Session Six
Components of Curriculum Design
• There is not one way to design a curriculum
• As we saw over the last weeks, educators and
educational organizations approach
curriculum and education with different
philosophies
• With each philosophy, there are different
methods, approaches and a different way to
approach objectives
Components of Curriculum Design
• Even though educators have different
philosophies and goals, curriculum design has
some common elements
• No matter what your approach, curriculum
design is concerned with
– Objectives
– Content
– Learning experiences
– evaluation
Components of Curriculum Design
• Which of the four components you focus on
will differ based on the philosophy
Activity
• In your groups
• Design a unit of study based on the
philosophy assigned
• Include an
– Objectives
– Content
– Learning experiences
– evaluation
Activity
• Spades- Idealism philosophy- concerned with
knowledge and truth
• Clubs- Realism- Concerned with truth, but used senses
• Diamonds- Pragmatist- focus on change and solving
problems
• Hearts- Existentialist, believe students need to be
free to choose what they want to study
• Content Area
• Government
Feedback
Curriculum Design
• As you can see from the philosophy as a
curricularist designs a curriculum the political,
philosophical and social surface
• There are four Sources that guide curricularist
– Science
– Society
– External truth
– Society and the learner
The Science Source
• Curricularist that rely on science foundation
prioritize problem solving and are very
concerned with observable, quantifiable
elements
Society
• If You believe society is your source you draw
information for your curriculum from ideas
related to social situations
• The goal is to meet the needs of the diverse
social groups while teaching aspects of the
common culture
Moral Doctrine
• If you use Moral Doctrine as a your guide , you
look to lasting truths put forward by great
thinkers of the past
• Not used much anymore
• Some private and parochial schools rely on
this as a source
Knowledge
• This is where most curricula come from
• There are two types of knowledge
– Discipline is when when there is a specific
structure, particular methods which scholars in
the field recognize, examples – physics, algebra
– Undisciplined- when the knowledge is drawn from
other fields, environmental education draws from
different sciences
Knowledge
• The problem is that when you use knowledge
as your source, it is always growing, it is
difficult to keep up with.
• So you must ask, what knowledge must be
possessed by the majority
The Learner
• When you use the learner as the source your
curriculum is driven by all of those
educational psychology concepts we spoke
about
– Behaviorism
– Developmental stages
The Learner
• When you use the learner as the source your
curriculum is driven by all of those
educational psychology concepts we spoke
about
– Behaviorism
– Developmental stages
Conceptual Framework
• Once you decide on what your source of
information is, you need to decide on your
conceptual framework- How will you organize
your curriculum
• There are many ways and most of them can be
grouped in two different ways
– Vertical and Horizontal
Conceptual Framework
• Horizontal- when curriculum elements are
blended
– And example would be Contemporary studies
which combines math and science content
– Has several advantages
Conceptual Framework
• Vertical- is when you sequence the
curriculum. In one year you cover a subject,
your revisit it the next year in more detail and
with increasing difficulty.
Dimensions of the Curriculum
Scope
• Scope- a concept used often when discussing
curriculum
• Refers to the breath and depth of the content
• Could be as complicated as- all of the content,
topics, learning experiences and organizing
thread of the educational plan
• Could be as simple as a list of key concepts
Dimensions of the Curriculum
Scope
• a curriculum’s full scope can extend for more
than a year
• When the scope covers just weeks it is a Unit
• Units are divide into lesson plans
• The current knowledge explosion can
sometimes make the scope unmanageable,
then the focus of the curriculum write is
prioritizing and deciding what not to include
Dimensions of the Curriculum
Sequence
• Usually goes together with Scope like Peanut
butter and Jelly
• Sequence is the design that will foster
cumulative learning, the decision is how do
you organize material and experiences so
they build on what came before
Activity
• Discuss in your local groups, what educational
psychological elements must be considered
when dealing with sequence?
Dimensions of the Curriculum
Sequence
• Organized in a way that information is
assimilated
• You must consider developmental stages and
make sure the information is presented at
developmentally appropriate times
Dimensions of the Curriculum
Sequence
• There are several ways to sequence the
curriculum
– Simple to more complex – reading is done this
way
– Prerequisite learning- math is often done this way
– Whole to part- Physical education is done this way
– Chronological- history is often done this way
Dimensions of the Curriculum
Continuity
• Often called the Spiral Curriculum
• IS a vertical representation of curriculum
components• Skills are recurring and practiced
Dimensions of the Curriculum
Integration
• Integration is the linking all types of
knowledge and experiences contained within
the curriculum plan
• It links all knowledge so it is unified and Not
“Atomized”
• It is a design dimension as well as a
philosophy
• Many great reasons to use this
Dimensions of the Curriculum
Articulation
• Articulation is the vertical and horizontal
interrelatedness of the curriculum
– Horizontal- when teachers discuss with each other
in the same grade level and sequence information
to support each others subjects
– Vertical is when teachers discuss how the present
information to support the teacher the next year
Activity
Local Groups
• Identify examples of Vertical and horizontal
articulation
• Have you seen it done?
• How?
Basic Designs
• There are three basic Design models
– Subject Centered
– Learner Centered
– Problem Centered
Basic Designs
• There are a number of common problems that
curricularist wrestle with when designing
curriculum
• Some include:
– Fragmentation
– Depth
– Scope
– Growing Knowledge base
Subject Centered
• Subject Design
– This is the most traditional model, the oldest
design model
– Most text books are designed around this mode3l
– Stress standards
Subject Centered
• Subject Design
– It is organized according to essential knowledge
– With the growing knowledge base, this is a major
problem
• History is some places is divided intro cultural,
economic and geographic history
• English can be divided into literature, writing, speech,
reading, linguistics and grammar
Subject Centered
• Subject Design
– Proceeds from simple to complex
– It emphasizes verbal learning
– Con
• It tends to be compartmentalized and stress mnemonic
• Students interests and experiential learning tends to be
ignored.
Discipline Centered
• Stresses understanding the conceptual
structures and process of the discipline
• They approach it as a professional in the field (
to some extent) they approach history as a
historian would
• They would investigate biology
Discipline Centered
• In a subject centered curriculum, it is
successful if children learn information
• In a discipline centered, children are expected
comprehend the concepts of the discipline
• Students use method to process information
• It expects students to understand the basic
logic of the field
Discipline Centered
• If students master this area, then the growing
knowledge base is not a problem
• Students will be able to independently apply
their skills to learn about knew knowledge in
the field
Discipline Centered
• People that disagree with the approach, feel
that students are not developmentally ready
at certain stages to approach learning in this
manner
• Other critics of this approach feel that it relies
on one or a few learning styles and it will not
be effective with many students
Discipline Centered
• Another criticism is the lack of breath that a
child will experience in a course- they will get
great depth at the expense of breadth- whole
language
• Believers in this area feel that students should
at no point be trained for a job, they should
learn a universal set of skills that will make
them successful in many jobs
Correlation Design
• The goal of the Correlation design was to
provide linkage between different subjects
• It avoid Fragmentation
• Most common is combining English and
History- American Studies, European Studies
– Read literature of the area and time period why
the history teacher teaches about the history,
culture and economics
Correlation Design
• Drawback is it requires coordination between
the two teachers
• Middle schools do this with their common
planning addition to common planning,
Scheduling is also a obstacle
• Can be worked out often in smaller schools
Process Design
• Similar to the discipline approach, students
learn a process by which students learn,
• Unlike the discipline approach, the process
approach teaches universal principals that can
be applied to al subjects
Example
• A man from a small town in Ireland move to this
country
• Got a job in the maintenance department at ATT
• One day when cleaning an area, came across
someone that could get their printer to work
• He approached as he would fixing a tractor at
home- very logical( changed printers, cables…)
and was able to find the problem
• The word spread and he continued to use this
technique, The company then gave him a job in
tech support and gave him more training
Process Design
• The process design emphasizes procedures that
allow students to analyze reality and create a
schema by which arrange derived knowledge
• As students learn, they share the process so
other can learn from that as well
• Does not have a great deal of use now
• It is predicted that it will be the method of the
future
• Certainly allows you to deal with all the growing
knowledge base
Child-Centered Design
• Students are active in the learning
environment
• The learning is connected to the students’
lives
• Student’s interest are key to this method
• Learners actively construct their own
knowledge ( constructivism)
Child-Centered Design
• Supporters argue that it aligns itself with
many Educational Psychological concepts
• Some feel that it will reduce Behavior
problems- If students are involved, then they
will not misbehave- True in any design
• Many approaches came out far this design
– Quincy approach
– Discovery Method
Experience- Centered Design
• Very Similar to the Child-centered design
• However, this design feels that children’s
needs can not be anticipated so nothing can
be laid out ahead of time
• Curriculum cannot be preplanned, everything
must be done on the spot
• It heavily emphasizes learner’s interest,
creativity, and Self Direction
Experience- Centered Design
• Learning is a social activity• Believe in each child's uniqueness
• They believe that an open free school
environment will stimulate all students to excel
• In an optimal school environment, students are
self motivated
• The teacher’s role is to facilitate the student to
learn
• The students are empowered to shape their own
learning with the aide of the teacher
Romantic Design
Radical
• Believes of this design believe that society is
corrupt, repressive and unable to cure itselfThey believe Schools have used the curricula
to control and indoctrinate students
• The romantics believe that curricula should be
designed to emancipate them
• Curricula organized to foster a students’ belief
and desire for a common culture, teach
intolerance and accept differences in others
Romantic Design
Radical
• Learning is reflective and not imposed by
some authority
• Radicals view society as deeply flawed
Humanistic Design
• The antithesis of Behaviorism- Learning is
more than a response to a stimulus
• Meaning is more important methods
• Goals is for the students to become full
functioning persons by actively involving them
in their own growth
Humanistic Design
• Designed so students can reach Self
Actualization eventually
• Stresses knowledge relative to problem
solving and deep thinking
• Does not follow any discipline lines
Humanistic Design
• Confluence is an important concept to
Humanist• Confluence blends the affective domain with
the cognitive domains
• Believe that cognitive, psychomotor and
affective are all interrelated
• Some feel that schools should address
pleasures and desire as aesthetic pleasures,
emphasizing human beauty
Humanistic Design
• Some critics of this design is that it focuses on
students uniqueness yet pushes activities for
all students
• Also- it focuses on personal needs, and not on
societies
• Does not incorporate any cognitive or
behaviorist principles
Problem-Centered Designs
• Focuses on Real- life problems for individuals
and society
• Problems are planned for the students
• Some problems are persistent life problems
– Life situations
– Contemporary social issues
– Areas of living
Problem-Centered Designs
Life-Situation Design
• Life-situation design supporters believe:
– Deals with persistent life situations that are crucial
to society functioning successfully
– Content is organized around the content or of
aspects of the community
– When students study these social issues, it will
improve society
Problem-Centered Designs
Life-Situation Design
• It focuses on the problem solving process
•
Critics feel that students do not learn the
subject matter this way
• It tries to integrate subject matter across the
curriculum
• Very challenging – difficult to organize a scope
Problem-Centered Designs
Reconstruction Design
• This design fosters social action aimed at
reconstruction society
• It promotes society’s social, political and
economic development
• Wants to advance social justice
• Believes children should be engaged in critical
analysis of society in order to improve it
• Improve the human condition at the local,
national and international level