Unit 4: Curriculum Development Models

 

After learning about curriculum foundations and the factors that influence the development of curriculum, we talked about models of curriculum. It described various curriculum design models such as the objective model, process model, Tyler's model, Wheeler's model, Walker’s model, and Kerr's model in relation to designing curriculum for a school. The lessons were delivered through group presentation, which made us go through each model thoroughly. This activity helped us to learn more about models and increased social learning skills as there was cross-pollination of ideas among us.  For me, Kerr’s model of curriculum design is the most applicable, which is an improved version of Wheeler's and Tyler's model. Any curriculum created using this model depicts four domains: objective, knowledge, evaluation, and school learning experiences. Unlike in many other models, the four domains of curriculum development mentioned above are interconnected. This concept piqued my interest because many educational curricula are designed by various stakeholders with little input from implementers. In Kerr's model, objectives are derived not only from evaluation results but also from the school's mission.

My group presented on Walker's model and I found it least applicable in Bhutanese context because it emphasizes on what happens during the curriculum design process, but not what happens in the classroom. Furthermore, the deliberation processes can be time consuming and resource intensive, resulting in curriculum products that are inconsistent and out of sync internally.