Curricular Management

Objectives

1. To tackle the concept of curriculum management from different perspectives, relating them to issues of professional identity in education;
2. To identify theoretical assumptions underlying different approaches to curriculum management;
3. To analyze cases of curriculum management at the macro, meso and micro levels, identifying constraints and opportunities that condition it;
4. To discuss the potential of curriculum management in the enhancement of educational achievement;
5. To explore scenarios of curriculum management based on the analysis of educational situations

Program

1. The notion of curriculum management (CM)
1.1. CM and related concepts – curriculum development, curriculum design, curriculum deliberation
1.2. Guiding principles and specific approaches to CM – adequacy, relevance, differentiation, integration

2. CM in the context of curriculum policy

3. Levels of curriculum organization and management
3.1. Responsibilities of governing bodies, councils and other structures within educational organizations – both at the top and at the intermediate levels – in terms of CM
3.2. CM at the classroom level
3.3. Curricular autonomy

4. Theories and models of CM

5. CM as an issue of professional identity
5.1. The influence of educational professionals on CM
5.2. CM under the framework of teachers’ professional identity

6. Curricular dimensions of educational (under)achievement

7. The planning of CM vis-à-vis educational situations

Teaching Methodologies

A large portion of the instructional activities will be focused on the analysis of curriculum management cases and also educational situations that require the design of new plans for curriculum management. Through exposition of content and discussion, such analysis will be gradually framed in theories that explain the phenomena under study.
This reflective journey will lead to the design of curriculum management scenarios, which will be strongly taken into consideration in the context of assessment. Accordingly, assessment will be based on the following elements, which account for different percentages of the students’ grading:

1. Analysis and discussion of theoretical texts, reports of empirical research and legislative documents – 40%;
2. First version of an Individual Plan for Curriculum Management (IPCM); discussion of IPCM with instructors and classmates – 10%;
3. Second version of IPCM; discussion of IPCM with instructors and classmates – 15%;
4. Final version of IPCM – 35%.

Bibliography

Costa, J. A., Andrade, A. I., Neto-Mendes, A. e Costa, N. (Orgs.) (2004). Gestão curricular: Percursos de investigação. Aveiro: Universidade de Aveiro.
Cosme, A. e Trindade, R. (2012). A gestão curricular como um desafio epistemológico: A diferenciação educativa em debate. Interações (22), 62-82,
http://revistas.rcaap.pt/interaccoes/article/viewFile/1536/1227
Kuiper, W. & J. Berkvens, J. (Eds.) (2013), Balancing curriculum regulation and freedom across Europe. Enschede, the Netherlands: SLO.
Perrenoud, P. (2002). Sucesso na escola: Só o currículo, nada mais que o currículo! Cadernos de Pesquisa (119), 9-27,
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/cp/n119/n119a01.pdf
Roldão, M. C. (1999). Gestão curricular: Fundamentos e práticas. Lisboa: Ministério da Educação.
Sousa, F. (2010). Diferenciação curricular e deliberação docente. Porto: Porto Editora.
Sousa, F., Alonso, L. & Roldão, M. C. (Orgs.) (2013), Investigação para um currículo relevante. Coimbra: Almedina.