Chapter 2: The Teacher and Designing the Curriculum the School

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Designing the Curriculum

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Module 3 The Teacher as a Curriculum Designer

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Module Overview:
A curriculum as a planned sequence of learning experiences should be at the heart and mind of
every teacher. Every teacher as a curricularist should be involved in designing a curriculum. In fact, it is
one of the teachers' roles as a curricularist. As such, you will be a part of the intellectual journey of your
learners. You will be providing them the necessary experiences that will enable the learner what you
intend them learn.

As a curriculum designer this task was not given much attention in the past. Every single day, a
teacher designs a lesson or utilizes a curriculum that has been made and was previously written.
Designing a curriculum is a very challenging task. It is here where the style and creativity of the teacher
come in. Thus this module will provide the necessary concepts and activities that you as a teacher can
refer to as you prepare yourself to be a curriculum designer.

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Lesson 3.1) Fundamentals of Curriculum Design
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Desired Learning Outcomes

 Identify the fundamentals of curriculum designing
 Appreciate the task of designing a curriculum

Content Focus

Building on Peter Oliva's 10 AxIOms tor Curriculum Designers

As we begin to discuss about curriculum designing, all teachers need to know the different axioms or
theorems regarding curriculum as presented by Gordon, W., Taylor R., and Oliva, P. in 2019. These
axioms will be used to guide curricularist in designing a curriculum. Axioms are principles practitioners
as curriculum designer can use as guidelines or a frame of reference.

resented

es that
es
Ten Axioms About Curriculum That Teachers Need as Reminder
1. Curriculum change is inevitable, necessary, and desirable.
Earlier it was stated that one of the characteristics of curriculum is its being dynamic. Because of this,
teachers should respond to the changes that Occur in Schools and in their context. Societal development
and knowledge revolution come so fast that the need to address the changing condition requires new
curriculum designs.
2. Curriculum is a product of its time. A relevant curriculum should respond to changes brought about
by current social forces, philosophical positions, psychological principles, new knowledge, and
educational reforms. This is also called timeliness.
3. Curriculum changes made earlier can exist concurrently with newer curriculum changes. A revision
in a curriculum starts and ends slowly. More often, curriculum is gradually phased in and phased out,
thus the changes that occur can coexist and oftentimes overlap for long periods of time.
4. Curriculum change depends on people who will implement the change. Teachers who will
implement the curriculum should be involved in its development, hence should know how to design, a
curriculum. Because the teachers are the implementers of the curriculum, it is best that they should
design and own the changes. This will ensure an effective and long-lasting change.
5. Curriculum development is a cooperative group activity. Group decisions in some aspects of
curriculum development are suggested. Consultations with stakeholders when possible will add to a
sense of Ownership. Even learners should participate in some aspect of curriculum designing. Any
significant change in the curriculum should involve a broad range of stakeholders to gain their
understanding, support, and input.
6. Curriculum development is a decision-making process made from choices of alternatives. A
curriculum developer or designer must decide what contents to teach, philosophy or point of view
Support, how to provide for multicultural groups, what methods or strategies, and what type of
evaluation to use.
7. Curriculum development is an ongoing process. Continuous monitoring, examination, evaluation, and
improvement of curricula are to be considered in the design of the curriculum. As the needs of learners
change, as society changes, and as new knowledge and technology appear, the curriculum must change.
8. Curriculum development is more effective if it is a comprehensive process, rather than a
"piecemeal". A curriculum design should be based on a careful plan, should clearly establish intended
outcomes, support resources and needed time available and should equip teaching staff pedagogically 9.
Curriculum development is more effective when it follows a systematic process. A curriculum design is
composed of desired outcomes, subject matter content complemented with references, set of
procedures, needed materials and resources and evaluation procedure which can be placed in a matrix.
10. Curriculum development starts from where the curriculum is. Curriculum planners and designers
should begin with existing curriculum. An existing design is a good starting point for any teacher who
plans to enhance and enrich a curriculum

Building upon the ideas of Oliva, let us continue learning how to design a curriculum by identifying its
components. For most curricula the major components or elements are answers to the following
questions:
1. What learning outcomes need to be achieved? (Intended Learning Outcomes)
2. What content should be included to achieve the learning outcomes? (Subject Matter)
3. What learning experiences and resources should be employed? (Teaching-Learning Methods)
4. How will the achieved learning outcomes be measured? (Assessment of Achieved Learning Outcomes)
Elements or Components of a Curriculum Design

There are many labels or names for curriculum design. Some would call it a syllabus or a lesson
plan. Some would call it a unit plan or a course design. Whatever is the name of the design, the common
components for all of them are almost the same. However, some schools, institutions or departments
may add other minor parts or trimmings to the design.

Let us take the Lesson Plan as a miniscule curriculum. A lesson plan or teaching guide includes
(1) Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) or the Desired Learning Outcome (DLO) formerly labelled as
behavioral objectives, 2) Subject Matter or Content, (3) Teaching and Learning Methods and (4)
Assessment Evaluation. Each of these components or elements is described below.

I. Behavioral Objectives or Intended Learning Outcomes

Begin with the end in view. The objectives or intended learning outcomes are the reasons for
undertaking the learning lesson from the student's point of view; it is desired learning outcome that
Be accomplished in a particular learning episode, engaged in by learners under the guidance of the
teacher. As a curriculum designer, the beginning of the learning journey is the learning outcomes to
achieved. In this way, both the learner and the teacher are guided by what to accomplish.
The behavioral objectives, intended learning outcomes or desired learning outcomes are
expressed in action words found in the revised Bloom's Taxonomy of Objectives (Andersen and
Krathwohl, 2003) for the development of the cognitive skills. For the affective skills, refer to the
taxonomy made by Krathwohl and for the psychomotor domain by Simpson.
The statement should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Result-oriented and Time-
bound. For a beginner, it would help if you provide the Condition, Performance and Extent or Level of
Performance in the statement of the intended earning outcomes.
For example, if a lesson intends the students to identify the parts of a simple flower as stated in
the desired learning outcomes, then students should have identified the parts of a simple flower, at the
end of the lesson.
Sometimes the phrase intended learning outcomes is used to refer to the anticipated results
after completing the planned activity or lesson. In framing learning outcomes, it is good practice to:

 Express each outcome in terms of what successful students will be able to do. For
example, rather than stating Students will be able to explain the reason why... it should
be: Students must have explained the reasons why... This helps students to focus on
what they have to achieve as learning. It will also help curricularists devise appropriate
assessment tasks.
 Include different kinds of outcomes. The most common cognitive objectives (learning
facts, theories, formulae, principles etc.) and performance outcomes (learning how to
carry out procedures, calculations and processes, which typically include gathering
information and communicating results). In some contexts, affective outcomes are
important too (for developing attitudes or values, e.g. those required as a person and
for a particular profession).

II. Content/Subject Matter

The content of the lesson or unit is the topic or subject matter that will be covered. In selecting content,
you should bear in mind the following principles in addition to those mentioned about the content in
previous lessons:

 Subject matter should be relevant to the outcomes of the curriculum. An effective curriculum is
purposive and clearly focused on the planned learning outcomes.
 Subject matter should be appropriate to the level of the lesson or unit. An effective curriculum is
progressive, leading students towards building on previous lessons. Contents which are too
basic or too advanced for the development levels of learners make students either bored or
baffled and affect their motivation to learn.
 subject matter should be up-to-date and, if possible, should reflect current knowledge and
concepts.
 Subject matter should follow the principle of B ASICS.

III. References

The reference follows the content. It tells where the content or subject matter has been taken. The
reference may be a book, a module, or any publication. It must bear the author of the material and if
possible, the publications. Some examples are given below.

1. Project Wild (1992) K to 12 Activity Guide, An Interdisciplinary, Supplementary Conservation

and Environmental Education program. Council of Environmental Education, Bethesda, MD
2. Shipman, James and Jerry Wilson, et al (2009). An Introduction to Physical Science. Houghton
Mifflin Co. Boston MA
3. Romo, Salvador B. (2013). Horticulture an Exploratory Course.
Lorimar Publishing Inc. Quezon City
4. Bilbao, Purita P. and Corpuz, Brenda B. et al (2012). The
Teaching Profession 2nd Ed. Lorimar Publishing Inc. Quezon City

IV. Teaching and Learning Methods

These are the activities where the learners derive experiences. It is always good to keep in mind the
teaching strategies that students will experience (lectures, laboratory classes, fieldwork etc.) and make
them learn. The teaching-learning methods should allow cooperation, competition as well as
individualism or independent learning among the students. For example:

 Cooperative learning activities allow students to work together. Students are guided to learn
on their own to find solutions to their problems. The role of the teachers is to guide the
learners. Democratic process 1s encouraged, and each one contributes to the success of
learning. Students learn from each other in ways. Group projects and activities considerably
enhance the curriculum.
 Independent learning activities allow learners to develop personal responsibility. The degree
of independence to learn how to learn is enhanced. This strategy 1s more appropriate for
fast learners.
 Competitive activities, where students will test their competencies against another in a
healthy manner, allow learners to perform to their maximum. Most successful individuals in
their adult life are competitive, even in early schooling. They mostly become the survivorS n
a very competitive world.
 The use of various delivery modes to provide learning experiences is recommended. Online
learning and similar modes are increasingly important in many curricula, but these need be
 planned carefully to be effective.

There are some examples of very simple teaching-learning methods with detailed steps that
you can start using as you begin teaching

Some Behaviorist Teaching Learning Methods

A. Direct Instruction: Barak Rosenshine Model (in Ornstien & Hunkins, 2018)

Detailed Steps:
1. State Learning Objectives/ Outcomes: Begin lesson with a short statement of objective or
desired lesson learning outcomes.
2. Review: Introduce short review of previous or prerequisite learning
3. Present new materials: Present materials in small, sequenced manner.
4. Explain: Give clear and detailed instructions and explanations.
5. Practice: Provide active practice for all students.
6. Guide. Guide students during initial practice: or provide seatwork activities.
7. Check for understanding. Ask several questions, assess students
comprehension.
8. Provide Feedback. Provide systematic feedback and corrections
9. Assess performance. Obtain student success rate of 80 percent or more during practice
session.
10. Review and test. Provide for spaced review and testing

B. Guided Instruction: Madeline Hunter Model (in Ornstein & Hunkins, 2018)

1. Review. Focus on previous lesson, ask students to summarize main points.

2. Anticipatory set. Focus student's attention on new lesson. Stimulate interest in the new materials.
3. Objective. State explicitly what is to be learned; state rationale or how it will be useful.
4. Input. Identify needed knowledge and skills for learning new lesson; present materials in sequenced
steps.
5. Modeling. Provide several examples or demonstrations throughout the lesson.
6. Check for understanding. Monitor students work before they become involved in lesson activities,
check to see they understand directions or tasks.
7. Guided practice. Periodically ask students questions and check their answers. Again monitor
understanding.
8. Independent practice. Assign independent work or practice when it 1s reasonably sure that students
can work on their own with understanding and minimal frustration.

C. Mastery Learning; JH Block and Lorin Anderson Model (in Ornstein & Hunkins, 2018)
1. Clarify. Explain to students what they are expected to learn.
2. Inform. Teach the lesson, relying on the whole group instruction.
3. Pretest. Give a formative quiz on a no fault-basis, students can check their own paper.
4. Group. Based on results, divide the class into mastery and non- mastery groups (80% 1s considered
mastery)
5. Enrich and correct. Give enrichment instruction to mastery group. Give corrective (practice/drill) to
non-mastery group.
6. Monitor. Monitor student progress; vary amount of teacher time and support for each group based
on group size and performance.
7. Posttest. Give a summary test for non-mastery group.
8. Assess performance. At least 75% of the students should achieve mastery by the summative test.
9 Reteach. If not, repeat procedures; starting with corrective
instructions (small study groups, individual tutoring, alternative
instructional materials, extra homework, reading materials
practice and drill).

D. Systematic Instruction: Thomas Good and Jere Brophy (in Ornstein and Hunkins, 2018)
1. Review. Review concepts and skills related to homework, provide review exercises.
2. Development. Promote students understanding, provide controlled practice.
3. Assess comprehension. Ask questions, provide controlled practice.
4. Seatwork. Provide uninterrupted seatwork; get everyone involved, sustain momentum.
5. Accountability. Check the students work.
6. Homework. Assign homework regularly; provide review problems.
7. Special reviews. Provide weekly reviews to check and further maintain and enhance learning.

Teaching-Learning Environment
In the choice of the teaching learning methods, equally important is the teaching learning environment.
Brian Castaldi in 1987 suggested four criteria in the provision of the environment or learning spaces in
designing a curriculum. These criteria include (1) adequacy, (2) suitability, (3) efficiency and (4)economy.

1. Adequacy- This refers to the actual learning space or classrooms. Is the classroom large enough
for student's mobility for class interaction and collaborative work. Is there enough light and
ventilation so that the learning space is conducive, and safe for learning? To provide learning
condition that will provide opportunities that will develop the 21 century skills, there must be a
provision for the utilization of technology for teaching and learning and the use of the
cyberspace.
2. Suitability- This relates to planned activities. Suitability should consider chronological and
developmental ages of learners. Also to be considered will be the socio-cultural, economic even
religious background of the learners.
3. Efficiency- This refers to operational and instructional effectiveness.
4. Economy- This refers to cost effectiveness. How much is needed to provide instructional
materials?

VI. Assessment/Evaluation

Learning occurs most effectively when students receive feedback, i.e. when they receive
information on what they have already (and have not) learned. The process by which this information is
generated is assessment. It has three main forms:

 Self assessment, through which students learn to monitor and evaluate their own
learning. This should be a significant element in the curriculum because we aim to
produce graduates who are appropriately reflective and self-critical.
 Peer assessment, in which students provide feedback on each other's learning, This can
be viewed as an extension of self- assessment and presupposes trust and mutual
respect. Research suggests that students can learn to judge each other's work as
reliably as staff.
  Teacher assessment, in which the teacher prepares and administers tests and gives
feedback on the student's performance.

Assessment may be formative (providing feedback to help the student learn more) or
summative (expressing a judgment on the student's achievement by reference to stated criteria). Many
assessment tasks involve an element of both, e.g. an assignment that is marked and returned to the
student with detailed comments.
Summative assessment usually involves the allocation of marks or grades. This helps the teacher
make decisions about the progress or performance of the students. Students usually learn more by
understanding the strengths and weaknesses of their work than by knowing the mark or grade given
to it. For this reason, summative assessment tasks (including unseen examinations) should include an
element of formative feedback, if possible.

Application of the Fundamental Components to Other Curriculum Designs

While our example refers only to designing a lesson plan which is a mini curriculum, similar
components will also be used in making a syllabus for teaching in higher education courses or other
curricular projects. Based on the curriculum models we have learned, the fundamental components
include the following:

Major components of a Course Design or Syllabus

1. Intended Outcomes (or Objectives)
2. Content/Subject Matter (with references)
3. Methods/Strategies (with needed resources)
4. Evaluation (means of assessment)

Simply put, curriculum design is the organization of curriculum components. All other additional
components are trimmings that each designer may add. This may be institutional template or suggested
by other curriculum experts or required by educational agencies like the Department of Education,
Commission on Higher Education, Accrediting Agencies, Professional Regulation Commission to achieve
a specific purpose of such agency.
Take Action
Activity 1: Finding an Example

Instructions:
1. Secure a copy of a sample Lesson Plan.
2. Using the matrix given below, analyze the sample you secured and give your suggestions based on the
principles and concepts you learned in this module.

Copy from the Sample Your comment/ Components

suggestion
Title of the Lesson Plan
Intended Learning
Outcomes/Objectives
Content/ Subject Matter
Methods/Strategies
Evaluation/Assessment

Answer briefly:
1. Which one principle of Oliva is reflected in the Lesson Plan? Explain briefly.
2. It you were to improve the design, what will you add, or subtract or modify? Write your re-design
suggestion.

Self-Check
Which of the following concepts do you clearly understand? Answer Yes or No to the questions that
follow.

Questions Answer
As a curricularist and curriculum designer…. Yes or No
1. Do you think curriculum change is inevitable?
2. Does curriculum change not consider the existing one?
3. Should curriculum be designed only by one person?
4. Should any change in curriculum include an evaluation process?
5. Does curriculum change mean total overhaul?
6. Should learning outcomes be considered first before the content?
7. Should teaching methods consider only the expertise of theteacher?
8. Are time tested methods like inductive and lecture no longer useful?
9. Should contents be updated and relevant?
10. Is there only one design that a teacher should know?

lf you got 10 correct answers out of 10 items, Congratulations! You are now ready to move to the next
lesson. If otherwise, you need to review this lesson. Good luck.
Self-Reflect
Instructions: Provide answers to the incomplete sentences. After reading and discussing with my
classmates, this lesson on fundamentals of curriculum designing or crafting a curriculum,

1. I realize that
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2. I feel that
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3. I need to
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