curriculum is developed

2.The ones who are directly influenced by it
3.Make or unmake the curriculum by their active and direct involvement

The primary stakeholders in the curriculum since the learners are the primary stakeholders in the curriculum, the universal as well as the individual characteristics of the students should be considered. Age, gender, physical, mental, emotional development, cultural background, interests, aspirations and personal goals are some of the factors that should be considered in the implementation of any curriculum.

Teachers

1.The other side of the coin in teaching learning process

2.His/her primary role is the planning and writing the curriculum
a curriculum maker
3.He writes a curriculum daily through a lesson plan, a unit plan or a yearly plan
4.Prepares activities for the students to do
5.Addresses the goals, needs, interests of the learners by creating experiences where the students can learn
6.Designs, enriches and modifies the curriculum to suit learner’s characteristics
7.As a curriculum developer, they are part of textbook committees, faculty selection boards, school evaluation committees or textbook writers themselves

Curriculum Managers and Administrators

1.Supervise curriculum implementation, select and recruit new teachers, admit students, procedure equipment and materials needed for effective learning

2.Plan for the improvement of school facilities and physical plans
3.Have a great stake or concern about what kind of curriculum their schools offer and how these are implemented

Parents

1.The best supporters of the school, especially because they are the ones paying for their child’s education

2.The power of parents to influence curricula to include instructional materials and school activities is great, such that the success of the curricula would depend on their support

How do parents shape the curriculum and why they are considered as stakeholders?

1.Effective parental involvement in school affairs maybe linked to parent educational programs which is central to high quality educational experiences of the children

2.The parent’s involvement extends from the confine of the school to the homes
In most schools the Parent Associations are organized

Community Members

1.Success in the implementation of the curriculum requires resources

2.The community members and materials in the existing local community can very well substitute for what is needed to implement the curriculum
3.Respected community members may be included in school boards
4.Some can become resource speakers
5.They can provide local and indigenous knowledge in school curriculum

Other Stakeholders

1.Professional organizations have shown great influence in school curriculum

2.They are asked by curriculum specialists to contribute in curriculum review since they have a voice in license examinations, curriculum enhancements and many more often, professional organization has a better view of the industry where the graduates of the curriculum go.

Some of these organizations are those of each profession, like teachers’ organization, lawyers’ organization, medical doctors’ association, engineers’ organization and many others. On the other hand, since all schools in the country are under the regulation of the government as provided for in the Philippine Constitution, then the government has a great stake in curriculum implementation.

The government is represented by the:

1.Department of Education (DepEd) for basic education curricula

2.Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the tertiary and graduate education
3.The Professional Regulations Commission (PRC)