Overload is defined as a load that is too big or the load that is excessive (Webster, 2000). This definition brings out a mismatch between the load and capacity. Therefore, from the phrase curriculum overload, the phrase means incongruity or imbalance between the mental capacity to activate or enact the curriculum which in its self, is viewed as overloaded. By conceiving the learner-teacher relationship as crucial to the learning of the children. The curriculum overload issue has an effect on both teachers and the children.
Most of what the general public understands about the curriculum overload comes from the instructors. Some keen observers are questioning the extent to which curriculum overload issue is perceived, imagined or actualized. This paper looks at the general issue of the curriculum overload in the United Kingdom, the causes of curriculum overload, and offers recommendations to reduce the issue of curriculum overload.
The issue of curriculum overload is a reality for teachers in the UK. Surprisingly, this issue is often an unplanned consequence of teaching reform. In the UK, the issue of curriculum overload has gained much attention from different stakeholders. Recently, the Primary Review published by the Cambridge inquired into the future and shape of instruction in primary schools in England, explained that the curriculum that was intended to be rich in content, balanced, and tolerant has now become overloaded and difficult to manage (National Council for Curriculum Assesment, 2010). The Cambridge Review argue that as the instructors strive to achieve high basic standards, there is very little time for problem-solving, reflecting, thinking, or exploring the subjects such as Drama, Arts, Geography, Music, and History. The literature attests that the issue of curriculum overloading is brought by the most significant subjects competing for space with each other (Australian Primary Principals Association, 2014). They also compete for space with the subjects that other people consider to be of less value. However, in curriculum context, the Reviews assertion of unavailability of space for the classroom pedagogy’s reflection and interaction, was too broad.
The Review finding has brought attention to what has been viewed by the reviewers as the negative effects of unrelenting, piecemeal reforms that have continued for decades, the main contributing factors to these overload dimensions in England. It sounds that the pace and rate of expected change in learning institutions contributes to curriculum overload. For instance, a curriculum review case study conducted in Ireland noted that instructors felt pressured by the demand to adapt to excessive changes quickly (Majoni, 2017). Some reviewers have noted that the absolute scope of change required is most often a feature of political progression. In this case, the government strive to stand for and represent the multiple interest groups’ views about the content and form of the curriculum. The Association of Primary Teacher in the UK argues that this will lead ultimately to the curriculum overcrowding. The Association assets that, in this view, the Association’s instructors believe that there is precisely excessive content to teach in within the time allocated for teaching.
The capacity for education reform study has demonstrated that many countries in the world are affected by the trend of overloaded curriculum. The overload is ascribed to the increase in the revised or new curriculum’s size and the reduced curriculum implementation time. In Philippine, for instance, the low level of critical competence development and low achievement among learners was directly linked to the curriculum overcrowding (Independent Review of the Primary Currriculum, 2017). The research conducted in the Philippine indicated that the extensive subject matter coverage tended to be prioritized as compared to the learning that is in-depth, in relation to the little time allocated for the curriculum implementation.
Curriculum overloading is brought by numerous factors in the sector of primary school. Some of those factors include the curriculum volume and size, insufficient time, changes in socioeconomic, technological changes, and the improvement in curriculum subject content. The main problem that is facing curriculum overload is the curriculum size and volume (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, 2005). The curriculum broadness has created implementation challenges. Instructors complain that the time allocated for curricula subjects coverage is insufficient (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, 2005). The curricula broadness is normally caused the review of the curriculum by the government due to the needs of dynamic educational environment and the pressure from other educational stakeholders. The consequence of this has been the increase of the subjects to be taught without increasing the time needed for effective teaching of these subjects. Most of global countries, UK included, have between 10 – 15 subjects in the curriculum of primary school (Australian Primary Principals Association, 2014). The content volume in the identified curriculum is a contributing factor to curriculum overload. The syllabus’ size and the number of teaching material used by the instructors in the primary schools is an indicator of the overload. In countries like England and Ireland the number of pages covered in a given curricula is between 100 to 1000 pages.
The placed importance on the subjects has also led to the overloading. The time of the day and the allocated time for a particular subject, is the consequence of overloading. Core-Disciplines such as Mathematics and English are generally allocated more time as compared to other subjects and are also taught during morning hours (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, 2005). Such subjects compete for the space in the timetable leading to a problem of overload. Instructors in the primary schools are devastated by the high content volume they are supposed to cover in order to meet the expectations of the community. Curriculum assessment is very significant. Due to overloading the time allocated for teaching learners is very little, at such it becomes very complicated for a teacher to assess the progress of individual pupil. This is prevalent in situations where the ratio of teacher to pupils surpasses 1:50, which is found in most parts of African countries (Majoni, 2017). In developed countries like the UK, instructors face a challenge of assessing the skills the pupils have mastered.
Additionally, the overloading in the curriculum has been due to the government requirement s of complying with its directives and legislations. This can be viewed in the African context, where the governments have come with regulations to decolonize the curriculum (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, 2005). Countries have also expanded the curriculum so as to respond to the environmental changes and the advancement in the information technology.
According to (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, 2005), curriculum has been caused by the tested subjects versus the subjects that are not tested. The tested subjects are considered to be more important than the subjects that are not tested. At such this subjects demands priority in the time table, resulting in the overloading. However, the teachers maintain that curriculum overloading is majorly brought by the volume of syllabus content and the insufficient subject coverage time. The UK governments are making several efforts to resolve the challenge of overloaded curriculum. Some of the measures being undertaken in the UK include the curriculum downsizing, and the reviewing and integration of the curriculum structure. Therefore, in the UK the primary school curriculum reviewing efforts have become an ongoing process.
The following are the recommendations of this study to resolve the issue of overloading curriculum in the UK. These recommendations can also be adopted by other countries facing the challenge of curriculum overloading:
(a). Representing the current primary school instructors effectively on advising and in undertaking the curriculum redevelopment.
(b). Representing effectively the primary academics, curriculum experts, and organizations with primary school experiences to advise and undertake the curriculum redevelopment.
(c). To create distinct sets of writing guidelines for the curriculum in primary to those used in the curriculum of secondary school, focusing on the primary reflection on the numeracy and literacy, and the methods of working that characterized with the classrooms in the primary school.
(d). Prioritizing numeracy and literacy in all curriculum of primary school, more so in the first three years of primary schooling.
(e) Observing strictly the notional limitations of time and the requirement that advisory groups and writers show on how the outlined content can be in-depth delivered in the average primary school classroom.
(f). Designing of the process that is independent that will be in charge of analyzing the feedback from the consultation and determining what types of the actions to be undertaken.
References
Australian Primary Principals Association, 2014. The overcrowded primary Curriculum: The Way Forward, s.l.: s.n.
Independent Review of the Primary Currriculum, 2017. Independent Review of th Primary Curriculum: Final Report, s.l.: s.n.
Majoni, C., 2017. Curriculum Overload and Its Impact on Teacher Effectiveness in Primary Schools. European Journal of Educational Studies, 3(3), pp. 155-160.
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, 2005. Primary Curriculum Review: Phase 1 (English, Visual Arts, Mathematics), s.l.: National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
National Council for Curriculum Assesment, 2010. Curriculum Overload in Primary, s.l.: s.n.
Webster, 2000. Webster’s New World. College Dictionary. Fourth ed. Cleveland, Ohio: IDG books worldwide Inc.
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