Curriculum

Design
 Curriculum Design

 is the statement which identifies the

elements of a curriculum, states
what their relationships are to each
other, and indicates the principles of
organization and requirement of that
organization for the administrative
conditions under which it is to
operate.
(Hilda Taba, 1962)
Elements of Curriculum
Design
 Aims, Goals, and Objectives
 Subject Matter
 Learning Experiences
 Evaluation Approaches
 Sources for Curriculum
Design
 Science
 Society
 Eternal and Divine Sources
 Knowledge
 Learner
 Science as a Source

 Scientific method provides meaning

for the curriculum design
 Designs that stress learning how to
learn or “thinking” curricula
emphasize scientific procedures
 Coincides with the scientific and
rational world of Western culture
 Society as a Source

 School is an agent of society, thus

the school should draw its ideas for
the curriculum from the analysis of
the social situation
 Curriculum design can only be
completely understood if it is
contextualized socially,
economically, and politically
 Eternal and Divine
Sources
 Draw on the past for guidance
as to what is appropriate
content
 Related to eternal truth
revealed through such sources
as the Bible or other religious
documents
Knowledge as a Source

 Disciplined Knowledge
• has a particular method or methods
by which scholars extend its
boundaries
 Undisciplined Knowledge
• does not have unique content, but
has content that is clustered
according to the focus of the
investigation
The Learner as a Source

 Curriculum should be derived

from what we know about the
learner---how he learns. Forms
attitudes, generates interests,
and develops values
 Design Dimension
Considerations
 Scope
 Sequence
 Continuity
 Integration
 Articulation
 Balance
 Scope

 breath and depth of curriculum

content
 Sequence

 vertical relationship among

curricular areas
 the occurrence and reoccurrence
of content and experiences so that
students will have opportunities to
connect and enrich their
understanding of the curriculum
presented or experienced
 Continuity

 vertical manipulation or
repetition of curriculum
components
 Integration

 linking of all types of knowledge

and experiences contained
within the curriculum plan
 enables the individual to
comprehend knowledge as
unified
 Articulation

 Vertical Articulation
• depicts the relationships of certain
aspects in the curriculum sequence to
lessons, topics, or courses appearing
later in the program’s sequence
 Horizontal Articulation
• refers to the association between or
among elements occurring
simultaneously
 Balance

 giving appropriate weight to

each aspect of the design so
that distortions do not occur
 Representative
Curriculum Designs
 Subject-Centered Designs
 Learner-Centered Designs
 Problem-Centered Designs
 Subject-Centered
Designs
 Subject Design
 Discipline Design
 Broad Fields Design
 Correlation Design
 Process Design
 Subject Design

 Based on the belief that what makes

humans unique and distinctive is
their intellect and the searching for
and attainment of knowledge are the
natural fulfillment of that intellect
 Curriculum is organized according to
how essential knowledge has been
developed in the various subject
areas
 Subject Design-Strengths
& Weaknesses

 Emphasis on verbal  Prevents

activities individualization
 Disempowers students
 Introduces  Fails to foster social,
students to the psychological, and
essential physical development
knowledge of  Compartmentalizes
society learning
 Easy to deliver
 Neglects students’
needs, interests,
 Traditional experiences
 Fosters passivity
 Discipline Design

 Based on the inherent

organization of content
 The manner in which content is
learned is suggested by the
methods scholars employ to
study the content of their fields.
 Discipline Design-
Strengths &
Weaknesses
 Students attain  Ignores information
mastery of that cannot be
classified as
content and
disciplined
independent knowledge
learning  Addresses only the
 Subjects to be interests of the
taught to any college bound
child at any stage  Students must
of development adapt to the
curriculum
 Broad Fields Design
(Interdisciplinary)
 Attempts to integrate content that
appears to fit together logically
 Allows students to discern relationships
among the various aspects of the
curriculum content, as well as
wholeness of meaning
 Students are invited to participate
through the construction of meaning in
grasping the meaning or meanings of the
whole
 Broad Fields- Strengths
& Weaknesses
 Allows students to  Issue of breadth
discern vs depth
relationships
among various
aspects of
curriculum content
 Students
participate in the
construction of
meaning
 Correlation Design

 Allows for some linkage of

separate subjects in order to
reduce fragmentation of the
curricular content
Correlation- Strengths &
Weaknesses
 Allows linkage  Requires
of some alternative
subjects to forms of
reduce scheduling
fragmentation  Requires
teachers to plan
differently
(cooperatively)
 Process Design

 Gives attention to the procedures

and processes by which individuals
advance knowledge, either in
specific disciplines or in general
 Emphasizes those procedures and
dispositions to act that enable
students to analyze their realities
and create frameworks by which the
knowledge derived can be arranged
 Process- Strengths &
Weaknesses
 Teaches how to  Lacks emphasis
learn and think on content
critically
 Learner-Centered
Designs
 Child Centered Designs
 Experience-Centered Designs
 Romantic (Radical) Designs
 Humanistic Designs
 Child Centered Designs

 Students must be active in their

environments if we are to
optimize learning
 Curriculum should be based on
students’ lives, needs, and
interests
 Child-Centered
Strengths &
Weaknesses
 Empowers  Content not
students specific
through
ownership of
knowledge
 Allows for
constructivist
learning
 Experience Centered
Designs
 Everything has to be done “on
the spot”---we cannot anticipate
the interests and needs of
children
 Experience Centered
Strengths &
Weaknesses
 Based on  Not specific
natural
experiences of
children
 Romantic (Radical)
Designs
 Emancipation is the goal of education
 Individuals should gain those
awarenesses, competencies, and attitudes
to enable them to take control of their
lives
 Learning results from the interaction
among people; by challenging content and
permitting different views about the
content, as well as from critiquing the
purposes of the information presented
 Romantic Strengths &
Weaknesses
 Emancipates the  Threatens
learner status quo
 Humanistic Designs

 The focus of attention should be on

the subject nature of human
existence; there is a relationship
between learning and feeling
 Empowering individuals
 Stress the development of positive
self-concept and interpersonal skills
 Humanistic Strengths
&Weaknesses
 Promotes self esteem  Inadequate consideration
of methods in light of
 Empowers individuals consequences for learners
 Inconsistent emphasis on
uniqueness of individuals
and activities that all
students experience
 Too much emphasis on the
needs of the individual
over the overall society
 Does not integrate what is
known about human
learning and development
 Problem-Centered
Designs
 Life-Situations Design
 Core Design
 Social problems and
Reconstructionist Designs
 Life Situation Design

 Persistent life situations are crucial to a society’s

successful functioning; it makes sense to organize
a curriculum around them
 Students will see direct relevance to what they are
studying if the content is organized around aspects
of community life
 By having students study social or life situations,
they not only study ways to improve society but
become directly involved in that improvement
Life Situations Strengths &
Weaknesses

 Presents subject  How to determine

matter in an scope and
integrated manner sequence of
 Encourages essential areas of
students to learn learning
and apply problem  Does not expose
solving student
procedures adequately to their
cultural heritage
 Relevant
 Nontraditional
 Core Design

 Centers on general education

and is based on problems
arising out of common human
activities
 Core Strengths &
Weaknesses
 Unifies content  Nontraditional
 Provides relevant  Ignores the
subject matter
fundamentals
 Encourages active
processing of
 Materials are
information hard to find
 Fosters democratic  Requires an
processes in the exceptional
classroom teacher
 Social Problems and
Reconstructionist
Design
 Curriculum should address
contemporary social problems
and social action projects
aimed at reconstructing society
 Educators will effect social
change and create a more just
society