Curriculum Approaches

Curriculum Approaches
Curriculum is best understood when one is grounded with the

approaches by which this is developed. Ornstein, A and Hunkins, F.
(2016) elaborated the idea of holistic position encompassing curriculum
foundations, domains theory and practice.
“An approach expresses a viewpoint about curriculum’s development

and design; the role of the learner, teacher, and curriculum specialist in
planning the curriculum, the curriculum goals, and the important issues
that must be examined.”
To Ornstein & Hunkins (2016), curriculum approaches can be viewed
from a technical-scientific perspective or from
nontechnical-nonscientific viewpoint. The technical-scientific coincide
with the traditional theories and models of education and reflect
established, formal methods of learning. Key characteristics of this
approach are a) curriculum as plan or blueprint, b) definable process, c)
means-end paradigm, d) subject-centered, e) emphasis on efficiency,
and f) criticized as too linear. Conversely, the
nontechnical-nonscientific approach, which tends to challenge the
established, evolved as part of avant-garde and experimental
philosophies and politics. This approach is characterized by a)personal,
subjective, evolving and aesthetic nature of curriculum, b) holistic
learning, and c) learner-centeredness.
Curriculum Approaches
Behavioral Approach Academic Approach
Managerial Approach Humanistic Approach
Systems Approach Postmodern Approach

Curriculum Design Models
By adopting a model, curriculum designers are guided to consider
multiple variables such as social and political realities and permit
choices to develop students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes. How is a
curriculum developed? What are the steps and principles that are
involved in curriculum development? Here are the curriculum models
which have been instrumental in shaping today’s curriculum.
Ralph Ralph Tyler’s Model : Four Basic Principles
Tyler combined behaviorism with progressivism by putting emphasis
on the attainment of the learning objectives while taking into account
the learners’ needs. His principles are expressed in terms of questions.
• What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?

• How can learning experiences be selected that are likely to be useful
in attaining these objectives?
• How can learning experiences be organized for effective instruction?
• How can the effectiveness of learning experiences be evaluated?
Hilda Taba’s Model : Grassroots Rationale/Linear Model
Taba’s model can be seen as an extension of Tyler’s. Expressed in 7 stages, the development of a curriculum commence with an
identification and understanding of the learner’s needs. It begins where the learners are.
Stage 1. Diagnosing of Needs
The students’ needs are identified. Curriculum planning is anchored on the nature and developmental needs of the students.
Stage 2.Formulating the Objectives
Teachers specify the set of objectives, the units of work to be accomplished by the students within the allotted time.
Stage 3. Selecting the Content
With the objectives, the teacher decides the scope of the curriculum. This include the topics by which the necessary knowledge, skills
and attitudes are developed.
Stage 4. Organizing the content
The teachers sequence the content taking into consideration the developmental needs, academic achievement, abilities and interests of
the students.
Stage 5. Selecting the learning experiences
Content must be presented to students and students must be engaged in the content.
Stage 6. Organization of learning experiences
Learning activities must be organized. The teacher needs to keep in mind the particular students whom he/she will be teaching.
Stage 7.Evaluating what has been accomplished
Curriculum planners must determine just what objectives have been accomplished.
Hunkins’ Decision-making Model
In this model, Hunkins emphasized that curriculum is dynamic and that
planners must not only consider diagnosis as the base and the evaluation as
the summit of the process. This model has also 7 steps which are as follows:
• curriculum conceptualization and legitimization
• curriculum diagnosis
• curriculum development content selection
• curriculum development experience selection
• curriculum implementation
• curriculum evaluation
• curriculum maintenance
Wiggins and McTighe Backward Design
Model
Instructors typically approach course design in a “forward design”
manner, meaning they consider the learning activities (how to teach the
content), develop assessments around their learning activities, then attempt
to draw connections to the learning goals of the course. In contrast, the
backward design approach has instructors consider the learning goals of the
course first. These learning goals embody the knowledge and skills
instructors want their students to have learned when they leave the course.
Once the learning goals have been established, the second stage involves
consideration of assessment. The backward design framework suggests that
instructors should consider these overarching learning goals and how
students will be assessed prior to consideration of how to teach the content.
For this reason, backward design is considered a much more intentional
approach to course design than traditional methods of design.
The Deliberation Model
True to its name, this model acknowledges the need to involve the stakeholders in
curriculum planning. The comments and positions obtained during deliberations are
important inputs in designing the curriculum. The steps consist of:
• Public Sharing. An educational group must come together and discuss what
• needs to be accomplished.
• Highlighting Agreement and Disagreements. The education group must highlight what
they have in common and also what they differ in opinion.
• Explaining Positions. The members of the group will take the information from the
previous phases and make clear the various positions.
• Highlighting Changes in Position. Educators make known any change in position.
• Negotiating Points of Agreement. This part engages the participants in searching for
solutions.
• Adopting a Decision. It is in this part that the individuals working together achieve
consensus.
Concerns-based Adoption Model (CAM)
In this model, the core are the various concerns that are projected
in each of the elements of curriculum designing. Designers and
implementers of curriculum have to be perceptive to address the
relevant arguments that affect the quality of teaching and learning.
These concerns consist of the awareness of innovation, awareness of
information level, concern for self, concern for teaching, and concern
for students.
Innovation Configuration (IC)
The IC model supports the CAM as it centers on the expressed
concerns: the awareness of innovation. The steps are as follows:
• Ask the developer about intended components and emphases
• Interview and observe a small number of users
• Refine interview questions, interview a large number of users
• Construct an IC checklist and use it with a number of users
• Analyze the checklist data to identify dominant configurations
• Use the data to provide appropriate development or in-service
activities
Thank you for listening!

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Curriculum Approaches

Curriculum is best understood when one is grounded with the

“An approach expresses a viewpoint about curriculum’s development

Managerial Approach Humanistic Approach

Systems Approach Postmodern Approach

• What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?

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