CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONS

PROBLEM CENTERED DESIGNS

Presentation by: Norliza Mohamad

Curriculum Designs:

Problem Centered Designs (Robert S. Zais)

PROBLEM CENTERED DESIGN

Design focused on the problems of living, individual and social.

Broad and inclusive large number of variations on the theme and focusing e.g. persistent life situations, major social problems, contemporary social problems, areas of living, the personal and social concerns of youth, social action projects for the reconstruction of society.

PROBLEM CENTERED DESIGN

Emphasis an individual as opposed to social needs.

Problems centered design curricula determined by: Scope

Classification of problem
Needs, concern and abilities of students * Content and the development of learners Emphasis the major life activities and problems of mankind

PROBLEM CENTERED DESIGN

3 designs in this category: 1. Areas-of-living 2. Core curriculum 3. Personal / social concerns of youth

Areas-of-living design
19th century Herbert Spencers (1885)

What Knowledge Is Of Most Worth?

Spencer proposed the curriculum prepared people to function effectively in the 5 basic areas of living common to all societies:

Areas of living design

1. Direct self preservation 2. Indirect self preservation (securing food, shelter). 3. Parenthood 4. Citizenship 5. Leisure activities

Areas of living design

Another statement advocating Commission on the Recognition of Secondary Education (1918) proposed a classification of areas of living The Seven Cardinal Principles

THE 7 CARDINAL PRINCIPLES

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Health Command of fundamental process Worthy home membership Vocation Citizenship Worthy use of leisure time Ethical character

Areas of living design Educational Policies of The National Education Association (1944) proposed 6 major categories of life: 1. Responsibility and competence 2. Economic understanding 3. Family relationship 4. Intelligent consumer action 5. Appreciation of beauty 6. Language Proficiency

Areas of living design

Stratemeyer et. al prepared MASTER List of Persistent Life Situations:

a. Situations calling for growth in individual capacities :Health, Intellectual power, Responsibility for moral choices and aesthetic expression and appreciation.

Areas of living design b. Situations calling for growth in social participation : person to person relationships, group membership and intergroup memberships.

c. Situations calling for growth in ability to deal with environmental factors and forces : Natural phenomena technological phenomena, economic social political structure and forces.

Areas of living design

Tentative Course of Study for Virginia Public Schools identifies 11 areas of living constitute the scope of the curriculum for all grade levels.

11 AREAS OF LIVING
11. Exploration
1. Protection & conservation of life, property & natural resources

11 A R E A S O F L I V I N G

6. Expression of aesthetic impulsus

7. Expression of aesthetic impulsus

2. Production of goods, services & distribution of the returns of production 3. Consumption of good & services 4. Communication and transportation of goods & people 5. Recreation

8. Education 9. Extension of freedom 10. Integration of the individual

THE ADVANTAGES OF AREAS OF LIVING DESIGN

Presents subject matter in an integrated form focusing on the related categories of social life. Encourages problem solving procedures for learning. Present subject matter in a relevant form the content focus the solution of real life problems.

FEATURES OF THE AREAS OF LIVING DESIGN

Focuses on problem solving procedures for learning. Utilizes the experience immediate situations of learners every students experience is closely realted to the basic areas of lives.

THE ADVANTAGES OF AREAS OF LIVING DESIGN

Present content in a functional formfocuses the solution of student own problems, it provides them with learning that are applicable to future life situations. Learns the facts and processes of their own existence in the real world.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF AREAS OF LIVING DESIGN

How to determine the scope and sequence of the essential areas of living? Tendency to indoctrinate youth into existing conditional and to perpetuate the social status quo.

Teacher are not prepared to function effectively with the design

THE DISADVANTAGES OF AREAS OF LIVING DESIGN

Textbook and other teaching material needed to implement the design are not readily available. Parents are not ready to accept the departure from tradition that the design represents.

THE CORE DESIGN It centers on general education and the problems are based on common human activities.

The central focus of the core design includes common needs, problems, concerns of the learners.

THE CORE DESIGN Provide common learnings or general education for all students. See the Figure 17-1; Skeletal structure of the core design (page 422, Zais).

SKELETAL STRUCTURE OF THE CORE DESIGN

PPREPROFESIONAL COURSE

V P P

V V

VVOCATIONAL COURSE

S
CORE S D D D D S
S- SPECIAL INTEREST COURSE

D
DACADEMIC DISCIPLINE COURSE

THE SEPARATE SUBJECTS CORE

Required individual subjects separately taught by subject matter specialists. E.g. English and social studies taught by single teacher in a block time class. Manifest the same characteristic, strengths, and weaknesses as that design.

THE CORRELATED CORE Showing the relationships among the two or more subjects included in the core the content of the separate core subjects that can be related is brought together and taught concurrently. E.g. When students are studying communism in their social studies class, they are reading biographies of Marx and Lenin in their English class.

THE FUSED CORE

Based on the total integration or fusion of two or more separate subjects. E.g. physics, chemistry, botany, zoology as general sciences. Mathematics and science are seldom found in this type core although they are required as separate subjects outside the block time classes.

THE ACTIVITY / EXPERIENCE CORE

Immediate felt need and interest of learners. E.g. project design to eliminate pollution in a local river. Students and teacher decide on the project, plan the activities, and establish criteria for evaluation.

THE AREAS OF LIVING CORE Preplanned Required program of general education based on problems arising out of the common activities of man in society. Allowance for student-teachers planning, when such planning take place, however, it is always within the framework set by the basic curriculum structure.

THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS CORE

Centering on crucial and controversial issues. -Tied to identification of crucial contemporary social problems. Some curriculum specialists believe this core represents the ideal design for general education in a democracy.

e.g. Learning value standards and how to use them in process of critical thoughts.

CORE WEAKNESSES & STRENGTHS

S
Unifies content Provides relevant subject matter Encourages active processing of information Fosters democratic processes in the classroom

W Nontraditional Ignores the fundamentals Materials are hard to find

CONCLUSION

Problem-centered design, or problem based learning, organizes subject matter around a problem, real or hypothetical, that needs to be solved.

CONCLUSION

The connection of subject matter to real situation increases the relevance of the curriculum.

CONCLUSION

The planner should concern what outcomes and experiences all should have in common.

REVIEW

What curriculum design(s) do you find? Do your schools support the problem centered curriculum?

Approaches to CD
1.Teacher 2. Learners

Child or LearnerCentered Guide

Most important /center of the educational process What learners want to learn/accompl ish Self-discovery, self-direction Performance compared to learners own set of goals Parents

Subject-Centered
Master Competitors/ next masters

ProblemCentered
Trainer Problem-solvers/ independent

3. What to teach

4. How to Teach
5. Performance (measureme nt) 6. Partners

Subject matter content which are detached from life Intellectual practices (ex: cram reviews) Learners mastery of the subject content

Practical work (ex: social construction skills) Direct participation (ex: case study) Dealing with life and its problems community