TOPIC 2 MODELS, PRINCIPLES AND DEVELOPMENT

OF CURRICULUM DESIGN

MODELS: Tyler, Wheeler, Taba & Walker

The Models of Curriculum Design
Linear Models: 1. Objective Model (Tyler, 1949)
2. Interactional Model (Taba, 1962)

Cyclical Models: Process Model (Wheeler, 1967)

Dynamic Models: Naturalistic Model (Walker, 1972)

 Who are we? Ralph Walter Tyler

Hilda Taba
Decker Walker
Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this session, you will be able to:

 discuss the models of curriculum design
 compare and contrast the curriculum design models
 identify the steps in curriculum design.
FRAMEWORK OF TOPIC
What is Curriculum?
The foundation of the teaching & learning process in…
Key Concepts and Issues
Textbooks
used

Setting of How teachers

standards are trained

Curriculum

Preparation of Development
guides for of
students & instructional
teachers plans

Evaluation
Questions raised
• How is it developed?
• How is it organised?
• Who develops it?
• What are the principles in developing a curriculum?
• How do we know whether the curriculum is successful?
Definitions of Models
• What is your definition of a model?
 Write down in twenty-five-words-or-less a definition of a model.
 Share your definition with another friend or in a small group.
 Compare differences and similarities.
What is a model?
• A model consists of interacting parts that serves as a guide or
procedure for action. Some models are simple while others are
very complex. In many instances, models are more similar than
different and are often refinements or revisions of earlier
models. A simplified representation of reality which is often
depicted in diagrammatic (graphic) form.
What is the purpose of a model?
• To provide a structure for examining the elements that make up curriculum
planning, and how these elements interrelate.
• The development of a curriculum involves the developer in decisions about
the nature and appropriateness of the substantive(essential/fundamental)
elements, eg. the:
• outcomes
• content
• method
• assessment strategies(evaluation)

• These decisions are made in relation to the context in which the curriculum
will operate
Curriculum Model
Tyler’s Objective Model (Linear model)
TYLER’S MODEL (1949) - introduced in 1949 by Ralph Walter Tyler in his classic book Basic
Principles of Curriculum and Instruction.
Key Emphasis:
Instructional Objective (Instructional objectives: a detailed description that states how an instructor will
use an instructional activity, innovation or program to reach the desired learning objective(s).
Purpose:
To measure students’ progress towards objectives
Method
1. Specify Instructional Objectives
2. Collect performance Data
3. Compare performance data with the objectives/standards specified
An objective-based evaluation model
Tyler: Fondly called ‘Father of Behavioral Objectives’ – developed an
objective-based evaluation model
Also sometimes called the sequential, rational, behavioural or means – end
model (product).
This longstanding yet still seminal (important/influential) model has regained
significance since the advent of outcomes-based education in the 1990s and
the consequent emphasis on planning from outcomes; that is, using
outcomes as the basis for the selection of content, teaching/learning
methods and assessment strategies.
Tyler describes learning as taking place through the action of the learner, not
what the teacher does.
Tyler’s Model
This model consists of four primary steps:
1. Development of performance objectives
2. Development of activities
3. Organization of activities
4. Evaluation
1) What is the purpose of the education?
What educational purposes should the school seek to attain? -
meaning, defining appropriate learning objectives.
• By "purposes", Tyler was referring to "objectives" and when
developing curriculum objectives data should be gathered from
three sources; namely,
1. the subject area (e.g. English, Mathematics, Geography, History),
2. the learners (e.g. economically disadvantaged, gifted, varying
academic abilities) and
3. the society (e.g. ethics, patriotism, national unity, environmental
awareness, employment, market needs).
1) What is the purpose of the education?

• After identifying the objectives (which are the desired learning

outcomes), the curriculum developer has to pass them through
two screens:
1. *the philosophy screen and
2. **the psychology screen.

• Resulting from this are specific instructional objectives which

state the kind of outcomes that are observable and measurable.
1) What is the purpose of the education?

1. *Philosophy of education is the study of questions such as …

"What is education?", “What is the purpose of education?”, "What does it
mean to know something?" and “What is the relationship between education
and society?”
For example, when you propose the teaching of a particular body of
knowledge, course or subject, you will be asked, "What is your philosophy
for introducing that content?"
2. **The term as used by teachers emphasises its relationship to
curriculum, to teaching, and to the issues of sequencing, readiness, and
transfer. The two major psychological perspectives of learning, behaviourist
and constructivist, have important ideas to offer educators.
2) What educational experiences will attain
the purposes?
• (How can learning experiences be selected which are likely to be
useful in these objectives?) - meaning, introducing useful learning
experiences.
• The next step is the selection of educational experiences which
enable the attainment of the stipulated objectives. The learning
experiences have to take into account the previous experiences
learners bring to a situation. The learning experiences will have to be
selected based on what is known about human learning and human
development.
3) How can these experiences be effectively
organised?
• (How can learning experiences be organized for effective
instruction?) - meaning, organizing experiences to maximize
their effect.
• He emphasised that the experiences should be properly organised
so as to enhance learning and suggested that ideas, concepts,
values and skills be used as organising elements woven into the
curriculum. These elements would serve as organisers linking
content within a particular subject (e.g. History, Economics, Science)
and also determine the method of instruction or delivery of content.
4) How can we determine when the
purposes are met?
• (How can the effectiveness of learning experiences be evaluated?) -
meaning, evaluating the process and revising that were not
effective.
• Finally, Tyler proposed that evaluation should be an important part of
the curriculum development process. It was necessary for educators
to know whether the selected learning experiences produced the
intended results. For example, if the objective was to develop critical
thinking among students, did the learning experiences selected
achieve this objective? Through evaluation it will be possible to
determine whether the curriculum was effective or ineffective.
Complete the mind map below.

Subject
Matter Sources
The top-down or administrative/line-staff
model
• Ideas from curriculum experts were frequently given to teachers to
develop.
• Administrators supervised the teachers to ensure that the ideas were
implemented.
The Tyler Model of Curriculum Development
Tyler’s Model: Steps in curriculum design
1. Determining the objectives of the school or class. In other
words, what do the students need to do in order to be
successful?
All objectives need to be consistent with the philosophy of the
school and this is often neglected in curriculum development.
Example, a school that is developing an English curriculum may
create an objective that students will write essays. This would be
one of many objectives within the curriculum.
Tyler’s Model: Steps in curriculum design
2. Developing learning experiences that help the students to
achieve step one.
Example, if students need to meet the objective of writing an
essay. The learning experience might be a demonstration by the
teacher of writing an essay. The students than might practice
writing essays. The experience (essay demonstration and writing)
is consistent with the objective (Student will write an essay).
Tyler’s Model: Steps in curriculum design
3. Organizing the experiences.
Should the teacher demonstrate first or should the students learn
by writing immediately? Either way could work and preference is
determined by the philosophy of the teacher and the needs of the
students. The point is that the teacher needs to determine a
logical order of experiences for the students.
Tyler’s Model: Steps in curriculum design
4. Evaluation of the objectives. Now the teacher assesses the
students’ ability to write an essay. There are many ways to do
this.
Example, the teacher could have the students write an essay
without assistance. If they can do this, it is evidence that the
students have achieved the objective of the lesson.

The Tyler model is still considered by many to be the strongest

model for curriculum development.
(Retrieved from https://educationalresearchtechniques.com/2014/07/01/curriculum-development-the-tyler-
model/)
Wheeler’s Process Model (Cyclical)
Wheeler’s model for curriculum design is an improvement upon
Tyler’s model. Instead of a linear model, Wheeler developed a
cyclical model. Evaluation in Wheeler’s model is not terminal.
Findings from the evaluation are fed back into the objectives
and the goals, which influence other stages.
Key terms:
Organisation & integration of experiences, Selection of content,
Selection of learning experiences, evaluation, aims, goals, Objectives.

Task: Draw a mindmap of the model.

Wheeler’s Process Model
Wheeler contends…
• aims should be discussed as behaviours referring to the end product of
learning which yields the ultimate goals. One can think of these ultimate
goals as outcomes.

• aims are formulated from the general to the specific in curriculum planning.
This results in the formulation of objectives at both an enabling and a
terminal level.

• content is distinguished from the learning experiences which in turn,

determine the content.
Wheeler contends…
Once the circuit has been implemented once, it commences again at the first step and goes on onward to
constantly improve the curriculum in the face of any changes that may have been imposed or happen
naturally.
It really is different from other models in that s̃election of learning experiences' comes before s̃election of
content': it specifically gears the content in the curriculum to learners, where most models follow the
opposite structure.
Wheeler viewed evaluation as especially important, proclaiming that ẽvaluation permits us to compare the
actual final results with the expected results [] [without it] it is impossible to learn whether objectives have
been realized, and if indeed they have, to what magnitude' (Wheeler, 1976, cited in Carl, 2009).
While Wheeler's approach, like other cyclical models, has been popular in teaching practice because of its
overall flexibility and relevance to learners specifically situations, it isn't always practical to work with
because of their time constraints. Undertaking an in depth situational evaluation that Wheeler advocates is
a time-consuming process that can be difficult to place into practice in the busy conditions in modern
educational practice.
Advantages of Wheeler’s model
• Continuing activity
• Incorporates new info into the curriculum
• View curriculum as interdependent and interrelated
• Has feedback mechanism
• Emphasise on the situation analysis
• Evaluate at a stage where its findings are feedback into the objectives
Disadvantages of Wheeler’s Model
• Time consuming
• Not different from the objective model
• Seems to lack of procedure between organising and integrating
learning experiences, content and evaluation
Strengths…
• logical and sequential structure
• Situation analysis as a starting point
• Model is flexible
• Less rigid, more relevant
Limitations
• While Wheeler's approach, like other cyclical models, has been
popular in teaching practice because of its overall flexibility and
relevance to learners specifically situations, it isn't always
practical to work with because of their time constraints.
• Undertaking an in-depth situational evaluation that Wheeler
advocates is a time-consuming process that can be difficult to
place into practice in the busy conditions in modern educational
practice.
Summary
• Once the circuit has been implemented, it commences again at the first step and goes on
onward to constantly improve the curriculum in the face of any changes that may have
been imposed or happen naturally.
• It really is different from other models in that s̃election of learning experiences' comes
before s̃election of content': it specifically gears the content in the curriculum to learners,
where most models follow the opposite structure.
• Wheeler viewed evaluation as especially important, proclaiming that ˜[e]valuation permits
us to compare the actual final results with the expected results [] [without it] it is
impossible to learn whether objectives have been realized, and if indeed they have, to
what magnitude' (Wheeler, 1976, cited in Carl, 2009).
• While Wheeler's approach, like other cyclical models, has been popular in teaching
practice because of its overall flexibility and relevance to learners specifically situations, it
isn't always practical to work with because of their time constraints.
• Undertaking an in depth situational evaluation that Wheeler advocates is a time-
consuming process that can be difficult to place into practice in the busy conditions in
modern educational practice.
Tutorial Task

 Compare the two types of models in the form of a brochure or

poster.

 Gallery walk

 Which Model would you choose for curriculum design?

-Tyler? Wheeler? Neither?

Tutorial

It’s debate time!

Tyler’s model vs Wheeler’s model!
The Taba Model
Hilda Taba (1902 – 1967)
- an architect, a curriculum theorist, a curriculum reformer, and a
teacher educator.
- born in the small village of Kooraste, Estonia.
- believed that there has to be a definite order in creating a curriculum.
- This model is used to enhance the thinking skills of students.
- There must be a process for evaluating student achievement of
content after the content standards have been established and
implemented.
- The main concept of this approach to curriculum development is
that teachers must be involved in the development of the curriculum.
- Advocates the grassroots approach.
Taba Model

• Steps and stages are similar to Tyler’s.

• But the curriculum should be designed by the users of the
program not top-down
• An advocate in inductive approach to curriculum development -
starts with the specifics and builds up to a general design as
opposed to the more traditional deductive approach of starting
with the general design and working down to the specifics.
Taba Model
In the 1960s, curriculum designers such as Hilda Taba reduced Tyler's
curriculum rationale into a simple procedure:
1. Diagnosis of needs.
2. Formulation of objectives.
3. Selection of content.
4. Organisation of content. (key concepts, main ideas, facts)
5. Selection of learning experiences.
6. Organisation of learning experiences (cognitive & affective)
7. Determination of what to evaluate and the ways and means of doing it
7 Steps to Taba Model
1. Diagnosis of needs
The teacher starts the process by identifying the needs of the
students for whom the curriculum is planned.
2. Formulation of objectives
After the teacher has identified needs that required attention, he
or she specifies objectives to be accomplished.
3. Selection of content
The objectives selected or created suggest the subject matter or
content of the curriculum. Objectives and content should match.
The validity and significance of the content must be determined.
7 Steps to Taba model

4. Organisation of content
A teacher cannot just select content but must organize in a
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 be engaged
with the content. At this point, teacher selects instructional
methods that will involve the students with the content.
7 Steps to Taba model

6.Organisation of learning activities

Like the content, learning activities have to be sequenced and
organized too. Often the sequence of the learning activities is
determined by the content. But the teacher needs to keep in mind
the particular students whom she will be teaching.
7. Evaluation & 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.
Strengths of using the Taba Model in the
classroom:
• Gifted students begin thinking of a concept, then dive deeper
into that concept
• Focuses on open-ended questions rather than right/wrong
questions
• The open-endedness requires more abstract thinking, a benefit
to our gifted students
• The questions and answers lend themselves to rich classroom
discussion
• Easy to assess student learning
Limitations of using the Taba Model in the
classroom:
• Can be difficult for non-gifted students to grasp
• Difficult for heterogeneous classrooms
• Works well for fiction and non-fiction, may be difficult to easily
use in all subjects
Walker’s Model
linear
Task 2
Get into 6 groups and plan some activities for station games.
Create a quiz/game/crossword puzzle/etc. on the models learnt.
Your activity should be around 10 minutes.

Tyler’s Model
Wheeler’s Model
Taba’s Model
Walker’s Model
References
Brady, L. 1990. Curriculum Development. New York: Prentice Hall.
Ornstein, A. C. & Hunkins, F. P. (2014). Curriculum: Foundation,
Principles, and Issues (6th ed.). Essex: Pearson Edu. Ltd.
Print , M. (1989). The Development of a Teaching Practice Curriculum: A
Tertiary -Didactic Investigation. Westville: University of Durban.
Walker, D. F. (1971). A Naturalistic Model for Curriculum Development.
The School Review. https://doi.org/10.1086/443014