TYPES OF

CURRICULUM
DESIGN
Prepared By: Jezikiel M. Guardiano
3 BASIC CURRICULUM DESIGN

Subject- Centered

Learner- Centered

Problem- Centered
SUBJECT- CENTERED
• The most popular and widely used is the
subject centered design.
TYPES OF SUBJECT- CENTERED
DESIGNS
• Subject Design
• Discipline Design
• Broad- Fields Design
• Correlation Design
• Process Design
SUBJECT DESIGN
• Teachers are trained as subject specialist and
textbooks do the best job outlining the
subject matter.
• Oldest and best known design in our society.
• Henry Marrison- spokesperson for subject
design
• Elementary curriculum- literacy based
• Secondary curriculum- variety of courses,
develop interests in other subject areas.
SUBJECT DESIGN
• While in mid- 1930’s Robert Hutchins indicated
which subjects such a curriculum design would
compromise a school (1.) language and it uses (reading,
writing, grammar, literature), (2) mathematics, (3) sciences, (4)
history, and (5) foreign languages
• Subject design ignores student’s need for
socialization as well as student interest, experiences
and needs. Basically, ignores the learner and
focuses entirely on subject matter.
DISCIPLINE DESIGN
• This new designed acquired popularity
during the 1950s and reached its peak during
the mid-1960s.
• Focus on the academic disciplines.
• Students would approach history as a historian
would
• Investigate biological topic by following procedures used
by biologist.
DISCIPLINE DESIGN
• Critics say discipline design forces student to
adapt to curriculum instead of the way
around.
• In the discipline design students experienced
the disciplines so that they can understand
and theorize.
BROAD- FIELDS DESIGN
• This design also known as interdisciplinary
design.
• Fix the “fragmentation and
compartmentalization caused by the subject
design”
• Designers of this discipline tried to give
students a comprehensive understanding of
all the content areas
BROAD- FIELDS DESIGN
• Integrate content that match together
soundly (i.e Social Studies= History, sociology,
anthropology, political science, economics and
geography. General Science= biology, chemistry,
and physics. Language Arts= linguistics, grammar,
literature and spelling.
• Widespread in elementary, middle and high
school curriculum
BROAD- FIELDS DESIGN
• Concerns with Broad- Fields Design sacrifices
depth for breadth.
CORRELATION DESIGN
• Subject 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.
LEARNER CENTERED
• Early 1900’s students should be the focus of
the program.
• These designs are realized more often at the
elementary than in the secondary level.
TYPES OF LEARNER- CENTERED
DESIGNS
• Child- centered Design
• Experience- centered Design
• Romantic/ Radical Design
• Humanistic Design
CHILD- CENTERED DESIGN
• Design based on student needs, interest and
lives.
• “Student must be active in their learning
environment”
• Student must have experience to explore and
construct knowledge.
CHILD- CENTERED DESIGN
• Today some schools use child- centered
curriculum design, but most are content
driven.
• Belief: effective learning did not require strict
discipline, child’s innate tendency to become
engaged with interesting knowledge.
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.
EXPERIENCE- CENTERED
DESIGN
• 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
• Basically follows Rosusseau’s position on the
value of attending to the nature of individuals
and Pestalozzi’s philosophy that individuals
can find their true selves by looking to their
own nature
• For them, schools are using their curricula to
indoctrinate and then control students rather
than to educate and liberate them
ROMANTIC/RADICAL
DESIGN
• Radical curriculum is not just learning
knowledge but experience it. Engagement.
• The teacher’s role is to function as
“awareness makers”
• Students must accept responsibility for
educating themselves & demand freedom.
HUMANISTIC DESIGN
• Based in Humanistic Psychology ( study of
the whole person)
• Role of the educators is to provide a
conducive environment that fosters
genuineness, empathy and mutual respect
for self and other.
• Classrooms are collaborative,
multidisciplinary and flexible.
HUMANISTIC DESIGN
• The curriculum design should allow students
to formulate a perceived individual and social
good, and encourage them to participate in
a community.
• Critics of Humanistic design say if doesn’t
consider learner consequences. Also it
overemphasizes the individual and therefore
ignores’ societal needs.
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 they are planned before students
arrives.
TYPES OF
PROBLEM- CENTERED DESIGN
• Life- Situations Design
• Reconstructionist Design
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.
LIFE-SITUATIONS DESIGN
• Focuses on problem- solving procedurues.
• 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.
LIFE-SITUATIONS DESIGN
• Criticism- teachers aren’t comfortable or
equipped to teach this kind of curriculum.
Also doesn’t expose children to their cultural
heritage.
RECONSTRUCTIONISTS
DESIGN
• Believe the purpose of curriculum is to
reconstruct society and advance social
justice.
• Provide students with learning requisite for
altering social, economic, & political realities.
• Curriculum should foster social action, aimed
at reconstructing society.
RECONSTRUCTIONISTS
DESIGN
• 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.”