lApproaches to

Curriculum Designing

Obenita, Mary Ann

Ortizano, Ritchelle
Nadela, Dorothy Joy
 Types of Curriculum Design Models

Subject- Learner-centered Problem-

centered design design centered design

Approaches to
Curriculum Design Models

Subject-centered Child or Learner- Problem-centered

appoach centered approach approach
Subject-centered
DESIGN
 Subject-Centered Design

-This is a curriculum design that focuses on the content of the

curriculum.
- The subject centered design corresponds mostly of the textbook,
written for the specific subject.

It describes:
• What needs to be studied?
• How it should be studied?
 Subject-Centered Design

Aim:
-to achieve excellence in the specific subject discipline content.
To teach students to be critical consumers of information

Drawback:
• The primary drawback of subject-centered curriculum design is that it is not student-
centered.
In particular, this form of curriculum design is constructed without taking into account the
specific learning styles of the students.

• This can cause problems with student engagement and motivation and may even cause
students
to fall behind in class.
Variation

Subject-centered curriculum
design has also some variations
which are focused on the
individual
subject, specific discipline,
and a combination of subjects
or disciplines which are broad
field or
interdisciplinary.
1 .1 SUBJECT DESIGN
Key questions:
1. What subject are you teaching? (Teacher)
2. What subject are you taking? (Students)
- oldest and the most familiar designs for teachers, parents, and other laymen
- traditional approach
- centers on the content

In the Philippine educational system, the number of subjects in the elementary

education is fewer than in the secondary level. In college, the number of
subjects also differs according to the degree programs being pursued. For each
subject, a curriculum is being designed.
1 .1 SUBJECT DESIGN

Advantage:
• easy to deliver
• Teachers are familiar with the format because they were educated also using
the design

Drawbacks/Disadvantages
• Learning is compartmentalized.
• It stresses so much on the content and forgets about students' natural
tendencies and experiences.
• The teachers becomes the dispenser of knowledge and the learners are the
empty vessel to receive information/content from theteacher.
1.2. Discipline Design

- This curriculum design model is related to the subject design. However,

while subject design centers only on the cluster of content, discipline designs
focuses on academic disciplines.

What are academic disciplines?

Discipline refers to specific knowledge learned through a method which the
scholars use to study a specific content of their fields.

Thus: Students in history should learn the subject matter like historians; students
in biology should learn how the biologists learn, and “Teachers should teach
how the scholars in the discipline will convey the particular knowledge.
1.2. Discipline Design

● Strengths: The discipline design engages the students so they can analyze
the curriculum and draw conclusions. It helps students to master the content
area and in turn increase independent learning.

● Level of Application: The discipline design model of curriculum is often

used in college and discipline becomes the degree program.
1.2. Discipline Design
1.3.Correlation Design
Comes from core, correlated curriculum design that links separate subject
designs in order to reduce fragmentation. Subjects are related to one another but
each subject maintains its identity.

Example: English literature and social studies correlate well. In the two
subjects, while history is being studied, different literary pieces during the
historical period are also being studied. The same is true with science becomes
the core, and mathematics is related to it as they are taken in chemistry, physics
and biology.

What level should it be used?

It is applicable to elementary, secondary, and college.
 1.4.Broad field Design / Interdisciplinary

-A variation of the subject-centered design

-This design was made to prevent the compartmentalization of the separate

subjects and integrate the contents that are related to each other.

-Sometimes called holistic curriculum

1.4.Broad field Design / Interdisciplinary

What levels
should it be use?

• It is applicable to
SHS and college.
SUMMARY
 Approaches to Curriculum Design Models
How will a particular design be approached by the teacher?

*The three major curriculum design models are implemented through the
different approaches that are accepted by the teachers and curriculum
practitioners. How the design is utilized becomes the approach to the
curriculum.*
Subject-centered Approach
- This is anchored on a curriculum design which prescribes separate distinct subjects for
every educational level: basic education, higher education or vocational-technical
education.

Principles of subject-centered approach

1. The primary focus is the subject matter.
2. The emphasis is on bits and pieces of information which may be detached from life.
3. The subject matter serves as a means of identifying problems of living.
4. Learning means accumulation of content, or knowledge.
5. Teacher's role is to dispense the content.
Learner-centered
DESIGN
 learner-Centered Design

- Among regressive educational psychologist, the learner is the

center of the educative process. The emphasis is very strong in the
elementary level, however, more concern has placed on the secondary
and even the tertiary levels. Although in high school, the subject or
content has become the focus, an in the college level the discipline is
the center, both levels still recognize the learner in the curriculum.

FOCUS: Learners
 learner-Centered Design

-In contrast, learner-centered curriculum design takes each individual's

needs, interests, and goals into consideration.

- Learner-centered curriculum design is meant to empower learners and

allow them to shape their education through choices.

Drawback: Labor-intensive
 2. 1 child-centered DESIGN

- this design is often attributed to the influence of John Dewey,

Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Froebel. This curriculum design is anchored
on the needs and interests of the child. The learner is not considered as a
passive individual but one who engages on his/her environment.

- One learns, by doing

-making certain that the curriculum fits the child, rather than the other
way around.
 2. 2 experience-centered DESIGN

-the design is similar to the child-centered design. Although the

focus, remains to be the child, experience-centered design believes that
the interests and needs of learners cannot b pre-planned. Instead,
experiences of the learners become the starting point of the curriculum,
thus the school environment is left open and free.
 2. 3 humanistic-centered DESIGN

- The key influence, in the curriculum design is Abraham Maslow

and Carl Rogers. Maslow’s theory of self-actualization explains that a
person who achieves this level is accepting of self,

-The person can achieve this state of self-actualization later in life but
has to start the process while still in school. Carl rogers on the other
hand, believe that a person can enhance self-directed learning by
improving self-understanding, the basic attitude to guide behavior.
OBJECTIVE: Self-development
 2. 3 humanistic-centered DESIGN

● is emphasizing students’ freedom to make

individual choices,
 child/ learner-Centered approach

- This approach to curriculum design is based on the underlying

philosophy, that the child or the learner is the center of the educational
process. It means that the curriculum is instructed, based on the needs,
interests, purposes and abilities of the learners. The curriculum is also
built upon the learners’ knowledge, skills, previous learnings and
potentials.
 learner-Centered principles

1. Acknowledge the fundamental rights of the child.

2. Make all activities revolve around the overall development of
the learner.
3. Consider the uniqueness of every learner in a multicultural
classroom.
4. Consider using differentiated instruction or teaching
5. Provide a motivating supportive learning environment for all
the learners.
● ADVANTAGES
- MAKES LERANING FUN, ENGAGING
-BEST FOR CHILDREN SINCE THEY
LEARN WHEN IT IS FUN
-ACTIVE LEARNING AND PARTICIPATION
-ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY, ORIGINALITY
-IT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT STUDENTS
HAVE DIFFRENT LEARNING STYLES
-IT FOSTERS COILLABORATIVE
LEARNING
● DISADVANTAGES
- LABOR-INTENSIVE
-OVERWHELMING (BECAUSE OF
CATERINMG NEEDS AND INTERESTS)
-HIGHLY TIME CONSUMING (BECAUSE
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTIONS)
2.problem-centered
DESIGN
 problem-Centered Design

● Generally, problem -centered design draws on social

problems, needs, interest and abilities of the learners.
Various problems are given emphasis. There are those
that center on life situations, contemporary life problems,
areas of living and etc.
 1 LIFE SITUATIONS DESIGN

- It uses the past and the present experiences of learners as a means to

analyze the basic areas of living.
- Based on Herbert Spencer's curriculum writing, his emphasis were
activities that sustain life, enhance life and aid on rearing children,
maintain the individuals social and political relations and enhance
leisure, tasks and feelings.
 1 LIFE SITUATIONS DESIGN

Assumptions:
● 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
 2 CORE PROBLEM DESIGN

● It centers on general education and the problems are based on the

common human activities. The central focus of the core design
includes common needs, problems and concerns of the learner.
A. Transformatory change
Gives emphasis on societal change, the world, all reals of culture and the
learner. The underlying philosophy are open system and post modernism.

B. Reconstructionist Design
Provide students with learning requisite for altering social, economic, &
political realities. Curriculum should foster social action, aimed at
reconstructing society. Students should be involved in creating a more equitable
society.
The core problem design was popularized by Faunce and Bossing in 1959,
they presented ways on how to proceed using core design of a curriculum.

Steps:
1. Make group consensus on important problems.
2. Develop criteria for selection of important problem.
3. State and Define the problems
4. Decide on areas of study, including class grouping.
5. List the needed information for resources.
6. Obtain and organize information.
7. Analyze and Interpret the information.
8. State the tentative conclusion
9. Present a report to the class individually or by group.
10. Evaluate the conclusion
11. Explore other avenues for further problems solving.
 
 
Problem-centered Approach
This approach is based on the design which assumes that in the process of living,
children experience problems.

This approach is characterized by the following view and beliefs:

1. The learners are capable of doing directing and guiding themselves in resolving
problems, thus developing every learner to be independent.

2. The learners are prepared to assume their civic responsibilities through direct
participation in different activities.

3. The curriculum leads the learners in the recognition of the concerns and problems in
seeking solutions. Learners are problem solvers themselves.
Thanks!

Nadela, Dorothy Joy

Obenita, Mary Ann
Ortzano, Ritchelle