MODULE 3: THE TEACHER AS A

CURRICULUM DESIGNER

LESSON 2:
APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM DESIGNING

Presenter
Kasandra C. Cabrera. | III- ENGLISH
 DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
• Identify some familiar curriculum designs
and approaches to the designs.
• Analyze the approaches in the light of how
these are applied in school setting.
 CONTENT FOCUS

1. Subject-Centered Design

TYPES OF CURRICULUM
2. Learner- Centered Design
DESIGN MODELS

3. Problem- Centered Design

 1. Subject-Centered Design
• This curriculum design focuses on the content of the
curriculum.
• The subject- centered design corresponds mostly to
the textbooks.
• Henry Morrison and William Harris, curricularists who
firmly believed on this design.
• School hours are allocated to different school subject
such as Science, Mathematics, Language, etc.
• Aim is excellence in the specific subject discipline
content.
 Subject-centered design focuses on:

1.1 Subject design

1.2 Discipline design

1. SUBJECT- CENTERED
DESIGN 1.3 Correlation design

1.4 Broad field design or

Interdisciplinary
 1.1 Subject design
• Subject design curriculum is the oldest and so far the
most familiar design for teachers, parents, and other
laymen.
• According to advocates, it has an advantage because
it is easy to deliver.
• In the Philippines number of subjects are different on
every levels. For each subject, a curriculum is being
design
• The drawback of subject design curriculum is that
sometimes, learning is so compartmentalized.
 1.2 Discipline design
• This is related to subject design. However, this design
focuses on academic discipline.
• Discipline design model of curriculum is often used in
college, but not in elementary or secondary levels. So
from the subject centered curriculum, curriculum
moves higher to a discipline when the student is more
mature and are already moving towards their career
path or discipline in science, mathematics, psychology,
humanities, history, and others.
 1.3 Correlation design
• Coming from a core, correlated curriculum design links
separate subject designs in order to reduce
fragmentation.
• Subjects are related to one another and still maintain
their identity.
• To used correlated design, teachers should come
together and plan their lessons cooperatively.
 1.4 Broad field design or Interdisciplinary
• It is a variation of subject- centered design.
• This design was made to cure the
compartmentalization of separate subjects and
integrate the contents that are related to one another.
• Sometimes called holistic curriculum.
• Interdisciplinary design is similar to thematic design,
where specific theme is identified, and all other subject
areas revolve around the theme.
 2. Learner- Centered Design
• Among progressive educational psychologist, the
learner is the center of the educative process.
• The emphasis is very strong in the elementary level,
however, more concerned has been placed on the
secondary and even on the tertiary level.
• 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.
 Curriculum design which are learner-entered:

2.1 Child-centered design

2. Learner-Centered
2.2 Experience design
Design

2.3 Humanistic design

 2.1 Child- centered design
• This design is often attributed to the influence of John
Dewey, Rouseau, Pestallozi and Proebel.
• This curriculum design is anchored on the needs and
interest of the child.
• The learner is not considered as passive individual but
one who engages on his or her environment.
• In the child-centered design learners interact with the
teachers and the environment thus there is
collaborative effort on both sides to plan lessons,
select content, and to activities together.
 2.2 Experienced- centered design
• This design is similar to child- centered design.
• Although the focus remains to be the child, experience-
centered design believes that the interest and needs of
the 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.
 2.3 Humanistic- centered design
• The key influence in this curriculum design is Abraham
Maslow and Carl Rogers.
• Maslow’s theory of self actualization.
• Carl Rogers believe that a person can enhance self-
directed learning by improving self- understanding, the
basic attitude to guide behavior.
• In humanistic curriculum design, the development of
self is the ultimate objective of learning.
• Considers the cognitive, affective and psychomotor
domains to be interconnected and must be stressed in
the curriculum.
 3. Problem- Centered Design
• Generally, problem-centered design draws on social
problems, needs, interest, and abilities of the learners.
• Various problems are given emphasis.
• These are those that center on life situations,
contemporary life problems, areas of living and many
others.
• In this curriculum, content cut across subject
boundaries and must be based on the needs,
concerns, and abilities of the students.
 Curriculum design which are problem-centered:

3.1 Life-situations design

3. Problem-Centered
Design

3.2 Core problem design

 3.1 Life- situation design
• What makes the design unique is that the contents are
organized in a ways that allow students to clearly view
problem areas.
• It uses the past and present experiences of the
learners as a means to analyze the basic areas of
living.
• The connection of subject matter to real situations
increases the relevance of the curriculum.
 3.2 Core problem design
• Its centered on general education and the problems
are based on the common human activities.
• The central focus of this design includes common
needs, problems, and concerns of the learners.
11 steps of Core problem design popularized by Faunce and Bossing 1959

Step 1. Make group consensus on important Step 4. decide on areas of study, including class
Step 7. Analyze and interpret the information. Step 10. Evaluate the conclusions
problems groupings.

Step 2. develop criteria for selection of important Step 11. Explore other avenues for problem
Step 8. State the tentative conclusion. Step 5. List the needed information for resources.
problems solving.

Step 9.Step
Present a report
3. State to class
and define individually
the problem. or by
Step 6. Obtain and organize the information.
group.
 APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM DESIGN

Subject-Centered Learner-Centered Problem-

1. 2. 3.
Design Design Centered Design

Life-situations
1.1 Subject design 2.1 Child-centered 3.1
design design

Experience- Core problem

2.2 3.2
1.2 Discipline design centered design design

Humanistic
Correlation 2.3
1.3 design
design

Broad field design

1.4
or Interdisciplinary
PRINCIPLES OF CHILD-CENTERED APPROACH

1. Acknowledge and respect the fundamental rights of

the child.
2. Make all activities revolved around the overall
development of the learner.
3. Consider the uniqueness of every learner in a multi
cultural in a multi cultural classroom.
4. Consider using differentiated instruction or
teaching.
5. Provide a motivating supportive learning
environment for all the learner.
PRINCIPLES OF SUBJECT-CENTERED APPROACH

1. The primary focus is on the subject matter.

2. The emphasis is on bits and pieces of information

which maybe detached from life.
3. The subject matter serves as means of identifying
problems of living.
4. Learning means accumulation of content, or
knowledge.

5. Teacher roles is to dispense the content.

PRINCIPLES OF PROBLEM-CENTERED APPROACH

1. The learners are capable of directing and guiding

themselves in solving a problems, thus developing
every learners 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.
 Presented by:
Kasandra Cabrera.