INTRODUCTION:

According to Achuonye & A joke, (2013), the curriculum development process

refers to the process of planning learning opportunities intended to bring about
certain changes in pupils and the assessment of the extent to which these
changes have taken place. As a teacher, this means that you have to know very
clearly what you want your students to achieve. Then you also have to decide
how you intend to do this. And finally, you need to consider to what extent you
have succeeded in your attempt- Abie, (2015).

While Ralph Tyler provided for a four curriculum development process known as
the linear model that gives little or no room for corrections to be made at each
stage of development, D. K. Wheeler propounded five curriculum development
process popularly known as cyclic model which gives room for proper correction
to be made at each stage of development. Hence, Curriculum development is
defined as planned, a purposeful, progressive, and systematic process to create
positive improvements in the educational system. Every time there are changes or
developments happening around the world, the school curricula are affected.
There is a need to update them to address the society’s needs.

Premised on the foregoing submissions, it is sacrosant adopting the cylic model of

Wheeler which includes:

i) Aims, goals and objectives

ii) Selection of learning experience

iii) Selection of content

iv) Selection of learning experience and content

v) Evaluation.

However, for the purpose of this work, I will be discussing only two elements of
curriculum development process which are learning experience and learning
content.

A). CONCEPT OF LEARNING EXPERIENCE

The term learning experience is defined by Tyler as "the interaction between the
learner and the external conditions in the environment to which he can react". It
is an activity which may be planned by the class teacher but performed by the
learner for the purpose of achieving some important learning objectives- Abie,
(2019). It is also refers to as those things that learners do in learning situations in
order to learn.

There is clear difference between learning experience and previous experience.

While learning experience has to do with those activities that learners engage in,
in order to bring about certain changes in their behavior in the desired direction,
previous experience according to Ochoma, (2015) entails what the learner have
learnt previously that is related to the new topic and will help them understand
the new topic.

It should be noted that it is possible for each student in the class to have a
different experience even though the external conditions appear to be the same.
Take for instance a teacher can be in a classroom stating problems to a group of
learners. While some of them show interest in the employing that problems to
better their lots, others are still carried away by external factors without utilizing
anything.

CONCEPT OF CURRICULUM CONTENT:

Curriculum content consist of all the knowledge, skills, attitude and values that
are designed to be studied by the learner. It is an organization or prescribed
pattern of subject matter which addresses the needs, problems, desires, values
and dreams of a society, designed to be achieved through the school. It includes
issues in the society about the child, and knowledge needed to achieve set
objectives.

In school, at times we equate the curriculum with the content. We lay so much
emphasis on content so much that we forget to teach any other thing, except a
knowledge of the content. It is important to teach other things since the content
alone cannot produced an educated person.

B) CRITERIA FOR SELECTING LEARNING EXPERIENCES

1. Validity: A learning experience is said to be valid if it is related to the objectives
of the lesson. Since learning experiences are expected to be geared toward the
attainment of instrumental objectives, there should be an intimate relationship
between the said objective and the selected learning experiences. If objectives
are in the cognitive, affective or psycho-motor domains, the learning experiences
must be such that the objectives can be achieved through them.

2 Variety: Learning experiences must be selected to promote the students total

development and growth. Thus, if it possible to provide several learning
experiences for the attainment of some objectives, it is necessary to do so in
order that learners can engage in those that interest them. The idea of the
individual differences suggest that learners differs in their interest and abilities.
This idea when applied to the planning of learning experience would underline
the need for a variety of learning experiences so that each learner takes up the
activity that pleases him most.

3. Relevant to life experience: It is important that any learning experience being

planned for learners must relate to situations that the learners will encounter in
school and in the society. Communities in Nigeria establish schools with the hope
that that products of the schools will in turn, serve the communities. It is
necessary therefore to ensure that the program of activities of the school should
relate to situations the situations learners will encounter in life, both as students
and outside the school.

4. Suitability: A learning experience should be suitable for the ability levels of the
learners for whom it is planned. Thus, a learning experience should neither be too
complex nor too easy. If it is too complex, it defeats its purpose since it will end
up discouraging the learners. If on the other hand it is too easy, it becomes trivial
and unchallenging. So a good learning experience should be adequate for the
levels of the learners.

C) CRITERIA FOR SELECTING CONTENT

1. Validity: Content should relate to the objectives which is intended to serve. It
should promote the outcomes which it is intended for. It should help us to
achieve the objectives of the curriculum.

2. Significance: Curriculum content is significant if it is logically controlled enough

to apply to a wide range of problems. In other words, we should go for those
ideas, principles and topics that make significant contribution to knowledge in the
discipline. In a subject like History for instance, important subject matter should
include things like kingdoms and empires, British encroachment, African
resistance, Colonialism, Nationalism etc. Knowledge of these kind is needed
repeatedly.

3. Utility: Content should be able to develop ability to perform life activities such
as language, health, social, religious and other activities. The criteria of utility is
met when the selected content develops the students for living, provides a
functional experience, having a relationship to real life situation in and out of
school.

4. Durability: Knowledge is rapidly changing and content can easily become

obsolete. Thus, we should avoid information which becomes obsolete very easily.
For instance, that frequent increase in the number of states in Nigeria does not
necessitate the inclusion of such knowledge as part of the curriculum content.

D) IMPORTANCE OF CONTENT AND LEARNING EXPERIENCE TO STANDARD OF

EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Learning experience and content are important for a number of reasons as

explained below:

i) They facilitate the attainment of instrumental objectives. This is because they

are selected with the objectives of the lesson in mind. Learning experience
reinforces the effect of content, and so makes it possible for learners to
understand the subject matter better.

ii) Learning experience and content help learners to retain what is learned much
longer. This is because when the students are engaged in activities, they did not
only appropriate the lesson better, but in addition, the learning is internalized and
remain with the learner.

iii) Learning experiences and content make the teaching and learning situation
interesting and lively. If the teacher teaches without exposing students to
activities, the learning situation becomes dull and monotonous.

iv) When students engage in activities, they develop certain skills and other
personality qualities such as problem solving ability, initiative and tolerance of
each others. Group activities therefore promote healthy interpersonal
relationship among students.

v) Learning experience and content lead to improved performances of the class as

a whole. This is because even the dull members of the class are giving the
opportunity to benefit through meaningful activities in the course of the teaching
and learning process.

CONCLUSION

D. K. Wheeler propounded the cyclic model of curriculum which encompasses five

different curriculum development process. However, two out of the five
curriculum development process were thoroughly discussed.

Major things that were captured in the work include the concept of selection of
learning experience and content, criteria for selecting content and learning
experiences, as well as the relevance of content and learning experience to the
standard of education in Nigeria.

REFERENCE:

Abie, S. (2019). Curriculum studies: Theory and practice. Port Harcourt: Emmanest
Ventures and data communication.
Achuonye, K. A. and Ajoku, L. I. (2013). Foundations of curriculum development
and implementation. Port Harcourt: Pearl publishers.

Ochoma, M. U. (2016). Handbook on teaching skills: Methods and practices. Port

Harcourt: Crystal publishers.