The Curriculum
The Curriculum and the education content are coherent.
The Curriculum (izglītības saturs) – systematized, up to personality, society and time codified human socially economical and technological experience concretized to educational needs. The Curriculum is determined by goals and tasks of education, by concretization of kind and degree of education. (Pedagoģijas terminu skaidrojošā vārdnīca. Apgāds Zvaigzne ABC., 2000., 74.lpp.) The knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired are determined by the curriculum.
The Education content (mācību saturs) – student development, society and time concretized human experience divided in subjects, courses etc. based on thematic constituent parts. Education content includes concrete knowledge, skills, experience, cultural and social experience, mental notice, conviction and attitude creation experience, emotional culture and personality development experience achieved by student during learning process. Education content is a part of the curriculum. (Pedagoģijas terminus skaidrojošā vārdnīca. Apgāds Zvaigzne ABC., 200., 97.lpp.)
Educational standards and guidelines
Subject or course standard – state standard component defining subject or course main goals and tasks, obligate education content, form and order of assessment. State educational standard in Latvia is defined by Cabinet of Ministers regulations about state primary education standard and state secondary education standard.
Guidelines – normative document defining subject goals and tasks, compulsory education content, forms and order of assessment.
Every teacher has rights to organize teaching and learning processes self – dependently. Teacher is responsible for students’ possibilities to acquire education appropriate to the state standard. The responsibility for the quality of education in schools actually lies only on the teacher.
Course syllabi
Subject of study or course syllabi – a component of an educational programme that includes the goals and objectives of the subjects of study or the course, its contents, a plan for acquiring the contents, criteria and procedures for evaluating the acquired education, as well as a list of methods and resources necessary for the implementation of the programme (Education Law).
Teachers have rights to organize educational process self – dependently, to use self – made subject syllabus. Teachers are responsible for students’ possibilities to acquire education appropriate to the state standard.
