Approaches to

Curriculum Design
The Six (6) Features of a Curriculum

1. The Teacher
2. The Learners
3. Knowledge, Skills, Values
4. Strategies and Methods
5. Performance
6. Community Partners
The Teacher
 quality education requires quality teachers
 good teachers bring a shining light into
the learning environment
 ideal companions of the learners
 with advances in communication
technology, good teachers are needed to
sort out the knowledge from the
information from the data that surround
the learners and from the wisdom from
the knowledge
The Learners

 they are at the center stage in the

educative process
 the most important factor in the learning
environment
 there is no teaching without them
 their diverse background should be
accepted
 their needs should be addressed and met
 they should be provided with learning
opportunities and varied experiences
Knowledge, Skills, Values

 a “curriculum oriented to tomorrow”

should be designed to help learners
cope with the rapid changes
 educational process should lie not
only in what they learn, but how they
learn and how good they will be in
continuing to learn after they leave
school
 teachers should prepare his/her syllabus
or a course of study as his vehicle for
instruction
 learning goals, instructional procedures
and content must be clearly explained to
students
 there must be balance of theory and
practice
 learner’s sustained interest in the subject
should be made meaningful and relevant
Strategies and Methods

 teachers should remember that there is no

best strategy that could work in a million
of different student background and
characteristics
 teachers must use appropriate
methodologies, approaches and strategies
“capped with compassionate and
winsome nature” to objectives of
the lesson
 teachers should select teaching methods,
learning activities and instructional
materials or resources appropriate to
learners and aligned to objectives of the
lesson
 situations should be created to encourage
learners to use higher order thinking
skills
 utilize information derived from assessment
to improve teaching and learning and adopt
a culture of excellence
Performance

 knowledge, skills and values to be developed

by the learners serve as guiding post of the
teachers
 at the end of the teaching act, it is necessary
to find out if the objectives set were
accomplished (in curriculum these are called
learning outcomes)
 these learning outcomes indicate both the
performance of both the teacher and the
students
 learning outcomes are the product of
performance of the learners as a result of
teaching
 performance is a feature of a curriculum
that should be given emphasis
 the curriculum is deemed to be successful
if the performance of the learners is higher
than the target set
 if the performance is low then it follows
that the curriculum has failed
 a good curriculum is one that results in
high or excellent performance
Community Partners

 teaching is a collaborative undertaking

 to be effective, teachers must draw upon the
resources of their environment even if they
are the focal Point in the learning process
teachers must establish relationship with
parents, NGO’s, and their stakeholders
 partnership is a means and not an end to be
pursued
 an absence of partnership often means a
poor definition of education ends
 as society changes, teachers will have a
new beginning, an opportunity to recast
their roles in their communities, to change
their attitude to their communities, to
challenge the attitude of their communities
and societies about them
Approaches to Curriculum Design

The three major curriculum design models

are implemented through the different approaches
that are accepted by the teachers and curriculum
practitioners. How the design is utilized becomes
the approach to the curriculum.

Child or Learner-Centered Approach
 this approach to curriculum design is
based on the underlying philosophy that
the child is the center of the educational
process
 curriculum is constructed based on the
needs, interests, purposes and abilities
of the learners
 curriculum is also built upon the learner’s
knowledge, skills, learning and
potentials
This approach considers the following:

 A new respect for the child is fundamental

 A new freedom of action is provided
 The whole activity is divided into units of
work
 The recognition of the need for using and
exploring many media for self-discovery
and self-direction is embraced
Subject-Centered Approach

Anchored on the curriculum design which

prescribes different and separate subjects into
one broad field, this approach considers the
following:
 The primary focus is the subject matter
 The emphasis is on bits and pieces of
information which are detached from
life
 The continuing pursuit of learning outside
the school is not emphasized. Learning
should only take place inside the
classroom.
 The subject matter serves as a means of
identifying problems in living
Problem-Centered Approach

This approach is based on a curriculum

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:
 The learners are capable of directing and
guiding themselves in resolving problems,
thus they become independent learners
 The learners are prepared to assume their
civic responsibilities through direct
participation in different activities
The curriculum leads the learners in the
recognition of concerns and problems and
in seeking solutions. The learners are
considered problem solvers