APPROACHES TO

CURRICULUM DESIGN
Module 2 Lesson 2
Desired Learning Outcomes:
■ Identify some of familiar curriculum designs and approaches to the design

■ Analyze the approaches in the light of how these are applied in the school setting
Content:
I. Types of Curriculum Design
1. Subject - Centered Design
1.1. Subject design
1.2. Discipline design
1.3. Correlation design
1.4 Broad field design / interdisciplinary
2. Learner – Centered Design
2.1. Child – centered design
2.2. Experience – centered design
2.3. Humanistic design
3. Problem – Centered Design
3.1. Life-situations design
3.2. Core problem design
II. Approaches to Curriculum Design
1. Subject-Centered Design
• Focuses on the content of the curriculum

• Corresponds mostly on the textbook, because textbooks are usually

written based on the specific subject of the course.

• Most schools using this kind of structure and curriculum design aim
for excellence in the specific subject discipline content.
 Variations of Subject-Centered
Design
1.1 Subject Design

● Answers the questions:

What subject are you teaching ?
What subject are you taking ?
● The oldest and so far the most familiar design for teachers, parents and other laymen.

Advantages
Easy to deliver
Familiarity of teachers with the format
Disadvantages
Learning is compartmentalized
Passive way of learning
Spoon feeding
Traditional approach
 Variations of Subject-Centered
Design
1.2 Discipline Design

● Focuses on academic discipline

● Often used in college
● Applied to more mature students who are now moving towards their career path
● In the same manner, teachers should teach how scholars in the discipline will convey the
particular knowledge.

Examples:
In teaching History, students should learn the subject matter like historians.
In teaching Biology, students should learn how biologists learn.
 Variations of Subject-Centered
Design
1.3 Correlation Design

● Links separate subject designs to reduce fragmentation, but in a way that subjects
related to one another still maintain their identity.

Examples:
English literature & Social Studies  teacher correlates the different literary pieces
within the different historical period.

Science correlated to Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology

 Variations of Subject-Centered
Design
1.4 Broad field design / interdisciplinary

● was made to cure the compartmentalization of the separate subjects & integrate the
contents that are related to one another
● called holistic curriculum
● Similar to thematic design, where a specific theme is identified and other subject areas
revolve around the theme.

Examples:
Subjects such as Geography, Economics, Political Science, Anthropology, Sociology are
fused into one subject called Social Studies.

Grammar, Literature, Linguistics, Spelling and Composition are fused into one subject
called Language Arts.
2. Learner-Centered Design
• The learner is the center of the educative process
• This emphasis is very strong in the elementary level.
• Although in highschool, the focus is subject or content and
in the college level, the discipline is the center, both levels
still recognize the importance of the learner in the
curriculum.
2.2 Child-centered design

• This design is often attributed to the influence of John Dewey, Rousseau, Pestallozi and
Froebel.
• Anchored on the needs and interests of the child
• The learner is not considered passive, but one who engages in his/her environment.
• One learns by doing.
• Learners actively create, construct meanings and understanding as viewed by
constructivists.
• In this design, learners and teachers interact with the environment, thus there is a
collaborative effort to plan the lessons, select content and do activities together.
2.2 Experience-centered design

• Believes that the interests and needs of learners can not be pre-planned.
Instead, experiences of learners become the starting point of the
curriculum.
• Learners are made to choose from various activities that the teacher
provides.
• Learners are empowered to shape their own learning.
• Different learning centers are found, time is flexible and children are free
to make options.
• Activities revolve around touching, feeling, imagining, constructing, relating
and others.
• The emergence of multiple intelligence theory blends well with this design.
2.3 Humanistic Design

• Key influence are 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 the many others.

• Carl Rogers believed that the person can enhance self-directed learning by improving
self-understanding, the basic attitude to guide behaviour.

• The development of self is the main objective of learning.

• Stresses that the whole person and the integration of thinking, feeling and doing.

• Considers the 3 domains of learning

3. Problem-Centered Design
• Draws on social problems, needs, interest, and abilities of
the learners
• Content cuts across subject boundaries and must be based
on the needs, concerns and abilities of the students
• Often used by medical courses
3.1 Life-situation design

• Contents are organized in ways that allow students to

clearly view problem areas.
• Uses the past and the present experiences of learners as
means to analyse the basic areas of living
• The connection of the subject matter to real situations
increases the relevance of the curriculum
3.2 Core-problem design

• Centers on general education and the problems are based on

the common human activities
• The central focus is the needs, problems and concerns of
the learners
• Popularized by Fraunce and Bossing in 1959, it presents
ways on how to proceed using core design of a curriculum
Step 1. Make group consensus on important problems
Step 2. Develop criteria for selection of important problem.
Step 3. State and define the problem.
Step 4. Decide on areas of study, including class grouping.
Step 5. List of needed information for resources.
Step 6. Obtain and organize information.
Step 7. Analyze and interpret information.
Step 8. State the tentative conclusions.
Step 9. Present a report to the class individually or by group.
Step 10. Evaluate conclusions.
Step 11. Explore other avenues for further problem solving.