Curriculum Design Models

This lesson will present the different design models of curriculum. This will guide you to
discover that curricula are organized in many ways.

Curriculum design may also follow the following structures.

1. Subject-centered design model

This model focuses on the content of the curriculum. The subject centered design
corresponds mostly to the textbooks, written for the specific subject. Henry Morrison and
William Harris are the few curricularists who were firm believers in this design. In this
instance, schools divide the school hours to different subjects such as reading, grammar,
literature, mathematics, science, history and geography. In the Philippines, our curriculum
in any level is also divided in different subjects or courses. Most of the schools using this
kind of structure aim for excellence in the subject matter content.

Examples of subject-centered curriculum are included below.

a. Subject design – What subjects are you teaching? What subjects are you taking?
These are two sample questions to which the teacher and the learner can easily
give an answer. 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. Teachers are familiar with
the format, because they were also educated using the design. In the Philippines
educational system, the number of subjects in the elementary education is fewer
that in the secondary level. In college, the number of subjects also differs according
to the degree programs being pursued.

b. Discipline design- This curriculum model is related to the subject design.

However, while subject design centers only on the cluster of 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 historian,
students in biology should learn how biologists learn, and so with students in
mathematics should learn how mathematician learn. In the same manner, teacher
should teach how the scholars in the discipline will convey the particular knowledge.

The discipline design model of curriculum is often use in college, but not in
elementary or secondary levels. So from the subject-centered curriculum,
curriculum moves higher to a discipline when the students are more mature and
are already moving towards their career path or discipline as science mathematics,
psychology, humanities, history and others. Discipline becomes the degree
program.

c. Correlation design- This comes from a core, correlated curriculum design that
links separate subject designs in order to reduce fragmentation. Subjects are
related to one another but each subject maintains its identity. 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 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 design,
teachers should come together and plan their lessons cooperatively.
 d. Broad field design/ interdisciplinary- Broad field or inter-disciplinary design is a
variation of the subject-centered design. This design was made to prevent the
compartmentalization of subjects and integrate the contents that are related to
each other. Thus subjects 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 field design draws
around themes and integration.

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 learner-centered designs.

a. Child-centered design- The curriculum design is anchored on the needs and

interests of the child. The learner is not considered as a passive individual but
as 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.

b. Experience-centered design- This design is similar to the child-centered

design. Although, the child remains to be the focus, experience-centered
design believes that the interest and needs of 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. 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 around different emphasis such as
touching, feeling, imagining, constructing, relating and others. The
emergencies of multiple intelligence theory blend well with experience-
centered design curriculum.

c. Humanistic design – The key lead personalities in this curriculum design

were 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
nature; is simple, spontaneous and natural; is open to different experiences;
possesses empathy and sympathy towards the less fortunate, among many
others. The person can achieve this state of self-actualization later in life but
has to start the process while still in school. Carl Rogers, on the other hand,
believed that a person can enhance self-directed learning by improving self
understanding and basic attitudes to guide behavior.
 In a 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 emphases. 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 based on the needs, concerns and abilities of the students.

Two examples of problem-centered design curriculum.

a. Life-situations design – What makes the design unique is that the

contents are organized in ways that allow students to clearly view problem
areas clearly. It uses the past and the present experiences of learners as
a means and to analyze the basic areas of living. Based on Herbert
Spencer’s curriculum writing, his emphases were activities that sustain life,
enhance life, aid in rearing children, maintain the individual’s social and
political relations and enhance leisure, tasks and feelings. The connection
of subject matter to real situations increases the relevance of the
curriculum.

b. Core design – Another example of problem-centered design is core

design. It centers on general education and the problems are based on
common human activities. The central focus of the core design includes
common needs, problems, and concerns of the learners.

Popularized by Faunce and Bossing in 1959, they presented ways on how

to proceed following a core design of a curriculum as follows:

1. The problem is selected by either the teacher or students.

2. A group consensus is made to identify the important problems and
interest of the class.
3. Problems are selected on the basis of developed criteria for selection.
4. The problem is clearly stated and defined.
5. Areas of study are decided, including dividing the class by individual or
group interests.
6. Needed information is listed and discussed.
7. Resources for obtaining information are listed and discussed.
8. Information is obtained and organized.
9. Information is analyzed and interpreted.
10. Tentative conclusions are stated and tested.
11. A report is presented to the class on an individual or group basis.
12. Conclusions are evaluated.
13. New avenues of exploration toward further problems solving are
examined.
Building on Peter Oliva’s 10 Axioms for Curriculum Designers
Every curriculum designer, implementer, or evaluator should take in mind
the following general axioms as a guide in curriculum development (Oliva, 2003)

1. Curriculum change is inevitable, necessary, and desirable. Earlier it

was stated that one of the characteristics of curriculum. It is being
dynamic. Because of this, teachers and should respond to the changes that
occur in schools and in its context. Societal development and knowledge
revolution come so fast that the need to address the changing condition
requires new curriculum designs.

2. Curriculum reflects as a product of its time. A relevant curriculum should

respond to changes brought about by current socials forces, philosophical
positions, psychological principles, new knowledge, and educational
reforms. This is also called timeliness.

3. Curriculum changes made earlier can exist concurrently with newer

curriculum changes. A revision in a curriculum starts and ends slowly.
More often, curriculum is gradually phased in and phased out thus the
change that occurs can coexist and oftentimes overlaps for long periods of
time.

4. Curriculum change depends on people who will implement the

change. Teachers who will implement the curriculum should be involved
in its development, hence should know how to design a curriculum.
Because the teachers are the implementers of the curriculum, it is best that
they should design and own the changes. This will assure an affective and
long lasting change.

5. Curriculum development is a cooperative group activity. Group

decisions in some aspects of curriculum development are suggested.
Consultations with stakeholders when possible will add to a sense of
ownership. Even learners should participate in some aspect of curriculum
designing. Any significant change in the curriculum should involve a broad
range of stakeholders to gain their understanding, support, and input.

6. Curriculum development is a decision-making process made from

choices of alternatives. A curriculum developer or designer must decide
what contents to teach, philosophy or point of view to support, how to
provide for multicultural groups, what methods or strategies, and what
type of evaluation to use.

7. Curriculum development is an ongoing process. Continuous

monitoring, examination, evaluation and improvement of curricula are to
be considered in the design of the curriculum. As the needs of learners
change, as a society changes, and as new knowledge and technology
appear, the curriculum must change.
 8. Curriculum development is more effective if it is a comprehensive
process, rather than a “piecemeal”. A curriculum design should be
based on a careful plan, intended outcomes clearly established, support
resources and needed time available and teaching staff pedagogically
equipped.

9. Curriculum development is more effective when it follows a

systematic process. A curriculum design is composed of desired
outcomes, subject matter content complemented with references, set of
procedures, needed materials and resources and evaluation procedure
which can be placed in a matrix.

10. Curriculum development starts from where the curriculum is.

Curriculum planners and designers should begin with existing curriculum.
An existing design in a good starting point for any teacher who plans to
enhance and enrich a curriculum.

Building upon the ideas of Oliva, let us continue learning how to design a
curriculum by identifying its components. For most curricula the major
components or elements are answers to the following questions:

1. What learning outcomes need to be achieved? (Intended Learning

Outcomes)
2. What content should be included to achieve the learning outcomes?
(Subject Matter)
3. What learning experiences and resources shall be employed?
(Teaching- Learning Methods)
4. How will the achieved learning outcomes to be measured?
(Assessment of Achieved Learning Outcomes)

Elements or Components of a Curriculum Design

There are many labels or names for curriculum design. Some would call it syllabus,
or a lesson plan. Some would call it a unit plan or a course design. Whatever is the name
of the common components for all of them are almost the same. However some schools,
institutions or departments may add other minor parts or trimmings to the design.

Let us take the Lesson Plan as a miniscule curriculum. For a lesson plan or
teaching guide includes (I) Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) or the Desired Learning
Outcome (DLO) was formerly labeled as behavioral objectives. (2) Subject Matter or
Content. (3) Teaching and Learning Methods, and (4) Assessment Evaluation.

Each of these components or elements is described below.

I. Behavioral Objectives or Intended Learning Outcomes

Begin with the end in view. The objectives or intended learning
outcomes are the reasons for undertaking the learning lesson from the
student’s point of view. It is desired learning outcome that is to be
accomplished in a particular learning episode, engaged in by the learners
under the guidance of the teacher. As a curriculum designer, the beginning
of the learning journey is the learning outcomes to be achieved. In this way,
both the learner and the teacher are guided by what to accomplish.

The behavioral objectives, intended learning outcomes or desired

learning outcomes are expressed in action words found in the revised
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Objectives (Andersen and Krathwohl, 2003) for the
 development of the cognitive skills. For the affective skills the taxonomy
made by Krathwohl and for the psychomotor domains by Simpson.

The statement should be SMART: Specific, Measurable,

Attainable, Result oriented and Time bound. For a beginner, it would
help if you provide the Condition, Performance and Extent or Level of
Performance in the statement of the intended earning outcomes.

For example, a lesson intends the students to identify the parts of a

simple flower or stated in desired learning outcome should be “must have
identified the parts of a simple flower.”

Sometimes the phrase intended learning outcomes is used to refer

to the anticipated results after completing the planned activity or lesson. In
framing learning outcomes it is good practice to:

 Express each outcome in terms of what successful students will be

able to do. For example, rather than stating Students will be able to
explain the reason why… it should be: “Students must have
explained the reason why…’ This helps students to focus on what
they have to achieve as learning. It will also help curricularist devise
appropriate assessment tasks.

 Include different kinds of outcomes. The most common are cognitive

objectives (learning facts, theoris, formulate principles etc.) and
performance outcomes (learning how to carry out procedures,
calculations and processes, which typically include gathering
information and communication results). In some context affective
outcomes are important too (developing attitudes or values, e.g.
those required as a person and for a particular profession).

II. Content/ Subject Matter

The content of the lesson or unit is the topics or subject matter that will be
covered. In selecting content, you should bear in mind the following
principles in addition to those mentioned about the content in previous
lesson.

 Subject matter should be relevant to the outcomes of the curriculum.

An effective curriculum is purposive, clearly focused on the planned
learning outcomes.
 Subject matter should be appropriate to the level of the lesson or unit.
An effective curriculum is progressive, leading students towards
building on previous lessons. Contents which are too basic or too
advanced for the development levels of learners make students
either bored or baffled, and affect their motivation to learn.
 Subject matter should be up to date and, if possible, should reflect
current knowledge and concepts.

III. References

The reference follows the content. It tells where the content or subject
matter has been taken.
IV. Teaching and Learning Methods

These are the activities where the learners derive experiences. It is always
good to keep in mind the teaching strategies that students will experience
(lectures, laboratory classes, fieldwork etc.) and make them learn. The
teaching-learning methods should allow cooperation, competition as well as
individualism or independent learning among the students. For example:

 Cooperative learning activities allow students to work together.

Students are guided to learn on their own to find solutions to their
problems. The role of the teachers is to guide the learners.
Democratic process is encouraged, and each one contributes to the
success of learning. Students learn from each other in ways. Group
projects and activities considerably enhance the curriculum.

 Independent learning activities allow learners to develop personal

responsibility. The degree of independence to learn how to learn is
enhanced. This strategy is more appropriate for fast learners.

 Competitive activities, where students will test their competencies

against another in a healthy manner allow learners to perform to their
maximum. Most successful individual in their adult life are
competitive, even in early schooling. They mostly become the
survivors in a very competitive world.

 The use of various delivery modes to provide learning experiences

is recommended. Online learning and similar modes are increasingly
important in may curricula but these need to be planned carefully to
be effective.

V. Assessment /Evaluation

Learning occurs most effectively when students receive feedback, i.e.

when they receive information on what they have (and have not) already
learned. The process by which this information is generated is assessment. It
has three main forms;

 Self assessment, through which a student learns to monitor and

evaluate their own learning. This should be a significant element in
the curriculum because we aim to produce graduates who are
appropriately reflective and self-critical.
 Peer assessment, in which students provide feedback on each
other’s learning. This can be viewed as an extension of self-
assessment and presupposes trust and mutual respect. Research
suggests that students can learn to judge each other’s work as
reliably as staff.
 Teacher assessment, in which the teacher prepares and administers
tests and gives feedback on the student’s performance.

Assessment may be formative (providing feedback to help the

student learn more) or summative (expressing a judgment on the student’s
achievement by reference to stated criteria). Many assessment tasks
 involve an element of both, e.g. an assignment that is marked and returned
to the student with detailed comments.

Summative assessment usually involves the allocation of marks or

grades. This helps the teacher make decisions about the progress or
performance of the students.

Students usually learn more by understanding the strengths and

weakness of their work than by knowing the mark or grade given to it. For
this reason summative assessment tasks (including unseen examinations)
should include an element of formative feedback, if possible.

Application of the Fundamental Components in Other Curriculum Designs

While our example refers only to designing a lesson plan which is a

mini curriculum, similar components will also be used in making a syllabus
for teaching in higher education courses or other curricular projects. Based
on the curriculum models we have learned, the fundamental components
include the following:

Major components of a Course Design or Syllabus

1. Intended Outcomes (or Objectives)

2. Content/Subject Matter (with references)
3. Methods/ Strategies (with needed resources)
4. Evaluation (means of assessment)

All other additional components are trimmings that each designer

may place. This additional part may be an institutional template, suggested
by other curriculum experts and as required by educational agencies like
the Department of Educational, Commission on Higher Education,
Accrediting Agencies, and Professional Organizations that would serve the
purposes they intend to achieve.