Models of

Curriculum
Design
Prepared by:
Joanne Lian Li Fang
Chua Swee Woon
Kev Yi Beng

Models of Curriculum Design

Tylers Objective Model
(1949)
Wheelers Process Model
(1967)
Tabas Interactive Model
(1962)
Walkers Naturalistic Model
(1971)

Tylers Objective Model (1949)

one

of the best known models for

curriculum development.
It emphasizes consistency among
objectives, learning experiences
and outcomes
Curriculum objectives indicate
both behaviour to be developed
and area of content to be applied
(Keating, 2006)

Tylers Objective Model

Tylers model is a linear model.
1

Selection of Aims

Selection of Content &

Learning Experiences

Organization of content &

Learning Experiences

Evaluation of Learning
outcomes

Tylers Four Principles of

Teaching

Tylers Objective Model

Tylers Model is also classified as
product model. It focusses on
The nature and structure of
knowledge
The needs of the society
The needs of the learner

Tylers Objective Model

Advantages
It aims at student's developing behavior
as their target of teaching.
Disadvantages
It does not have a feedback mechanism
to tell people how to correct it
It seems lack a procedure between
evaluation and organization, and this
procedure is execution. For example,
they do not apply to all subjects or the
design of a subjects content.

Wheelers Process Model (1967)

In

1967, Wheeler further

modified Tylers straight line
model as cyclical model.

Wheeler

(1978) believes that

curriculum decision making can
start from any point and can
come back to any of the points
e.g. like a cycle.

In

Wheeler Model, curriculum is a

continuous cycle responding to
the changes within education
where any new information or
practice will bring changes.

It

help curriculum developers

take correct decisions thus
encouraging active participation
of staffs in school based
curriculum.

Wheelers Process Model

Aims, Goals &
Objectives

Evaluation

Organisation & Integration of

Learning Experiences &
Content

Selection of
Learning
Experiences

Selection of Content

Aims, Goals and

Objectives
Aims

cover all the experiences

provided in the curriculum.
Goals are tied to specific subjects
or group of content within the
curriculum.
Objectives describe more specific
outcomes as a result of lessons or
instructions delivered at a
classroom.

Learning Experiences
Learning

experiences is an
activity which the learners
engages in which the results in
his behaviour.

Content
Content

is what we teach. It must

be related to validity,
significance, utility, interest and
learnability.

Evaluation
The

former have clear objectives

and aligned assessment
strategies designed to test how
well students have achieved the
learning outcomes. Wheeler
model sets the school objectives
as final steps in as well as the
first.

Advantages of Wheeler
Model
Continuing

activity.
Incorporates new information into the
curriculum.
Views curriculum elements as
interrelated and interdependent.
Has feedback mechanism.
Emphasize on the situational analysis.
Evaluate at a stage where its findings
are feedback into the objectives.

Disadvantages of Wheeler
Model
It

is time consuming.
It is difficult to locate.
It seems to lack of procedure
between organizing and
integrating learning experiences,
content and evaluation.

Tabas Interactive Model (1962)

Taba

believed that teachers who

teach or implement the
curriculum should participate in
developing it.
Her advocacy was commonly
called the "grassroots approach"
where teachers could have a
major input.
She presented seven major
steps:

1.

Diagnosis of needs. The

teacher (curriculum designer)
starts the process by identifying
the needs of the students for
whom the curriculum is to be
planned.

2.

Formulation of learning
objectives. After the teacher
has identified the needs that
require attention, he or she
specifies objectives to be

3.

4.

Selection of learning content. The

objectives selected or created suggest
the subject matter or content of the
curriculum. Not only should objectives
and content match but also the
validity and significance of the content
chosen needs to be determined.
Organization of learning content.
A teacher can not just select content,
but must organize it in some type of
sequence, taking into consideration
the maturity of the learners, their
academic achievement, and their
interests.

5.

Selection of learning experiences.

Content must be presented to pupils and
pupils must engage the content. At this
point, the teacher select instructional
methods that will involve students with the
content.

6.

Organization of learning activities. Just

as content must be sequenced and
organized, so must the learning activities.
Often the sequence of the learning
activities is determined by the content. But
the teacher needs to keep in mind the
particular students whom he or she will be
teaching.

7. Evaluation and means of

evaluation. The curriculum
planner must determine just what
objectives have been
accomplished. Evaluation
procedures need to be considered
by the students and teachers.

Tabas Interactive Model

Tabas
Curriculum
Planning
Model

Teacher Input

Evaluation
Diagnosis of
Needs

Teacher
Input

Formulation
Of Objectives

Selection of
Content

Organization
of Learning
Activities
Selection of
Learning
Activities

Organization
Of Content

Teacher Input

Tylers Model
Advantages
Teacher is involved in the development of
the curriculum.
Disadvantages
1. Teachers not understanding the connection
between the content, activities, teaching
methods and evaluation.
2. Keeping the resources up to date.
3. Maintaining training for new teachers on the
method as well as support needed for
teachers as they must review the plan
often.

Walkers Naturalistic Model

(1971)
What is naturalistic model?
A descriptive model in contrast to the
classical model (prescriptive model)
by Tyler 1949. It is also called the
communicative approach.
The communicative approach starts
with the more subjective perceptions
and views of the designers, the
target group, and other stakeholders.

The

term naturalistic describes

how the process of curriculum
planning is done instead of
suggesting how it should be
done
Walker suggests that better
curriculum planning and
development will result if persons
participated in the process and
reached a consensus about the
final product.

The

model comprises of three

phases of curriculum planning
platform, deliberation and design

Figure 1: Walkers Model (Print, 1993, p.75)

1. The platform
-The platform consists of a mixture
of ideologies related to education
and its purposes, includes ideas,
preferences, points of view, beliefs
and values about the curriculum
2. Process of deliberation
-here interaction between
stakeholders begin and clarification
of views and ideas in order to reach
a consensus of a shared vision.

3. The result of deliberation is the

curriculum design.
-Walker suggests that the design is
best represented as the series of
decisions that were made during
the creation of the design
-explicit design ( decision made
after a consideration of
alternatives)
- implicit design (decision made
without considering alternatives)

Advantages of Naturalistic Model

One

of the strengths of Walkers

model is the input of curriculum
developers , target group, and
other parties/stakeholders in the
development of the curriculum.
Stakeholder engagement in the
planning and development stages
empowers and acknowledges
them, especially teachers, as
valuable contributors.

Disadvantages of Naturalistic
Model

Walker

describes what happens

in the process of curriculum
design but does not describe
what actually happens in the
classroom.
The processes for deliberation
can be time consuming and
resource intensive, and can result
in curriculum products that may
not be consistent and aligned
internally.

Disadvantages of Naturalistic
Model
Consensus

is often hard to
achieve when developing
curriculum at national or regional
levels.

Differences between the 4 models

Tylers
Objective
model

Tabas
Interactional
model

Wheelers
Process
model

Walkers
Naturalistic
model

Deductive
(general to
specific)

Inductive
(specific to
general)

Inductive

Deductive

Feedback
mechanism
(consideration
of students)
(by teacher)

Stakeholder
engagement
(especially
teacher)
(before T/L)
(difference
from Tylers
include of
teacher
opinion)

Administrative
Teacher designed
model
model
(planning
(teacher creating
before teaching
T/L units)
and learning)

Inpu
t

society,
learner,
subject matter

teacher

Students
feedback

target group,
beliefs,
theories
designers,

Similarities between the 4

models
Tylers
Objective
model

Tabas
Interactional
model

Wheelers
Process
model

Walkers
Naturalistic
model

1. All consist of the objectives.

2. Try to come up with a curriculum that they think is the best after
consideration of inputs.

Advantages and Disadvantages

of the 4 models

Steps in Curriculum
Design

Planning
Implementing
Evaluating

Planning
Content

Learning
experienc
es

Objective
s

Evaluatio
n
Compone
nts

Planning
Objectives

(school vision,

mission)
Cognitive knowledge,
comprehension
Affective responding, valuing
Psychomotor guided response,
mechanism

Planning
Content

Information to be learned in school

( facts, concepts, principles,
theories)
1. Subject-centered view of
curriculum
2. Learner-centered view of
curriculum

Planning
Learning

experiences
Instructional strategies and
methods, teaching strategies
Consider the learning styles of
students

Planning
Evaluating

Refer to the formal determination

of the quality, effectiveness or
value of the program, process, and
product of the curriculum.
The most widely used is
Stufflebeam's CIPP Model.

Implementing
Implementation

requires
adjusting personal habits, ways
of behaving, program emphases,
learning spaces, and existing
curricula and schedules.

Implementing
Types

of Curriculum Change
Substitution: one element may be
substituted for another already present.
Alteration: This occurs when a change
is introduced into existing material in
the hope it will appear minor and thus
be readily adopted.
Perturbations: These are changes that
are disruptive but teachers adjust to
them within a short period of time.

Implementing
Types

of Curriculum Change
Restructuring: These are changes
that lead to modification of the
whole school system.
Value-orientation changes: These
are the shifts in the fundamental
value orientations of school
personnel. (Ornstein& Hunkins,
2014, p226)

Implementing
Students
Parents
and
Communi
ty
Members

Teachers

Key
Playe
rs

Curriculu
m
Consultan
ts

Curriculu
m
Directors

Superviso
rs

Principals

Evaluating
Why

we should evaluate
curriculum?
The professional expectations
could be changing, which in turn
call for a change in the
curriculum.
Students are not achieving the
desired goals set in the
curriculum.

References
Tyler, R. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum
and instruction. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.

Walker, D.F. (1971). A naturalistic model for

curriculum development. The School Review,
80(1), 51-65.

Walker, D.F. (2003). Fundamentals of curriculum:

Passions and professionalism (2nd ed.). Mahwah,
NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.