Lesson 1.4: Processes and Models of Curriculum Development PDF

Lesson 1.4: Processes and Models of Curriculum Development Lesson Summary In developing a curriculum, specific models have been formulated by experts based on their understanding of the curriculum as a field of study (Pawilen, 2019). Models are essential as they serve as tools for thinking t...

Lesson 1.4: Processes and Models of Curriculum Development Lesson Summary In developing a curriculum, specific models have been formulated by experts based on their understanding of the curriculum as a field of study (Pawilen, 2019). Models are essential as they serve as tools for thinking to ensure systematic work, identify various factors that must be taken into account, and know the persons who must be involved. The use of approaches and models are indispensable to ensure that the curriculum is of good quality. Learning Outcomes 1. Analyze the different curriculum development processes and models Motivation Question Imagine you are a curriculum specialist. How would you arrange the following steps? ❖ Develop the standards and learning outcomes to be achieved. ❖ Proceed with the actual implementation of the curriculum. ❖ Analyze the society and the nature of the learners. ❖ Determine whether the curriculum is appropriately delivered. ❖ Select the subject areas that are relevant to be included. ❖ Select the learning experiences to be provided for the learners. Discussion How were you able to arrange the steps above? You can ask your classmates how they were able to organize them and compare your answers. Those processes were adapted from a model proposed by Pawilen (2019) of the University of the Philippines. Those processes must be done in an organized way, or else a curriculum project will not succeed. It may be quite simple to just read about them, but they are very complex procedures. Nevertheless, it will be helpful to know more about them for you to have a good understanding of how a curriculum is developed. Curriculum Development Curriculum development as a process generally focuses on the planning, developing, implementing, maintaining and reviewing of the curriculum, while ensuring that the stakeholders of this vital process show high commitment and ownership of the curriculum (Villena et al., 2015). It is a strategic and systematic process involving different people and procedures (Bilbao et al., 2015). It implies a change that is done to alter, modify, or improve existing conditions. For the change to produce positive results, curriculum development must be purposeful, planned, and progressive. So, how is a curriculum developed? What are the steps and principles that are involved in curriculum development? Most curriculum development models include four typical phases. Curriculum Curriculum Curriculum Curriculum planning designing implementation evaluation Figure 1. Curriculum development phases 1. Curriculum planning – considers the vision, mission, and goals (VMGs) of the schools. It also includes the strong educational belief or the philosophy of the school. All of these will eventually be translated into specific, desired learning outcomes for the learners. 2. Curriculum designing – the way curriculum is conceptualized by the formulation of intended learning outcomes, selection and organization of content, selection and organization of learning experiences or activities, and the selection of assessment procedures to measure achieved learning outcomes. It will also include the resources to be utilized. 3. Curriculum implementation – putting into action the plan, which is based on the curriculum design in the classroom setting or the learning environment. Teacher and learner interactions will allow the curriculum to transpire in the classroom to achieve the intended learning outcomes. 4. Curriculum evaluation – determines the extent to which the desired outcomes have been achieved. It will also uncover the factors that have hindered or supported the implementation. It will also identify points where improvement can be made, and corrective measures are introduced. This will, later on, contribute to the decision-making of curriculum planners and implementors. Do you still remember your answers in the motivation questions before starting the discussion in this lesson? Primarily, the steps you were asked to arranged reflect the four main phases of curriculum development. Models of Curriculum Development (Bilbao et al., 2015; Pawilen, 2015; Villena et al., 2015)  Models are patterns or tools that function to represent events or processes in a compact and illustrative way to guide one’s actions. Using a curriculum model will lead to greater efficiency and productivity (Oliva, 2009 and Lunenburg, 2011). Likewise, curriculum designers are guided to consider multiple variables such as social and political realities and permit choices to develop students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Interestingly, these models also reflect either a technical-scientific perspective or a nontechnical- nonscientific perspective. Now, here are the curriculum development models which have been instrumental in shaping different curricula. There are many models, but we will only discuss six of them. I. Ralph Tyler’s Four Basic Principles or Tyler’s Rationale Ralph Tyler was the first person to develop the first curriculum development model, emphasizing the planning phase. Tyler combined behaviorism with progressivism by stressing the attainment of the learning objectives while taking into account the learners’ needs. His principles are expressed in terms of questions. Figure 2. Tyler's Rationale (adapted from Pawilen, 2015) Tyler also identified three curriculum sources that must be carefully studied when developing a curriculum: society, students, and subject matter. Moreover, Tyler recognized the importance of educational philosophies and psychological learning theories in screening objectives for the curriculum. II. Hilda Taba’s Grassroots Rational Model Hilda Taba (1962) developed another model, which is the “grassroots approach.” “The model includes an organization of, and relationships among, five mutually interactive elements—objectives, content, learning experiences, teaching strategies, and evaluative measures—so that a system of teaching and learning is represented” (Lunenburg, 2011). Taba’s model is an extension or modification of Tyler’s model. She suggested more information input in all phases of curriculum development and believed that the curriculum development process should involve the teachers. Expressed in seven (7) stages, the development of a curriculum commences with identifying and understanding learners’ needs. It begins where the learners are. 1. Diagnosing of needs. The students’ needs are identified. Curriculum planning is anchored on the nature and developmental needs of the students. 2. Formulation of objectives. Teachers specify the set of objectives, the units of work to be accomplished by the students within the allotted time. 3. Selection of content. With the objectives, the teacher decides the scope of the curriculum. This includes the topics by which the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes are developed. 4. Organization of content. The teachers sequence the content taking into consideration the students’ developmental needs, academic achievement, abilities, and interests. 5. Selection of learning experiences. Students must be engaged with the content through learning activities that have specific functions. 6. Organization of learning experiences. Learning activities must be organized in such a way that learning is connected. The teacher needs to bear in mind the students he/she will be teaching. 7. Evaluating what has been accomplished. Curriculum planners must determine just what objectives have been achieved. III. Saylor and Alexander Model Galen Saylor and William Alexander’s (1974) model is composed of four steps. The model also takes an administrative approach. According to Saylor and Alexander, the curriculum is a plan for providing learning opportunities to achieve broad educational goals and specific objectives for an identified student population served by the school. 1. Goals, Objectives, and Domains. Curriculum planners should start by specifying major educational goals and specific objectives they want to achieve. Every primary goal represents a curriculum domain (personal development, human relations, continued learning skills, and specialization). External variables like accreditation standards and research findings are considered in choosing the goals, objectives, and domains to adopt. 2. Curriculum Designing. Decisions are made on suitable learning opportunities for each domain and how these opportunities will be provided. 3. Curriculum Implementation. Based on the designed curriculum, teachers will formulate their instructional plans for them to choose appropriate teaching methods and strategies for students to achieve the learning outcomes. 4. Evaluation. This step is proposed to be a comprehensive process by utilizing a variety of evaluation techniques. The school’s total  educational program and curriculum plan, the effectiveness of instruction, and students’ achievement should be taken into account. Figure 3. Saylor and Alexander Model (Dagalea, 2014; Villena et al., 2015) IV. Wiggins and McTighe Backward Design (UbD) Model Wiggins and McTighe popularized the backward design or Understanding by Design (UbD) framework in 2004. It became a byword in our country’s Philippine educational system because it was used before the K-12 curriculum implementation. It begins with the identification of desired results. After that, one determines the acceptable evidence of learning and ends with planning the learning experiences and instruction. Figure 4. Backward Design Model (adapted from Pawilen, 2015) Stage 1. This includes the essential understanding and skills that students must have. It also calls for examining current curriculum goals and established curriculum standards. Stage 2. It calls for designing assessment evidence for validating whether the desired learning is achieved. It also encourages the use of authentic assessment for assessing and evaluating students’ learning. The placement of this stage in the model is strategic for assessment to connect with the goals and instruction. Stage 3. Teachers will decide on the activities/learning experiences that will be useful in implementing the curriculum. V. Hunkin’s Decision-Making Model In this model, Hunkins emphasized that the curriculum is dynamic and that planners must not only consider diagnosis as the base and the evaluation as the summit of the process. Hunkins suggested that although curriculum models are useful, it tends to overlook the human aspect of curriculum planning, e.g., attitudes, emotions, and values. Hence, curriculum models should not be treated simply as a recipe or substitute for using one’s judgment on what is best for learning. Hunkin’s model has seven (7) steps which are as follows: 1. Curriculum Conceptualization and Legitimization. Participants are asked to engage in thorough discussion and understanding regarding the nature of the curriculum. 2. Curriculum Diagnosis. This stage has two major tasks: to translate needs into causes and to create goals and objectives from the requirements. 3. Content Selection. This step deals with determining the “stuff” of the curriculum, which is what is to be taught and learned. 4. Experience Selection. This section emphasizes the delivery of instruction, how the content is taught to the students. 5. Curriculum Implementation. This stage has two steps: the initial piloting (dry run) to detect and work out possible problems and the final diffusion where the management system is set up to deliver the curriculum fully. 6. Curriculum Evaluation. This is an ongoing phase as long as the curriculum is still in effect. It provides data on whether to modify or stop the program. 7. Curriculum Maintenance. It consists of methods and means to ensure that the implemented program is managed to function continually. VI. Deliberation Model In this model, educators are communicating their views to their colleagues and sometimes to their students on what are the goals of education and what must be taught. True to its name, this Deliberation model acknowledges the need to involve the stakeholders in curriculum planning. The comments and positions obtained during deliberations are essential inputs in designing the curriculum. The steps of this model consist of: 1. Public Sharing. An educational group must come together and discuss what needs to be accomplished. 2. Highlighting Agreement and Disagreements. The education group must underscore what they have in common and also what they differ in opinion. 3. Explaining Positions. The group members will take the information from the previous phases and make clear the various positions. 4. Highlighting Changes in Position. Educators make known any change in position. 5. Negotiating Points of Agreement. This part engages the participants in searching for solutions. 6. Adopting a Decision. It is in this part that the individuals working together achieve consensus. If you would become part of a curriculum development committee, which model would you like to adopt? Why? Or perhaps, would you want to create your model? Each curriculum development model that you have explored is based on the understanding of the various proponents of the curriculum and its development process. In simpler terms, they reflect what the authors or scholars believe is right and logical to do.  To ensure that curriculum development produces a good quality curriculum, Stabback (2016) of the UNESCO-International Bureau of Education stated experts and qualified professionals must lead that curriculum development. It also needs to be inclusive and consultative of the various stakeholders since the curriculum is a public concern. Curriculum development must also be cyclical to ensure an ongoing and responsive process. Lastly, it has to be sustainable by ensuring that leadership, resources, and expertise are provided.