The need for curricular reform has become a major issue in contemporary educational contexts (Atkin & Black, 2003). This is largely due to the growing dissatisfaction with existing educational frameworks and materials among teachers and educational policymakers. This literature review sets out to identify emerging strategies in curriculum reform. The review demonstrates that curricular reform is a continuous process that involves the adoption of different strategies. They vary depending on the arising issues, achievements sought, and the styles of those who are responsible for implementing the curricular reform projects.
To begin with, a common strategy entails integrating technology into the curriculum (Harris, Mishra & Koehler, 2009). Moreover, policymakers are keen to promote cross-curricular collaboration with a view to share teaching experiences (Mary, Richard & Jenny, 2004). For example, collaboration between humanities and science teachers has become a common phenomenon. It leads to the emergence of novel and interesting ideas on how to look at subjects such as genetics from social and ethical perspectives. Such endeavors enable teachers to examine socio-scientific issues relating to certain science topics such as genetics (Phillips & Ochs, 2003). The idea is to promote an understanding of the topic from both social and scientific perspectives, thereby helping teachers to manage emerging ethical debates and dilemmas (Phillips & Ochs, 2003).
