DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION • NEHU, SHILLONG
M.A. I Semester
Unit II
Curriculum Design and Development
Design: Concept & Types
Models of Development
Principles of Construction
Process of Development
Presentation for Classroom Teaching — M.A. Student-Teachers
GETTING ORIENTED
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
Explain curriculum design & distinguish it from development
Describe the components & types of curriculum design
Explain Tyler, Taba, Wheeler & Skilbeck's models
Discuss principles of sound curriculum construction
Describe the step-by-step process of curriculum development
Apply evaluation & feedback to improve a curriculum
Introduction
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
SECTION 2.2.1
Curriculum Design — The Concept
The deliberate arrangement of objectives, content, learning experiences & evaluation into a coherent, structured pattern — a blueprint for teaching and learning.
CURRICULUM DESIGN
The structural pattern — the ‘architecture’ of the curriculum. One phase: the planning phase.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
The wider, ongoing process: planning, producing, implementing, evaluating & revising over time.
Curriculum Design — Concept, Components & Types
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
SECTION 2.2.2
Components of Curriculum Design
Objectives
What purposes should the curriculum attain?
Content
What content should be included?
Methods
How should it be taught?
Evaluation
How do we know it worked?
Curriculum Design — Concept, Components & Types
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
SECTION 2.2.3
Types of Curriculum Design
Subject-centred
Organised around separate disciplines
Learner-centred
Built around learners' needs & interests
Problem-centred
Organised around real-life/societal problems
Curriculum Design — Concept, Components & Types
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
2.2.3 (A)
Subject-centred Design
Organises the curriculum around separate subjects or disciplines.
1
Emphasises mastery of an organised body of knowledge
2
Discipline-centred variant: focused on the structure of a single discipline
3
Broad-fields variant: fuses related subjects (e.g., Social Studies = History + Geography + Civics)
4
Criticised for fragmenting knowledge & limited attention to learner interest
Types of Curriculum Design
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
2.2.3 (B)
Learner-centred Design
Places the needs, interests & developmental characteristics of the learner at the centre.
1
Child-centred variant: built around learners' spontaneous interests
2
Experience-centred variant: organised around learners' ongoing experiences
3
Encourages activity-based, exploratory learning & learner choice
4
Criticised for potentially neglecting systematic, cumulative subject knowledge
Types of Curriculum Design
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
2.2.3 (C)
Problem-centred (Society-centred) Design
Organises the curriculum around significant personal, social or societal problems.
1
Core-curriculum variant: a common body of content addressing shared problems
2
Life-situations variant: organised around real-life situations & functions
3
Aims to make learning directly relevant to living in & improving society
4
Criticised for potentially lacking systematic disciplinary depth
Types of Curriculum Design
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
SECTION 2.3
Four Major Models of Curriculum Development
Tyler
Linear, objectives-driven
Taba
Inductive, grassroots
Wheeler
Cyclical, self-correcting
Skilbeck
Situational, school-based
Models of Curriculum Design and Development
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
2.3.1
Tyler's Model — The Rationale (1949)
Linear, objectives-based. Four fundamental questions every curriculum planner must answer:
1
What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?
2
What experiences can be provided to attain these purposes?
3
How can these experiences be effectively organised?
4
How can we determine whether these purposes are attained?
Valued for logical clarity; criticised as overly linear, favouring pre-set objectives over emergent learning.
Models of Curriculum Design and Development
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
2.3.2
Taba's Model — Grassroots / Inverted (1962)
Inductive: curriculum designed by teachers, starting with specific teaching units, not handed down from above.
1
Diagnosis of learners' needs
2
Formulation of specific objectives
3
Selection of content
4
Organisation of content
5
Selection of learning experiences
6
Organisation of learning experiences
7
Determination of evaluation
Praised for direct teacher involvement & responsiveness to real learner needs; more time-consuming than top-down approaches.
Models of Curriculum Design and Development
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
2.3.3
Wheeler's Model — Cyclical (1967)
Curriculum development is continuous: evaluation loops back to inform new aims, rather than ending the process.
1
Aims, Goals
& Objectives
2
Learning
Experiences
3
Content
4
Organisation
& Integration
5
Evaluation
Phase 5 loops back to Phase 1 — evaluation reshapes the next round of aims. A self-correcting cycle, not a one-time exercise.
Models of Curriculum Design and Development
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
2.3.4
Skilbeck's Situational Model (1976)
Begins with a careful analysis of context — curriculum decisions are always shaped by their specific situation.
1
Situational
analysis
2
Formulation
of objectives
3
Design of the
programme
4
Interpretation &
implementation
5
Monitoring &
feedback
Particularly influential in school-based curriculum development — each institution's context is the natural starting point.
Models of Curriculum Design and Development
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
SECTION 2.3
Comparing the Four Models
Tyler
Objectives
Linear, logical, objectives-driven
Taba
Diagnosis of needs (grassroots)
Inductive, teacher-led
Wheeler
Aims, goals & objectives
Cyclical, continuous, self-correcting
Skilbeck
Situational analysis
Contextual, school-based
Models of Curriculum Design and Development
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
SECTION 2.4
Principles of Curriculum Construction (1 of 2)
Child-centeredness
Built around learners' needs, interests & stage
Community-centeredness
Reflects the needs & values of society
Conservation
Preserves & transmits cultural heritage
Creativity
Scope for original thinking & self-expression
Correlation
Subjects relate to and reinforce one another
Utility
Practical value for learners' lives
Principles of Curriculum Construction
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
SECTION 2.4
Principles of Curriculum Construction (2 of 2)
Flexibility
Adapts to local conditions & differences
Forward-looking
Anticipates future needs, not just the present
Comprehensiveness
Addresses all-round development
Variety
Range of content & experiences for all learners
Integration
Weaves knowledge & skills into a unified whole
Continuity & Sequence
Logically graded, cumulative learning
Principles of Curriculum Construction
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
SECTION 2.5
Process of Curriculum Development
1
Needs
Assessment
2
Formulating
Objectives
3
Content
Selection
4
Learning
Experiences
5
Evaluation &
Feedback
A cyclical process — evaluation feeds back to refine needs, objectives, content and experiences.
Process of Curriculum Development
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
2.5.1 & 2.5.2
Needs Assessment & Formulating Objectives
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
FORMULATING OBJECTIVES
Process of Curriculum Development
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
2.5.3
Selection and Organisation of Content
Choosing what to teach, and arranging it so learning builds logically and cumulatively.
1
Content must be valid, significant & aligned with objectives
2
Apply criteria of relevance, balance & learnability
3
Sequence logically & psychologically — simple to complex, known to unknown
4
Ensure vertical continuity (across years) & horizontal integration (across subjects)
Process of Curriculum Development
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
2.5.4 & 2.5.5
Learning Experiences, Evaluation & Feedback
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
EVALUATION & FEEDBACK
Process of Curriculum Development
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Let Us Sum Up
1
Curriculum design is the structure; curriculum development is the ongoing process it sits within
2
Designs may be subject-, learner-, or problem-centred — each reflects different assumptions
3
Tyler (linear), Taba (grassroots), Wheeler (cyclical) & Skilbeck (situational) offer distinct pathways
4
Sound construction rests on principles like flexibility, comprehensiveness & integration
5
Development moves from needs assessment through objectives, content, experiences, to evaluation
Summary
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU
Let's Discuss
Pick a curriculum you know well. Which model — Tyler, Taba, Wheeler or Skilbeck — best describes how it was actually built, and why?
Self-Check Exercises — see accompanying study material, Section 2.7
Discussion
Unit II — M.A. — Dept. of Education, NEHU