Change in Curriculum Planning

Curriculum planning occurs on many levels: classroom, school, district, and national. This chapter chiefly sheds light on the classroom and school level of curriculum planning. We briefly describe the five common philosophical determinants of curriculum: perennialism, idealism, realism, experimentalism, and existentialism. We also illuminate how these philosophical positions affect the curriculum goals and learning experiences finally placed into the curriculum blueprint. Five models of curriculum planning are then introduced (the Rational/Objective model, the Process model, the Dynamic/Deliberative model, the Emancipatory model, and the Backward design model), each with a different approach to or emphasis on organizing the features of the curriculum. These models can provide clear guidelines or principles for teachers to deliberate on the various factors important to curriculum planning and illuminate ways to translate those considerations and priorities into effective and feasible curriculum designs for the context of their schools. In addition to some major curriculum development models, other curriculum design models in the present local school context, such as the problem-based curriculum, core curriculum design, backward design, and the theme-based curriculum, will be elaborated on.