Curriculum Components and Approaches

Elements/Components of the Curriculum

1. Aims, goals and objectives
2. Subject matter/content
3. Learning experiences
4. Evaluating approaches.
Component 1 – Curriculum Aims, Goals and Objectives
A formal curriculum is embedded in a formal institution called schools. Schools are established
institutions which are either run by the government or by the private sector. Based on the Philippine
Constitution of 1987, all schools shall aim to:
1. Inculcate patriotism and nationalism
2. Foster love of humanity
3. Promote respect for humanity
4. Appreciate the role of national heroes in the historical development of the country
5. Teach the rights and duties of citizenship
6. Strengthen ethical and spiritual values
7. Develop moral character and personal discipline
8. Encourage critical and creative thinking
9. Broaden scientific and technological knowledge and promote vocation efficiency

Component 2 – Curriculum Content or Subject Matter

All curricula have content, regardless of their design or models. Content is more than simply
information to be learned in school. To some curriculum specialists, content or subject matter is another term for
knowledge. It is a compendium of facts, concepts generalization, principles and theories. According to Gerome
Brunner, “knowledge is a model we construct to give meaning and structure to regularities in experience”.

Component 3 – Curriculum Experiences

Curriculum experiences refer to the educational activities, lessons, and content that students engage with
during their schooling. These experiences encompass a wide range of subject, topics, and teaching methods
designed to help students learn and develop various skills and knowledge. Curriculum experiences can include
classroom instruction, hands-on projects, field trips, group discussions, and more. The goal of curriculum
experiences is to provide a well-rounded education that prepares students for academic, personal, and
professional success.

Component 4 – Curriculum Evaluation

According to Worthen and Sanders, (1987) all curricula to be effective must have the elements of
evaluation. Curriculum evaluation is the process of assessing and analyzing the effectiveness and quality of an
educational curriculum. This evaluation involves examining various aspects of the curriculum, including its
objectives, content, teaching methods, and assessment strategies. The goal is to determine whether the
curriculum is achieving its intended outcomes and whether it needs adjustments or improvement. Curriculum
evaluation helps educators make informed decisions about what is working well in the curriculum and what
may need modification to better serve the needs of students and meet educational goals. It often involves
gathering data, feedback form teachers and students, and analyzing the results to make evidence-based decisions
about curriculum changes.

Curriculum Approaches
There are five curriculum approaches that will be presented in this lesson. Curriculum practitioners and
implementers ma use one or more approaches in planning, implementing and evaluating the curriculum.
 Behavioral approach – is an educational framework that emphasizes the importance of defining
specific, measurable learning objectives and using systematic teaching methods to achieve them. This
 approach is rooted in behaviorism, focusing on observable as evidence of learning. It involves breaking
down complex skills or knowledge into smaller, sequential steps, providing ample opportunities for
practice and reinforcement, and using assessments to measure progress. In this approach, teachers play a
central role in guiding students toward the desired behaviors and outcomes, making it particularly
effective for teaching skills and behaviors that can be clearly observed and quantified.
 Managerial approach – prioritizes efficiency, accountability, and structured planning, borrowing
principles from organizational management to create well-organized and effective education programs.
 System approach – it sees education as a big, interconnected system. It’s like understanding how all the
parts of a machine work together. This approach helps create curriculum plans that can adapt and work
well for both students and teachers because it considers how everything in education is connected.
 Humanistic approach – is all about putting the learner first. It’s like tailoring education to match each
student’s unique interests and needs. This approach values personal growth, creativity, and self-
expression, aiming to make learning a more meaningful and enjoyable experience.

Curriculum Development Process

Curriculum development is a dynamic process involving many different people and procedures.
Development connotes changes which is systematic. A change for the better means alteration, modification or
improvement of existing condition. To produce positive changes, development should be purposeful, planned
and progressive. Usually, it is linear and follows a logical step-by-step fashion involving the following phases:
curriculum planning. Curriculum design, curriculum implementation and curriculum evaluation. Generally,
most models involve four phases.
1. Curriculum planning- considers the school vision, mission and goals. Ot also includes the
philosophy or strong education belief of the school. All of these will eventually be translated to
classroom desired learning outcomes for the learners.
2. Curriculum designing – is the way curriculum is conceptualized to include the selection and
organization of content, the selection and organization of learning experiences or activities and the
selection of the assessment procedure and tools to measure achieved learning outcomes. A
curriculum design will also include the resources to be utilized and the statement of the intended
learning outcomes.
3. Curriculum implementing – is to put the planned curriculum into action within an educational
setting. This involves executing the curriculum plan. Preparing teachers to deliver it effectively,
allocating necessary resources, and continuously monitoring, adapting, and improving the
curriculum to ensure it aligns with educational goals and meets the needs of students. Curriculum
implementation is the critical bridge between curriculum design and actual learning experiences,
aiming to provide meaningful education.
4. Curriculum evaluating – systematically assess how well the curriculum is achieving its intended
goals and outcomes. This involves gathering data on student performance, teachers’ feedback, and
the overall effectiveness of instructional materials and strategies.

Curriculum Development Process Models

1. Ralph Tyler Model: Four Basic Principles
Also known as Tyler’s Rationale, the curriculum development model emphasizes the planning
phase. This is presented in his book Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction. He posited four
fundamental principle which are illustrated as answers to the following questions:
1. What education purposes should schools seek to attain?
2. What educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes?
3. How can these educational experiences be effectively organized?
4. How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained or not?

Tyler’s model shows that in curriculum development, the following considerations should be made:
1. Purposes of the school
 2. Educational experiences related to the purposes
3. Organization of the experiences
4. Evaluation of the experience

2. Hilda Taba Model: Grassroots Approach

Hilda Taba improved on Tyler’s model. She believed that teachers should participate in
developing a curriculum. As a grassroots approach Taba begins from the bottom, rather than from the
top as what Tyler proposed. She presented seven major steps to her linear model which are the
following:
1. Diagnosis of learners’ needs and expectations of the larger society
2. Formulation of learning objectives
3. Selection of learning contents
4. Organizing of learning contents
5. Selection of learning experiences
6. Determination of what to evaluate and the means of doing it

3. Galen Saylor and William Alexander Curriculum Model

Galen Saylor and William Alexander (1974) viewed curriculum development as consisting of
four steps. Curriculum is “a plan for providing sets of learning opportunities to achieve broad
educational goals and related specific objectives for an identifiable population served by a single school
center”.

1. Goals, Objectives and Domains. Curriculum planners begin by specifying the major educational
goals and specific objectives they wish to accomplish. Each major goal represents a curriculum domain:
personal development, human relations, continued learning skills and specialization. The goals,
objectives and domains are identified and chosen based on research findings, accreditation standards,
and views of the different stakeholders.
2. Curriculum Designing. Designing a curriculum follows after appropriate learning opportunities are
determined and how each opportunity is provided. Will the curriculum be designed along the lines of
academic disciplines, or according to student needs and interests or along themes? These are some of the
questions that need to be answered at this stage of the development process.
3. Curriculum Implementation. A designed curriculum is now ready for implementation. Teachers
then prepare instructional plans where instructional objectives are specified and appropriate teaching
methods and strategies are utilized to achieve the desired learning outcomes among students.
4. Evaluation. The last step of the curriculum model is evaluation. A comprehensive evaluation using a
variety of evaluation techniques is recommended. It should involve the total educational programme of
the school and the curriculum plan, the effectiveness of instruction and the achievement of students.
Through the evaluation process, curriculum planner and developers can determine whether or not the
goals of the school and the objectives of instruction have been met.

4. The Oliva Model

 The Oliva Model is a deductive model that offers a faculty a process for the complete
development of a school’s curriculum.
 Oliva recognized the needs of students in particular communities are not always the same as the
general needs of students throughout our society.

In the Oliva Model a faculty can fashion a plan:

 For the curriculum of an area and design ways in which it will be carried out through instruction
 To develop school-wide interdisciplinary programs that cut across areas of specialization such as
career education, guidance, and class activities.
 For a faculty to focus on the curricular components of the model to make programmatic
decisions.
 To allow a faculty to concentrate on the instructional components.