Tyler Rationale Linear Model

Ralph Tyler (1949) presented a process of curriculum development that follows sequential pattern starting from
selecting objectives to selecting learning experiences, organizing learning experiences and evaluation. Tyler's
model is one of the best known models for curriculum development known for the special attention it gives to
the planning phases. Because this model is so beneficial, many curriculum developers have followed his model.
Tyler argued that curriculum development needed to be treated logically and systematically Tyler sought to
instill in developers of curricula a more logical, systematic, meaningful approach to their task
Below are the Weaknesses and strengths of the Tyler's Rationale Linear Model when applied to the Philippine
context.
Strengths of Tyler's Linear Model
 The very nature of the rational model is its logical, sequential structure provides it with a useful base
for planning and devising curricula. One reason for the success of the Tyler rationale is its very
rationality. It is an eminently reasonable framework for developing a curriculum. In one sense, the
Tyler rationale is imperishable
 By emphasizing the role and value of objectives, this model forces curriculum developers to think
seriously about their task and formulation of clear and comprehensive objectives provides an essential
platform for the curriculum
 By making objectives the essential first step, the model provides the developer with a clear direction and
a guide for the remainder of the process
 Involves the active participation of the learner
 It provides an easy to follow step-by-step guide to curriculum planning and development
 It begins with a set of clear objectives that teachers must plan tasks and work towards achieving the
specified outcomes
 It aims at student's developing behavior as their target of teaching.

Weaknesses of Tyler's Rational Linear Model

 The objectives model has flaws in terms of the reality of curriculum development which is rarely a fixed
or linear process.
 Another weakness of the rationale model is that it overlooks the unpredictable nature of teaching and
learning. While the model prescribes specific objectives to be achieved, learning occurs beyond these
objectives due to factors that could not be foreseen
 Educational objectives need not precede the selection and organization of learning experiences
 The exponents of the rational model, especially Tyler, have been critized for not adequately explaining
the sources of their objective
 It limits what students can learn.
 It treats ends and means separately.
 It doesn't indicate who decides what is worthwhile learning.
 It doesn't consider that not all learning outcomes can be measured
 It fails to consider the changing environment.
 It fails to recognize that the future cannot be predicted accurately with precision.
  It does not have a feedback mechanism to tell people how to correct it.
 It seems lack of procedure between evaluation and organization, and this procedure is execution. For
example, they do not apply to all subjects or the design of a subject's content.
 It sees curriculum development as a fixed, linear process.
 The division of labor at the various points/steps are fixed so curriculum actors' are unaware of what
others do.
 It cannot account for the many/complex outcomes of learning.

A. Hilda Taba's Grass roots Rational Model

The Taba Model was developed by Hilda Taba (1902 – 1967), an architect, a curriculum theorist, a curriculum
reformer, and a teacher educator. Taba believed that there has to be a definite order in creating a curriculum.
This model is used to enhance the thinking skills of students. Hilda Taba believed that there must be a process
for evaluating student achievement of content after the content standards have been established and
implemented. The main concept of this approach to curriculum development is that teachers must be involved
in the development of the curriculum.
Taba’s Grassroots Rationale Model is a modified model of Tyler’s model. She argued that curriculum
development should follow a sequential and logical process and she suggested for more information input in all
phase . She claimed that all curricula are composed of fundamental elements and could be made successful if
there is diagnosis of needs. Taba pointed out that the nature of objectives determines what learning is to follow.
Hilda Taba created a multi-purpose teaching model that utilizes the use of multiple processes: listing, grouping,
labeling, regrouping, and synthesizing. Taba is believes that teachers are aware of the students needs hence
they should be the one to develop the curriculum.
Below are the Weaknesses and strengths Hilda Taba’s Grass roots rational Model when applied to the
Philippine context
Strengths or Hilda Taba's Grass Roots Rational Model
 Gifted students begin thinking of a concept, then dive deeper into that concept
 Focuses on open-ended questions rather than right/wrong questions
 The open-endedness requires more abstract thinking, a benefit to our gifted students
 The questions and answers lend themselves to rich classroom discussion
 Easy to assess student learning
 The Taba model encourages higher-order thinking skills in the classroom. It allows students to start
with a concept and dig deeper into that particular concept.
 The focus is on open-ended questions versus a right/wrong answer. The open-endedness of the
questions require more abstract thinking from the students, challenging them more and more. Through
this type of questioning, classroom discussions become more relevant and assessing student learning
becomes easier.
 It answers the question of ambiguity in selecting the objectives in the Tyler's model by diagnosing the
needs of the learners first.
 Teacher is involved in the development of the curriculum.
  Gives teachers a greater role by not just making them implementers of the curriculum but also
developers
 Notes that teachers are aware of the students' needs therefore they are the ones that should develop the
curriculum
 Sees curriculum as a "plan for learning"
 Gives importance to objectives in order to establish a sense of purpose for deciding what to include,
exclude and emphasize in a curriculum.

Weaknesses of the Hilda Taba's Grass roots Rational Model in the classroom
 Can be difficult for non-gifted students to grasp
 Difficult for heterogeneous classrooms
 The Taba model is not an easy instructional method to grasp, making it more of a challenge to students
of all backgrounds.
 This method of teaching is harder to use across the curriculum. Although easier to use in Language
Arts with Literary and Informational Text, extra support and research may be required to use in
subjects such as Math.
 Taba's inductive model may not appeal to curriculum developers who prefer to consider the more global
aspects of the curriculum before proceeding to specifics.
 Other planners may prefer to follow a deductive approach, starting with the general-specification of
philosophy, aims, and goals-and moving to the specific objectives and instructional technique
 Teachers not understanding the connection between the content, activities, teaching methods and
evaluation.
 Keeping the resources up to date.
 Maintaining training for new teachers on the method as well as support needed for teachers as they
must review the plan often.

B. Standard-Based Curriculum Development Model

Developed by Allan Glatthorn where the model was intended for curriculum standards for any discipline from
basic education to higher education. Standards-based education, involves using pre-determined standards to
plan the scope and sequence of instruction, as well as what activities and materials will be used to achieve the
goals of each standard. Assessments are used in standards-based education to determine the ongoing progress of
students, which will drive instruction choices and to document that students have reached mastery of the
standards for each grade.
Below are the strengths and weaknesses of Standard-Based Curriculum Development Model when applied to
the Philippine context
Strengths of the Standard-Based Curriculum Development Model
 Students are completely aware of what they are expected to know or be able to do. The standards are
clear and precise, often written in kid-friendly language. Many teachers post the standards for each
content area so students see how each lesson fits into a bigger plan.
 By adopting and following standards, and informing students of their goals, administrators can hold
teachers and students accountable for classroom progress.
  Standards-based instruction guides planning and instruction and helps teachers keep their focus on the
learning target. Teachers are aware of what materials were taught in previous years and what will be
taught in years to come. They are free to concentrate on the limited number of skills and concepts
included in their grade-level standards.
 Well-written standards include not only what students will be able to do and what they will know but
also the expected time in their education they should have mastered the skill or concept. Students can set
their own goals and track their own progress.
Weaknesses or the Standard-Based Curriculum Development Model
 standards should be created for each individual student. those out of touch with students, such as
businesspeople and politicians, will remain unreasonable, and educational practices will be reduced to
bean counting. 
 By pursuing achievement based on a rigid set of goals, children are missing the pleasure and motivation
connected with simply solving a problem. Students who work only for points do not understand that
"knowledge matters" and that "active processing of information is the only reliable way to acquire
knowledge." 

C. Understanding by Design

Understanding by design Model /UbD also called backward design for putting emphasis on starting with goals
and objectives in designing curriculum. UbD is a tool for educational planning focused on "teaching for
understanding". It emphasizes on "backward design" or the method of identifying the outcomes first to design
the curriculum, performance assessments, and classroom instruction. UBD covers three Stages—1: Identify
Desired Results; 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence/Assessment; 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction.
Its main theory is to ascertain that all learning activities are anchored on the “road to understanding” and not on
the predict

Below are the strengths and weaknesses of Understanding by Design when applied to the Philippine context

Strengths of Understanding by Design (UbD)

 Student-centered - It assesses the students’ ability before planning for the appropriate materials and
activities. It enables students to have a better understanding of the lessons.

 Makes learning interesting and multi-dimensional - It helps the students to practice the six facets of
understanding—to explain, interpret, apply, have perspective, empathize, and have self-knowledge
about a given topic. The approach also aims to make learning more focused, engaging, coherent,
effective, and rich in context.

 Develops teachers’ creativity and sense of responsibility - Emphasizing the teacher's critical role as a
designer of student learning, UbD encourages and helps teachers clarify learning goals, devise
revealing assessments of student understanding, and craft effective and engaging learning activities. It
requires instructors to have first understanding of the teaching environment, and then plan on how to be
effective in teaching students.
  Provides a better plan of curriculum - Many pertinent factors are considered before designing the
curriculum. It carefully determines students’ ability that teaching will be effective and a good student
learning is provided.

 Flexible and opens doors for various styles - It allows introduction of new teaching methods. It gives
room for adjustments of the teaching styles for the students to achieve the desired learning outcomes.

 Enables student-centered learning.

 Makes learning interesting and multi-dimensional.

 Develops teacher's creativity.

 Provides better curriculum plan.

 Opens door to different learning modalities.

 Holds teachers responsible for learning environment.

Weaknesses of Understanding by Design (UbD)

 Requires a lot of teacher prep time.

 Works for students who can think and conceptualize on higher levels.

 Renders confusion and complexity when issues arise in the initial framework.

 Misconceptions arises between teacher-perceived essential content verses priorities of state-based high
stakes testing.

 Challenges existing classroom curriculum structures set by teacher's teaching aesthetics.

D. Systematic Design Model

Systematic Design Model (Robert Diamond, 1960)- undergone some major revisions in 1998 but the structure is
unchanged. Include two basic phases, the (1) the project selection and design and (2) production,
implementation, and evaluation. Diamond explained that ideally, some actions must precede others and certain
decisions should not be made until all relevant facts are known.

Below are the strengths and weaknesses of Systematic Design Model when applied to the Philippine context
Strengths of Systematic Design Model
 Creates curriculum that focuses on how students learn, as well as course Content
 Continual assessments are used to see if the new curriculum is doing what it was designed to do
 Reduced number of "Turf Wars" - People fighting for their subject area
  Involves many different views (administration, faculty, and other stakeholders)

Weaknesses od Systematic Design Model

 success depends on teamwork within a school's faculty. A school with a very divided staff will not
work.

E. Murray Print Model for Curriculum Development

Murray Print prescribed a sequential and logical approach to curriculum development to provide a useful and
easy  to understand process in developing curriculum

Below are the strengths and weaknesses of Systematic Design Model when applied to the Philippine context

Strength of the Murray Print Model for Curriculum Development

 Sequential and logical approach to curriculum development

 Recognizes the nature of involved curriculum workers
 Embraces the principles of cyclical and dynamic models.
 Embraces the principles of cyclical and models.
 Inclusion of instructional evaluation, monitoring, and feedback system
 Can be used in any level of curriculum development.

Weaknesses of the Murray Print Model for Curriculum Development

 Unclear where the philosophy of the institution and philosophy of the curriculum will come into play.
 Weak link between curriculum presage and situational analysis
 Lack of contextualization of curriculum
 Assumption that all teachers & developers understand curriculum theory & elements.
 Reflection of reality
Lesson 2. Cyclinical Models of Curriculum Development

Activity 2: Reflect on these

A. Audrey Nicholls and Howard Nicholls Model

The Audrey Nicholls and Howard Nicholls model for curriculum development emphasizes on the cyclical
nature of curriculum development where it is a continuous process. The model prescribes five logical and
interdependent stages that are a continuous curriculum development process. The model starts with a
situational analysis in which curricular decisions are followed by the selection of objectives and the other
succeeding phases.

In my understanding, there are at least two strengths of this model. First, situational analysis provides the
context of the curriculum. Situational analysis is an analysis of factors in a context of planned curriculum
projects. This factors may be political, social, economic or institutional. For this model, situational analysis
should be the start of every curriculum development. The curriculum coordinators should identify those factors
and then plan will base on this research. This became the strength because for others, situational analysis is a
good start for a curriculum development. The second strength of this model is it is a Flexible model because it
can adapt to any situation.

As I have I seen on the strength of this model, situational analysis is a good foundation for curriculum
development. Of course, a curriculum is affected by factors in the society so first and foremost, the coordinators
should identify those factors that can influence the curriculum. Also, flexibility is a good characteristic of a
curriculum because the curricular aspects that are not applicable anymore should be easily changed. Having a
flexible curriculum for me gives way to new methods to make the curriculum better for students and teachers.

Now, let us go to the weaknesses of this model. As what I have seen in the overview of this model, there
are at least two weaknesses of this model, time consuming as situational analysis is a long term process and
there are too many factors to be considered. As curriculum development should not take long, situational
analysis became a weakness at the same time, because researching and identifying the factors that will influence
the curriculum will take time. Also, there are too many factors to be considered because it is situational. As
situational analysis is a broad topic, researchers and coordinators will have a hard time identifying all of it one
by one.

As a future teacher, it is important to identify the models of curricular development because as a future part
of the education system, we will be a part in the curriculum process of the Department of Education. Every
model has a strength and weakness and by identifying all of it, we will be able to also identify what is the main
source of our curriculum and we can also know what and who are the things that should be considered to
develop a good curriculum.

B. Wheeler’s Curriculum Development Model

 Wheeler or cyclic Model is a continuous cycle responding to the changes within education where any new
information or practice will bring changes. It undertakes situational analysis whereby the context or situation in
which curriculum decisions are to be taken is thoroughly studied. This help curriculum developers take correct
decisions thus encouraging active participation of staffs in school based curriculum.

As Wheeler model is the same cyclinical model as Nicholls' model, Wheeler or cyclic model undertakes
situational analysis. The situations or the factor in the society will be studied to determine the right curriculum
ideas.

Wheeler’s model has three strengths. These are 1) Has feedback mechanism, 2) Incorporates new
information into the curriculum and lastly; 3) Emphasize on the situational analysis. Wheeler's model values
feedback that is why, the curriculum should include feedback processes to develop best learners. New
information will be incorporated in the curriculum because for the developer of this model, any new
information or practice will bring changes that is why new information should always be included in the
curriculum.

As what I have observed, the Wheeler model of curriculum development values feedback. Feedback is
important because it helps to adopt new knowledge sooner and avoid repetitive mistakes. Feedback encourages
students to do more. With this mind, I can see that Wheeler's Model is a purposeful and beneficial to curricular
development but like any Models above, Wheeler's model has it own weaknesses.

These are the weaknesses of the wheeler's model, It's time consuming, It’s difficult to locate, It seems to
lack of procedure between organizing and integrating learning experiences, content and evaluation. As I have
observed in the weaknesses of Wheelers model, it has the same disadvantages as Nicholls' model because they
are both cyclinical. As both of them involves situational analysis, Wheelers method is time consuming because
having to study every factor takes time. It is also very hard to locate because it deals more with the objectives.
Lastly, Wheelers model seems to lack of procedure between organizing and integrating learning experiences,
content and evaluation because it focuses more on the objectives than on the other area on the curriculum. For
learning, the objectives is just the beginning so this model have to focus more on the other aspect than
objectives.

In my view, situational analysis in education is the best to involve in the curriculum process but because it
takes time and need to be studied long term, this became a hard idea. As what I've said before, the environment
and society affects the student's learning. It should be involved in the curriculum process but not only a small
part of it.

C. The Contextual Filter’s Model of Course Planning

Contexual 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.