CURRICULUM DESIGN
1
The concept curriculum design is used in educational literature to refer to the organization of
the components of curriculum element. Some people refer to curriculum organizations when
they are actually talking of curriculum patterns when they mean curriculum organizations or
designs.
Components, which are included in any curriculum design, are aims, goals and objectives,
subject-content, learning activities and evaluation. We usually refer to how all these
components are structured in any curriculum as a design.
How a curriculum is conceptualized, organized, developed and implemented depends on
particular country’s educational objectives and whatever, design a country may adapt depends
also on the country’s philosophy of education.
There are several ways of designing school curriculum.
Objectives:
At the end of this unit you should be able to:
Explain the organization of subject centered curriculum design
State the advantages and disadvantages of subject-centred design;
Describe the meaning of broad fields designs
1.Subject –Centered Design
The organization of curriculum in terms of separate subjects has far been the commonest all
over the world. It is also the oldest school curriculum design in the world. It was even practiced
by the ancient Greek educators. The subject centred design was adapted by African education
system from Europe.
For a long time content has been arranged in the curriculum by specific subjects representing a
specialized body of common areas of content.
An examination of the subject centred and curriculum design will show that it is used mainly in
the upper-primary sections, secondary school classes and colleges.
This is the commonest organization, which teachers are familiar with.
Frequently, lay people educators and other professionals who support this design received their
own schooling or professional training in this system. Teachers, for instance, have been
trained and specialized to teach one or two subjects at secondary level in this country. No
teachers are trained to teach as many subjects as possible.
You are quite aware of how subjects are organized in our high school syllabus. The whole high
school curriculum has been organized around subject areas such as – English, Kiswahili,
,Geography, History, Christian Education, Economics, Commerce, Mathematics, Chemistry,
Biology, Physics, Computer Science, Home Economics etc.
This type of curriculum organization is still being used in African schools today.
Let us examine the advantages and disadvantages of this design. We shall be able to see why
some educators advocate for it while others criticize this approach.
Advantages
It is possible and desirable to determine in advance what all children will learn in
various subjects and grades (classes). For instance syllabus for all schools in Kenya are
prepared and approved centrally at the K.I.C.D for Ministry of Education Science and
Technology – The Kenya National Examinations Council is also involved. All the syllabuses
are then sent to all the schools in the country irrespective of geographical position, status,
resources, manpower available and cultural variations. It is expected that teachers prepare
students based on the same syllabus. Students in all the schools cover the same among of
content in various subjects sat at the end of every level of education (primary, secondary
levels). Students sit for the same examination to determine whether they have covered the
amount of content expected of them.
It is feasible and necessary to determine minimum standards of performance and
achievement for the knowledge specified in the subject area.
Almost all textbooks and support materials present on the educational market are
organized on subject-by-subject format.
Also tradition seems to give the design greater support. People have become familiar and
more comfortable with this design and seem to view it as part of the system of the school and
education as whole.
The subject centred curriculum is better understood by teachers because their training was
based on this method as specialization.
The advocates of the subject-centred design have argued that intellectual powers of
individual learners can be developed through this approach.
Curriculum planning is easier and simpler in the subject centred curriculum design.
Imagine the period of planning, developing and implementing the curriculum. Also imagine
what goes in your first staff meeting when every teacher is to be allocated his/her teaching
load for the year and how this should be plotted on the daily school time-table. It is simply
and easily achieved at a short time.
Criticisms of Subject Centered Design
Critics of subject-centred curriculum design have strongly advocated from it. These criticisms
are based on the following arguments:
Subject-centered curriculum tends to bring about a high degree of fragmentation. They
argue that with the current increase in knowledge more subjects are created and added to the
school curriculum as areas of study.
Subject-centered curriculum lacks integration of content. Learning in most cases tends to
be compartmentalized. Subjects or knowledge are broken down into smaller seemingly
unrelated bits of information to be learned.
, There has always been an assumption that information learned through subject matter-
curriculum will be transferred for use in everyday life situations. This assumption of
claim has been doubted by many schools of thought that argue that automatic transfer of the
information already learned is not possible.
The design stresses content and tends to neglect the needs, interests and experience of the
students. It is examination oriented.
Activity 18
Why can’t subject-centred curriculum design function at the lower-primary level.
2. Broad Fields Curriculum Design
Broad-fields curriculum design is generally considered to be expanded version of the idea of
fusion.
In this approach, two, three or more subjects are unified into one broad-course of study.
This organization is actually a system of combining and regrouping subjects that are related in
the curriculum into separate broad fields of study.
The broad-fields approach attempts to develop some kind of synthesis or unity for the entire
branch of knowledge. It may even involve synthesizing two or more branches of knowledge into
new fields. Good examples would be
(i) Ecology
(ii) Environment Education
(iii) Family Life Education
Activity 19
Which are the related subjects that form separate groupings in the present secondary school
syllabus?
No doubt, you are familiar with some of the following groupings that have been attempted in
recent years. The present 8:4:4 curriculum contains enough examples of broad-fields
organization. You will need to get a copy and just go through it to be familiar
Language Arts – (both at primary and secondary school levels). Reading, writing, grammar,
literature, speech etc. Kiswahili and foreign languages.
Social Science fields – (high school and colleges) history, political science, government,
economics anthropology sociology etc.
Social Studies – (primary school level)
a) History, Geography and Civics
b) Social Education could also fall under these broad fields
General Science – to include natural and physical sciences.
a) Physics, Chemistry, Geography, Astronomy Physical Geographical
, b) Zoology, Botany, Biology and Physiology
Humanities – (both primary and secondary school levels) Art, Music, Design, Literature.
Industrial Education –
a) All vocational courses may be included – Commerce, Typing, Book Keeping, Accounts,
Office Practice.
b) All industrial and technical courses may be included – Carpentry, Masonry, Plumbing, Metal
Work, Engineering etc.
Physical education – Health and Safety Education.
General mathematics – to be included in this group are – Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry
Trigonometry and Calculus.
Home Science – all courses which are taken care of in this group may be included –
Needlework, Cookery, Nutrition, Home Management, Clothing and Textiles etc.
Advocates of broad fields design believe that the approach would bring about unification and
integration of knowledge.
However, looking at the trend of events in curriculum practice in this country, this has not
materialized. Several reasons could be given for this drawback.
First, teachers trained at the university, and diploma teachers colleges are expected to
specialize in two or three subjects taught in secondary schools. A teacher who specialized in
history, geography or any other subject finds it difficult to teach in an integrated curriculum.
Good example can be drawn from the teaching of social studies in our schools. Most
teachers would be comfortable to teach history and geography as separate subjects on the
school timetable. The same problems are experienced in the teaching of general science.
Secondly, universities and diploma colleges in this country still return their subject-centred
curriculum.
Thirdly, the Kenya National Examination Council has since 1985 come up with a unified
syllabus to be adapted for integrated studies in schools. However, all national examinations are
still set on subject basis.
Advantage of Broad Fields Design
The advocates of broad-fields design argue that;
it provides for an orderly and systematic exposure to the cultural heritage.
It integrates separate subjects into a single course. This enables learners to see the
relationship among various elements in the curriculum.
It saves time on the school timetable.
Prepares a student for self-reliance and survival skills.
1
The concept curriculum design is used in educational literature to refer to the organization of
the components of curriculum element. Some people refer to curriculum organizations when
they are actually talking of curriculum patterns when they mean curriculum organizations or
designs.
Components, which are included in any curriculum design, are aims, goals and objectives,
subject-content, learning activities and evaluation. We usually refer to how all these
components are structured in any curriculum as a design.
How a curriculum is conceptualized, organized, developed and implemented depends on
particular country’s educational objectives and whatever, design a country may adapt depends
also on the country’s philosophy of education.
There are several ways of designing school curriculum.
Objectives:
At the end of this unit you should be able to:
Explain the organization of subject centered curriculum design
State the advantages and disadvantages of subject-centred design;
Describe the meaning of broad fields designs
1.Subject –Centered Design
The organization of curriculum in terms of separate subjects has far been the commonest all
over the world. It is also the oldest school curriculum design in the world. It was even practiced
by the ancient Greek educators. The subject centred design was adapted by African education
system from Europe.
For a long time content has been arranged in the curriculum by specific subjects representing a
specialized body of common areas of content.
An examination of the subject centred and curriculum design will show that it is used mainly in
the upper-primary sections, secondary school classes and colleges.
This is the commonest organization, which teachers are familiar with.
Frequently, lay people educators and other professionals who support this design received their
own schooling or professional training in this system. Teachers, for instance, have been
trained and specialized to teach one or two subjects at secondary level in this country. No
teachers are trained to teach as many subjects as possible.
You are quite aware of how subjects are organized in our high school syllabus. The whole high
school curriculum has been organized around subject areas such as – English, Kiswahili,
,Geography, History, Christian Education, Economics, Commerce, Mathematics, Chemistry,
Biology, Physics, Computer Science, Home Economics etc.
This type of curriculum organization is still being used in African schools today.
Let us examine the advantages and disadvantages of this design. We shall be able to see why
some educators advocate for it while others criticize this approach.
Advantages
It is possible and desirable to determine in advance what all children will learn in
various subjects and grades (classes). For instance syllabus for all schools in Kenya are
prepared and approved centrally at the K.I.C.D for Ministry of Education Science and
Technology – The Kenya National Examinations Council is also involved. All the syllabuses
are then sent to all the schools in the country irrespective of geographical position, status,
resources, manpower available and cultural variations. It is expected that teachers prepare
students based on the same syllabus. Students in all the schools cover the same among of
content in various subjects sat at the end of every level of education (primary, secondary
levels). Students sit for the same examination to determine whether they have covered the
amount of content expected of them.
It is feasible and necessary to determine minimum standards of performance and
achievement for the knowledge specified in the subject area.
Almost all textbooks and support materials present on the educational market are
organized on subject-by-subject format.
Also tradition seems to give the design greater support. People have become familiar and
more comfortable with this design and seem to view it as part of the system of the school and
education as whole.
The subject centred curriculum is better understood by teachers because their training was
based on this method as specialization.
The advocates of the subject-centred design have argued that intellectual powers of
individual learners can be developed through this approach.
Curriculum planning is easier and simpler in the subject centred curriculum design.
Imagine the period of planning, developing and implementing the curriculum. Also imagine
what goes in your first staff meeting when every teacher is to be allocated his/her teaching
load for the year and how this should be plotted on the daily school time-table. It is simply
and easily achieved at a short time.
Criticisms of Subject Centered Design
Critics of subject-centred curriculum design have strongly advocated from it. These criticisms
are based on the following arguments:
Subject-centered curriculum tends to bring about a high degree of fragmentation. They
argue that with the current increase in knowledge more subjects are created and added to the
school curriculum as areas of study.
Subject-centered curriculum lacks integration of content. Learning in most cases tends to
be compartmentalized. Subjects or knowledge are broken down into smaller seemingly
unrelated bits of information to be learned.
, There has always been an assumption that information learned through subject matter-
curriculum will be transferred for use in everyday life situations. This assumption of
claim has been doubted by many schools of thought that argue that automatic transfer of the
information already learned is not possible.
The design stresses content and tends to neglect the needs, interests and experience of the
students. It is examination oriented.
Activity 18
Why can’t subject-centred curriculum design function at the lower-primary level.
2. Broad Fields Curriculum Design
Broad-fields curriculum design is generally considered to be expanded version of the idea of
fusion.
In this approach, two, three or more subjects are unified into one broad-course of study.
This organization is actually a system of combining and regrouping subjects that are related in
the curriculum into separate broad fields of study.
The broad-fields approach attempts to develop some kind of synthesis or unity for the entire
branch of knowledge. It may even involve synthesizing two or more branches of knowledge into
new fields. Good examples would be
(i) Ecology
(ii) Environment Education
(iii) Family Life Education
Activity 19
Which are the related subjects that form separate groupings in the present secondary school
syllabus?
No doubt, you are familiar with some of the following groupings that have been attempted in
recent years. The present 8:4:4 curriculum contains enough examples of broad-fields
organization. You will need to get a copy and just go through it to be familiar
Language Arts – (both at primary and secondary school levels). Reading, writing, grammar,
literature, speech etc. Kiswahili and foreign languages.
Social Science fields – (high school and colleges) history, political science, government,
economics anthropology sociology etc.
Social Studies – (primary school level)
a) History, Geography and Civics
b) Social Education could also fall under these broad fields
General Science – to include natural and physical sciences.
a) Physics, Chemistry, Geography, Astronomy Physical Geographical
, b) Zoology, Botany, Biology and Physiology
Humanities – (both primary and secondary school levels) Art, Music, Design, Literature.
Industrial Education –
a) All vocational courses may be included – Commerce, Typing, Book Keeping, Accounts,
Office Practice.
b) All industrial and technical courses may be included – Carpentry, Masonry, Plumbing, Metal
Work, Engineering etc.
Physical education – Health and Safety Education.
General mathematics – to be included in this group are – Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry
Trigonometry and Calculus.
Home Science – all courses which are taken care of in this group may be included –
Needlework, Cookery, Nutrition, Home Management, Clothing and Textiles etc.
Advocates of broad fields design believe that the approach would bring about unification and
integration of knowledge.
However, looking at the trend of events in curriculum practice in this country, this has not
materialized. Several reasons could be given for this drawback.
First, teachers trained at the university, and diploma teachers colleges are expected to
specialize in two or three subjects taught in secondary schools. A teacher who specialized in
history, geography or any other subject finds it difficult to teach in an integrated curriculum.
Good example can be drawn from the teaching of social studies in our schools. Most
teachers would be comfortable to teach history and geography as separate subjects on the
school timetable. The same problems are experienced in the teaching of general science.
Secondly, universities and diploma colleges in this country still return their subject-centred
curriculum.
Thirdly, the Kenya National Examination Council has since 1985 come up with a unified
syllabus to be adapted for integrated studies in schools. However, all national examinations are
still set on subject basis.
Advantage of Broad Fields Design
The advocates of broad-fields design argue that;
it provides for an orderly and systematic exposure to the cultural heritage.
It integrates separate subjects into a single course. This enables learners to see the
relationship among various elements in the curriculum.
It saves time on the school timetable.
Prepares a student for self-reliance and survival skills.
