Curriculum Design and Development

1. Curriculum Design
Stephanie Kahn

2. Myths of Curriculum
There are many myths related to curriculum. The four main ones
are: education eliminates ignorance, curricula can supply all knowledge
needed, educational curricula increases human goodness, and that
education’s purpose enables students to be mobile and economically
successful (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013). With the differences we see in
education between states, districts, and even classroom teachers, we
need a more comprehensive curriculum to be able to disprove the four
myths. Schools teach for students to have knowledge, but not to become
competent thinkers, because realistically there is not a good way to
measure their thinking. While curricula can contribute to lessening
ignorance, supplying some knowledge, etc., we cannot state without a
doubt that it is going to improve thinkers in society.

3. Components of Design
 Curriculum design has four parts “objectives, content,
learning experiences, and evaluation” (Ornstein & Hunkins,
2013, p. 151)
 Design also involves philosophical, theoretical, and practical
issues
 “Curriculum results from a blend of curriculum design and
instructional design” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 152).
Instructional design maps out ways for teachers to teach,
what methods they use, materials, and different activities to
engage the learner. This blend provides a more
comprehensive curriculum.

4. Sources of Curriculum Design
 Society- Society plays a major role
in how students are raised. Schools
must consider how the curriculum
will affect “current and future society
at the local, national, and global
level” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p.
152).
 Political parties also play a large
role, and have a say in what
curriculum is adopted. Conservative,
liberals, and radicals have incredibly
differing opinions on how and what
schools should teach, but they do all
value the individual student and
want to balance his/her place in
society with what he/she learns in
the classroom.
 Science- Some believe that using
the scientific method is necessary
for creating curriculum. It
emphasizes “learning how to learn”
(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 152).
 Using problem solving procedures
can demonstrate a knowledge of
understanding and thinking
strategies.

5. Sources of Curriculum Design
 Moral Doctrine- looking to the past
can help guide educators in
curriculum design. Proponents of
moral doctrine look at using the
Bible or other religious texts, which
was popular during colonial times.
 Today, schools are looking at
spirituality as opposed to religion,
because there are so many religions
in society today. Moffett believes
“spirituality fosters mindfulness,
attentiveness, awareness of the
outside world, and self-awareness”
(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 153).
Using spirituality to guide curriculum
decisions can help students to
develop empathy and compassion.
 Knowledge- the idea that
knowledge is the most important
source of curriculum dates back to
Plato. It can be disciplined or
undisciplined, but a challenge today
is how to determine what knowledge
has the most worth, and how to
teach students the amount of
knowledge they need to stay
relevant in today’s society.
 Learner- being aware of how
students “learn, form attitudes,
generate interests, and develop
ideas” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p.
154) can help to design a
curriculum. This source is based
heavily on psychology and how the
brain works.

6. Design Dimensions
There are six components to a relationship among curriculum, which are scope,
sequence, continuity, integration, articulation, and balance (Ornstein & Hunkins,
2013).
Scope: all the “content, topics, learning
experiences, and organizing threads”
(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 156) in
education. This decides how detailed a
curriculum should be, and can extend
through one unit or throughout the entire
year. While considering scope, the
educator must also consider different
domains (cognitive, affective, and
psychomotor).
Sequence: deciding how to build
relationships between learning, and what
order it should go in. There are four principles
of sequencing content from Smith, Stanley,
and Shores, which are: simple-to-complex,
prerequisite, whole-to-part, and chronological.
Posner and Strike also developed four other
types, which are: concept related, inquiry
related, learning related, and utilization
related (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013).
Continuity: the
vertical repetition
of curriculum,
where the same
subject is taught
throughout
different grade
levels, increasing
in difficulty as
students progress.
This helps
students to build
on and also revisit
important skills
and concepts.
Integration: “linking all types of knowledge and experiences contained within
the curriculum plan” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 158). It concentrates on a
horizontal, rather than vertical, alignment, and advocates believe the approach
should not be multidisciplinary. There continues to be much discussion on the
extent of integration and how it should help organize curriculum.
Articulation: concentrates on both the vertical and
horizontal alignment of the curriculum. This is
difficult to achieve, because it is difficult to relate
content throughout different grade levels as well as
between content in the same grade level.
Developing articulation is crucial for school
districts so students are being taught the same
information between different schools.
Balance: giving appropriate “weight” to each
part of curriculum. Educators have to ensure
that students can use their knowledge for
social, personal, and intellectual goals
(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013).

7. Curriculum Designs
 There are three different curriculum designs: subject-
centered design, learner-centered design, and
problem-centered design (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013).
 All designs center around three main ideas:
“socialization, Plato’s academic idea, and Rosseau’s
developmental idea” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p.
159).
 There are several designs in each category, which will
be explained on the next slides.

8. Subject Centered Designs
The most popular today, subject centered designs have a strong emphasis on
content and knowledge and has many classifications.
Subject Design
• Oldest design used
• Curriculum is “organized according to how
essential knowledge has developed in various
subject fields” (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p.
160)
• Subjects have been divided as curriculum
grows, for example English is now broken into
literature, writing, speech, reading, etc.
• Most curriculum is influenced by textbooks, but
teachers still need to decide what is best for
their classroom and add in direct instruction,
lectures, and discussions
• Critics say that this method deemphasizes the
individual, and students are not a “one size fits
all,” and it also places no emphasis on social,
psychological, and physical development
Discipline Design
• Gained popularity in the 50’s
• Emphasized science, math, English, history, and
other disciplines (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013)
• Has students focus on “each discipline’s basic
logic or structure- the key relationships,
concepts, and principles” (Ornstein & Hunkins,
2013, p. 161) to deeply understand the subject
and how to approach learning about it
• Bruner believes that this method helps students
to form relationships from the elementary to the
advanced level, and it is appropriate for all age
levels
• Critics believe that this design forces students to
adapt to the curriculum and also assumes that
all students have the same learning style, and
also ignores information that does not fit into a
discipline

9. Broad-Fields (or Interdisciplinary) Design
• Began at the college level in 1910s, but
is widespread in education today
• Similar to subject design, it attempts to
fit content together logically
• Mold together two or more subjects that
were related into a broader field of study
• Broudly organized curriculum into five
categories, such as basic sciences and
developmental studies (Ornstein &
Hunkins, 2013)
• Some prefer to cluster concepts rather
than subjects, and focus on curriculum
webs
• Critics believe that some problems with
broad-fields design include that it is very
broad, but does not have a lot of depth,
and will students really learn the depth of
what they need as opposed to artificial
knowledge about a variety of
components in the concept
Correlation Design
• Began in the 50s and 60s
• Links separate subjects that are
related, but still maintains them as
separate entities (ex. History and
English)
• Difficult to use, because few teachers
have time to plan cooperatively
(particularly at high school level)
Process Designs
• Focuses on “teaching for intelligence
and on the development of
intellectual character” (Ornstein &
Hunkins, 2013, p. 164)
• Focuses on procedures for students
to use and creates organizational
frameworks
• Encourages students to analyze the
processes by which they reach
conclusions, and investigate into how
their knowledge was gained

10. Learner-Centered Designs
Found mainly at the elementary level, it stresses the whole child,
socialization, and development
Child-Centered Design
• Was emphasized in the
20s and 30s
• Based on student’s lives,
needs, and interests, along
with active learning
• Students use hands-on
experiences to learn, and
draws different subjects
into their learning
• Today it is seen in some
schools but is difficult to do
because it contradicts that
curriculum is mainly
content driven (Ornstein &
Hunkins, 2013)
Experience-Centered Design
• Similar to child-centered design, but
believes that a curriculum framework
cannot be planned because we do not
know children’s needs and interests
beforehand
• Everything is done “on the spot” and the
teacher creates curriculum by reacting
to each child
• Dewey believed in addressing student’s
self-expression and having educators
analyze children’s experiences, but not
that students make up the entire
curriculum (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013)
• This is difficult to implement, because
educators do not have the ability to do
all learning on the spot, and we need
educational frameworks in place to
ensure student success in learning

11. Romantic (Radical) Design
• Believe that “presently schools
are using their curricula to
control students and
indoctrinate, rather than
educate and emancipate”
(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p.
167).
• Students are placed into
“have” and “have not”
categories, and want to
change that thought
• Students must learn to critique
knowledge, and break down
preconceptions with both
teachers and students to find
new ways to process
information
• Radicals view that society is
flawed, and want to begin to
break down barriers that keeps
students from lower class
families from succeeding
Humanistic Design
• Appeared in the 20s and 30s, but didn’t
gain much following until the 60s and 70s
• Maslow’s theory of self-actualization is
prominent in this design, and although
people do not self-actualize until they are
in their 40’s, the process starts in
elementary school
• Rogers believes in “self-directed learning,
in which students draw on their own
resources to improve self-understanding
and guide their own behavior” (Ornstein &
Hunkins, 2013, p. 168)
• Curriculum should emphasize spirituality,
pleasure and desire, and elicit emotions
• Critics believe that this design requires
teachers deal with individuals and a
change of mindset, that educational
materials are not appropriate, and it
overemphasizes the individual and takes
no account for societal needs

12. Problem-Centered Design
Based on social issues, the curriculum depends on what problems are studied and
has an emphasis on both content and the student’s development
Life-Situations Design
• Can be traced back to the 19th Century
• Emphasizes activities that “sustain life,
enhance life, aid in rearing children,
maintain the individual’s social and
political relations, and enhance leisure,
tasks, and feelings” (Ornstein &
Hunkins, 2013, p. 170)
• Focuses on problem solving
procedures, using real-life content,
using learner’s experiences, and
integrates subject matter
• Critics believe it doesn’t cover a wide
enough scope, and don’t know that
today’s social situations will have the
same presence in the future while also
keeping students at their present
social level
Reconstructionist Design
• Appeared in the 20s and 30s
• Has students look at local, national,
and international community to
analyze problems and encourage
industrial and political changes
(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013)
• Reconstructionists want curricula to
focus on social justice and “promote
society’s social, political, and
economic development” (Ornstein &
Hunkins, 2013, p. 171)

13. Technical-Scientific Approach
I believe the technical-scientific approach will have the greatest impact in
the 21st Century. Although I do believe non-technical approach has many great
ideas and beliefs about focusing on the learner and their knowledge acquisition,
rather than their output, with the way that schools are evolving today we see more
of a push to “what” students know, not “how” they think. Looking at Bobbit,
Charters, and Tyler’s models, I can see those principles in our lesson plans today.
We continually discuss objectives, have a plan for the activity or lesson we are
teaching, and have a way to progress monitor. I was also interested in looking at
the Backward-Design Model, because that is a model we have been working with
at my school. Each grade level has taken at least one unit and created it through
the model to determine what is needed to best suit our students. Through doing
this design we have seen a lot of success and interest with our students, and they
are very engaged in the unit. While I do believe we need to broaden the technical-
scientific approach (maybe add another name on there?) to include more
individualization, I believe this approach will continue to be a key presence in the
21st century and shape how our schools create their curriculum.

14. Goals Vs. Standards
Goals and standards are two very different things that are
oftentimes used interchangeably. A “standard is a goal as to what should
be accomplished and also a measure of progress in attaining that goal”
(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013, p. 191). There are content standards and
performance standards. A goal is more general than that, even though it
also states what students should learn. Goals are specific to content
areas, and can also help to determine the scope of an educational
program at a school. When I think about goals vs. standards, I think
about writing a student’s IEP. If a student has a math goal, he or she has
something specific that they need to be able to do. That goal needs to
meet a standard set by the state in order to ensure the student is
completing the same or similar work to other grade level peers. It is
important to understand the difference, and know that our goals for our
students to reach lie underneath the overarching standard that the state
sets for them to meet.

15. Curriculum Content and
Experiences
When selecting curriculum content, criteria for choosing includes: self-sufficiency,
significance, validity, interest, utility, learnability, and feasibility (Ornstein & Hunkins,
2013). As we look at curriculum, it is important to use this criteria to determine if the
content will be worthwhile in the future and as the world and society changes, and also if
it meets the needs of all learners. The world is changing at such a fast pace with
technological advances that to stay relevant the United States needs to look ahead at
what will be needed in the future, not at what curriculum is needed at this present
moment. The same is also true for curriculum experiences. There is a wide variety of
how to teach content, such as lecture, discussion, viewing films, conducting
experiments, or listening to guest speakers (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2013). These
experiences should make students want to learn on their own, and enhance their
thinking and learning abilities. No longer do we need to only have teacher-student,
presentations, but can transition to student-student interactions and student-outside
expert interactions, which can also include people from all over the world with the use of
technology available in many classrooms today. In today’s society, many times learning
and experiences go hand in hand, and it is important to foster those experiences so
students are excited to learn what is in the world around them.

16. References
Ornstein, A., & Hunkins, F. (2013). Curriculum: Foundations, principles,
and issues (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.