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Curriculum Design CUR 510 Dr. Jeff Sapp

The 4 Myths of Curriculum 1.   Education – the right curriculum &

curriculum design – can eliminate ignorance. 2.   Education & well-designed curricula can

supply all the knowledge needed to manage society and the Earth.

3.   Educational curricula are increasing human goodness…Well-designed curricula instill wisdom.

4.   Education’s primary purpose is to enable students to be upwardly mobile and economically successful. This myth is evident in much discussion about standards.

School Reform Schools, even with all the discussion about reforms & revised curricula, still teach to fill students with knowledge & skills rather than making them competent thinkers.

What  is  the  purpose  of  educa3on?  

The Central Question

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1.    Socializa3on:    Educa3on  serves  to  socialize  students  to  become  func3oning  members  of  society.    But  socializa,on  can  mean  

conformity.    And  socializa,on  stressed  too  

much  becomes  indoctrina,on.  

2.    The  Academic  Idea:    What  knowledge  is  of  most  

worth?      

3.    The  Developmental  Idea:    Brings  into  considera3on  the  

basic  maturing  of  the  individual.      

The 3 Big Ideas Here is what we’ve learned so far in CUR 510:

When it comes to curriculum, we draw from our own experiences, lived histories/herstories, values, belief systems, social interactions, and imaginations.

Live in the

question… Rumi

Contemplate all of that before you

begin…

Curriculum Design is concerned with the nature & arrangement of 4 basic

parts:

1.   Objectives: What should be done? 2.   Content: What subject matter

should be included? 3.   Learning Experiences: What

instructional strategies, resources, & activities should be employed?

4.  Evaluation: What methods & instruments should be used to appraise the results of the curriculum?

Sound familiar?

The Official CSUDH Lesson Plan

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Doll describes 5 foundations for curriculum design:

1. Science as a Source: Some rely on the scientific method when designing curriculum and their design contains only observable & quantifiable elements.

Doll describes 5 foundations for curriculum design:

2. Society as a Source: Curriculum designers who stress society as a curriculum source believe that school is an agent of society and should draw its curriculum ideas from the analysis of the social situation. Society

includes politics and this is usually contentious (conservative, liberal & radical).

Doll describes 5 foundations for curriculum design:

3. Moral Doctrine as a Source: Some curriculum designers look to the past for guidance regarding appropriate content and they emphasize what they view as lasting truths advanced by great thinkers of the past.

Doll describes 5 foundations for curriculum design: 3. Moral Doctrine as a Source: Huebner argues that education can address spirituality w/o bringing in religion. For him, to have spirit is to be in touch with life’s forces, or energies. Moffett sees spirituality as fostering mindfulness, attentiveness, awareness of the outside world, and self-awareness. He believes that spiritual individuals develop empathy, compassion, & insight. They promote the welfare of others and welcome different viewpoints. Spiritual curriculum designers ask questions about the nature of the world, the purpose of life, and what it means to be human and knowledgeable. Pinar views curriculum as allowing for a blend of truth, faith, knowledge, ethics, thought, & action.

Doll describes 5 foundations for curriculum design:

4. Knowledge as a Source: Dating back to Plato, some believe asking, “What knowledge is of most worth?” is the key. The problem is that knowledge is exploding, but we still get 180-day school sessions and 50-minute periods and this makes curriculum and teaching a daunting task.

Doll describes 5 foundations for curriculum design:

5. Student as a Source: Some believe that the curriculum should derive from our knowledge of students: how they learn, form attitudes, generate interests, and develop values. For progressive curricularists, humanistic educators, and many curricularists engaged in postmodern dialogue, the learner should be the primary source of curriculum design. (BBL)

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Doll describes 5 foundations for curriculum design:

Eclectic is still our word for the day!

Conceptual Frameworks

Horizontal organization blends curriculum elements (like math, science & English into once course).

Design Dimension Considerations

•  Scope – a curriculum’s breadth & depth of content. Scope is all the types of educational experiences created to engage students in learning. A curriculum’s scope can be a year or more.

Design Dimension Considerations

•  Sequence – how does content and experiences build on what came before?

No  Content   Content  Slam   No  Content  

Content  

Introduc,on  &    Pre-­‐Organizing    Content  

Follow-­‐Up  &    Go  Deeper  Content  

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Design Dimension Considerations

•  Continuity – the vertical repetition of curriculum components.

Design Dimension Considerations

•  Integration – refers to linking the knowledge and experiences of the curriculum to the students knowledge-base.

Design Dimension Considerations

•  Articulation – refers to interrelatedness of various aspects of the curriculum (teaching-across-the-curriculum; Title V Grant).

Design Dimension Considerations

•  Balance – where curricularists strive to give appropriate weight to each aspect of the design. In a balanced curriculum, students can acquire and use knowledge in ways that advance their personal, social, and intellectual goals.

3 Basic Curriculum Designs 1.   Subject-centered designs

1.  Subject designs 2.  Discipline designs 3.  Broad field designs 4.  Correlation designs 5.  Process designs

2.   Learner-centered designs 1.  Child-centered designs 2.  Experience-centered designs 3.  Romantic/radical designs

3.   Problem-centered designs 1.  Life situations 2.  Core designs 3.  Social problem/reconstructivist designs

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The Shadow Curriculums •  The operational curriculum is that which actually gets taught (the explicit curriculum).

•  The hidden curriculum is what happens among students and between students and teachers.

•  The null curriculum refers to what is omitted by the teacher but recognized as being ignored by students, community, or both, typically it is controversial topics.

The Shadow Curriculums

Shadow curriculum exists because curricula is the product of humans.

The Shadow Curriculums Page  173