Approaches to

Curriculum Design

The Six (6) Features of a Curriculum

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

The Teacher
The Learners
Knowledge, Skills, Values
Strategies and Methods
Performance
Community Partners

The Teacher
quality education requires quality teachers

good teachers bring a shining light into

the learning environment
ideal companions of the learners
with advances in communication
technology, good teachers are needed to
sort out the knowledge from the
information from the data that surround
the learners and from the wisdom from
the knowledge

The Learners
they are at the center stage in the
educative process
the most important factor in the learning
environment
there is no teaching without them
their diverse background should be
accepted
their needs should be addressed and met
they should be provided with learning
opportunities and varied experiences

Knowledge, Skills, Values

a curriculum oriented to tomorrow

should be designed to help learners
cope with the rapid changes
educational process should lie not
only in what they learn, but how they
learn and how good they will be in
continuing to learn after they leave
school
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 teachers should prepare his/her syllabus

or a course of study as his vehicle for
instruction
learning goals, instructional procedures
and content must be clearly explained to
students
there must be balance of theory and
practice
learners sustained interest in the subject
should be made meaningful and relevant
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Strategies and Methods

teachers should remember that there is no

best strategy that could work in a million
of different student background and
characteristics
teachers must use appropriate
methodologies, approaches and strategies
capped with compassionate and
winsome nature to objectives of
the lesson

 teachers should select teaching methods,

learning activities and instructional
materials or resources appropriate to
learners and aligned to objectives of the
lesson
situations should be created to encourage
learners to use higher order thinking
skills
utilize information derived from assessment
to improve teaching and learning and adopt
a culture of excellence
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Performance

knowledge, skills and values to be developed

by the learners serve as guiding post of the
teachers
at the end of the teaching act, it is necessary
to find out if the objectives set were
accomplished (in curriculum these are called
learning outcomes)
these learning outcomes indicate both the
performance of both the teacher and the
students
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 learning outcomes are the product of

performance of the learners as a result of

teaching
performance is a feature of a curriculum
that should be given emphasis
the curriculum is deemed to be successful
if the performance of the learners is higher
than the target set
if the performance is low then it follows
that the curriculum has failed
a good curriculum is one that results in
high or excellent performance
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Community Partners
teaching is a collaborative undertaking

to be effective, teachers must draw upon the

resources of their environment even if they
are the focal Point in the learning process
teachers must establish relationship with
parents, NGOs, and their stakeholders
partnership is a means and not an end to be
pursued
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 an absence of partnership often means a

poor definition of education ends
as society changes, teachers will have a
new beginning, an opportunity to recast
their roles in their communities, to change
their attitude to their communities, to
challenge the attitude of their communities
and societies about them

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Approaches to Curriculum Design

The three major curriculum design models

are implemented through the different approaches

that are accepted by the teachers and curriculum
practitioners. How the design is utilized becomes
the approach to the curriculum.

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Child or Learner-Centered Approach

this approach to curriculum design is

based on the underlying philosophy that
the child is the center of the educational
process
curriculum is constructed based on the
needs, interests, purposes and abilities
of the learners
curriculum is also built upon the learners
knowledge, skills, learning and
potentials
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This approach considers the following:

A new respect for the child is fundamental
A new freedom of action is provided
The whole activity is divided into units of
work
The recognition of the need for using and exploring many media for
self-discovery

and self-direction is embraced

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Subject-Centered Approach

Anchored on the curriculum design which

prescribes different and separate subjects into
one broad field, this approach considers the
following:

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 The primary focus is the subject matter

The emphasis is on bits and pieces of
information which are detached from
life
The continuing pursuit of learning outside
the school is not emphasized. Learning
should only take place inside the
classroom.
The subject matter serves as a means of
identifying problems in living
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Problem-Centered Approach

This approach is based on a curriculum

design which assumes that in the process of

living, children experience problems. Thus,
problem solving enables the learners to
become increasingly able to achieve complete
or total development as individuals.

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This approach is characterized by the

following views and beliefs:
The learners are capable of directing and
guiding themselves in resolving problems,
thus they become independent learners
The learners are prepared to assume their
civic responsibilities through direct
participation in different activities
The curriculum leads the learners in the
recognition of concerns and problems and
in seeking solutions. The learners are
considered problem solvers
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