Teachers' Roles in Curriculum Design

The purpose of this study is to define teacher’s major roles when they design curriculum plan in the church. Definition of curriculum and difference between curriculum and curriculum plan are explained first. When churches plan to change their curriculum or design curriculum plan, objective, scope, content, learners, and methods should be considered and teachers have important roles in these five areas. First, a teacher should know both objectives of the curriculum and clear purposes and objectives for Christian education in the church, so that they can evaluate the objectives of the church can be fulfilled effectively through the curriculum. Also, the personal philosophies of the teacher should agree with them. Second, teachers should define the scope and content of the curriculum. Scope means what learners will be taught through the curriculum. It can be wide enough to study all the Bible or can be narrow so that only one subject will be studied in the class. Third, teachers should know learners and learning methods. Teachers should recognize the learner’s thought, concept, circumstances, and learning style so that teachers will design an effective curriculum. Choosing a curriculum should be started with knowing learners. Last, teachers should recognize that they are the most important curriculum resource and try to develop themselves continually. A teacher is one of the most important factors in Christian education. It is explained what teachers should do in choosing a curriculum in the church and reminded teachers themselves are the most important factor in curriculum design through this study.