Models of Curriculum Design
Introduction
Curriculum design is a complex but
systematic process. This unit describes a
variety of models of curriculum design in
order to make this complex activity
understandable and manageable. It is
important for you as a teacher to
understand how the curriculum you are
using in your school was designed.
Objectives
After completing this unit, you should be
able to:
1. Discuss various models of curriculum
design.
2. Compare curriculum design models.
3. Explain steps in curriculum design in
relation to models of curriculum.
Content
This unit covers the objective models of curriculum
design:
The objectives model.
The Objectives Model
The objectives model of curriculum design contains
content that is based on specific objectives. These
objectives should specify expected learning
outcomes in terms of specific measurable behaviors.
This model comprises four main steps:
Agreeing on broad aims which are analyzed into
objectives.
Constructing a curriculum to achieve these
objectives.
Refining the curriculum in practice by testing
its capacity to achieve its objectives.
Communicating the curriculum to the teachers
through the conceptual framework of the
objectives. (Gatawa, 1990: 30)
Objectives Model
1. Curriculum Idea
4. Evaluation 2. Objectives
3. Content
Material
Methodology
1. The Idea of Curriculum:-
The idea of curriculum is hardly new but the way
we understand and theories’ about it has altered
over the years, and there remains considerable
dispute as to meaning.
Curriculum is the outline of concepts to be taught
to students to help them meet the content
standards. Curriculum is what is taught in a given
course or subject. Curriculum refers to an
interactive system of instruction and learning with
specific goals, contents, strategies, measurement,
and resources.
Curriculum construction is a specialized area of
work which expects a teacher to have a deep
understanding of the underlying concept of
curriculum and also the skill to systematically
design learning experiences to achieve the socially
desired goals set by the society we live in.
2. OBJECTIVES:-
For day-to-day teaching purposes, aims must be
turned into specific teaching objectives. These
objectives are not a list of things to learn, they are
not a syllabus (in the accepted sense of the
term)and they say nothing about the teaching
approach. Objectives show what a student should
be able to do as a result of a learning experience.
1. They specify the kind of behaviors which will be
accepted as evidence that the learner has
achieved the objective.
2. They describe the important conditions under
which the behaviors will be expected to occur.
3. They describe how well the learner must perform
to have his behaviors considered acceptable.
3. Content, Material, Methodology :-
Whenever we design a curriculum, the content we
choose to put in that curriculum is based on the
objectives. For example if we are making curriculum
for English subject then objectives for English
subject would be decided. And also teaching
methodology choose according to the objective.
4. Evaluation:-
The process of assessment is critical as it begins with
objective of educational program. The process of
evaluation is essentially the process of determining to
what extend the educational objectives are.
Evaluation is done at each stage of the curriculum
design. The curriculum should be discussed with the
teachers as they can help them in evaluation. The
teachers know their students well then, the
curriculum developers as they interact with them
more. The teachers can evaluate the curriculum as
well as help in the development also. It will help in
determining whether the curriculum is reliable and
useable or it needs any changed.