Three Curriculum Designs
Three Curriculum Designs: When we think of school, we think of a teacher at the front of a classroom, textbook open, students taking notes. But have you ever thought about why some classes are just endless lectures and other classes are just fun group projects? Or why some teachers appear to simply follow the textbook. While others allow students to explore their own questions?
The answer lies in what is called curriculum design. It is, in essence, the curriculum that determines what and how students learn. A curriculum design is a roadmap for teaching, just like the architect’s blueprint of a building. It defines the subjects, the sequence in which they will be taught and the methods for helping students understand new ideas.
Three major approaches to curriculum design exist. Each has a different emphasis and is appropriate to different circumstances. These are, subject-based design, student-centered design and problem-solving design.
Subject-Based Curriculum Design
Subject-based curriculum design is content-oriented. A learner-centered curriculum design is based on the needs and interests of the student. The problem-solving curriculum design is oriented to real world problems and challenges. Teachers often use ideas from all three models to enhance learning. Well, there is not one model which is best for all situations. Now let us study these 3 designs of curriculum in detail. We’ll tell you what they are, how they work and what makes each one different. This research will help you learn the differences between the three curriculum designs and how schools decide on their education.
What is the curriculum design?
Before we discuss the different types, let’s think about what curriculum design actually means. Curriculum design is not a matter of selecting a textbook or assembling a list of topics. It is the thoughtful and systematic planning of an educational program. The overall plan identifies what students should learn, why they should learn it, and how their progress will be assessed.
A curriculum is a map of an educational journey. It links the teacher’s aims to real student learning. This process includes asking very important questions: What do we want students to know? What skills should they learn? How will we know that they learned it?
A good curriculum ensures that every part of the learning process fits together perfectly.
In the curriculum design process there are a number of steps . At the beginning, teachers established learning goals. What are the main goals of the course or program? Then they select and organize the materials. Which subjects and topics are best suited to help students achieve these goals? Then they design the learning experiences. What will students use the materials for? Finally they plan the assessments. How do they know that the students have indeed learned what they were taught?
Three Major Models of Curriculum Design
Let’s have a closer look at the three main models. These are the three main models that teachers use to structure school curricula. For us to compare the three designs of curriculum clearly and fully, we need to analyze their basic ideas, strengths and weaknesses.
1: Subject-based Curriculum Design
Subject-centered curriculum design is the oldest and most familiar way of organizing schools. In this model, the curriculum is organized around specific subjects like math, science, history, and language and literature. Each subject is a separate and independent field of knowledge. Imagine a library where books are categorized by subject. Subject-centered design arranges learning in much the same way.
In this model there are a variety of approaches. One such model is the discrete subject model. In this case the subject is taught in isolation and is not closely connected to the other subjects. For example, a person might study math first, then history, then science. This is the most conventional subject-centered design.
There is also the related syllabus. This approach attempts to link subjects where natural links exist, rather than merging them fully. For example, literature from the time period could be included in a history lesson. Finally we have the broad field approach. This model clusters related subjects into broad categories. For instance, instead of separate history and geography classes, there is “social studies.” Instead of separate reading, writing and grammar classes, there is “language and literature.”
Strengths of Subject-Centered Design The greatest strength of this model is in the storage of information. In subject-centered curriculum design, knowledge is presented in a clear, organized and systematic way. It helps students to learn the facts and concepts of a particular area.
It is also naturally integrated into the organization of secondary and university schools. Teachers are normally subject specialists and this model allows them to focus on that subject.
Furthermore, this design contributes to the transmission of cultural heritage and values. It provides students with a common base of knowledge. Moreover, it is relatively easy to plan and evaluate as content is well defined .
Disadvantages of Subject-Centered Design:
But there are some big weaknesses in the model. One major criticism is that it is rigid. Too often it doesn’t teach students how knowledge connects across disciplines. Real world problems don’t come neatly divided into subject areas. This can result in a fragmented and artificial learning experience.
A further major weakness is its frequent neglect of the interests, experiences and needs of students. The subject matter is almost the sole emphasis. This can make students feel like passive recipients of someone else’s thoughts, rather than active participants in their own education. A student might be required to learn something boring because it is part of the curriculum. It can also make it difficult for teachers to differentiate their teaching to different learning styles.
2: Student-Centered Curriculum Development
Student-centered curriculum design inverts subject-centered curriculum design. Instead of what to teach, it focuses on who is being taught. In this model the student is the hub of the education process. Their needs, interests, abilities and learning styles inform the design. It asks: “What should this learner learn?” and “How do we make learning relevant for them?”
This method is grounded in the concept that instruction should be adapted to the experiences of each student. The famous educator John Dewey believed that the curriculum should be based on the interests and needs of the child. It is the school the one that should adapt to the child, not vice versa.
A major difference in this model is the selection of the learning activities. In a student-centered classroom, the teacher is a guide or facilitator, not just an expert who is giving information. There are more students’ choices on what to learn and how to learn. The hope is that students themselves will be active participants in their own learning.
Strengths of a student-centered design:
Designing for the student is a great way to encourage student participation and autonomy. Students become more engaged and involved when they are allowed to have a voice in their learning. Such personalization is helpful to students with different learning needs, who might struggle in a purely subject-based environment. It also helps them to develop key transferable skills such as critical thinking, communication and problem solving.
This model understands that students learn in different ways. By understanding different learning styles, teachers can develop more comprehensive programs that meet individual needs. The student-centered model also builds on and emphasizes the student’s previous knowledge. It guarantees that learning experiences are accessible and appropriately challenging. It makes the learning process more dynamic and rewarding for the student.
Student-Centered Design Disadvantages:
Student-centered design has many advantages, but it also has some disadvantages. One of the biggest challenges is the large demands it makes on teachers. The curriculum should be flexible and the teacher should have a wide knowledge of child growth and development. They also need to be able to respond quickly to the changing interests of the students. This makes planning much harder than with a subject-based model.
Ensuring that students acquire a particular body of knowledge also can be difficult. The focus of interest runs the risk of missing important topics. Critics often say that this model can lack coherence in content. Furthermore, designing a student-centered curriculum can be more difficult in large classes or in school systems that emphasize standardized testing. That is, it may be less common in practice, but is popular in the educational literature.
3: Curriculum Design Based on Problems
Problem-Based Curriculum Design takes a different tack. It doesn’t concentrate only on the subject, or only on the student. It instead situates the curriculum in real-world problems and challenges. Students are exposed to real life problems, which could be social, professional or environmental. The curriculum is to provide students with the information and abilities they need to understand and solve these problems.
This model has a direct connection with the outside school world. It trains students to practice what they learn. It is very good in professional and post graduate education. These fields are primarily aimed at solving complicated and multifaceted problems. It is about social needs and collective well-being. The problems chosen can come from a wide range of topics. They can be things like poverty, pollution in the environment, health issues in the community or even historical events.
Problem-based design can be many things:
Others are inspired by “life situations,” problems that people deal with in their everyday lives. This concept is derived from the writings of Herbert Spencer, who identified the common areas of life for all people, such as health, work, family, citizenship, and leisure. Other approaches focus on “contemporary social problems” or “reconstruction,” which attempt to use education to generate social change.
Strengths of Problem-Based Design The greatest strength of problem-based design is that it makes learning extremely relevant to students. This is real-life stuff that matters. It gives you a tremendous sense of purpose and drive. It focuses on problem-solving skills which are extremely useful in life.
Students also learn teamwork, communication and critical thinking skills. The content is very close to real life situations, which increases its relevance. This model helps students make connections between different subjects. It encourages them to see knowledge as a problem solving tool rather than a collection of facts.
Limitations of Problem-Based Design:
Like all models, problem-based design comes with its challenges. One of the major problems is that it is more difficult to implement in systems based on standardized testing and separate subject classes. You may have trouble deciding which topics to include and how to organize them.
What problems should students do? Order?
Another challenge is that it requires a great deal of preparation from the teacher. Teachers have to know a lot about a lot of topics. They also must be skilled in problem-solving techniques. Textbooks and materials that are developed for this approach may be harder to find. Further, there is a danger that students will not be introduced to the full spectrum of cultural heritage and traditional knowledge.
Three Curriculum Designs – Brief Comparison Table
Characteristics of Problem-Based Learning Student-Centered Topic-Centered
Focus: Subject or Content (Math, Science, History), Student (Needs, Interests and Learning Styles), Real World Problem (Social, Environmental, etc.
Aim: To transfer knowledge and cultural heritage, To develop individual skills, creativity and lifelong learning, To develop critical thinking and skills to solve real world problems
Teacher Role: Primary Information Provider and Expert, Learning Leader and Facilitator, Planner and Learning Partner who guides in problem solving.
Student Role: Passive receiver of information, Active participant with choice in learning, Researcher and problem solver working on real-world problems.
Strengths: Clear, structured, and covers content well, Very engaging and responds to student needs, Very relevant and develops practical skills.
Major Weaknesses: Rigidity, no structure, no attention to student interests. It requires consistent content and high levels of expertise from teachers. It is difficult to implement and entails teachers of the very highest quality.
What curriculum design will you choose? Which one is best?
If you are asking which of these three curriculum designs is best, the answer is there is no one “best” model. The best approach really depends on the situation, the students, and the overall goals for the program. Every model has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Topic-Based Design
Topic-based design is a great way to get to know knowledge in a specific area. It is helpful for high school and college where specialized knowledge is required.
Personalization and student engagement are best served by student-centered design. It works well with younger students, and in situations where students aren’t wowed by traditional methods. Problem-solving design works very well in professional training. It is also good to teach students to be citizens who can contribute to the communities.
In fact, many successful curricula combine elements of all three models. Some schools may have a topic based structure to their core subjects. At one time it might use learning centers or problem solving activities in those subjects. This strikes a balance between ensuring a solid foundation of basic knowledge and making the learning experience meaningful and engaging. This hybrid approach is growing in popularity and is often viewed as the best way to combine the strengths of both models.
PRACTICE SNAPSHOT: THE “INTEGRATED” MODEL
To see this combination in action, it can be helpful to look at how some schools employ a blended approach. The “integrated model” is popular with some higher education institutions, particularly in fields like architecture. It is a hybrid model of subject-centered and student-centered design.
This model is based on projects or themes (usually called “workshops”). Specific content from different subjects is inserted in these project spaces. Students receive the background information they need to complete their project. This approach has many benefits. It permits flexibility in contents. It also allows time and materials to be blended to the benefit of students and teachers alike.
However, the integrated approach has its disadvantages. This might lead to a drop in the complexity of the content. It also demands a greater coherence and organisation of the curriculum, especially when there are many students. This example illustrates some of the real-world challenges and tradeoffs educators face in designing curricula.
The Evolution and Future of Curriculum Design
Curriculum design is not cast in stone. It continues to change and evolve as our knowledge of learning evolves. In the past, there was almost only the subject model. It was a period when the objective of education was to pass on a definite body of knowledge.
This model was challenged over time by progressive educators such as John Dewey, who said it was inadequate. They would promote a child-centered approach that is more relevant and engaging for children. Of late, the problem solving model has been more in the limelight. This is because the need for people who can deal with complex issues is growing in a changing world.
Going forward, we should expect to see more hybrid and flexible models.” Advances in technology and online learning are opening up new possibilities for personalization. This makes the learner-centered model more scalable. At the same time, there is increasing attention to “21st century skills” such as collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. This makes the model of problem solving even more robust.
A brief comparison of the three curriculum designs shows a movement: from content, to the student, and finally to the real world. The future of education will continue to trend toward a model that contains all three approaches, making students informed, engaged and effective citizens.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
What are the three types of curriculum design?
There are three main types: subject-based design, learner-based design, and problem-based design. Subject-based design structures learning around subjects. The learner based design focuses on the needs and interests of the student. Real-world problems are at the heart of problem-based design.
What is the most common curriculum design in schools?
The most traditional and most widely used design is subject-based, especially in secondary and higher education. It is very common because it fits into the traditional structure of schools and is relatively easy to plan out. But many schools are also using aspects of learning-centered and problem-based design.
What is the difference between learner-centered design and problem-centered design?
Student-centered design is designed around the individual needs and interests of the student. The goal is the full development of the person. A problem-based design deals with group and social issues. The aim is to develop problem-solving skills and prepare students for making society better. The student-centered model is focused on the individual while the problem-based model is focused on the group or society.
What is the importance of curriculum design for students?
Curriculum design is important as it determines what and how students learn. A well-planned curriculum ensures that learning is systematic, purposeful and effective. It provides a clear goal and a clear roadmap to get there. This makes the experience of learning more engaging and relatable for students.
Can a curriculum have more than one design?
Absolutely, yes. The most successful curricula draw ideas from all three models. A school can use a topic-based structure to ensure students learn core concepts. In the meantime, you can engage them with student-centered activities and problem-based projects that allow them to apply what they have learned. A combination of these two methods can be the best way to educate students.
Summary
Curriculum design is instructional design. It is the intentional process of designing what and how students are to learn. There are three main types, student-centered, problem-based and subject-centered. Each offers a different perspective. Subject-centered curriculum design addresses the content. It is a traditional model and works well for organizing knowledge. The curriculum is designed with the student in mind. This is great for engagement, but can be hard to manage. Problem based curriculum design is based on real world problems.
Good for practical skills development but can be difficult to implement. There is no one best design. Usually the best approach is a combination of all three. It provides students with a solid foundation of knowledge. Furthermore, it gives meaning to learning and helps them solve problems that are relevant for the future. Understanding these various models can help you better appreciate the complex decisions that go into shaping a school’s educational program.
