Reference no: EM133791513

Assignment:

The South African Curriculum system has come under scrutiny, specifically during the apartheid era (1948-1994) and subsequently despite curriculum reform post-Apartheid to redress the inequalities of the past there are aspects that do not promote culturally diverse knowledges or acknowledgement of the historical, socio-political, and economic context. There are many definitions of a curriculum, each one is embedded with its own principles, values, and perspectives. Central to any definition of what a curriculum is must include the following perspectives:

• curriculum as a process
• curriculum as a product
• curriculum as an intention
• curriculum as reality
• curriculum as normative and descriptive

The curriculum is undergirded by learning theories, the CAPS (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement) is designed on the principles of Constructivism. Theories to consider when we think of a curriculum for all or a curriculum for a 21st century would encompass the following theories and tenets:

a) Sociocultural learning theory enables teachers to develop curricula and teaching & learning strategies that propose a pedagogy of promise. The tenets of sociocultural learning are:

i) social interaction plays a key role in learning;

ii) language is an essential tool in the learning process; and

iii) learning occurs within the Zone of Proximal Development. Vygotsky defined cognitive learning as "as the transformation of socially shared activities into internalized processes," or an act of enculturation.

Share your response to the following questions:

1. What does a curriculum for diversity and social change look like? (Indicate what components / elements should be included in such a curriculum)

2. Who decides what is relevant content to include in a culturally responsive curriculum for the 21st Century? (Justify this response with a discussion of stakeholder involvement, intercultural integration and power in curriculum design and relevant examples.)

3. How can teachers as agents of change reimagine curriculum instruction for social justice? (Suggest and elaborate on practical instructional strategies that can be implemented in the classroom context.)

In responding to the questions, you may draw any three of these points:

a) a history of curriculum development post-1994

b) politics, social and economic aspects that influence curriculum development

c) curriculum reform to develop socio-cultural practices

d) entrenched inequalities in the curriculum

e) a commitment to recognize diversity, care for others and acknowledgement of inequalities and power relations

f) Western epistemology- Eurocentric tasks as the only path to critical thinking

g) Conclusion