Lesson 2: Approaches to Curriculum Designing

Types of Curriculum Design Models

There are many ways of looking at curriculum and designing one. For our own
purposes let us focus on the most widely used examples.

1. Subject-Centered Design
This is a curriculum design that focuses on the content of the curriculum. The
subject-centered design corresponds mostly to the textbook because textbooks are
usually written based the specific subject or course. Henry Morrison and William Harris
are the few curricularists who firmly believed in this design. As practiced, school hours
are allocated to different school subjects as Science, Mathematics, Language, Social
Studies, Physical Education, and others. This is also practiced in the Philippines,
because a school day is divided into class period, a school year into quarters or
semester. Most of the schools using this kind of structure and curriculum design aim for
excellence in the specific subject discipline content.

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 is broad field or interdisciplinary.

1.1. Subject Design - What subject are you teaching? What subject are you taking?
These are two sample questions that the teacher and the learner can easily answer.
It is to 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. Textbooks 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. For each subject a curriculum is being
designed.

However, the drawback of this design is that sometimes, learning is so

compartmentalized. It stresses so much the content and forgets about students’
natural tendencies, interests and experiences. The teacher becomes the dispenser
of knowledge and the learners are the simply the empty vessel to receive the
information or content from the teacher. This is a traditional approach to teaching
and learning.

1.2 Discipline design - This curriculum design model is related to the subject
design. However, while subject design centers only on the cluster of the 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 the 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.

1.3 Correlation design - Coming from a core, correlated curriculum design links
separate subject design in order to reduce fragmentation. Subjects are related to
one another and still maintain the identity of the subject. For example, English
literature and social studies correlate well in the elementary level. In 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 desig. Teachers should come together and plan their
lesson cooperatively.

1.4 Broad field design/Interdisciplinary – Broad fields or interdisciplinary is a

variation of the subject-centered design. This design was made to cure the
compartmentalization of the separate subject and integrate the contents that are
related to each other. Thus subject such as geography, economics, political
science, anthropology, sociology and history are fused into one subject called social
studies. Language arts will include grammar, literature linguistics, spelling, and
composition.

Sometimes called holistic curriculum, broad fields draw around themes and
integration. Interdisciplinary design is similar to thematic design, where a specific
theme is identified, and all other subjects areas revolve around the theme.

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 curriculum design which are learner centered.

2.1 Child-centered design - this design is often attributed to the influence of John
Dewey, Rouseau, Pestallozi and Frobel. The curriculum design is anchored on the
needs and interests of the child. The learner is not considered a passive individual
but 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.

2.2 Experience-centered design - This design is similar to child-centered design.

Although, the focus remains to be the child, experience-centered design believe that
the interests and needs of learners cannot be pre-planned. Instead, experience 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 aroun
different emphasis such as touching, feeling, imagining, constructing, relating and
others. The emergence of multiple intelligence theory blends well with experience-
centered design curriculum.

2.3 Humanistic Design - the key influence in this curriculum design are 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 natures; is simple,
spontaneous and natural; is open to different experiences; possesses empathy and
sympathy towards the less fortunate; among the many others. The person can
achieve this state of self-actualization later in life but has to start the process while
still in the school. Carl Rogers, on the other hand, believed that a person can
enhance self-directed learning by improving self understanding, basic attitudes to
guide behavior.

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

objective 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 emphasis. 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 base on the needs,
concerns and abilities of the students. Two examples are given for the problem-
centered design curriculum.

3.1 Life-situation design - What makes the design unique is that the contents
are organized in ways that allow students to clearly view problem areas. 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 students’ existing concerns are utilized. Based on Herbert
Spencer’s curriculum writing, his emphases were activities that sustain life,
enhance life, aid in rearing and enhance leisure, tasks and feelings. The
connection of subject matter to real situations increases the relevance of the
curriculum.

3.2 Core Problem Design - Another example of problem-centered design is core

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, concerns of the learners. Popularized by Faunce and Bossing
in 1959, they presented ways on how to proceed using core design of a
curriculum. These are the steps.

Step 1. Make group consensus on important problems.

Step 2. Develop criteria for selection of important problem.
Step 3. State and define the problem.
Step 4. Decide on the areas of study, including class groupings.
Step 5. List the needed information for resources.
Step 6. Obtain and organize information.
Step 7.Analyze and interpret the information.
Step 8. State the tentative conclusions.
Step 9. Present a report to the class individually or by group.
Step 10.Evaluate the conclusions.
Step 11. Explore other avenues for further problem solving.

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.

Approaches to Curriculum design

How will a particular design be approached by the teacher? After writing a
curriculum based on the specific design, let us see how a teacher will approach this. We
will find out the utilization of the example design.

Child or 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 constructed 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.

From the its design, how should a child-centered curriculum be

approached? Let us consider theses principles.

Principles for Child-Centered Curriculum Approach

1. Acknowledge and respect the fundamental rights of the child.

2. All activities shall 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 learner.

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. This approach considers the
following principles:

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 accumulations of content, or knowledge.
5. Teacher’s role is to dispense the content.

Problem-Centered Approach- This approach is based on a design which

assumes that in the process of living, children experience problems. Thus,
problem solving enables the learners to become increasingly able to achieve
complete or total development as individuals.

This approach is characterized by the following views and beliefs:

1. The learners are capable of 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 to the learners in the recognition of concerns and
problems in seeking solutions. Learners are problem solvers themselves.