Chapter 6 Curriculum design

1. M I C H E L L E V U N C A N N O N
CURRICULUM DESIGN
CHAPTER 6 & 7

2. 3 BASIC CURRICULUM DESIGNS
•Subject-Centered
•Learner-Centered
•Problem-Centered

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 3 BASIC CURRICULUM DESIGNS
•Subject-Centered
•Learner-Centered
•Problem-Centered

10. 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)

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 3 BASIC CURRICULUM DESIGNS
•Subject-Centered
•Learner-Centered
•Problem-Centered

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. TECHNICAL-SCIENTIFIC VS. NONTECHNICAL-NONSCIENTIFIC
WHICH 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.

20. TECHNICAL-SCIENTIFIC VS. NONTECHNICAL-NONSCIENTIFIC
WHICH 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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)

25. REFERENCE PAGE
Ornstein, A., & Hunkins, F. (2013). Curriculum
Evaluation. In Curriculum: Foundations, principles,
and issues (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson.