SARAH JANE A.

BARNACHEA
EDUC 303 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND INSTRUCTIONAL MANAGEMENT
Professor Annette L. Gonzales
PART 1 FINALS

1. As an effective curriculum designer, enumerate the aspects that you need to consider. Provide
justifications.

As a one of the persons involved in effective curriculum design and implementation, there are
various aspects to consider in the making since it involves all the domains that needs to be developed by
the learners, the teachers and the community as well. Curriculum is the heart of teaching, without it,
teachers, learners and the community will not be guided throughout the process of growing in learning.
These are the following aspects that need to consider in crafting of effective curriculum design.

Curriculum design as learner centered. This is one of the aspects that a curriculum should put
into account, learners are integral part in designing of effective curriculum since it anchored all the skills
that a learner should develop during teaching-learning process. Learners learn best when they are
guided, and they would be able to understand the concept of learning such skills in formal education
process. When learners are able to cope with various learning areas to be studied, they would be able to
grow, discover their potentials and will become globally competitive individual equipped with
knowledge, skills and competence since they are nurtured under with an effective curriculum design that
centralize to the learners learning needs among individual regardless of socio-economic status, ethnicity,
physical handicaps, and racial affiliation.

The teachers as the implementers of effective curriculum design. Teachers are the ones who
teach and provide quality of education to the learners. In order to develop learner’s skills holistically,
teachers must understand the concept of why teaching aligning to the curriculum. Teachers are one of
the most important aspects in effective curriculum design, they are the giver, nurturer and developer.
Without them, curriculum would not be realized. Teachers should see all the dimensions that will affect
leaning before put it in the implementations. Teachers should be the one to identify the goals and
objective in making or crafting of curriculum, they must be directed, goal-oriented and back-up with
philosophy of education so that they would be able to formulate appropriate assessment that will achieve
educational goals, planning of activities, reading materials, and lesson plans align with students learning
abilities.
 The community where every learner belongs to. The community and people are one of the
aspects also in designing of effective curriculum. The designer must understand the language use of
every community so that they would be able to craft effective curriculum that is not biased to everyone
who will be the subject of the implementations.
Before crafting of curriculum, the implementer must undergo with a field study about a certain
community, evaluate the process and plan of organized phase so that the curriculum will be effective
because it is aligned with the community’s people and the language used is clear, readable to the people.

With these aspects, the curriculum becomes very effective since there is involvement of every
individual who transpired change, betterment and understanding among the concepts of a better
curriculum, it should not be made by the higher positions rather every single person must be part of the
curriculum making and implementation in order to have a best outcome and productive citizen in the
nation because learning affect change when everything is in good hands. Therefore, curriculum designer
must be a person who envisioned that every learner has a potential to develop and discover his/her
abilities beyond imaginations. And that’s what I am doing every day of my teaching since I am a better
half of the curriculum design of education.

2. Compare and contrast the different models. Which combination would you consider as most practical
and applicable in your situation.

The different models of curriculum are the following:

Hilda Taba, it specifies about the grassroot approach to curriculum development. According to
her that curriculum should be developed by teachers and teachers should diagnose the needs of the
students.

While, Tyler model of curriculum implies that there must be a special phase in planning, in
which emphasizes the importance of philosophy than on other criteria. He explained that curriculum
process involves selecting of educational objectives.

Additionally, Saylor, Alexander &Lewis explained that curriculum begins with clear educational
goals and objective and should identify the elements of curriculum development.
 Moreover, Oliva curriculum design, talks about the comprehensive step-by-step process should
be done, and must evaluate the source of curriculum and at the same time, allow students to participate
in the curriculum making.

These different models of curriculum development are trying to encapsulate that curriculum must
be understood by every individual who is part of the implementation. Although, they have different
insights and explanation, but everyone emphasizes that curriculum must be planned, and should be a
research based basically backed-up with educational philosophies in order not be lost during the process
and to implement it effectively, everyone must work hand-in-hand together to a better result and
outcome.

As to my takeaways and understanding about the models, the most considered yet practical
model that is applicable in todays generation is the model of Taba and Oliva. These two models are very
applicable since, nowadays, teachers are having a diagnostic test to identify the level of every learner in
his learning phase. And through a diagnostic, teacher will come up to develop his own teaching
techniques and strategies aligning to the student’s level of learning acquisition. And also, curriculum
designs are learner-centered which means that during the making of the current curriculum (K-12), the
designers are observing the students as the participants of the implementation, and they are evaluating its
sources prior to the actual implementations.

As a whole concept, all the models are applicable only that the on-going K-12 curriculum do not
really emphasize the philosophical backbones of the spiral curriculum and the goals and objectives are
not clearly stated that make the curriculum implementers who are the teachers became ambiguous to the
process of implementation that’s why this curriculum is not really that effective. So, I’d prefer only Taba
and Oliva.

3. Evaluate the existing curriculum that you are currently using. What changes/ innovations do you like to
apply or implement?

The existing curriculum that we are using is the K-12 curriculum in the Department of
Education. This curriculum is a learner-centered curriculum, focused on skills by every learner to be
developed inside the classroom. However, this curriculum does not seek to provide quality assurance
especially in our place. the design focused on central school where learners have fast learning phase.
While contrary to far flung areas, learners have difficulty to cope and learn well that’s the reason why
reading is very poor, because K-12 curriculum provides many areas to the learners to be studied, there is
no focus and teachers have difficulty on teaching since every learner inside the classroom has a diverse
intelligence. This scene daily encountered by the teachers that later it fossilized and allowing learners go
to next grade without even leaning effectively. Until it became culture by far flung schools so then there
is no learning at all. When checking of reading literacy and comprehension it is very sad because the
problem arises due to the curriculum itself. Curriculum must be understood and the implementers must
have competence in each of the curriculum so that it will be in progressive way and learners will become
more competent in such a way they really know where their fields are in terms of learning
specializations.

The changes or innovations that I would like to apply or implement in this existing curriculum
are the assessments, areas to be studied in every grade level and as well as learning materials such as
textbooks, LM’s and TM’s. I believe that there is no perfect in terms of design, vision and mission, but
if we believe the beauty of everyone’s dream, we can have a better curriculum design that is life-long
learning, progressive and everyone who is done studying under this innovative curriculum he/she may
get a nice job with high compensation. Then the world is in better place where no one is left behind.

Therefore, innovations with the use of technology-based education must be highlighted in every
curriculum design and implementations in the Department of Education. Every school must have
internet connectivity where every learner has free access to it, computers must be widely distributed and
advancement must put into account so that change happens steadfastly. Innovations determine how
effective curriculum is and how well learners perform. Exploratory and discovery are ways to create
innovative yet advance technology-based education and everything started with a proper mindset of the
curriculum implementers. Every voice is heard if anyone listens and act with the platforms that
education is not learners learning phase poor rather the curriculum is in crisis because it is not well
implemented. Hoping that the MATATAG curriculum is the innovative curriculum and will provide
quality education even in a very far up town school.