Curriculum Studies course content

1. Lecturer: Madam Yee Bee Choo
IPGKTHO
Topic 3a

2. Principles in Curriculum Design
1. • Selection
2. • Grading
3. • Sequencing
4. • Staging
5 • Recycling
1.
• Purpose (goals &
objectives)
2.
• Content/Subject Matter
(TESL Context)
3.
• Methods/ Learning
Experience
4.
• Evaluation
(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2014)
Components in Curriculum Design

3. Curriculum Design
• Curriculum design is deciding about the “shape” or
“configuration” of a curriculum plan.
• It involves the selection of content in line with the
goals and objectives of the curriculum.
• The selected content will have to be arranged in a
form that will help the teacher in choosing and
organising appropriate learning experiences for the
classroom.
• Curriculum design is also referred to as “curriculum
organisation”.

4. Principle 1: Selection
Objectives (Learning Outcomes)Specific statements indicate either general or specific outcomes; behavioural objectives
indicate the specific behaviour the student is to demonstrate to indicate learning. Non-
behavioural objectives use more general words to denote the learning desired, such as to
know or understand.
Goals (Standards)
Statements of purpose given, which are more specific than aims
Aims
General statements provide direction or intent to educational action

5. Principle 1: Selection
AIMS
• The aims of the curriculum are the reasons for undertaking
the learning 'journey' - its overall purpose or rationale from
the student's point of view.
• For example, a degree programme may aim, among other
things, to prepare students for employment in a particular
profession. Likewise a unit within the programme may aim to
provide an understanding of descriptive statistics.
• The stated aims of a curriculum tell students what the result
of studying it is likely to be.

6. Principle 1: Selection
GOALS
• A goal does indicate what could or should be learned, but it is
much more general than a standard.
• Standards are more akin to educational objectives that define
in quite specific terms what students are to learn and what
behaviours they are to demonstrate.
• Content standards – what students are to learn.
• Performance standards – what behaviours students are to
master.

7. Principle 1: Selection
OBJECTIVES (LEARNING OUTCOMES)
• Objectives should be clearly expressed.
• When creating objectives, educators should consider
how well they match the stated goals and aims.
• Learning outcomes are what students will learn if
they follow the curriculum successfully (i.e. if they
complete the programme or unit and pass the
assessment).

8. Principle 1: Selection
OBJECTIVES (LEARNING OUTCOMES)
In framing learning outcomes it is good practice to:
a) Express each outcome in terms of what successful
students will be able to do. For example, rather than
stating 'students will understand why....' say
'students will be able to summarise the main
reasons why...' This helps students to focus on what
you are expecting them to achieve

9. Principle 1: Selection
OBJECTIVES (LEARNING OUTCOMES)
b) Include different kinds of outcome. The most common are
cognitive objectives (learning facts, theories, formulae,
principles etc.) and performance outcomes (learning how to
carry out procedures, calculations and processes, which
typically include gathering information and communicating
results). In some contexts, affective outcomes are important
too (developing attitudes or values, e.g. those required for a
particular profession). Psychomotor objectives has received
much less emphasis than the above (responding to a physical
stimulus, fundamental movements, physical abilities etc.)

10. Principle 1: Selection
• In selecting content for inclusion, you should
bear the following principles in mind:
a) It should be relevant to the outcomes of the
curriculum. An effective curriculum is
purposive, clearly focused on the planned
learning outcomes. The inclusion of irrelevant
topics, however interesting in themselves, acts
as a distraction and may confuse students.

11. Principle 1: Selection
b) It should be appropriate to the level of the
programme or unit. An effective curriculum is
progressive, leading students onward and
building on what has gone before. Material which
is too basic or too advanced for their current
stage makes students either bored or baffled, and
erodes their motivation to learn.
c) It should be up to date and, if possible, should
reflect current research. In some disciplines it is
difficult to achieve the latter until students reach
postgraduate level, but in many it is possible for
even first year undergraduates to be made aware
of current research topics.

12. Principle 1: Selection
Criteria for Selecting Content
1. Self-sufficiency - economical
2. Significance - contribution
3. Validity - authentic
4. Interest - meaningful
5. Utility - usefulness
6. Learnability - appropriateness
7. Feasibility - available
(Ornstein & Hunkins, p.204-207, 2014)

13. Principle 2: Grading
• In TESL context, all students will achieve English
Language proficiency while meeting or exceeding
content standards identified for the core curriculum.
• They should be able to master all the skills such as
listening, speaking, reading and writing in English as
well as Language Arts.
• The content standards should be appropriate for
each grade level.
• Items in a content are graded largely according to
whether they are easy or difficulty.

14. Principle 2: Grading
The grading of content should be appropriate for the age level of students.
Age Grade Level American School Age Year Malaysian School
5-6 Kindergarten Elementary
School
5 Kindergarten
6-7 Grade 1 6 Kindergarten
7-8 Grade 2 7 Year 1 Primary School
(Lowe Primary)
8-9 Grade 3 8 Year 2
9-10 Grade 4 9 Year 3
10-11 Grade 5 10 Year 4 (Upper Primary)
11-12 Grade 6 11 Year 5
12-13 Grade7 12 Year 6
13-14 Grade 8

15. Principle 2: Grading
Age Grade Level American School Age Year Malaysian School
14-15 Grade 9
(Freshmen)
Middle School 13 Form 1 Secondary School
(Lower Secondary)
15-16 Grade 10
(Sophomore)
14 Form 2
16-17 Grade 11
(Junior)
High School 15 Form 3
17-18 Grade12
(Senior)
16 Form 4 (Upper Secondary)
17 Form 5
18-19 Form 6 Pre-university
Programme

16. Principle 2: Grading
AMEIRCAN CURRICULUM

17. MALAYSIAN CURRICULUM
Principle 2: Grading
General Aim
• The English Language Curriculum for Primary Schools aims to equip pupils with
basic language skills to enable them to communicate effectively in a variety of
contexts that’s appropriate to the pupils’ level of development
Objectives
• communicate with peers and adults confidently and appropriately in formal and
informal situations;
• read and comprehend a range of English texts for information and enjoyment;
• write a wide range of texts using appropriate language, style and form through a
variety of media;
• appreciate and demonstrate understanding of English language literary or
creative works for enjoyment; and
• use correct and appropriate rules of grammar in speech and writing

18. STRAND 1 STRAND 2
Language Focus Language Arts
LEVEL 2
(YEARS 4, 5 & 6)
300 MINS PER WEEK – SK
180 MINS PER WEEK - SJK
Skills – Listening &
Speaking,
Reading and Writing
Vocabulary
(includes Science & Maths
themes
as well as Grammar )
Readers
+
(Contemporary Children’s
Literature)
Genres:
Short Story, Poems and
Graphic Novel
LEVEL 1
(YEARS 1,2 & 3)
300 MINS PER WEEK – SK
150 MINS PER WEEK - SJK
Skills – Listening &
Speaking,
Reading and Writing
Vocabulary
Grammar (Year 3)
Phonics: SK -Y1 & 2, SJK – Y1-
Y3
Penmanship
Readers
- Big Books
-Lady Bird Series
Music, Poetry & Drama
MALAYSIAN CURRICULUM MATRIX
Principle 2: Grading

19. Principle 3: Sequencing
• Sequencing is the order in which the contents are
organised.
• According to Orstein and Hunskins (2014), there are two
basic organisational dimensions:
1. Horizontal organisation: blends curriculum elements,
e.g. by combining history, anthropology, and sociology
content to create a contemporary studies course or by
combining math and science content.
2. Vertical organisation refers to the sequencing of
curriculum elements, e.g. “the family” is placed in Grade
1 while “the community” is placed is placed in grade 2
Social Studies.

20. Principle 3: Sequencing
6 design dimension consideration for sequencing of
contents
1. Scope
2. Sequence
3. Continuity
4. Integration
5. Articulation
6. Balance

21. Principle 3: Sequencing
1. Scope
• The breadth and depth of content and includes all
topics, learning experiences and organising threads
found in the curriculum plan.
• Scope not only refers to cognitive learning but also
affective learning, and some would argue spiritual
learning (Goodland & Zhixin Su, 1992).
• Broad, limited, simple, general are the words used to
describe the scope.
• Sometimes the scope of a curriculum is narrow,
consisting of just a simple listing of key topics and
activities.

22. Principle 3: Sequencing
1. Scope
Curricular coverage
Time
Diversity
Maturity of the learners
Complexity of content
Level of education

23. Principle 3: Sequencing
1. Scope
• Scope of the Curriculum can be divided into chunks:
Units
Sub-units
Chapters
Sub-chapter
• Each Chunk is guided by the general curriculum objectives or goals.
• Division of the content may use deductive principle.
• Arrangement of scope is inductive.
• Content Outline of the Curriculum may follow some design:
Thematic
Linear
Logical

24. Principle 3: Sequencing
2. Sequence
• The organisation of content and the extent to which
it fosters cumulative and continuous learning
(referred t as vertical relationship among sections of
the curriculum).
• Contents and experiences are arranged in
hierarchical manner.
• A particular order in which related events,
movements, or things follow each other.

25. Principle 3: Sequencing
2. Sequence
4 Principles of Sequence (Smith, Stanley and Shore, 1957)
• Simple-to-complex learning indicates the content is optimally
organised in a sequence proceeding from easy (often concrete) to
more difficult (often abstract) content.
• Prerequisite learning works on the assumption that bits of
information must be grasped before other bits can be
comprehended. (fundamental things must be learned ahead)
• Whole-to-part learning is arranged so that the content or
experience is first presented in an overview that provides students
with a general idea of the information or situation. (an overview
before the specific content or topics)
• Chronological learning refers to content whose sequence reflects
the times of real-word occurrences. History, political science and
world events are organised chronologically. (the order of events)

26. Principle 3: Sequencing
3. Continuity
• Vertical repetition and recurring appearances of the
content provide continuity in the curriculum.
• This process enables the learner to strengthen the
permanency of learning and development of skills.
• Gerome Bruner calls this “spiral curriculum”. For learners
to develop the ideas, these have to be developed and
redeveloped in a spiral fashion in increasing depth and
breadth as the learners advance

27. Principle 3: Sequencing
4. Integration
• “Everything is integrated and interconnected. Life is a
series of emerging themes.” This is the essence of
integration in the curriculum design.
• Organization is drawn from the world themes from real
life concerns.
• Subject matter content or disciplined content lines are
erased and isolation is eliminated.

28. Principle 3: Sequencing
5. Articulation
• Can be done either vertically or horizontally.
• In vertical articulation, contents are arranged from level
to level or grade to grade so that the content in a lower
level is connected to the next level.
• Horizontal articulation happens at the same time like
social studies in grade six is related to science in grade
six.

29. Principle 3: Sequencing
6. Balance
• Equitable assignment of content, time, experiences and
other elements to establish balance is needed in
curriculum design.
• Too much or too little of these elements maybe
disastrous to the curriculum.
• Keeping the curriculum “in balance” requires continuous
fine tuning and review for its effectiveness and relevance.

30. Principle 4: Staging
• These are the means by which students will engage with the
syllabus, i.e. the kinds of learning experience that the
curriculum will entail. Although they will include the teaching
that students will experience (lectures, laboratory classes,
fieldwork etc.) it is important to keep in mind that the overall
emphasis should be on learning and the ways it can be helped
to occur. For example:
a) Individual study is an important element in the university
curriculum and should be planned with the same care as
other forms of learning. In the undergraduate curriculum
especially, it is good practice to suggest specific tasks, rather
than relying entirely on students to decide how best to use
their private study time.

31. Principle 4: Staging
b) Group learning is also important. Students learn
from each other in ways that they cannot learn alone
or from staff and the inclusion of group projects and
activities can considerably enhance the curriculum.
c) Online learning is increasingly important in many
curricula and needs to be planned carefully if it is to
make an effective contribution. Online materials can
be a valuable support for learning and can be
designed to include helpful self-assessment tasks.

32. Principle 4: Staging
• Children and young people should experience
continuous progression in their learning from 3 to
18 within a single curriculum framework.
• Each stage should build upon earlier knowledge
and achievements. Children should be able to
progress at a rate which meets their needs and
aptitudes, and keep options open so that routes
are not closed off too early.
• Progression in the experiences and outcomes

33. Principle 5: Recycling
• A curriculum model and a unit will include the
following: a needs assessment, goal setting,
selecting and grading of content and then staging
the content with instructional objectives, learning
experiences, and an ongoing evaluation/recycling
of the curriculum
• Learning occurs most effectively when a student
receives feedback, i.e. when they receive
information on what they have (and have not)
already learned. The process by which this
information is generated is assessment, and it has
three main forms:

34. Principle 5: Recycling
3 Forms of Assessment
a) Self assessment, through which a student learns to monitor
and evaluate their own learning. This should be a significant
element in the curriculum because we aim to produce
graduates who are appropriately reflective and self-critical.
b) Peer assessment, in which students provide feedback on
each other's learning. This can be viewed as an extension of
self assessment and presupposes trust and mutual respect.
Research suggests that students can learn to judge each
other's work as reliably as staff.
c) Tutor assessment, in which a member of staff or teaching
assistant provides commentary and feedback on the
student's work.

35. Principle 5: Recycling
• Assessment may be formative (providing
feedback to help the student learn more) or
summative (expressing a judgment on the
student's achievement by reference to stated
criteria).
• Many assessment tasks involve an element of
both, e.g. an assignment that is marked and
returned to the student with detailed comments.

36. Principle 5: Recycling
• Summative assessment usually involves the allocation
of marks or grades. These help staff to make decisions
about the progression of students through a
programme and the award of degrees but they have
limited educational value.
• Students usually learn more by understanding the
strengths and weaknesses of their work than by
knowing the mark or grade given to it. For this reason
summative assessment tasks (including unseen
examinations) should include an element of formative
feedback if at all possible.

37. Principle 5: Recycling

38. Procedures in Curriculum Design
1. Analysis of social needs
2. Translating the needs into
course/general/learning/terminal objectives
3. Splitting the objectives into specific objectives
4. Grouping the specific objectives into subjects
5. Deriving the subjects from the above classification
6. Specifying objectives
7. Unitising each subject matter
8. Specification of each required time
9. Syllabus formulation

39. References
Ornstein, A.C. & Hunkins, F.P. (2014). Curriculum:
Foundations, principles and issues. (6th. ed).
Essex: Pearson Edu. Ltd.

40. • Using a lesson plan, give one example for the
teaching of any five components of KSSR
English (L, S, R, W, LA).
• Discuss the lesson plan based on the five
principles: selection, grading, sequencing,
staging, and recycling.
Tutorial 3a