Module 8: The Cyclical and Dynamic Curriculum Development Models

In this module, the lessons focus on the cyclical and dynamic curriculum models.
Understanding these curriculum development models will enable the students to
consider various models for curriculum design, appreciate how essential it is for the
curriculum to be internally consistency if students are to be successful in achieving
stated program outcomes, and appreciate the significance of a course syllabus.
Student Learning Objectives (SLO)
 Identify the various cyclical and dynamic models
 Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each one
 Appreciate the teacher’s course syllabus as part of a curriculum
Content
I. Cyclical Curriculum Development Models
The cyclical models prescribe a cyclical or continuous process of
curriculum
development. It is usually start with situational analysis that serve as the basis
for all succeeding process.

A. Nicholls and Nicholls Curriculum Development Model

It start with the Situational Analysis followed by the selection of
objectives followed by selection and organization of content followed by
selection and organization of method followed by evaluation.

Figure 1. Nicholls and Nicholls Curriculum Development Model

 The model is highly prescriptive and dynamic. The inclusion of
situational analysis as part of the model is a valuable principle in
 curriculum development.
 It enables the curriculum workers to understand better the context
in which the curriculum is developed.
 The model also recognizes the influence and importance of
contributing disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, and
sociology in developing the curriculum.
 The cyclical nature of the model also enables curriculum workers
in making the necessary changes and adjustments in the total
curriculum.
 The model of Nicholls and Nicholls (1978) advocates a curriculum
development activity that involves continuous improvement.
 There is a little weakness found in this model. This is time
consuming, as situational analysis is long time process and difficult
to maintain logical sequential analysis.
B. Wheeler’s Curriculum Development Model
This model of curriculum development (1967), or cyclic model,
asserts that curriculum should be a continuous cycle which is
responsive to changes in the education sector and makes appropriate
modifications to account for these changes. It targets situational
evaluation: the framework in which the curriculum decisions are taken
is considered important, as this is believed to help make the very best
decisions. This model is comprised of five interconnected phases:
 Development of Aims, Goals and Objectives
 Selection of Learning Experience
 Selection of Contents
 Organization and Integration of Learning Experiences and
content
 Evaluation
This model is also rational in nature, each phase is a logical
development of a preceding one. One cannot proceed to the next
phase
unless the preceding phase is done.
C. The Contextual Filters Model of Course Planning ( Stark Lowther,
Bentley , Ryan, Martens, Genthon, Wren, and Shaw, 1990)
 This model appeared in the book ” Shaping the College
Curriculum” published in 1997. The model is very teacher
centered and describes the reality on how college faculty
members design their courses. This model is based on a
research on how faculty members in several higher education
institutions in the United States plan their curriculum.
 Course Planning are courses serve as the structural building
blocks of curricula characterized as decision making about the
selection, organization, and sequence of routine (Yinger
2011).
 There are three important features of this model.
1. Content influences – encompass faculty members’
background and associated disciplinary and educational
beliefs.
2. Contextual influences – refer to the influences outside of
the instructor’s immediate control that cause adjustments
in the course plans such as student characteristics or
instruction resources.
3. Course Decisions (Form) – includes the processes that are
followed when designing courses (Stark and Latucca,
1997)
 This model is very teacher – centered. This could have been
very helpful for faculty members, especially for neophyte
instructors, who do not have background knowledge in
education. However, in this model, how content and process
are arranged failed to elaborate.
 Figure. 2. The Contextual Filters Model of Course Planning

II. Dynamic Models of Curriculum Development

The dynamic models describe how curriculum workers develop curricula
in
various educational context. These are usually used in school-based settings.

A. Walker’s Model
 Decker Aalker developed a model for curriculum development
and first published it in 1971.
 He contented that curriculum developers do not follow the
prescriptive approach of the rational linear sequence of
curriculum elements when they develop circular. In his model
walker was particularly interested on how curriculum workers
actually do their task in curriculum development.
 As shown in Figure 3, Walker was able to identify three
phases, the platform, deliberation and design.
 Figure. 3. Walker’s Naturalistic Model
1. Platform Phase - walker suggested that curriculum workers bring
with them their individual beliefs, knowledge and values.   they
have their own ideas about how to do their task and they are
prepared to discuss and argue about them.  the first phase is
similar to the idea of print 1993 of a curriculum presage.
2. Deliberation Phase – involves identifying which facts are needed
for means and ends generating alternatives and considering the
consequences of these alternatives.  This    phase is also  used in
weighing alternative costs and consequences and choosing the
best for the curriculum task they are about to do.
3. Design - The third phase and which involves planning decision-
making and actual development of the curriculum.
 Walker's model is a dynamic and descriptive model of curriculum
development.  It reflects the realities of how curriculum workers plan
and develop a curriculum and organizes the role and in curriculum
workers in any curriculum development task.
 The model being dynamic, can be confusing to other curriculum
workers who are not aware of the necessary processes of curriculum
development. In addition, there is a strong tendency of the curriculum
development to be stuck in Phase 2.

B. Skilbeck’s Curriculum Development Model

Skilbeck model locates curriculum design and development firmly within
a cultural framework. It views such design as a means whereby teachers
modify and transform pupil experience through providing insights into cultural
values, interpretative frameworks and symbolic systems.
 C. Eisner’s Artistic Approach to Curriculum Development
Elliot W. Eisner was a famous curriculum scholar. In 1979, he
published the book The Educational Imagination where he presented his
idea on how curriculum development should be done. Eisner (1979)
believed that there is a need to develop a new theory that recognizes the
artistry of teaching which is useful in helping teachers develop those
arts.
in his books.
This is an approach to evaluation, emphasize to qualitative
appreciation. According to Elliot Eisner, it is important to get into the
details of what is actually happening inside the classroom.
Eisner’s developed and proposed the Connoisseurship model on the
belief that knowledgeable or expert evaluator can determine whether a
particular curriculum program has been successful using a combination
of skills and experience.
Eisner outlined how artistic this approach can also be used
in curriculum development.
Eisner Artistic Model of Curriculum Development

1. Goals and priorities

 The need to consider less, well- defined objectives as
well as explicit ones
 The need for deliberation in talking through priorities
2. Content of Curriculum
 Options to consider in selecting curriculum
 Caveats about the null curriculum
3. Types of learning opportunities
 Emphasis on transforming goals and content into learning
events that will be of significance to students
 4. Organization of learning opportunities
 Emphasis on a nonlinear approach in order to encourage
diverse student outcomes
5. Organization of content areas
 Emphasis on cross-curricula organization of content
6. Model of presentation and mode of response
 Use of number of modes of communication to widen
educational opportunities for students
7. Types of evaluation procedure
 Use of a comprehensive range of procedures at different
stages of the process of curriculum development

D. Pawilen’s Mode of Developing Curricula

The author developed this model as one of the major outputs of his
doctoral dissertation in the University of the Philippines and this model
was developed to help curriculum workers in developing a curriculum
that
is relevant and appropriate to the Philippine context.

Assessment and Evaluation

Answer the 20 – item quiz. (LMS)

Reference:
 Pawilen, G. (2019). The Teacher and The School Curriculum: A Guide to
Curriculum Development Practice: Rex Bookstore. Quezon City
 Reyes, E. and Dizon, E. (2015). Curriculum Development: Adriana Publishing
Co. Inc. Quezon City
Prepared: Checked: Approved:
Mrs. MARIA CRISTINA M. ADALIA Dr. AIDA A. CASAS Dr. RANDY M. BAJA
Instructor Department Head Dean