Topic 2a Models of Curriculum Design

Lecturer: Yee Bee ChooIPGKTHO

Topic 2a

Models of Curriculum Design

TSL 3143

Objective Model (Tyler, 1949)

Interaction Model (Taba, 1962)

Process Model (Wheeler, 1967)

Naturalistic Model (Walker, 1971)

Models of Curriculum Design

Tyler’s Objective Model

Ralph Tyler’s Objective Model (1949) is • known for the special attention it

gives to the planning phases.• the very first step in this approach is

the defining of objectives of the course/program/lesson.

• deductive for it proceeds from the general (examining the needs of society, for example) to the specific (specifying instructional objectives).


Tyler’s Model is also classified as “product” model. It focusses on

• The nature and structure of knowledge• The needs of the society• The needs of the learner


Tyler’s model is a linear model and the ‘ends- means’ model.

Objective Selection of

learning experience

Organisation of learning experience

Evaluation


• This model is linear in nature, starting from objectives and ending with evaluation.

• It is important to note that:– Objectives form the basis for the selection and

organisation of learning experience.– Objectives form the basis for assessing the curriculum.– Objectives are derived from the learner, contemporary

life and subject specialist.• To Tyler, evaluation is a process by which one

matches the initial experiences with the outcomes.

Tyler’s Objective Model• Tyler recommends that curriculum planners identify general

objectives by gathering data from three sources:1. The learners2. Contemporary life outside the school3. Subject matter

• After identifying numerous general objectives, the planners refine them by filtering them through two screens:– The philosophical screen– The psychological screen

• The general objectives that successfully pass the two screens become what are now popularly known as instructional objectives.

Society Philosophy

SubjectMatter

SOURCES Objectives Screens InstructionalObjectives

Learner Psychology

Selection of Learning

Experiences

Organization of Learning

Experiences Evaluation

Tyler’s Curriculum Planning Model

Curriculum DesignCurriculum Evaluation


Advantages 1. It provides an easy to follow step-by-step

guide to curriculum planning and development

2. It begins with a set of clear objectives that teachers must plan tasks and work towards achieving the specified outcomes

3. It aims at student's developing behavior as their target of teaching.

Tyler’s Objective ModelDisadvantages1. It does not have a feedback mechanism to tell people

how to correct it.2. It seems lack a procedure between evaluation and

organisation, and this procedure is execution. For example, they do not apply to all subjects or the design of a subject’s content.

3. It sees curriculum development as a fixed, linear process.4. The division of labor at the various points/steps are fixed

so curriculum ‘actors’ are unaware of what others do .5. It cannot account for the many/complex outcomes of

learning.


Disadvantages6 It limits what students can learn. 7 It treats ends and means separately. 8 It doesn’t indicate who decides what is ‘worthwhile’ learning.9 It doesn’t consider that not all learning outcomes can be measured 10 It fails to consider the changing environment. 11 It fails to recognise that the future cannot be predicted accurately with precision.

Taba’s Interactive Model

• Tyler’s highly influential model was modified by Hilda Taba (1962), who proposed a variation that recognised that while documenting the curriculum that can be linear and logical, the process of design is a lot messier.

• Her interactive model adds the idea of a needs analysis, and reflects more accurately actual iterative design practice.



• Taba said Tyler’s model was more of Administrative Model.

• Her model is somewhat similar to Tyler’s model; however, it further divides into two parts: content and learning experience.


• Taba took what is known as a grass-roots approach to curriculum development.

• She believed that the curriculum should be designed by the teachers rather than handed down by higher authority.

• Further, she felt that teachers should begin the process by creating teaching-learning units for their students in their schools rather initially in creating a general curriculum design.


• Taba’s Model is an inductive approach rather than traditional deductive.

• It is an inductive approach to curriculum development, starting with specifics and building up to a general design.

• Taba proposed 7 major steps to her grass-roots model in which teachers would have a major input throughout the curriculum development process.

Taba’s Interactive ModelTaba developed seven steps that should take place when developing curriculum.

1. Identify the needs of the students and the expectations of society.

2. Formulate the learning objectives.3. The learning content will be selected based on the

objectives.4. How the content is organized needs to be decided upon by

the teachers based on the students.5. The learning experiences need to be selected.6. The organization of the actual learning activities needs to be

determined.7. Determine what is going to be evaluated and how to

determine the effectiveness of the curriculum.

Evaluation

FormulationOf Objectives

Diagnosis ofNeeds

Selection ofContent

OrganizationOf Content

Selection ofLearningActivities

Organizationof LearningActivities

Teacher Input

Teacher Input

Teacher Input

Taba’s Curriculum Planning Model

Taba’s Model

Advantages • Teacher is involved in the development of the

curriculum.

Disadvantages1. Teachers not understanding the connection between

the content, activities, teaching methods and evaluation.

2. Keeping the resources up to date.3. Maintaining training for new teachers on the method

as well as support needed for teachers as they must review the plan often.

Wheeler’s Process Model

• In 1967, Wheeler further modified Tyler’s straight line model as cyclical model.

• This he did because Tyler’s model did not provide for feedback or help students achieve the evaluative outcome or expected objective.

• He believes that curriculum decision making can start from any point and can come back to any of the points like a cycle.

• Evaluation in Wheeler’s model is not terminal. Findings from the evaluation is fed back into the objectives and the goals, which influence other stages.


Wheeler’s cyclical/circular model has five procedures:

1. Selecting an objective 2. Choosing learning experience3. Choosing content4. Organizing, integrating learning experience

and content, 5. Evaluating.


Aims, Goals & Objectives

Selection of Learning

Experiences

Selection of Content

Organisation & Integration of Learning Experiences & Content

Evaluation


Wheeler’s contends that:• Aims should be discussed as behaviours referring to

the end product of learning which yields the ultimate goals. One can think of these ultimate goals as outcomes.

• Aims are formulated from the general to the specific in curriculum planning. This results in the formulation of objectives at both an enabling and a terminal level.

• Content is distinguished from the learning experiences which determine that content.

Wheeler’s Process ModelAdvantages • It has a feedback mechanism, so it provides students with ways

to measure their progress or accuracy.• It also sets the school objective as a final step in as well as the

first. It clearly calls for the setting up of objectives.

Disadvantages• The objective includes behavioral characteristics. Behavioral

objectives have some limitations on execution. E.g. How can one measure a student’s increased smoothness in writing?

• It seems to lack a procedure between organising and integrating learning experience content and evaluation. According to Huang & Yang (2004), this procedure is the execution of this integrated content.

Walker’s Naturalistic Model

• A naturalistic model is a descriptive model which contrasts to the classical model (prescriptive model) by Tyler. It is also called a communicative approach.

• The communicative approach starts with the more subjective perceptions and views of the designers, the target group and other stakeholders.


• The term naturalistic describes how curriculum was actually developed rather than how it should be developed.

• Walker suggests that better curriculum planning and development will result if persons participated in the process and reached a consensus about the final product.

Walker’s Naturalistic Model• Walker (1971) felt that the objectives or rational models

were unsuccessful and devised a model, which has three phases. These phases are

1. Platform – includes “…ideas, preferences, points of view, beliefs and values about the curriculum” (Print: 1993:113).

2. Deliberations – here interaction between stakeholders begin and clarification of views and ideas in order to reach a consensus of a shared vision.

3. Design – here, curriculum developers actually make decisions, which are based on deliberations (above). These decisions affect curriculum documents and materials production.



Advantages • Input is given by the curriculum developers,

target group, other stakeholders in the development of the curriculum.

• Stakeholders engaging in the planning and development stages empowers and acknowledges them, especially teachers, as valuable contributors.

• Users and other parties involved are given ample opportunity to contribute.


Disadvantages• Walker describes what happens in the process of

curriculum design but does not describe what actually happens in the classroom.

• The process for deliberation can be time consuming and resource intensive, and can result in curriculum products that may not be consistent and aligned internally.

• Consensus is often hard to achieve when developing curriculum at national or regional levels.

Conclusion

• Curriculum development is basically ‘process’ and ‘product’.

• ‘Process’ is concerned with the methods and means ‘how’ whereas the ‘product’ looks at the outcomes, the end product ‘what’.

Conclusion

• There are two approaches that have been developed: normative and descriptive.

• The normative approaches are Objectives (Tyler 1949) and the rational (Taba 1962 and Wheeler 1967) because they provide a sequence of steps. These have technical interests of control.

• The procedural approach (Walker 1972) falls into the second category of descriptive approaches because it is an interactive model.

Conclusion

• All of these models – linear, interactive, cyclical and naturalistic – are efficient, logical and clear.

• They probably don’t reflect actual curriculum design practice for most teachers, but they serve as useful checklists and tools for documenting curriculum.

Tutorial 2a

• What is the difference between the objectives model and the process model of curriculum design?

• Which model or models of curriculum design do you think your national school curriculum was based?

• How does the model affect what you actually teach in class?

Taba, H. (1962). Curriculum development: theory and practice. New York, Harcourt, Brace, and World.Tyler, R. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Walker, D. (1971). A naturalistic model for curriculum development, School Review, 80(1), 51-65.Wheeler, D.K. (1967). Curriculum process. London, University of London Press.

References

Topic 2a Models of Curriculum Design

Education