Student CENTREDNESS

1. Student-Centred Course Curriculum Development

An alternative approach to curriculum development which indicates a close relationship between curriculum, planning goals, learning objectives, and implementation is the learner-centred approach (Nunan 1988).

In a student-centred curriculum, although the teacher is the prime agent of curriculum development, both teachers and students share full responsibility for the learning process.

A student-centred curriculum should include the principles and procedures for planning, imple­menting, and evaluating the curriculum and should consist of the following key elements:

• Initial and ongoing students’ needs analysis;
• Content selection and setting priorities (including goals);
• Methodology (including the selection and gradation of learning activities and materials);
• Monitoring, assessment, and evaluation.

According to these elements the teacher’s task can be de­scribed in terms of a cycle consisting of the following steps:

• Initial needs analysis for students;
• Setting goals and selecting contents;
• Selecting learning activities and materials;
• Assessing and evaluating the teaching outcome.

On the basis of the teaching outcome the teacher, who moni­tors the whole process, begins the cycle again and carries out a new needs analysis …