CURRICULUM DESIGN & DEVELOPMENTAN OVERVIEW BY EASTER TAYLOR

COMPONENTS OF CURRICULUM

DESIGN

There are 3 main ideas that shape our views of education—socialization, the value of knowledge (Plato’s academic idea), & the growth of the mind (Rousseau’s development idea). These ideas influence each component of curriculum design (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 151).

Curriculum Design

Objectives

What should be learned

Content

Subject Matter to be Included

Method & Organization

Instructional Design

Learning Experiences

Instructional Strategies

Activities

Resources

Evaluation

Methods & Instruments Used to Assess Learning

SOURCES OF

CURRICULUM DESIGN

SOCIETY

School is an agent of society, “designed to serve…the interests of the local communities and larger society” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 152).

We must balance individuality with community membership.

KNOWLEDGE

This source celebrates Plato’s academic idea, which deals with what is worth learning.

Challenge: Knowledge is increasing exponentially, while time remains static.

MORAL DOCTRINE

Separation of church and state prevent religious texts from guiding curriculum, as was common in colonial America.

Dwayne Huebner: “Education can address spirituality without bringing in religion” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 153).

Teaching valued knowledge enables students to better understand the world in which they live (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 154).

“Spiritual individuals develop empathy and compassion” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 153) and are aware of the outside world, which promotes their active participation in society.

Using moral doctrine as a curriculum source, one would place value on religious and/or spiritual knowledge.

SOURCES OF CURRICULUM

DESIGN CONTINUED

SCIENCE

Curriculum designs based on science “contain only observable and quantifiable elements. Problem solving is prioritized” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 152).

PSYCHOLOGY OF THE LEARNER

This source is best explained by Rousseau’s theory of development, which “brings into consideration the basic maturing of the individual, specifically the growth of the mind” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 150).

KNOWLEDGE

Science “emphasizes learning how to learn” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 152). This is directly aligned with our knowledge of how students learn, form attitudes, and develop values (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 154).

We recognize the “variety of ways in which individuals process knowledge” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 150). This knowledge was selected based on perceived importance.

MAJOR CURRICULUM DESIGNSSu

bjec

t-Ce

nter

ed• Most popular &

widely used• Influenced by

Plato’s academic idea

• Subject Design: Compartmentalized subjects

• Correlation Design: Subjects linked while still maintaining their individuality

• Broad-Fields Design: 2+ related subjects fused into a broad field of study

• Process Design: Generic ways of thinking

Lear

ner-

Cent

ered

• Stresses socialization & Rousseau’s development idea

• Found more at the elementary level than secondary

• Advocated by Progressives

• Child-Centered Design: Learning based solely on child’s interests & concerns; Occurs in their natural environments

• Radical Design: Literally, “Education is an adventure!” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 168)

Prob

lem

-Ce

nter

ed

• Focuses on real-life problems of individuals & social issues

• Emphasizes both content and learners’ development

• Various types of designs differ in the ratio of addressing social needs to individual needs

• Life-Situations Design: Integrating process and content to solve problems

• Reconstructionist Design: Critical analysis of society’s issues to solve humanity’s problems and advance social justice

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DESIGN & DEVELOPMENTWhen comparing design and development, consider the entire process of building a home. There are several steps involved, including drawings created by an architect.Curriculum development, or the entire home-building process, is the step-by-step procedure required to actually form the curriculum. Curriculum design, or the architect’s drawing, is a building block of curriculum development in which the major components of curriculum are arranged. Curriculum design provides direction and guidance as we develop curriculum (Ritz, 2014).

APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Technical-Scientific Approach

Nontechnical-

Nonscientific

Approach• This approach stresses

that students learn specific subject matter with specific outputs.

• “Knowledge can exist as a matter of fact, unaffected by the process of creating and learning it” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 186).

• There is a systematic outline of procedures that facilitate curriculum development (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 180).

• This approach stresses the learner, rather the learners’ output.

• Learning occurs through quality activities and conversation.

• Because ever-evolving students are participants in the learning process, the curriculum should evolve rather than be precisely planned (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 186).

APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Technical-Scientific Approach

Nontechnical-

Nonscientific

Approach

Although quality activities and collaborative learning are essential to student learning, the Technical-Scientific approach reflects today’s educational focus. “The more rigorous the means, the more likely the desired ends will be attained” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 180). This is echoed by the importance placed on tests today, with a proficient score being the desired student output. This approach is also reflected in standard 3, which states teacher leaders must “develop relevant, rigorous curriculum” (Gardner-Webb, 2016). 

GOALS & STANDARDSGOALS

• Goals are ongoing, general destinations for learners (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 191).• Goals can refer to a particular school,

school system, or subject area.• Example: Students can think critically.

STANDARDS• Standards are specific educational

objectives that define what students learn and skills they can demonstrate—content and performance standards, respectively.• Examples: • Content Standard: The learner

understands the importance of statistics, data collection, and the different representations of data.• Performance Standard: The learner

collects and organizes data in a frequency table then poses questions that may be answered using statistics.

SELECTING CURRICULUM CONTENTSelf-Sufficiency: Beyond functioning independently in society, the

content must enable learners to connect what they know to how they feel and their spiritual selves (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 201).

Significance: Content is deemed significant according to what it “contributes to the basic ideas, concepts, principles... and overall aims of the curriculum” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 201).

Validity: The accuracy of content must be verified at its initial selection and be checked regularly during the curricular program to determine its state of validity.

Learnability: Is the content appropriate for the intended audience?

SELECTING CURRICULUM CONTENT CONTINUED

Interest: “Knowledge exists in the learner when it is meaningful to his or her life…The school experience should create and broaden interests as well as address them” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 201). This speaks to student engagement and Standard 3, which emphasizes the development of a relevant curriculum.

Utility: “There is no knowledge, no content that does not have utility to someone” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 202). Will the content and processes up for selection equip students for success in their present lives and prepare them for the future?

Feasibility: Is there enough time, are there enough resources available, and is the political climate conducive to the selection of this content?

REFERENCES

Gardner-Webb University. (2016) Program Standards for Graduate Teacher Candidates. Retrieved on January 30 from https://bbapp.gardner-

webb.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&content_id=_975010_1&course_id=_10676_1&framesetWrapped=true

Ornstein, A. C., & Hunkins, F. P. (2013). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues. Boston, MA: Pearson. Ritz, J. (2014, May 11). John Ritz. Retrieved from http://ww2.odu.edu/~jritz/oted885/ntg2.shtml