Curriculum Design

Learner centered design focus on the skills and interest of the learner in the
curriculum. The aim of these design is to develop the potential and abilities of the
learner. This education philosophy stresses that students should test ideas by active
experimentation. Thus, the curriculum that the K-12 students develop the needs of the
orphan children to become a productive member of the society. The skills of the orphan
children will be fully developed, the learning of the orphan children will arise through
experiencing the world.

V. Curriculum Model

An American educator who worked in the field of assessment and evaluation. He

served on or advised a number of bodies that set guidelines for the expenditure

of federal funds and influenced the underlying policy of the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act of 1965. Tyler chaired the committee that developed the National

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). He has been called by some as "the

father of educational evaluation and assessment”.

Ralph Tyler, at the University of Chicago, developed the first model of curriculum

development. This model was presented in his book Principles of Curriculum and

Instruction published in his 1949. Tyler argued that curriculum development should be

logical and systematic.

His model presents a process of curriculum development that follows a

sequential pattern starting from selecting objectives to selecting learning experiences,

organizing learning experiences, and evaluation.

The Student as a Source

Tyler considered that a broad and comprehensive analysis of the student should

be completed. The curriculum developer should determine the learner’s needs and

wants, since that information can help educators in motivating the student to learn. The

students abilities must also be controlled.

Society as a Source

Tyler explained that te process of generating was central to all learning. Because

the learner needs to understand the environment, interacting with others is essential.

This makes the local community and society at large the students’ learning laboratory.

By studying the community and the society, the student can find problems to solve and

ways of solving them.

Subject Matter as a Source

Tyler was seriously influenced by John Dewey, who emphasizes learning by

doing. He was also inspired by Jerome Bruner, who wrote about the structure of

knowledge. They said (and Tyler agreed) that, to master a subject, one must

understand its underlying structure.

Philosophy as a Source

Tyler said, sound curriculum development begins with sound thinking, and sound

thinking begins by formulating a philosophy. He believed it is necessary to define a

school’s philosophy. In case Tyler were to guide others in curriculum development, he

would assert that teachers spell out both their own individual philosophies and that of

their school.

Psychology as a Source

Tyler believed that effective curriculum development requires understanding the

learners’ levels of development and the nature of learning process. This understanding

helps to refine the list of objectives.

Four basic questions

1. What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?

2. What educational experiences are likely to attain these objectives

3. How can these educational experiences be organized?

4. How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained?