PHILOSOPHIES AND MODELS FOR CHANGE 1
Curriculum Philosophies or Models
The first model, the Oliva model for curriculum development, was constructed by Peter
Oliva who believed that a perfect curriculum should be comprehensive and systematic. While
focusing on the community-specific need of learners, he developed a deductive model that
features 12 essential stages that proactive curriculum developers ought to follow when
engineering a curriculum. In the first component, the developer examines the overall aim and
purpose of the curriculum while the second, third, and fourth components focus on the need,
goals, and objectives of the process (Gordon et. al, 2019). The fifth component works on
organizing by engineering a framework and the sixth and seventh components feature level-
based instructional goals and objectives.
Instructional strategies are constructed in the eighth step and the next step allows
preliminary evaluation which is fully actualized in the tenth stage. Most importantly, the
eleventh step allows the planner to evaluate instruction and the final step concentrates on an
evaluation of the broader program as opposed to instruction (Gordon et. al, 2019). The Oliva
model is a holistic approach to curriculum development and could therefore be used to develop
an entire school curriculum. It can empower various school faculties to envision their individual
plan within the broader construction.
Secondly, the Gordon Taylor model was developed by Gordon Taylor and it emphasized
the inter-relationship between components. Taylor distinguished between curricula systems and
curriculum development, emphasizing that the system blends the development process. The
model begins with the formulation of the objectives that inform the curriculum development
process. The next step is the specification: “specifications for writing standards or curriculum
PHILOSOPHIES AND MODELS FOR CHANGE 2
objectives may be developed and then the standard curriculum objectives written to those
specifications or vice versa depending upon the unique context, content, grade levels, and
assessments” (Gordon et. al, 2019, p.104). At this stage, the designer conducts an evaluation of
the curriculum and revisits student assessments.
One of the most important activities in the process is a vertical arrangement of specific
standards and objectives across the lowest through to the highest grades of achievement.
Similarly, the establishment of guides is another significant aspect that considers the standards
involved, especially how they are bundled (Gordon et. al, 2019). This model specifies standards
and is therefore crucial to the contemporary standard-based assessment techniques.
The third model, Taba, was developed by Hilder Taba, who was a curriculum developer
and was mainly inspired by the application of teacher creativity at the local level. Taba model
uses an inductive process that begins with an examination of all the grade levels and the
engineering of learning units specific to all the subject areas (Gordon et. al, 2019). Afterward,
teachers strive to implement the written units and conduct an examination of their validity. The
next step concentrates on the ability to conduct revisions and merging, which are carried out
through a process that recognizes the needs and desires of learners in relation to the available
resources.
The second-last step majorly looks into the development of a working structure: planners
achieve this by creating scope, sequence, and rationale for the whole unit. Finally, the planners
crown the process by introducing and implementing the new units. At this level, in-service
training helps to make unit application practical (Gordon et al., 2019). One of the primary
importance of the Taba model is the fact that it emphasizes effective decision-making and its
PHILOSOPHIES AND MODELS FOR CHANGE 3
consideration of variables may help in the performance of needs analysis when engineering
contemporary curriculum.
Focus Philosophy or Model
John Dewey developed the experimentalist theory of education in which he emphasized
the need for learners to actualize thinking as a replacement for rote memorization. Dewey
rejected learning strategies that fostered shallow understanding and instead vouched for learning
through experimentation, a process that enables students to experiment with given ideas (Waks,
2018). While providing an overview of what an experimentalist approach would look like in the
real education setting, envisioned ‘images of students in active-learning situations: growing
gardens, building sheds, experimenting with robots, conducting environmental research by
testing water from local streams, making presentations” (p. 3). Therefore, the experimentalist
approach requires learners to think and act in complex situations that require creative judgment.
Additionally, Dewey used some of his writings such as the text Democracy and
Education to shed more light on the theoretical understanding and application of his
experimentalist perspectives. He argued that education means living and those who live must
actualize the process by doing things. The most important aspects of this process, according to
Dewey, are acting, undergoing, and the ability to get appropriate feedback concerning certain
acts (Waks, 2018). Therefore, life itself works on the basis of self-renewal. Dewey elaborated
this philosophy using the concept of growing: the energy involved in action triggers the
generation of surplus which fulfills the immediate needs. However, as it continues in this
process, its power to sustain life improves and it develops into a smarter and stronger version.
Therefore, it becomes more improved in terms of its ability to live.
PHILOSOPHIES AND MODELS FOR CHANGE 4
Dewey’s ideas fit in my personal curriculum philosophy since it applies to learning and
curriculum development in several ways. Dewey asserted that “the sole direct path to enduring
improvement in the methods of instruction and learning consists in centering upon the conditions
which exact, promote, and test thinking. Thinking is the method of intelligent learning” (Waks,
2018, p.7). Therefore, curriculum design in the favor of the Dewey approach to learning would
consider learning experiences that encourage students to think as problem solvers with various
roles to play in the environment. I believe that teachers must construct safe, learning spaces
where students are able to analyze, question, explore, and design those spaces in ways that
support thinking, acting, and the reception of feedback. Since occupations may require new
knowledge in the future, teachers must prepare learners to engage in the present occupations as
they mature in the knowledge that will prepare them for lifelong learning and survival.
Values and Hidden/Implied Curriculum
Besides Dewey’s experimentalist ideas, teachers may approach curriculum development
through hidden or indirect means. One of these is creating an emphasis on culturally relevant
pedagogy (CRP), which is a multi-faceted framework having separate but essential aspects.
Besides having a purpose to advance academic success, CRP focuses on cultural competence
which is “the ability to help students appreciate and celebrate their cultures of origin while
gaining knowledge of and fluency in at least one other culture” (Shultz et al., 2022, p. 4).
Similarly, CRP concentrates on achieving sociopolitical consciousness so that students can
perceive learning beyond the traditional classroom by engaging in educational practices that help
them to practice real-world problem-solving. Therefore, CRP moves beyond the traditional focus
of instructional performance by adding the cultural lens as an equally important aspect of
instruction. When implementing a curriculum that considers all students’ cultural backgrounds,
PHILOSOPHIES AND MODELS FOR CHANGE 5
an educator may refer to God’s instructions in Micah 6:8 (New International Version,
1978/2011) which states, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does
theDLORDDrequire of you? To act justlyDand to love mercy and to walk humblyDwith your God.
One of the ways an educator may walk humbly is to integrate lessons that involve all students
into the curriculum and meet all needs, as John 4: 14-14; Mark 6:40-42 (New International
Version, 1978/2011) reveals. Jesus did not solely target one group or favor one group over the
next, rather, He considered the needs of all people. His love extended to all whether they loved
Him or despised Him and though His disciples did not always understand why He loved through
the rejections, He continued to reach the masses because that was His goal. Likewise, teachers
must keep the goals to reach and teach all in mind even when it involves incorporating the
cultural awareness of their students.
However, one of the best ways of using CRP is through the use of classroom texts that
are culturally sensitive or relevant. This helps learners to have an appreciation of their own
culture and that of others in the classroom. Christ and Sharma (2018) observed that even though
some textual elements such as dialogue “may stimulate imagination and motivate the love of
reading without mirroring a student’s life we believe that specific narrative elements of the text
are central to defining the cultural relevance of texts because they embody cultural and identity
characteristics” (p.57). Therefore, texts that are considered culturally relevant must be
engineered while considering various factors that help in nourishing the cultural fabric of every
learner. Teachers and curriculum builders must wonder whether texts contain characters that are
similar to the learners in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, age, and other parameters. Similarly,
they must examine the setting to ensure that learners can relate to places mentioned in the books,
PHILOSOPHIES AND MODELS FOR CHANGE 6
and check on the plot to ascertain whether have had similar or related life events and
experiences.
Culturally relevant texts help to deconstruct common stereotypes or negative narratives
about certain ethnic groups that may have been embedded in pedagogy. “Through culturally
relevant pedagogies, educators can help minoritized youth build upon their cultural identities,
broaden their worldviews, and confront injustice” (Gordon et al., 2019, p.4). Some of the groups
within the minority bracket that have endured years of misrepresentation in texts are minority
women such as blacks and Hispanics. As noted by Gordon et al. (2019), black girls, in particular,
have an ant-hill task of identifying and eliminating ideologies that seek to narrow their identities
through texts. Some of these misrepresentations include biased or misguided assumptions
concerning beauty and the justification of objectification in the media. Therefore, culturally
relevant texts remain an important way through which minority groups can hold real discussions
on representation.
Also, such texts imply cultural relevance through careful selection approaches. Sharma
and Christ (2017) provided various selection techniques that help teachers to connect textual
experiences to the ordinary lives of learners from different backgrounds. One of the important
steps is the teachers’ ability to know and understand the background of their learners. It could
include several steps such as holding reader interviews as a way that encourage more
understanding of the learner. Also, this process would include an examination of the learners’
cultural details such as family systems, beliefs, and other norms that shape their worldview.
Similarly, those selecting have to ensure that the books have been authored not only by writers
from one dominant racial background. Featuring books written by authors from minority
PHILOSOPHIES AND MODELS FOR CHANGE 7
backgrounds is among the essential steps that help to foster culturally relevant pedagogy in
education.
Culturally relevant pedagogy receives support from various learning strategies that
teachers could employ to make instruction fruitful. One of these approaches is collaborative
learning. According to Le et al. (2018), “collaborative learning (CL) can be defined as a set of
teaching and learning strategies promoting student collaboration in small groups (two to five
students) in order to optimize their own and each other’s learning” (p. 103). Similarly, CRP
focus on the ability of teachers to foster equality in the classroom by featuring cultural aspects
that favor the diversity narrative. Working with that ideology, teachers have a chance of
demonstrating to learners the fact that all their backgrounds and experiences matter in the
classroom. Therefore, they can work in groups by collaborating and remaining sensitive to the
needs and preferences of their peers.
Additionally, journal writing as a teaching strategy could also support the CRP
philosophy. After evaluating the usefulness of journals in the classroom, Lara (2020) reported
that writing journals helped learners get rid of negative emotions and concentrate on building
positive thoughts about themselves and the situations surrounding them. Therefore, journal
writing is one of the teaching strategies that encourage students to appreciate their own
experiences and put them down on paper. As learners engage in dialogue with themselves, it
helps them share their cultural identities, which are essential elements in the success of culturally
relevant pedagogies. Overall, helping students understand themselves and those around them is
vital to a teacher’s ability to strengthen classroom cultures and incorporate God’s word which in
John 13:34 (New International Version) instructs us to love one another (New International
Version, 1978/2011, John 13:34).
PHILOSOPHIES AND MODELS FOR CHANGE 8
References
Christ, T., & Sharma, S. A. (2018). Searching for mirrors: Preservice teachers’ journey toward
more culturally relevant pedagogy.DReading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and
Language Arts,D57(1), 5.
Gordon, C. T., Council, T., Dukes, N., & Muhammad, G. E. (2019). Defying the single narrative
of Black girls’ literacies: A narrative inquiry exploring an African American read-
in.DMulticultural Perspectives,D21(1), 3-10.
Gordon, W. R., Oliva, P. F., & Taylor, R. (2019).DDeveloping the curriculum. Pearson.
Lara, L. C. (2020). Benefits of journal-writing for students in the emotional/behavior disorders
classroom.DJournal of Poetry Therapy,D33(3), 187-193.
Le, H., Janssen, J., & Wubbels, T. (2018). Collaborative learning practices: teacher and student
perceived obstacles to effective student collaboration.DCambridge Journal of
Education,D48(1), 103-122.
New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/
Sharma, S. A., & Christ, T. (2017). Five steps toward successful culturally relevant text selection
and integration.DThe Reading Teacher,D71(3), 295-307.
Shultz, M., Nissen, J., Close, E., & Van Dusen, B. (2022). The role of epistemological beliefs in
STEM faculty’s decisions to use culturally relevant pedagogy at Hispanic-Serving
Institutions.DInternational Journal of STEM Education,D9(1), 1-22.
Waks, L. J. (2018). Thinking in Dewey's Experimentalist Education: The Contribution of the
Internet and Digital Tools.DECNU Review of Education,D1(2), 1-22.
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