MODULE II Crafting the Curriculum

LESSON 1 Curriculum Design Models

Purita P.Bilbao, Ed.D.

Introduction

As a teacher, one has to be a curriculum designer, curriculum implementor and a curriculum

evaluator. These threefold functions are embedded in the teaching profession. Every single day, a
teacher plans, implements and evaluates the curriculum in school. Hence it would be of great help to
know school curricula are being made or crafted.

This module provides a background on curriculum designs, the dimensions and some principles
that go with each and some curricular approaches.

Lesson 1 – Curriculum Design Models

TAKE-OFF

Crafting a curriculum is like writing a lesson plan. It is like making something with the different
components, and putting them together in a very creative way. It is a task that all teachers should know
and understand, or better still, to know how to craft one.

This lesson will present different design models of curriculum. This will guide you to discover
that curricula are organized in many ways. Let us study some of them.

FOCUS

Generally speaking, a curriculum can be organized either horizontally or vertically. Horizontal

organization means, that the direction of the curriculum elements is sideways. For example, the subject
social studies moves horizontally along history, geography, civics and culture. Taking contents in
mathematics and relating these to science is also an example of horizontal curriculum design. On the
other hand, using a vertical arrangement or sequence of curricular elements follow a vertical design. For
example in social studies content, putting the “family” ahead of the topic “community” is vertical
articulation or in science the bigger topic on “living things” comes ahead of topics on “plants” and
“animals”.

Curriculum design may also follow the following structures.

1. Subject-centered design model- This model focuses on the content of the curriculum. The
subject centered design corresponds mostly to the textbook, written for the specific subject.
Henry Morrison and William Harris are the few curricularists who were firm believers of tis
design. In this instance, schools divide the school hours to different subjects such as reading,
grammar, literature, mathematics, science, history and geography. In the Philippines, our
curricula in any level is also divided in different subjects or courses. Most of the schools using
this kind of structure aim for excellence in the subject matter content. Examples of subject-
centered curriculum are included below.
a. Subject design – What subjects are you teaching? What subjects are you taking? These are
two sample questions to which the teacher and the learner can easily give an answer. It is so
because they are familiar with the subject design curriculum.
Subject design curriculum is the oldest and so far the most familiar design for teachers,
parents and other laymen. According to the advocates, subject design has an advantage
because it is easy to deliver. Complementary books are written and support instructional
materials are commercially available. Teachers are familiar with the format, because they
were also educated using the design. 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.
However, the drawback of this design is that sometimes, learning is so
compartmentalized. It stresses so much the content that it forgets about students’’ natural
tendencies, interests and experiences. The tendency of the teacher is to pour in so much
content to the leaner so that the students become simply the empty vessel that receive the
information or content.
b. Discipline design – this curriculum model is related to the subject design. However, while
subject design centers only on the cluster of content, discipline design focuses on academic
disciplines. Discipline refers to specific knowledge learned through a method which the
scholars use to study a specific content of their fields. Students in history should learn the
subject matter like historians, students in biology should learn how biologists learn, and so
with students in mathematics should learn how mathematicians learn. In the same manner,
teachers should teach how the scholars in the discipline will convey the particular
knowledge.
The discipline design model of curriculum is often used in college, but not in the

elementary or secondary levels. So from the subject-centered curriculum, curriculum moves

higher to a discipline when their career path or disciplines as science, mathematics, psychology,
humanities, history and others. Discipline becomes the degree program.

c. Correlation design – this comes from a 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. For example, English literature and social
studies correlate well in the elementary level. Ion the two subjects, while history is being
studied, different literary pieces during the historical period are being studied. The same is
true when science becomes the core, mathematics is related to it, as they are taken in
chemistry, physics and biology. Another example is literature as the core and art, music,
history, geography will be related to it. To use correlated design, teachers should come
together and plan their lessons cooperatively.
d. Broad field design/interdisciplinary – Broad field or interdisciplinary design is a variation of
the subject-centered design. This design was made to prevent the compartmentalization of
subjects and integrate the contents that are related to each other. Thus subjects such as
geography, economics, political science, anthropology, sociology and history are focused
into one subject called social studies. Language arts will include grammar, literature,
linguistics, spelling, and composition.
 Sometimes called holistic curriculum, broad field design draws around themes and
integration.
2. Learner-Centered Design- Among the progressive educational psychologists, the learner is the
center of the educative process. This emphasis is very strong in the elementary level, however
more concern has been placed on the secondary and even the tertiary levels. Although in high
school, the subject or content has become the focus and in the college level, the discipline is the
center, both levels still recognize the importance of the learner in the curriculum.
Here are some examples of the learner-centered designs.
a. Child-centered design – this design is often attributed to the influence of John Dewey,
Rouseau (naturalism), Pestallozi (Orbis pictus) and Froebel (Father of Kindergarten, play
group). The curriculum design is anchored on the needs and interests of the child. The
learner is not considered as a passive individual but as one who engages with his/her
environment. One learns by doing. Learners actively create, construct meanings and
understanding as viewed by the constructivists. In the child-centered design, learners
interact with the teachers and the environment, thus there is a collaborative effort on both
sides to plan lessons, select content and do activities together. Learning is a product of the
child’s interaction with the environment.
b. Experience-centered design- This design is similar to the child-centered design. Although,
the child remains to be the focus, experience-centered design believes that the interests
and needs of learners cannot be pre-planned. Instead, experiences of the learners become
the starting point of the curriculum, thus the school environment is left open and free.
Learners are made to choose from various activities that the teacher provides. The learners
are empowered to shape their own learning from the different opportunities given by the
teacher. In a school where experience-centered curriculum is provided, different learning
centers are found, time is flexible and children are free to make options. Activities revolve
around different emphasis such as touching, feeling, imagining, constructing, relating and
others. The emergence of multiple intelligence theory blends well with experience-centered
curriculum.
c. Humanistic design- The key lead personalities in this curriculum design were Abraham
Maslow and Carl Rogers. Maslow’s theory of self-actualization explains that a person who
achieves this level is accepting of self, others and nature; is simple, spontaneous and
natural; is open to different experiences; possesses empathy and sympathy towards the less
fortunate, among many others. 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,
believed that a person can enhance self-directed learning by improving self-understanding
and basic attitudes to guide behavior.

In a humanistic curriculum design, the development of self is the ultimate objectives of

learning. It stresses the whole person and the integration of thinking, feeling and doing. It
considers the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains to be interconnected and must be
addressed in the curriculum. It stresses the development of positive self-concept and
interpersonal skills.
3. Problem-Centered Design – Generally, problem-centered design draws on social problems,
needs, interest and abilities of the learners. Various problems are given emphases. There are
those that center on life situations, contemporary life problems, areas of living and many others.
In this curriculum, content cuts across subject boundaries and must be based on the needs,
concerns and abilities of the students. Two examples are given for the problem-centered design
curriculum.
a. Life-situations design – What makes the design unique is that the contents are organized in
ways that allows students to clearly view problem areas clearly. It uses the past and the
present experiences of learners as a means to analyze the basic areas of living. As a starting
point, the pressing immediate problems of the society and the student’s existing concerns
are utilized. Based on Herbert Spencer’s curriculum writing, his emphases were activities
that sustain life, enhance life, aid in rearing children, maintain the individual’s social and
political relations and enhance leisure, tasks and feelings. The connection of subject matter
to real situations increases the relevance of the curriculum.
b. Core design – Another example of problem-centered design is core design. It centers on
general education and the problems are based on common human activities. The central
focus of the core design includes common needs, problems, concerns of the learners.
Popularized by Faunce and Bossing in 1959, they presented ways on how to proceed
following a core design of a curriculum as follows:
1. The problem is selected by either the teacher or students.
2. A group consensus is made to identify the important problems and interest of the class.
3. Problems are selected on the basis of developed criteria for selection.
4. The problem is clearly stated and defined.
5. Areas of study are decided, including dividing the class by individual or group interests.
6. Needed information is listed and discussed.
7. Resources for obtaining information are listed and discussed.
8. Information is obtained and organized.
9. Information is analyzed and interpreted.
10. Tentative conclusions are stated and tested.
11. A report is presented to the class on an individual or group basis.
12. Conclusions are evaluated.
13. New avenues of exploration toward further problem solving are examined.

These are some examples of curriculum designs. There are many more which are emerging and
those that have evolved in the past. The example given may be limited, however for our
purposes, they can very well represent curriculum designs.

TAKE ACTIONS

A. With the use of the knowledge gained in the presentation above, choose one (1) of the
three activities in this lesson. You may work in groups of five.

Activity 1- The Basic Education Curriculum

Get hold of the Department of Education Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) curriculum.
Borrow this from any teacher in the public school. Study the curriculum and answer the
questions that follow:
 1. Do you find the curriculum elements existing in the BEC? Identify two (2) examples of each
element. Include these in your portfolio collection.
2. In the BEC itself, you may find several curriculum designs which were presented before.
Identify at least three (3) designs and explain.

Activity 2- Secondary Education Curriculum

Get hold of the DepEd Secondary Education Curricula. Borrow this from the principal or any high
school teacher. Study the curriculum and answer the two (2) items that follow.

1. Do you identify the elements of the curriculum in the written curriculum that you borrowed?
Identify two (2) examples of each element. Include the examples in your portfolio collection.
2. What curriculum design do you find in the high school? Identify and give examples or explain.

Activity 3- Tertiary Education Curriculum (Your Degree Program)

Borrow a syllabus from any of your college teachers. This is an example of a written curriculum.
Study this and answer the two items that follow.

1. What elements of a curriculum do you find in the syllabus? Copy at least two (2) examples of
each element and include these in your portfolio collection.
2. Can you identify, what curriculum design or designs your teacher is using? Identify and give
explanation to the design you have identified.
B. Further action.
1. Go to the library or search the internet and read about the following persons. Find out
how each person influenced curriculum designs. Add this information to your portfolio
collection.
a. Carl Rogers
b. Abraham Maslow
c. Henry Morisson
d. John Dewey
e. Friedrich Froebel

REFLECT

1. Which of the curriculum design do you prefer? Why?

2. If there is a need to modify something in your college curriculum, in what aspects are these?
How?
SELF-CHECK

A. Quick Match. To quickly check on what you have learned, match Column A with Column B. on
Column A you will find descriptions of Curriculum Designs. Match these with appropriate names
of Curriculum Designs.

Column A (Descriptions) Column B (Curriculum Designs)

1. The development of the self is the ultimate A. Subject-centered
objective of learning.
2. Draws around themes and is interdisciplinary. It B. Humanistic design
reduces compartmentalization of separate
subjects.
3. Content-centered, mostly patterned after C. Broad fields
textbooks. School hours are allotted into different
separate subject areas.
4. Usually learning centers are provided in the D. Problem centered
classrooms. Learners are made to choose from
various activities that the teacher provides.
5. Contents cut across subject boundaries thus E. Experience centered
problems are not subject specific. They center on
the life situations.
B. Identification. Who is this person?
1. With William Harris, he is a firm believer of the subject centered curriculum design.
2. He proposed the theory of self-actualization which influenced the humanistic curriculum
design.
3. “One learns by doing.” This is his popular belief.
4. His writings became the basis of life situation design, where learning activities include those
which sustain and enhance life, and maintain social and political relations.
5. He believed that a person can enhance self-directed learning or learning how to learn by
improving self-understanding.