M I C H E L L E V U N C A N N O N

CURRICULUM DESIGNCHAPTER 6 & 7

3 BASIC CURRICULUM DESIGNS

•Subject-Centered

•Learner-Centered

•Problem-Centered

SUBJECT-CENTERED DESIGN

• Most widely used

• Draws heavily on Plato’s academic idea

• Types of Subject-Centered Designs

• Subject Design

• Discipline Design

• Broad-Fields Design

• Correlation Design

• Process Design

SUBJECT DESIGN

• Teacher’s are trained as subject specialist and textbooks

do the best job outlining the subject matter.

• Still emphasized due to the continued push for standards

and accountability.

• Oldest and best known design in our society

• Henry Morrison- spokesperson for subject design

• Elementary curriculum- literacy based

• Secondary curriculum- variety of courses, develop interests in

other subject areas.

• Subject design ignores student’s need for socialization as

well as student interests, experiences and needs.

Basically, ignores the learner and focuses entirely on

subject matter.

DISCIPLINE DESIGN

• Emerged after WWII and evolved from the subject

design.

• Different from subject design. With discipline design

“students experience the discipline so that they can

comprehend and conceptualize.” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p.

161) Not just fill students with knowledge like subject

design.

• Fosters student thinking

• Critics say discipline design forces student to adapt to

curriculum instead of the other way around. Also,

ignores knowledge such as vocational education,

personal-social living, humanism and aesthetics.

BROAD-FIELDS DESIGN

• Often referred to as the Interdisciplinary Design.

• Fix the “fragmentation and compartmentalization caused by the subject design.” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 162)

• Integrate contents that blend together naturally (i.e. Social Studies= geography + economics + anthropology + political science + history + sociology)

• Widespread in elementary, middle and high school curriculum.

• Focuses on connections between concepts or themes, curriculum webs.

• Concerns with Broad-Fields Design- sacrifices depth for breadth.

CORRELATION DESIGN

• Subjects are still maintain their individual identities

and teachers their specialty subject, but identifies

links between subject areas.

• History and Literature correlate well as does Math

and Science.

• Currently not used by many teachers because it

requires cooperative planning.

PROCESS DESIGN

• Procedural design curriculum for teaching critical

thinking.

• Focuses on teaching for intelligence and fostering

intellectual character.

• Postmodern process-design encourages students to

not only analyze conclusions, but investigate the

process used to reach those conclusions.

3 BASIC CURRICULUM DESIGNS

•Subject-Centered

•Learner-Centered

•Problem-Centered

LEARNER-CENTERED DESIGNS

• Early 1900’s- students should be the focus of the

program.

• Rooted in socialization & Rousseau’s developmental

ideas.

• Found more at the elementary school level than

secondary (which focuses more on subject-

centered design)

CHILD-CENTERED DESIGN

• Design based on student needs, interests and lives (unlike subject-centered design).

• “Students must be active in their learning environments” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 165)

• Students must have experiences to explore and construct knowledge.

• Rousseau (Rousseau’s educational philosophy) believed that the learner should be taught in their natural environment, not an artificial environment like the classroom.

• Today some schools use child-centered curriculum design, but most are content driven.

EXPERIENCE-CENTERED DESIGN

• Like child-centered design in that is based on

children’s concerns. Different because it assumes a

child’s needs cannot be anticipated and therefore

cannot be planned for.

• Difficult curriculum to implement because nothing

can be preplanned.

• Teacher’s role is to provide opportunities for

learning. All students in an optimal environment are

self-motivated. Students have freedom of choice in

their learning.

ROMANTIC (RADICAL) DESIGN

• Pestalozzi- “individuals can find their true selves by looking to their own nature” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 167)

• Radicals believe today’s schools are organized to further social classes and the “haves” and “have-nots”.

• Radical curriculum is not just learning knowledge but experience it. Engagement.

• The teacher’s role is to function as “awareness makers.”

• Radicalists view society as flawed and schools are a product of that . View current curriculum as oppressive.

HUMANISTIC DESIGN

• Based in Humanistic Psychology (study of the whole person).

• Role of the educator is to provide a conducive environment that fosters genuineness, empathy and a mutual respect for self and others.

• Classrooms are collaborative, multidisciplinary and flexible.

• “The curriculum design should allow students to formulate a perceived individual and social good, and encourage them to participate in a community.” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 169)

• Critics of Humanistic design say if doesn’t consider learner consequences. Also it overemphasizes the individual and therefore ignores’ societal needs.

3 BASIC CURRICULUM DESIGNS

•Subject-Centered

•Learner-Centered

•Problem-Centered

PROBLEM-CENTERED DESIGN

• Focuses on individual and society’s real-life

problems.

• Based on social issues, life situations, areas of living

and reconstructing society.

• Differ from learner-centered designs because them

are planned before students arrive.

LIFE-SITUATIONS DESIGN

• 3 Fundamental assumptions:1. Dealing with persistent life situations is crucial to a society’s

successful functioning.

2. Students see the relevance of content if its organized around aspects of community life.

3. Having students study social or life situations will directly involve them in improving society.

(Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 170)

• Focuses on problem-solving procedures.

• Uses the student’s past and present experiences to analyze basic features of life.

• Integrates all subject matters by connecting to real life situations. This increases its relevance.

• Criticisms- teachers aren’t comfortable or equipped to teach this kind of curriculum. Also, doesn’t expose children to their cultural heritage.

RECONSTRUCTIONIST DESIGN

• Believe the purpose of curriculum is to reconstruct

society and advance social justice.

• The main purpose of social reconstructionist

curriculum is to “engage students in critical analysis

of the local, national, and international community

in order to address humanity’s problems.” (Hunkins &

Ornstein, 2013, p. 171)

• Today’s reconstructionists call themselves

reconceptualists.

TECHNICAL-SCIENTIFIC VS. NONTECHNICAL-NONSCIENTIFICWHICH ONE HAS GREATER RELEVANCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY?

Considering the data-driven and assessment saturated education system we’re living in, I would say the Technical-Scientific curriculum model is the most relevant for the 21st century. A Technical-Scientific curriculum approach is systematic and structured. There are predefined goals, objectives and learning outcomes for students. In contrast, a Nontechnical-Nonscientific approach is subjective in nature. Curriculum is not preplanned but instead evolves as the learner’s needs and wants develop.

TECHNICAL-SCIENTIFIC VS. NONTECHNICAL-NONSCIENTIFICWHICH ONE HAS GREATER RELEVANCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY?

Even though there seems to be some movement toward student-centered learning we’re still a long way from student-centered outcomes. There is still an expectation that students leave each grade with a defined set of skills and knowledge. They’re even assessed and teacher’s are judged based on their acquired knowledge (or lack there of). “Accountability” is the word-of-the-day and I don’t see any sign of it moving in any other direction. If society were to support a nontechnical-nonscientific curriculum model it would mean we would have to shake our expectation of set learning goals for all students and view education as an individual evolution in learning.

GOALS STANDARDS

GOALS STANDARDS

• Indicates “what could or should be

learned” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 191)

• “more akin to educational objectives that

define in quite specific terms what

students are to learn and what behavior

or behaviors they are to demonstrate” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 191)

• Broad, more general • More specific

• “should address current times but

also be relevant for the future.” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 191)

• Content standard- what students

are to learn.

• Example from President George W.

Bush (2000)- “All U.S. children will

start school ready to learn” (Hunkins

& Ornstein, 2013, p. 191)

• Performance standard- behavior

children are to master.

CENTRAL CRITERIA FOR SELECTING CURRICULUM CONTENT

• Self- sufficiency- helping the learner attain their greatest self-

sufficiency and productive members of society.

• Significance- “content to be learned is significant only to the

degree to which it contributes to the basic ideas, concepts,

principles, generalizations, and so on, of the overall aims of the

curriculum.” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 201)

• Validity- accuracy and authenticity of the content.

• Interest- Content must be meaningful and engaging for the

learner. Key for those who support a learner-centered curriculum.

CENTRAL CRITERIA FOR SELECTING CURRICULUM CONTENT

• Utility- Usefulness; Must consider the current and future

world when determining utility.

• Learnability- “appropriateness for the intended student

audience” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 203)

• Feasibility- consideration of the following: resources

available, time, staffing, legislation, resources, politics,

money.

CENTRAL CRITERIA FOR SELECTING CURRICULUM EXPERIENCES

• Instructional strategies- including “inquiry

strategies, lecture, discussion, and

demonstration”. (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 203)

• Educational activities- such as “viewing films or

videos, conducting experiments, interacting

with computer programs, taking field trips, and

listening to speakers.” (Hunkins & Ornstein, 2013, p. 203)

REFERENCE PAGE

Ornstein, A., & Hunkins, F. (2013). Curriculum

Evaluation. In Curriculum: Foundations, principles,

and issues (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson.