The Teacher and the School Currciculum

Material 5

Curriculum Development: Processes and Models

Curriculum is a dynamic process. In curriculum development, there are always changes that occur that
are intended for improvement. To do this, there are models presented to us from well-known
curricularists like Ralph Tyler, Hilda Taba, Galen Saylor, and William Alexander, which would help clarify
the process of curriculum development. There are many other models, but let us use the three for this
lesson.

Curriculum Development Process

Curriculum development is a dynamic process involving many different people and procedures.
Development connotes changes which are systematic. A change for the better means alteration,
modification, or improvement of an existing condition. To produce positive changes. development
should be purposeful, planned, and progressive. Usually, it is linear and follows a logical step-by-step
fashion involving the following phases: curriculum planning, curriculum design, curriculum
implementation, and curriculum evaluation. Generally, most models involve four phases.

1. Curriculum planning considers the school’s vision, mission, and goals. It also includes the philosophy
or strong education beliefs of the school. All of these will eventually be translated to classroom desired
learning outcomes for the learners.

2. Curriculum designing is the way curriculum is conceptualized to include the selection and
organization of content, the selection and organization of learning experiences or activities and the
selection of the assessment procedure and tools to measure achieved learning outcomes. A curriculum
design will also include the resources to be utilized and the statement of the intended learning
outcomes.

3. Curriculum implementing is putting into action the plan which is based on the design in the classroom
setting or the learning environment. The teacher is the facilitator of learning and together with the
learners, uses the curriculum as design guides to what will transpire in the classroom with the end in
view of achieving the intended learning outcomes. Implementing the curriculum is where action takes
place. It involves the activities that transpire in every teacher's classroom where learning becomes an
active process.

4. Curriculum evaluating determines the extent to which the desired outcomes have been achieved.
This procedure is on- going as in finding out the progress of learning (formative) or the mastery of
learning (summative). Along the way, evaluation will determine the factors that have hindered or
supported the implementation. It will also pinpoint where improvement can be made and corrective
measures, introduced. The result of evaluation is very important for decision-making of curriculum
planners and implementors.

Curriculum Development Process Models

Ralph Tyler Model: Four Basic Principles

Also known as Tyler's Rationale, the curriculum development model emphasizes the planning phase.
He posited four fundamental principles which are illustrated as answers to the following questions:

1. What education purposes should schools seek to attain?

Tyler's model shows that in curriculum development, the following considerations should be made:
 1. Purposes of the school
2. Educational experiences related to the purposes
3. Organization of the experiences
4. Evaluation of the experience

Hilda Taba Model: Grassroots Approach

Hilda Taba improved on Tyler's model. She believed that teachers should participate in developing a
curriculum. As a grassroots approach, Taba begins from the bottom rather than from the top, as what
Tyler proposed. She presented six major steps to her linear model, which are the following:
1. Diagnosis of learners' needs and expectations of the larger society
2. Formulation of learning objectives
3. Selection of learning contents
4. Organization of learning contents
5. Selection of learning experiences
6. Determination of what to evaluate and the means of doing it

Galen Saylor and William Alexander Curriculum Model

Galen Saylor and William Alexander (1974) viewed curriculum development as consisting of four steps.
Curriculum is "a plan for providing sets of learning opportunities to achieve broad educational goals and
related specific objectives for an identifiable population served by a single school center."

1. Goals, Objectives and Domains. Curriculum planners begin by specifying the major educational
goals and specific objectives they wish to accomplish. Each major goal represents a curriculum
domain: personal development, human relations, continued learning skills and specialization.
The goals, objectives and domains are identified and chosen based on research findings,
accreditation standards, and views of the different stakeholders.
2. Curriculum Designing. Designing a curriculum follows after appropriate learning opportunities
are determined and how each opportunity is provided. Will the curriculum be designed along
the lines of academic disciplines, or according to student needs and interests or along themes?
These are some of the questions that need to be answered at this stage of the development
process
3. Curriculum Implementation. A designed curriculum is now ready for implementation. Teachers
then prepare instructional plans where instructional objectives are specified and appropriate
teaching methods and strategies are utilized to achieve the desired learning outcomes among
students.
4. Evaluation. The last step of the curriculum model is evaluation. A comprehensive evaluation
using a variety of evaluation techniques is recommended. It should involve the total educational
program of the school and the curriculum plan, the effectiveness of instruction and the
achievement of students. Through the evaluation process, curriculum planners and developers
can determine whether or not the goals of the school and the objectives of instruction have
been met. All the models utilized the processes of (1) curriculum planning, (2) curriculum
designing, (3) curriculum implementing, and (4) curriculum evaluating.