Abstract
M.Ed.
This study aims at establishing guidelines for the design of the new and relevant curriculum for the senior secondary phase. In short, the aims of the study are to: Identify the needs of the society as perceived by lecturers of the colleges of education and universities in Gauteng through focus group interviews. Write guidelines on how a curriculum should be designed in order to meet the needs of the South African society. These guidelines will be directed at the micro, meso and macro levels because they are intended for the person who will design the curriculum, policies and the syllabi, and this person needs to understand the nature of the problem at all of these levels. The development of objectives however is important in determining the content of the curriculum and how it is to be dealt with. Longstreet and Shane (1993 : 59) define objectives as representing "the analysis and transformation of goals into actions believed to support the achievement of the goals". Marsh defines objectives as specific statements, short term, usually expressed in terms of learner behaviours and are often designed by teachers (Marsh, 1992 : 85). Posner (1992 : 80) defines learning objectives as the intended educational consequences of particular courses or units of study. They may vary in specificity from objectives of single lesson, to objectives of an entire course. Carl (1995 : 107) defines a learning objective as an objective which is formulated in such a way that it clearly spells out the expected learning profits on the part of the pupils, in other words that which the pupils should be able to do/know at the end of the lesson. Objectives are classified into three categories by (Longstreet & Shane, 1993 : 59): Broad objectives - are structured and most often address higher order learning such as that involved in analysing the multiple layers of meaning in great works of literature. Specific objectives - specify the nature of the learning activities to be undertaken. Specific performance objectives require that the description of outcomes be made in terms of observable and measurable behaviours and that the measures themselves be included as part of the objectives. Pupils' contributions or input would play an important part in determining of objectives. This is actually what the researcher would emphasize. Rowntree (1978: 17), quoted by Carl (1995: 107), also foregrounds this important perspective, namely that pupil input is essential in the determination of objectives as they are after all the learners. In this way they may utilize their own strategies to realize their objectives. Pupils must actually serve as a kind of filter in order that their specific needs may be served to a maximum. Teachers at schools must not regard objectives as rigid and unbending so that there is no measure of flexibility and adaptability. The researcher is in'favour of the idea of a balance approach, and believes that learners should participate effectively in their learning, thus in objectives too. When formulating goals, aims and objectives for the curriculum, the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of the child should be taken into consideration
(Zais, 1976 : 309; Doll, 1992 : 205). Curriculum aims, goals and objectives must promote efficiency in learning of the pupils; only then can they be regarded as worthwhile. There is a strong connection between aims, goals and objectives. Changes in educational aims reflect changes in social values and changes in educational goals and learning objectives. After all, aims serve as justification for
educational goals and educational goals for learning objectives. It is therefore important that a justifiable congruence from aims through goals to objectives be maintained. Consequently there is a close functional relationship between situation analysis, aims, goals and objectives and the learning content. The learning content is supposed to initiate learning experiences through which aims, goals and objectives can be achieved. The aims, goals and objectives that have been discussed will enable the researcher to take the needs of the society as perceived by the lecturers of colleges and universities in Gauteng as prioritized and then establish the relevant aims, goals and objectives that can be achieved in the secondary school and therefore establish the guidelines.