CHAPTER III

CURRICULUM DESIGN
INTRODUCTION
The curriculum establishes the foundation of what
students are expected to know, do and understand through
their educational experiences. Teachers apply learning
standards to engage students in flexible and relevant learning
experiences that encourage them to pursue their passions
while building a sense of personal identity. Curriculum design
deepens learning and support students in gaining
important core competencies such as critical and creative
thinking, skillful communication, and demonstrating care for
self and others.
 SUBJECT-CENTERED
CURRICULUM

CURRICULUM LEARNER-CENTERED
DESIGN CURRICULUM

PROBLEM-CENTERED
CURRICULUM
Definition of Curriculum Design
Curriculum design is a term used to describe the
purposeful, deliberate, and systematic organization of
curriculum (instructional blocks) within a class or course.

Refers to the structure or the arrangement of the

components or elements of a curriculum
Learning objective is met with assessment strategies,
exercises, content, subject matter analysis, and interactive
activities.
 
1. Subject-Centered Curriculum Design
Subject-centered design focuses on the content
of the curriculum. The subject centered design
corresponds mostly of the textbook, written for the
specific subject.
Subject-Centered Curriculum Design
Henry Morrison and William Harris are the few
curricularist who were firm believers of this design.
In this instance, schools divide the school hours to
different subjects such as reading, grammar,
literature, mathematics, science, history and
geography. In the Philippines, our curricula in any
level is also divided in different subjects or course.
Most of schools using this kind of structure aim for
excellence in the subject matter content.
Examples of subject-centred Design
1. Subject Design
◦ Oldest and so far the most familiar design

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
•Easy to deliver • Learning is
•Complimentary books are compartmentalized
written •Stresses so much the
•Support instructional content that it forgets the
materials are commercially student’s natural
available tendencies, interests and
•Teachers are familiar with experiences
the format
2. Discipline Design
◦ Focuses on academic disciplines

DISCIPLINE – refers to specific knowledge learned

through a method which the scholars use to study
a specific content of their field.
2. Discipline Design
Students in:
History Should learn like
Historians
Biology Should learn like
Biologist
Mathematics Should learn like
Mathematicians
2. Discipline Design
•Teacher should teach how the scholars in the
discipline will convey the particular knowledge.
•Often use in college, but not in elementary or
secondary levels.
 
 PSYCHOLOGY
MATHEMATICS HISTORY

SCIENCE HUMANITIES

DISCIPILINES

SUBJECT-CENTERED

Subject-centred moves higher to a discipline when students

are mature and already moving towards their career path or
discipline.
•The discipline design engages the students so they
can analyze the curriculum and draw conclusions. It
helps students to master the content area and in
turn increase independent learning.
•According to Bruner, the discipline design clarifies
the relationship between beginning knowledge and
advanced knowledge. This will allow the students
to gain meaning and advance through the content.
3. Correlation Design
•Comes from core, correlated curriculum design
that links separate subject designs in order to
reduce fragmentation.
•Subjects are related to one another but each
subject maintains its identity.
3. Correlation Design
Examples of correlation design includes:
Biochemistry, which is the combining of biology
and chemistry.
Social Psychology, which is sociology and
psychology.
Bio-statistics, which is biology and statistics.
Music Technology, which focuses on music and its
use through technology.
4. Broad Field Design/Interdisciplinary

•A variation of the subject-centered design.

•This design was made to prevent the
compartmentalization of subjects and integrate the
contents that are related to each other.
Example: Anthropology

Geography SOCIAL STUDIES Sociology

History
2. Learner-Centered Curriculum
Design
•Learner is the center of the educative process.
•Learner-centered curriculum design takes each
individual's needs, interests, and goals into
consideration. In other words, it acknowledges that
students are not uniform and adjust to those
student needs. Learner-centered curriculum design
is meant to empower learners and allow them to
shape their education through choices.
2. Learner-Centered Curriculum
Design
•Instructional plans in a learner-centered curriculum
are differentiated, giving students the opportunity
to choose assignments, learning experiences or
activities. This can motivate students and help
them stay engaged in the material that they are
learning.
2. Learner-Centered Curriculum
Design
•The drawback to this form of curriculum design is
that it is labor-intensive. Developing differentiated
instruction puts pressure on the teacher to create
instruction and/or find materials that are conducive
to each student's learning needs. Teachers may not
have the time or may lack the experience or skills to
create such a plan. Learner-centered curriculum
design also requires that teachers balance student
wants and interests with student needs and required
outcomes, which is not an easy balance to obtain.
  
1. Child-Centered Design
One
learns by
Anchored on doing
Learner
the needs and engages with
interests of his/her
the child environment

CHILD-
CENTERED
DESIGN

Learning is the product of the child’s interaction with

the environment
2. Experience-Centered Design
•similar to child-centered.
•believes that the interest and needs of learners
cannot be preplanned. Instead, experience of the
learners become the starting point of the
curriculum.
B. Experience-Centered
Design 
 learners are made to choose from various activities
that the teacher provides.
 learners are empowered to shape their own
learning.
different learning centers are found.
time is flexible.
children are free to make options.
 activities revolve around different emphasis such as
touching, feeling imagining, constructing relating
and others.
3. Humanistic Design
Development of self is the ultimate objective of
learning.
It considers the cognitive, affective and
psychomotor domain to be interconnected.
It stresses the development of positive self-
concept and interpersonal skills.
3. Problem-Centered Curriculum Design
•Problem-centered curriculum, or problem based
learning, organizes subject matter around a
problem, real or hypothetical, that needs to be
solved.
•Problem-centered curriculum is inherently
engaging and authentic, because the students have
a real purpose to their inquiry - solving the
problem.
1. Life-Situation Design
•Uses the past and present experiences of learners
as a means to analyse the basic areas of living
 
2. Core Design
•It centers on general education and the problems
are based on common human activities.
•The central focus of the core design includes
common needs, problems, concerns, of the
learners.
 CONCLUSION

The curriculum establishes the foundation of what

students are expected to know, do and understand
through their educational experiences. The different
curriculum design is applied to engage students in
flexible and relevant learning experiences.
References:
https://www.thoughtco.com/curriculum-design-definition-4154176
https://www.slideshare.net/jaezek1804/curriculum-design-models-378
28002
https://educationalresearchtechniques.com/2014/06/25/curriculum-de
sign-correlation-design/
https://www.slideshare.net/kazekage15/curriculum-design-14005429
https://slideplayer.com/slide/12241002/
https://surreylearningbydesign.ca/school-planing-process/curriculum-d
esign/
https://askinglot.com/what-are-the-importance-of-subject-centered-cur
riculum
Thank you!
LILIBETH V. ODAL
Reporter