Reflection 5

As I  am contemplating on the different  types of curriculum  designs I can’t help but  wonder which type  can make my students learn the best way. And at the end of the day, I am left with the notion that an integration of the different types appears to be the best suited option. But then again on second thought, I realize that what I am doing in school is a combination of the different curriculum types. The difference now lies in the fact that my adopted methods came from well- established   and tested types, and that I have the names of each type. For example, as I teach a particular topic, I  introduce the subject matter through a  lecture (Subject-centered model),then as I further discuss  the topic, I initiate student participation  as I parallel the topic with real-life situations (Problem-centered model), and then I assign a group activity  where the students interactively participate  (Learner-centered designs ).

There are several topics to cover for the school year, but I am bound by time. This is why I have the tendency to allot a specific time for a topic (Curriculum-centered).This then determines my schedule and a pattern seems to orderly  appear   in my teaching.  However, there are times when I organize and relate subjects together (Core-centered) to make my teaching more meaningful. Still there are times when I allow my students to think of ways or to organize activities that can make the accomplishment of an assigned topic easier. There are also times when they design activities to simplify some procedures in an experiment in science or to think of activities that can explain a lesson in Values education (Activity-centered).

Each design has its own advantages.In a subject-centered curriculum, the learner acquires meaningful  and relevant knowledge base; in a problem-centered model, the student is placed in a social setting where he develops  skills in solving real-life problems; in the learner-centered design,  the learner becomes an active participant in the entire educational process inasmuch as the  focus is on the needs and interests of learner; in the project-centered method, discovery method, activity-based learning where students  learn by doing.

Whether Iplace the subject-matter, the learners, or problems at the center, in my final analysis,the success  in making students learn still lies on the teacher’s interesting, meaningful, purposeful, and sequential experiences for her students. . The teacher has to be very resourceful, and innovative. He or she must have a broad-based knowledge.

Regardless of the type of curriculum design adopted, learning can occur .Each design has something to offer and each is in fact used in practice.  Furthermore the success of teaching is determined through the depth and breadth of the students’ learning. Thus, an integrated, well-balanced design model is ideal.

Having studied and reflected on the different types made me realize the importance of initiating a collaboration with my fellow teachers and superiors who are educational professionals themselves. We can share notes and experiences on the curriculum design that we are currently using  with our respective students and evaluate them in the light of its positive and negative effects on student learning. We can also discuss the  problems we encounter in the implementation of the  varied types and perhaps come up with an integrated design bearing the marks of  all the types.What is important is the learning outcome for students.