Inspecting the Foundations - Umalusi

5. PEDAGOGY AND METHODOLOGYSuggested or desired teaching approach(es) to the subject domain should be explicitly stated;so, in language, for example, whether a communicative teaching approach or text-basedlanguage teaching approach underlies the curriculum. The pedagogy should align with the statedpurpose of the curriculum and be appropriate for the likely contexts in which the curriculum is tobe used. Clear guidelines are needed to explain what methodologies should be used to meet thepedagogical principles.6. ASSESSMENT GUIDANCEThere should be clear information in the curriculum about both internal assessment (continuousand summative) and external assessment (exit-level summative assessment) and their respectiveweighting. This applies also if there is a practical element as a part of the curriculum.Principles of assessment, different types of assessment, and criteria and rubrics designed to assessthe range of diffi culty levels should be clearly outlined. Guidance should be provided as to howmany of the different assessment types should be used in each grade/year of study. The weightingof these recommended assessments should agree with the weighting accorded to the differentcontent areas in the curriculum. Assessment guidance should not be so specifi c as to limit theteaching/learning process.Exemplars of exit-level summative assessments must be provided to indicate the expected levelof teaching and learning associated with the curriculum. Furthermore, evaluated sample answersindicating the various expected levels of achievement should form part of the documentation.7. PRACTICAL TASKSWhere applicable, the curriculum must provide a clear indication of the nature of the practicaltasks associated with the discipline, and should include a diverse range of methods suited to thesubject. The weighting of the practical component in the curriculum and in the assessment must beclearly indicated.8. PROVISION AND PACKAGING OF CURRICULUM DOCUMENTS/SYLLABUSCurriculum statements or syllabuses must be user friendly (in terms of layout, design, and language)and must provide teachers with just the necessary scaffolding to be able to make the best usepossible of the information provided. Curricula also need to be freely available to teachers andupdates or amendments must be timeously provided.Although the syllabus/curriculum is likely to comprise multiple documents, the total number ofdocuments should be kept to a minimum; the relationship between the various documents shouldbe clearly outlined; and the focus and purpose of each document should be explicitly stated. Thelanguage of the documents should be unambiguous and jargon-free.9. PROCESSES, DESIGNERS, AND GROUPS CONSULTED IN THE PREPARATION OFTHE CURRICULUM DOCUMENTS/SYLLABUSCurriculum statements should be accompanied by a list of the designers of the curriculum, as wellas a description of the processes followed in the curriculum design, and of the consultations whichtook place.The group that designs the curriculum should include suffi cient representation, as required by thesubject, from some or all of the following stakeholders: the relevant profession(s), higher educationexperts, government experts, and teachers.82