SUBJECT, LEARNER AND ACTIVITY CUM EXPERIENCE

CENTERED CURRICULUM DESIGN

Curriculum designing is a scientific procedure to make teaching learning

programmes more systematic and most effective. Hence, it requires a team of
skilled personnel to complete the task of curriculum designing. If curriculum is
designed well, it can be transacted well. Effectiveness of curriculum entirely
depends upon a good curriculum design. It is like a blue-print of a building
which looks good or bad according to that plan. It is the soul of a good
education system or king pin in the machinery of education.
Curriculum design is a carefully conceived curriculum plan that takes
shapes from six main factors. It is more than syllabus which is merely a list of
subjects with details of units and topics. Curriculum is broad concept of
learning for life and syllabus is narrow concept of teaching for examination.
Curriculum decides which subjects may be given in a particular course,
and what quantity of information may be given through the particular course.
Depending upon the importance of the subject and nature of the students it
varies in nature. Thus, curriculum design is shaped by the aims and objectives,
subject matter of teaching and the method adopted. Depending upon the
variation in the subject and nature of the students, curriculum design may be
classified into different types. Some of the important types are:
1) Subject-centered design
2) Learner-centered design
3) Activity-centered design
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4) Experience-centered design
Subject Centered Design:
The subject centered curriculum design is the most widely used
curriculum design. It is traditional and in most schools the standard of
achievement are fixed in terms of mastery over subject matter. It regards
learning primarily as cognitive development and the acquisition of knowledge
and information. With this approach to curriculum design, all the subjects for
instruction are separated. The subjects are then arranged in a systematic and
logical sequence corresponding to the maturity of the learner. In this type the
simplest factor are placed in the beginning grades and the more difficult ones in
the latter grades. In general, the content areas are taught in isolation, with no
attempt at integration. To meet life satisfactorily, the learner must have a
command of essential subjects such as regional and foreign languages,
Mathematics, Nature Study, Physics, Chemistry, History, Geography, Literature,
Hygiene and Physical Education.
Characteristics of Subject Centered Curriculum
1) The content is universally true and hence is not affected by local
situation.
2) Learning a subject is based upon language activities talking, listening
and writing. It is explanatory in nature.
3) Emphasize on teaching subject matter, emphasizes on teaching specific
habits and skills as separate and isolated aspects of learning.
4) Subject matter is selected and organized before the teaching situation.
5) The teaching-learning process will be controlled by the teacher.

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6) Emphasize on teaching facts, imparting information require knowledge

for its own sake or for possible future use.
7) Emphasize on improving the methods of teaching and the subject
matter of specified subject.
8) Emphasize on uniformity of exposure to learning situations and in so
far as possible uniformity of learning results.
9) Education is considered as schooling in this design.
10)

Education as conforming to the patterns set by the curriculum and

its various associated instruments.

Supporter of subject centered curriculum design espouse an essentialistic
philosophy of education. Advocates also point out that not everything can be
studied at once, nor can any study be all inclusive. With the rapid increase in
knowledge, there simply has to be an ordered, segmented approach if one is to
teach a subject effectively. The separated subjects are a convenient way of
clarify knowledge so that it can be comprehended by students.
Thus, subject centered pattern is considered one of the most important
pattern in curriculum designing. It gives more importance to the subject rather
than other aspects. Subject-centered design is the universally accepted one.
Learner Centered Design:
The curriculum is to be varied and elastic, meeting individual differences
and adapted to individual needs and requirements. Satisfaction of the
child/learner nature is prior to his equipment for future life. Unsuitable and
uncongenial subjects of study lead to frustration among the children and often
hinder their normal development. The School and subjects are meant for the
learner and not the learner for the school. The learner is not to be victimized in
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the name of cultural heritage, mental discipline or sacramental fads. The

curriculum is to be learner centered where the subjects of study fall in line with
the child nature. Thus curriculum is to be psychologized. The subjects of study
are to be chosen that the learner is empowered to withstand the future demand,
but these subjects are to be in consonance with his interests and capabilities.
This does not mean that learner centered curriculum design is not directed
by the whims of the learner but rather than learning is more successfully
achieved if it is built upon the interests the learner has developed before formal
learning begins.
Characteristics of Learner-centered curriculum
1) Centered on learners
2) Emphasis on promoting all-round growth of learners.
3) Subject matter selected and organized co-operatively by learner during
learning.
4) Controlled and directed co-operatively by learners (pupils, teachers,
parents, supervisors, principals and others) in the learning situation.
5) Emphasizes on meanings immediate to improving living.
6) Emphasize on habits and skill as integral part of larger experiences.
7) Emphasis on understanding and improving through the process of
learning.
8) Emphasis on variability in exposure to learning and in results expected.
9) Emphasis aiding each child a socially creative individuality.
10)

Education considered a continuous intelligent process of growth.

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Activity centered Design:

According to educationists, curriculum brings out the skills of learners
through various activities. In activity-centered curriculum design, the student
learns the subject through interesting activities. These activities motivate the life
process. Activity-centered curriculum design gives importance to learning by
doing. Laboratory activities and field trips are considered as important method
of learning. This curriculum consists of the activities like weaving, box
preparation, preparing small model houses, etc. The activity-centered
curriculum design lays emphasis on the development of reasoning and inquiry
and exploration.
Activity-centered curriculum is a modern approach in curriculum
development. It is a reaction against the traditional curriculum which was
subject-centered or teacher dominated. Child centered education and activity
movement led to the concept of activity-centered curriculum.
Child-centered education requires active involvement of the child in the
educative process. Modern educationists like Rousseau, Dewey, Gandhi, and
Pestalozzi realized that education which does not influence child's conduct is
useless. Some such views are described as under.
Comenius View: "Whatever has to be learnt must be learnt by doing."
Rousseau's View: "Instead of making the child stick to his books I keep
him busy in the workshop, where his hands will work to the profit of his head."
Pestalozzi's View: "Verbal system of teaching neither suits neither the
faculties of the child nor the circumstances of life."
The importance of 'learning by doing' has been stressed by all other
educationists and psychologists like John Dewey, Piaget, Tagore, Gandhi, and
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Aurobindo and so on. The importance of activity principle led to the evolution
of various modern methods of teaching like Project Method, Dalton Plan, and
Problem-Solving Method.
In activity-centered curriculum, the subject-matter is presented through
activities and knowledge is the result of the purposeful activities performed.
Activity is the medium of imparting knowledge, teaching skills and developing
attitudes. Some of the views about activity curriculum are expressed as under:
According to John Dewey: "Activity curriculum is a continuous stream
of child's activities, unbroken by systematic subjects and springing from the
interests and personality felt needs of the child."
According to framers of Ward ha Scheme of Education: "We have
attempted to draft an activity curriculum which implies that our schools must be
the places of work, experimentation and discovery, and not of passive
absorption, imparted as second hand."
According to Secondary Education Commission: "The basis of
teaching must be the organization of the subject-matter into units of projects
which would create opportunities for self activity on the part of the students.
These should largely replace the formal lessons which lack proper motivation
and therefore, fail to arouse real interest."
Characteristics of activity centered curriculum design:
1) The curriculum should be framed based on the nature of students than the
subject matter.
2) Knowledge is the outcome of the activities is emphasized in this
curriculum.

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3) Activity-based curriculum prepares the students to face problems in their

future life.
4) Through activities, the subject matters and curricular materials are
organized by which students can learn more subjects within short
duration.
5) Though this curriculum is better in its nature, it needs more time and
more efforts.
6) Since it is activity based curriculum, it need some special facilities
particularly a big classroom, equipments and qualified teachers.
7) It is student-centered in nature.

Experienced centered curriculum design:

Good experience is the direct outcome of purposeful activity, the only
function that one experience can perform is to lead into another experience; and
the only fulfillment we can speak of is the reaching of a certain experienced
end, says William James. These thoughts have greatly inspired the modern
educational practices to organize curriculum on the basis of experience.
In the experienced centered curriculum design, the content, activities
and structure are designed to provide a series of purposeful experiences growing
out of the interest, purposes and need of the learners.
The experienced centered curriculum design is quite close to activity
centered curriculum. However, the experienced centered curriculum design lays
emphasis on the development of reasoning and inquiry and exploration. Every
purposeful activity ends in a healthy experience.
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An experience-centered curriculum "gives rich and varied experience of

knowledge, skills, attitudes and appreciation." It means a series of educative
experiences which grow out of pupil's needs, interests and purposes. Experience
is the end product of activity. An individual is active throughout his life as he is
always to respond to various stimuli in his physical and social environment. We
are, all the time, making adjustments in our environment. In the process of
interaction, we gain experiences.
In the words of John Dewey "Experience is a matter of the interaction of
organism with its environment, an environment that is human as well as
physical, that includes the materials of tradition and institution as well as local
surrounding." As we gain an .experience as a result of interaction, we conduct
further activities in the light of our previous experience and so on. William
James says, "the only function that one experience can perform is to lead into
another experience; and the only fulfillment we can speak of is the reaching of
certain experienced end."
Education is the continuous reorganization and reconstruction of
experiences. So we may define experience curriculum as "the curriculum that
consists of all the experiences that the child has irrespective of their character of
when or where they take place." At first, we take into account the experiences of
the child. On the basis of these experiences, some new problems, activities or
projects are planned.
These provide him more experiences and enrich his previous knowledge
or experiences. In this way, experience curriculum is ever developing. The
experiences are planned by taking activities or problems from real life and
related to the interests and needs of children. Therefore, the experiences are
purposeful. These are planned jointly by the teachers and the students. These
should be in tune with the growth and development of the child.
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Type of Experiences
The experience curriculum provides varied experiences to the pupils in
the class, in the school and even outside the school. The experiences are of two
types-direct and indirect.
(a) Direct Experiences. Direct experiences are obtained when the child is face
to face with a situation or when he is in direct contact with reality. For example,
working on the school farm or workshop, performing experiments in science
laboratory, field trips all provide direct experiences. Such experiences provide
first-hand knowledge. But such experiences are sometimes not possible or
desirable.
(b) Indirect Experiences. These experiences are acquired through some
medium e.g. through text-books, radio broadcasts etc. Even knowledge of new
topics can be provided through such experiences.
Direct and indirect experiences are complementary. Direct experiences
give a real touch to the indirect experience whereas indirect experiences supply
the detailed knowledge not available through direct experiences.

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REFERENCE
Books:
1) Arulsamy, Dr.S (2014). Curriculum Development. Neelkamal Publication
Pvt.Ltd Educational Publishers.
2) Dash, B.N (2007). Curriculum Planning and Development. New Delhi:
Dominant Publishers and Distributors.
3) Kalaiyarasan, Dr. G (2014). Curriculum Development. New Delhi: APH
Publishing Corporation.
Websites:
1) http://www.preservearticles.com/2012010920282/activity-centredcurriculum-is-a-modern-approach-in-curriculum-development.html
2) http://www.preservearticles.com/2012010920278/essay-on-experiencecentred-curriculum.html

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