Importance of Effective Curriculum Development

Abstract

The area of curriculum is one of controversy, concern, and conflict. Without doubt. however. educational curriculum is one of soc iety's foundational components. Over the past thirty yea rs much of curriculum practi ce has been driven by theory (e.g., behavioral psycho logy) in which inte raction betv,,een teac hers and students has been defined in scientific terms like behaviorism or cognitivism. Such theory has driven a curriculum design process that starts with behavioral learning objectives, proceeds with content decisions, and finishes with instrnctional methods. However, while behavioral theory derives its credibility from scientific knowledge about human behavior, it does not penetrate the complexity of what takes place when a person learns something meaningful.