MODULE 3:

The Teacher as a
Curriculum
Designer
Prepared By : Maricar S. Laggui
Lesson 3.1 - Fundamentals of Curriculum
Design
Desired Learning Outcomes:
• Identify the fundamentals of curriculum designing.
• Appreciate the task of designing a curriculum.

Building on Peter Oliva's 10 Axioms for Curriculum Designers

As we begin to discuss about curriculum designing, all teachers need to know the different axioms or
theorems regarding curriculum as presented by Gordon, W., Taylor R., and Oliva, P. in 2019. These axioms
will be used to guide curricularist in designing a curriculum. Axioms are principles that practitioners as
curriculum designer can use as guidelines or a frame of reference.
Ten Axioms Curriculum is a product of its Curriculum change depends on
About time. people who will implement the
Curriculum That A relevant curriculum should respond to change.

Teachers Need as changes brought about current social

forces, philosophical positions,
Reminders psychological principles, new
knowledge, and educational reforms.
Teachers who will implement the
curriculum should be involved in its
development, hence should know how to
design a curriculum.

1 2 3 4 5

Curriculum change is inevitable,
necessary, and desirable.
One of characteristics of curriculum
is its being dynamic. Teachers should
respond to the changes that occur in
phased in and phased out, thus the changes that
schools and their context.
Curriculum changes made earlier can Curriculum development is a
exist concurrently with newer cooperative group activity.
curriculum changes.
Group decisions in some aspects of
A revision in a curriculum starts and ends
curriculum development are suggested.
slowly. More often, curriculum is gradually
Consultations with stakeholders and
occur can coexist and oftentimes overlap for learners is a must to gain their
long periods of time. understanding, support, and input.
Ten Axioms Curriculum development is an Curriculum development is more effective
About ongoing process. when it follows a systematic process.

Curriculum That Continuous monitoring, examination, A curriculum design is composed of desired

Teachers Need as evaluation, and improvement of
curricula are to be considered in the
outcomes, subject matter content complemented
with references set of procedures, needed
Reminders design of the curriculum. materials and resources and evaluation procedure
which can be placed in a matrix.

6 7 8 9 10

Curriculum development is a decision- Curriculum development is more Curriculum development starts from
making process made from choices of effective if it is a comprehensive where the curriculum is.
alternatives. process, rather than a "piecemeal".
A curriculum developer or designer must decide Curriculum planners and designers should
A curriculum design should be based on a
what contents to teach, philosophy or point of begin with existing curriculum. An existing
careful plan, should clearly establish
view to support, how to provide for multicultural design is a good starting point for any
intended outcomes, support resources and
groups, what methods or strategies, and what teacher who plans to enhance and enrich a
needed time available and should equip
type of evaluation to use. curriculum.
teaching staff pedagogically.
 Elements or Components of a
Curriculum Design
I. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) or the Desired Learning
Outcome (DLO) formerly labelled as behavioral objectives
Begin with the end in view. As a curriculum designer. the beginning
of the learning journey is the learning outcomes to be achieved.
For example, if a lesson intends the students to identify the parts of a
simple flower as stated in the desired learning outcomes, then
students should have identified the parts of a simple flower, at the
end of the lesson.
II. Content/Subject Matter
The content of the lesson or unit is the topic or subject matter that will be
covered.
• Subject matter should be relevant to the outcomes of the curriculum.
It should be purposive and clearly focused on the planned learning
outcomes.
• Subject matter should be appropriate to the level of the lesson or unit.
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 up-to-date, and possible should reflect current
knowledge and concepts.
 Elements or Components of a
Curriculum Design
III. References
The reference follows the content. It tells where the content or
subject matter has been taken.
The reference may be a book, a module, or any publication. It must
bear the author of the material and if possible, the publications.
For example: Project Wild (1992) K to 12 Activity Guide, An
Interdisciplinary, Supplementary Conservation and Environmental
Education Program. Council of Environmental Education, Bethesda,
MD
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.
• Cooperative learning activities allow students to work together.
• Independent learning activities allow learners to develop personal
responsibility.
• Competitive activities, where students will test their competencies
against another in a healthy manner, allow learners to perform to their
maximum.
 Some Behaviorist Teaching
Learning
A. Direct Instruction: Barak Methods
Rosenshine Model (in Ornstien & Hunkins, 2018)
Detailed Steps:
• State Learning Objectives/ Outcomes: Begin lesson with a short statement of
objective or desired lesson learning outcomes.
• Review: Introduce short review of previous or prerequisite learning.
• Present new materials: Present materials in small, sequenced manner.
• Explain: Give clear and detailed instructions and explanations.
• Practice: Provide active practice for all students.
• Guide. Guide students during initial practice; or provide seatwork activities.
• Check for understanding. Ask several questions, assess students
comprehension.
• Provide Feedback. Provide systematic feedback and corrections.
• Assess performance. Obtain student success rate of 80 percent or more
during practice session.
• Review and test. Provide for spaced review and testing.
B. Guided Instruction: Madeline Hunter Model (in Ornstein & Hunkins, 2018)
• Review. Focus on previous lesson, ask students to summarize main points.
• Anticipatory set. Focus student's attention on new lesson. Stimulate interest in
the new materials.
• Objective. State explicitly what is to be learned; state rationale or how it will be
useful.
• Input. Identify needed knowledge and skills for learning new lesson; present
materials in sequenced steps.
• Modeling. Provide several examples or demonstrations throughout the lesson.
• Check for understanding. Monitor students' work before they become involved
in lesson activities, check to see they understand directions or tasks.
• Guided practice. Periodically ask students questions and check their answers.
Again monitor understanding.
• Independent practice. Assign independent work or practice when it is reasonably
sure that students can work on their own with understanding and minimal
frustration.
 Some Behaviorist Teaching
C. Mastery Learning; JHLearning Methods
Block and Lorin Anderson Model (in Ornstein & D. Systematic Instruction: Thomas Good and Jere Brophy (in Ornstein and Hunkins,
Hunkins, 2018)
• Clarify. Explain to students what they are expected to learn.
• Inform. Teach the lesson, relying on the whole group instruction.
• Pretest. Give a formative quiz on a no fault-basis, students can check
their own paper.
• Group. Based on results, divide the class into mastery and non- mastery
groups (80% is considered mastery)
• Enrich and correct. Give enrichment instruction to mastery group. Give
corrective (practice/drill) to non-mastery group.
• Monitor. Monitor student progress; vary amount of teacher time and
support for each group based on group size and performance.
• Posttest. Give a summary test for non-mastery group.
• Assess performance. At least 75% of the students should achieve
mastery by the summative test.
• Reteach. If not, repeat procedures; starting with corrective instructions
(small study groups, individual tutoring, alternative instructional
materials, extra homework, reading materials practice and drill).
2018)
• Review. Review concepts and skills related to homework, provide review exercises.
• Development. Promote students understanding, provide controlled practice,
• Assess comprehension. Ask questions, provide controlled practice.
• Seatwork. Provide uninterrupted seatwork; get everyone involved, sustain
momentum.
• Accountability. Check the students work.
• Homework. Assign homework regularly; provide review problems.
• Special reviews. Provide weekly reviews to check and further maintain and enhance
learning.
Teaching-Learning Environment
Brian Castaldi in 1987. suggested four criteria in the provision of the environment or
learning spaces in designing a curriculum.
• Adequacy- This refers to the actual learning space or classrooms.
• Suitability- This relates to planned activities.
• Efficiency- This refers to operational and instructional effectiveness.
• Economy- This refers to cost effectiveness. How much is needed to provide
instructional materials?
 Elements or Components of a
Curriculum Design
VI. Assessment/Evaluation

Learning occurs most effectively when students receive feedback

Tree Main Forms
• Self assessment - students learn to monitor and evaluate their own learning.
• Peer assessment - students provide feedback on each other's learning.
• Teacher assessment - the teacher prepares and administers tests and gives feedback on the student's performance.
 Lesson 3.2 - Approaches to Curriculum
Designing
Types of Curriculum Design Models
1. Subject-Centered Design
• This is a curriculum design that focuses on the content of the curriculum.
• Has also some variations which are focused on the individual subject, specific discipline and a combination of subjects or disciplines which are a broad field or
interdisciplinary.

1.1 Subject Design - This is the oldest and so far the most familiar design for teachers, parents and other laymen.

1.2 Discipline Design - This design model focuses on academic discipline. Discipline refers to specific knowledge learned through a method which the scholar used to
study a specific content of their fields.

1.3 Correlation Design - Coming from a core, correlated curriculum design links separate subject design in order to reduce fragmentations. Subject are related to one
another and still maintain the identity of the subject.

1.4 Broad Field Design/Interdisciplinary - This is the variation of the subject-centered design. This design was made to cure the compartmentalization of the separate
subject and integrate the contents that are related to each other.

2. Learner-Centered Design
• The learner is the center of the educative process.

1.1 Child-centered Design - It is anchored on the needs and interests of the child.

1.2 Experience-centered Design - The focus is to be the child, experience-centered design believes that the interests and needs of learners cannot be pre-planned.

1.3 Humanistic Design- the development of self is the ultimate objective of learning.
3. Problem-Centered Design
• draws on social problems, needs, interest and abilities of the learners.

3.1 Life-Situations design- What makes the design unique is that the contents are organized in ways that allow students to clearly view problem areas. It uses the past and
the present experiences of learners as a means to analyze that basic areas of living.

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

Approaches to the Curriculum Design Models

Child or Learner-Centered Approach - This approach to curriculum design is based on the underlying philosophy that the child or the
learner is the center of the educational process.
Principles of Child-Centered Curriculum Approach

1. Acknowledge and respect the fundamental rights of the child.

2. Make all activities resolve around the overall development of the learner.

3. Consider the uniqueness of every learner in a multicultural classroom.

4.Consider using differentiated instruction or teaching.

5. Provide a motivating supportive learning environment for all the learners.

Subject-Centered Approach - This is anchored on a curriculum design which prescribes separate distinct subjects for every educational
level: basic education, higher education or vocational-technical education.
Principles of Subject-Centered Approach

1. The primary focus is the subject matter.

2. The emphasis is on bits and pieces of information which may be detached from life.
3. The subject matter serves as a means of identifying problems of living.
4. Learning means accumulation of content, or knowledge.
5. Teacher's role is to dispense the content.

Problem-Centered Approach - This approach is based on a design which assumes that in the process of living, children
experience problems. Thus, the problem solving enables the learners to become increasingly able to achieve complete or
total development individuals.

This approach is characterized by the following views and beliefs:

• The learners are capable of directing and guiding themselves in resolving problems, thus developing every learner to be independent.
• 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 in seeking solutions. Learners are problem solvers themselves.
 Lesson 3.3 Curriculum Mapping and
a model of designing, refining,
upgrading and reviewing the
curriculum resulting in a
framework that provides form,
focus, and function.
Curriculum Quality Audit
Curriculum Mapping
It is a reflective process that
helps teachers understand what
has been taught in class., how
it has been taught and how
learning outcomes are
assessed.
Curriculum maps are visual A curriculum map is always
timelines that outline desired work in progress, that enables
learning outcomes to be the teacher or the curriculum
achieved, contents, skills and review team to create and
values taught, instructional recreate the curriculum.
time, assessment to be used,
and the overall student
movement towards the
attainment of the intended
outcomes.
 Lesson 3.3 Curriculum Mapping and
Curriculum Quality Audit
Curriculum Quality Audit Benefits of Curriculum Quality Audit

Curriculum Quality Audit
(CQA) is a form of curriculum
mapping. It is a process of
mapping the curriculum
program or syllabus against
established standards.
The curriculum quality audit
required a written curriculum
and the tested curriculum
linked both the taught and the
written curricula.
• Identify gaps, under and overrepresentation of the
curriculum based on the standards.
• Ensures alignment of learning outcomes, activities
and assessment to the standards.
• Achieves an internationally comparable curriculum as
standards become the basis of the curriculum analysis.