The Main Three Models of Curriculum Planning and the Ideologies Underlying Them

The main three models of curriculum planning and the ideologies underlying them 1. The Content Model: Classical humanism 2. The Objective Model: Reconstructionism 3. The Process Model: Progressivism What is the central focus of the curriculum in the content model?

The content of what is to be learned by the learners is the focal concern of the model. How is the content defined in the Classical Humanist tradition? The content in this tradition is a valued cultural heritage, the understanding of which contributes to the overall intellectual development of the learner.

What is the main drawback of the content model according to Kelly (1989)? He points out that the model is inadequate as the basis for curriculum design because it fails to take

account of the abilities or problems of the individual learners. What kind of curriculum does the content model underpin in the field of ELT? This model underpins the grammar-based curriculum where the syllabus is concerned with the grammar and vocabulary of the language. What is the starting point for the grammar-based curriculum? The starting point for such a curriculum is the target language as a relatively fixed concept, and it ignores factors such as context, appropriacy of use, modes of discourse and individual learner needs. What is the starting point for the objective model? The objectives of the teaching-learning program is the starting point for the objective model.

How does the objective model relate to the second educational tradition? It relates to reconstructionism where the main purpose of education I is to bring about some kind of social change. Where is reconstructionism originated from? It origins lie in the movement for the scientific movement of education and the work of behavioral st

psychologists in the 1 half of the 20c.Century. Name the three factors that yield to the attraction of the objective model. Its attraction is that it provides: 1. clarity of goals and objectives for both the teacher and the learner 2. ease of evaluation of success of the learner and of the program 3. accountability and clear methods for needs identification

Name the most fundamental criticism leveled at the objective model by Kelly(1989). He asserts that it reduces learners to the level of automatons trainable to behave in particular ways. In other words, it precludes such concepts as autonomy, self-fulfillment, and personal development. Name the implications the objective model has had on the language teaching area. The objective model was one of the most important movements in the transition from a grammar-based approach to a communicative approach to language teaching. What did the shift from a grammar-based approach to a communicative one result in? This shift resulted in the notional-functional syllabus and an emphasis on needs analysis, and the eventual ends rather than linguistic ends of learning.

What is the overriding concern of the process model? Its concern is to enable the individuals to progress towards self-fulfillment, and to develop understanding of the processes of learning.

What are the fundamental concepts the process model rest on? The model rests on concepts of learner needs, interest and development processes and thus open to the criticism of subjectivity in the definition of these concepts. What is the alternative model for the curriculum design proposed by Finney? She asserts that the framework most applicable to ELT is the integrated or mixed-focused approach.