Lunenburg, Fred C. Curriculum Development-Inductive Models-Schooling V2 N1 2011

Curriculum Development Overview

• Curriculum development involves planning, implementing, and evaluating educational curricula leading to effective educational experiences.

• Purpose of curriculum development:

  • To address educational needs of students, teachers, and administrators.

  • To ensure organized and systematic approaches to education.

• Models in curriculum development serve as guidelines, patterns, and frameworks that enhance understanding and efficiency in the curriculum-making process.

Inductive Models in Curriculum Development

• Characteristics of Inductive Models:

  • Inductive, nonlinear, and descriptive processes.

  • Help visualize development of curriculum materials and guide generalization.

  • Unlike traditional deductive models that are linear and prescriptive.

  • Reflect a postmodern view of curriculum as being adaptable and contextually relevant.

Three Key Models Analysed

• Hilda Taba’s Instructional Strategies Model (1962):

  • Start with planning teaching-learning units rather than a general school program.

  • Curriculum emerges from instructional strategies, promoting adaptability across grades (1-8).

  • Five interactive elements in the curriculum design:

    • Objectives

    • Content

    • Learning Experiences

    • Teaching Strategies

    • Evaluative Measures

  • External factors impacting curriculum: community values, school district policies, teacher characteristics, and student demographics.

• Weinstein and Fantini’s Humanistic Model (1970):

  • Combines sociopsychological factors with cognition to address learners' issues—termed "curriculum of affect."

  • Emphasizes understanding group dynamics over individual characteristics.

  • Led by assessing learners' concerns, needs, and interests rather than subject matter.

  • Organized around life experiences, attitudes, and social contexts.

  • Focus on empowering students through effective learning and coping strategies.

• Elliott Eisner’s Systemic-Aesthetic Model (1991):

  • Merges behavioral principles with aesthetic components to inform curriculum planning.

  • Addresses five dimensions for effective schools:

    • Intentional: Deliberate examination of essential curriculum elements.

    • Structural: Review of school organization's influence on education practices.

    • Curriculum: Emphasis on significant ideas and student engagement.

    • Pedagogical: Recognition of teaching quality as essential for student success.

    • Evaluative: Use of evaluation to improve both teaching practices and student achievement.

Comparison of Model Types

• Descriptive vs. Classical Models:

  • Descriptive models focus on naturalistic processes and relationships among elements (e.g. platform, deliberation, design).

  • In contrast, classical models depend on a means-end approach with clearly defined goals and evaluations to meet them.

  • In descriptive models, evaluation informs design decisions rather than measuring compliance with goals.

Conclusion

• The exploration of these models reveals varied approaches to curriculum development:

  • Taba's model emphasizes instructional strategies as essential components of design.

  • Weinstein and Fantini advocate a humanistic approach, prioritizing learners' affective experiences.

  • Eisner's model calls for a systemic perspective that integrates diverse educational elements.

• Each model contributes to understanding curriculum development from different perspectives, supporting effective educational practices.