Module 7

THE SPIRAL APPROACH TO CURRICULUM DESIGN

I. INTRODUCTION
The spiral approach to curriculum was developed by Jerome
Bruner in 1960. He reflected on the fact that many teachers
implicitly used this approach. However , Bruner documented the
approach and its great value for curriculum designers and ,
ultimately , student learning.
Here’s Bruner’s observation in his own words : “ I was struck
by the fact that successful efforts to teach highly structured bodies
of knowledge like mathematics , physical sciences and even the
filed of history often took the form of a metamorphic spiral in
which at some simple level a set of ideas or operations were
introduced in a rather intuitive way and , once mastered in that
spirit , were then re-visited and reconstrued in a more formal or
operational way , then being connected with other knowledge ,
the mastery at this stage then being carried one step higher to a
new level of formal or operational rigour and to a broader level of
abstraction and comprehensiveness. The end state of this process
was eventual mastery of the connexity and structure of a large
body of knowledge …”

II. LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this module , pre-service teachers should be
able to :
1. gain deeper understanding and appreciation of the spiral
approach to curriculum ;
2. describe the key concepts and processes of the spiral
curriculum ;
3. identify and apply the key principles of the spiral approach to
curriculum ; and
4. accomplish the different learning tasks relative to the topic.

III. TOPICS AND KEY LEARNING POINTS

A. Key Concepts and Processes of the Spiral Curriculum
1. Spiral Curriculum , a concept widely attributed to Jerome
Bruner , refers to a curriculum design in which key concepts
are presented repeatedly throughout the curriculum, but
with deepening layers of complexity , or in different
applications.
 2. Bruner’s spiral curriculum is an approach to education that
involves regularly re-visiting the same educational topics
over the course of a student’s education. Each time the
content is re-visited , the student gains deeper knowledge
of the topic. It has the benefits of reinforcing information
over time and using prior knowledge to inform future
learning.
3. Different scholars have defined Bruner’s spiral approach to
curriculum in the following ways :
3.1 Harden and Stamper (1999) state that it involves “ an
iterative revisiting of topics , subjects or themes
throughout the course”.
3.2 According to Lohani et. al. (2005) , “Bruner advocates
that a curriculum as it develops should revisit the basic
ideas repeatedly , building upon them until the student
has grasped the full formal apparatus that goes with
them”.
3.3 Howard (2007) believes that in the curriculum ,
fundamental ideas , once identified , should be
constantly revisited and reexamined so that
understanding deepens over time.
4. Bruner’s spiral curriculum approach highlights the
importance of re-engaging with ideas over time in order to
keep them fresh in our minds and consistently build on
ideas. The approach also highlights the open-ended nature
of learning. In other words , it shows how learning is a
never-ending lifelong process.
B. The Three Key Principles of the Spiral Approach to
Curriculum
1. Cyclical : Students should return to the same topic several
times throughout their school years.
2. Increasing Depth : Each time a student returns to the topic ,
it should be learned at a deeper level and explore more
complexity.
3. Prior Knowledge : A student’s prior knowledge should be
utilized when a topic is returned to , so that they will build
from their foundations rather than starting anew.

C. How to Design a Curriculum Using the Spiral Approach

1. To design a curriculum using the spiral approach , you
need to create units of work that :
1.1 increase in complexity ; and
1.2 start off where the previous unit ended.
 2. The spiral approach to curriculum design reminds us that
courses are not singular , set-in-stone units of work. Each
course , subject or unit of work that we cover builds upon
something previously.
3. This approach forces us to work with our colleagues who
were a learner’s teacher in a previous year or years to come
to develop a cohesive approach to teaching.
4. A group of teachers can , for example , use a tool such as
Bloom’s Taxonomy to come up with learning outcomes at
different stages of a course or subject. Teachers would
develop learning outcomes that have increasing levels of
complexity. In the first course or subject , a student might
only need to demonstrate “understanding of the topic”. At
the next iteration , students may need to “critique or
analyze”. In the final iteration , the students may need to
“create” something from scratch.
D. Advantages of Bruner’s Spiral Curriculum
1. Developmentally Appropriate Learning. Oftentimes , we
will challenge a student to the furthest extend of their
current abilities. Once we have gone as far as we can go ,
we might have to wait a few months or even a year until
their mind has developed some more and they are more
capable of grappling with the topic. When you return to the
topic , the student may be at a developmentally appropriate
level to understand the topic even more.
2. Prior Knowledge is Central to Learning. The spiral
approach to curriculum design necessarily employs the
notion of “prior knowledge”. This concept acknowledges
that students enter a classroom with a history of learning
and knowing that can be employed in classroom practice.
By assessing prior knowledge and using it in the
classroom , we can move toward a student-centered
teaching style.
3. Spaced Repetition Occurs. Spaced repitition is a concept
from the behaviorist theory of learning. It explains how
committing knowledge to memory occurs best when you
space out practice of a task over time. Each time you
reengage with the concept , you have to recall it from your
memory. Like exercising a muscle , the more you exercise
 that little packet of memory , the stronger it gets and the
less likely you will be to forget it.
4. Teachers Focus on Structuring Work to Follow Logical
Progression. When developing the spiral curriculum ,
teachers and curriculum designers need to pause and reflect
on what “prior knowledge” is required in order to learn
something. This explicit reflection on progression of
understanding puts continual growth at the center of the
student’s learning experience.
5. Integration and Collaboration. Teachers collaborate to
ensure a holistic and coherent learning sequence is
provided over time.

IV. LEARNING TASKS

 Learning Task No. 1
Direction :
1. In a spiral curriculum , topics and key concepts are presented
throughout the curriculum , but with deepening layers of complexity
or in different applications.
2. Using the curriculum guide (in your area of specialization) as your
frame of reference , identify the topics and key concepts that are
presented repeatedly throughout the curriculum (per grading
period) , but with deepening layers of complexity or in different
applications.

Area of Specialization : ___________________________________

Grading Period Topics and key Concepts that are presented

repeatedly throughout the grading periods ,
with deepening layers or levels of complexity
1st Quarter

2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

Learning Task No. 2

Direction :
3. In a spiral curriculum , topics and key concepts are presented
throughout the curriculum , but with deepening layers of complexity
or in different applications.
4. Using the curriculum guide (in your area of specialization) as your
frame of reference , identify the topics and key concepts that are
presented repeatedly throughout the curriculum (per grade level) ,
but with deepening layers of complexity or in different applications.
Area of Specialization : ___________________________________

Grade Level Topics and key Concepts that are presented

repeatedly throughout the grading periods ,
with deepening layers or levels of complexity
Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6