Institute of Teacher Education

IQRA DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY

Tamparan, Lanao del Sur, BARMM

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

MODULE 3
I. THE TEACHER AS A CURRICULUM DESIGNER

OVERVIEW
A curriculum as a planned sequence of learning experiences should be at the heart and mind of
every teacher. Every teacher as a curricularist should be involved in designing a curriculum. In fact, it is
one of the teachers’ roles as a curricularist. As such, you will be a part of the intellectual journey of your
learners. You will be providing them the necessary experiences that will enable the learner what you intend
them learn.

As a curriculum designer, this task was not given much attention in the past. Every single day, a
teacher designs a lesson or utilizes a curriculum that has been made and was previously written. Designing
a curriculum is a very challenging task. It is here where the style and creativity of the teacher come in. thus
this module will provide the necessary concepts and activities that you as a teacher can refer to as you
prepare yourself to be a curriculum designer.

OBJECTIVES
By the time you finish this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Identify the fundamentals of curriculum designing

2. Appreciate the task of designing a curriculum
3. Identify some familiar curriculum designs and approaches to the designs
4. Analyze the approaches in the light of how these are applied in the school setting

CONTENT
Lesson 1
FUNDAMENTALS OF CURRICULUM DESIGNING

BUILDING ON PETER OLIVA’S 10 AXIOMS FOR CURRICULUM DESIGNERS

Before a teacher designs a curriculum, it would be of great importance to connect to the

fundamental concepts and ideas about the curriculum mentioned in Modules 1 and 2. Every curriculum
designer, implementer, or evaluator should take in mind the following general axioms as a guide in
curriculum development (Oliva, 2003):

1. Curriculum change is inevitable, necessary, and desirable.

Earlier it was stated that one of the characteristics of curriculum is its being dynamic. Because of
this, teachers should respond to the changes that occur in schools and in its context. Societal
development and knowledge revolution come so fast that the need to address the changing
condition requires new curriculum designs.

2. Curriculum is a product of its time.

A relevant curriculum should respond to changes brought about by current social forces,
philosophical positions, psychological principles, new knowledge, and educational reforms. This is
also called timelines.

3. Curriculum changes made earlier can exist concurrently with newer curriculum changes.
A revision in a curriculum starts and ends slowly. More often, curriculum is gradually phased in and
out, thus the changes that occur can coexist and oftentimes overlap for long periods of time.
 4. Curriculum change depends on people who will implement the change.
Teachers who will implement the curriculum should be involved in its development, hence should
know how to design a curriculum. Because the teachers are the implementers of the curriculum

5. Curriculum development is a cooperative group activity.

Group decisions in some aspects of curriculum development are suggested. Consultations with
stakeholders when possible will add to a sense of ownership. Even learners should participate in
some aspect of curriculum designing. Any significant change in the curriculum should involve a
broad range of stakeholders to gain their understanding, support and input.

6. Curriculum development is a decision making process made from choices of alternatives.

A curriculum developer or designer must decide what contents to teach, philosophy or point of view
to support, how to provide for multicultural groups, what methods or strategies and what type of
evaluation to use.

7. Curriculum development is an ongoing process. Continuous monitoring, examination,

evaluation and improvement of curricula are to be considered in the design of the curriculum. As
the needs of learners change, as society changes, and as new knowledge and technology appear,
the curriculum must change.

8. Curriculum development is more effective if it is a comprehensive process, rather than a

“piecemeal”.
A curriculum design should be based on a careful plan, should clearly establish intended outcomes,
support resources and needed time available and should equip teaching staff pedagogically.

9. Curriculum development is more effective when it follows a systematic process.

A curriculum design is composed of desired outcomes, subject matter content complemented with
references, set of procedures, needed materials and resources and evaluation procedure which
can be placed in a matrix.

10. Curriculum development starts from where the curriculum is. Curriculum planners and
designers should begin with existing curriculum. An existing design is a good starting point for any
teacher who plans to enhance and enrich a curriculum.

Building upon the ideas of Oliva, let us continue learning how to design a curriculum by identifying its
components. For most curricula the major components or elements are answers to the following
questions:
1. What learning outcomes need to be achieved? (intended learning outcomes)
2. What content should be include to achieve the learning outcomes? (subject matter)
3. What learning experiences and resources should be employed? (teaching-learning methods)
4. How will the achieved learning outcomes be measured? (assessment of achieved learning
outcomes)

Elements or Components of a Curriculum Design

There are many labels or names for curriculum design. Some would call it a syllabus, or a lesson
plan. Some would call it a unit plan or a course design. Whatever is the name of the design, the common
components for all of them are almost the same. However some schools, institutions or departments may
add other minor parts or trimmings to the design.
Let us take the Lesson Plan as a miniscule curriculum. A lesson plan or teaching guide includes
(1) Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) or the Desired Learning Outcome (DLO) formerly labelled as
behavioral objectives, (2) Subject Matter or Content, (3) Teaching and Learning Methods, and (4)
Assessment Evaluation. Each of these components or elements is described below.

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I. Behavioral Objectives or Intended Learning Outcomes
Begin with the end in view. The objectives or intended learning outcomes are the reasons for
undertaking the learning lesson from the student’s point of view; it is desired learning outcome that is
to be accomplished in a particular learning episode, engaged in by the learners under the guidance of
the teacher. As a curriculum designer, the beginning of the learning journey is the learning outcomes
to be achieved. In this way, both the learner and the teacher are guided by what to accomplish.

The behavioral objectives, intended learning outcomes or desired learning outcomes are
expressed in action words found in the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of Objectives (Andersen and
Krathwohl, 2003) for the development of the cognitive skills. For the affective skills, the taxonomy made
by Krathwohl and for the psychomotor domain by Simpson.

The statement should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Result oriented and Time
bound. For a beginner, it would help if you provide the Condition, Performance and Extent or Level of
Performance in the statement of the intended learning outcomes.

For example, if a lesson intends the students to identify the parts of a simple flower as stated in the
desired learning outcomes, then students should have identified the parts of a simple flower, at the end
of the lesson.

Sometimes the phrase intended learning outcomes is used to refer to the anticipated results after
completing the planned activity or lesson. In framing learning outcomes, it is good practice to:

 Express each outcome in terms of what successful students will be able to do. For example, rather
than stating Students will be able to explain the reason why… it should be: “Students must have
explained the reason why…’ This helps students to focus on what they have to achieve as learning.
It will also help curricularist devise appropriate assessment tasks.

 Include different kinds of outcomes. The most common are cognitive obectives (learning facts,
theories, formulae, principles, etc.) and performance outcomes (learning how to carry out
procedures, calculations and processes, which typically include gathering information and
communicating results). In some contexts, affective outcomes are important too (for developing
attitudes or values, e.g. those required as a person and for a particular profession).

II. Content/ Subject Matter

The content of the lesson or unit is the topic or subject matter that will be covered. In selecting
content, you should bear in mind the following principles in addition to those mentioned about the
content in previous lessons:

 Subject matter should be relevant to the outcomes of the curriculum. An effective curriculum is
purposive and clearly focused on the planned learning outcomes.

 Subject matter should be appropriate to the level of the lesson or unit. An effective curriculum is
progressive, leading students towards building on previous lessons. Contents which are too basic
or too advanced for the development levels of learners make students either bored or baffled and
affect their motivation to learn.

 Subject matter should be up to date and if possible, should reflect current knowledge and concepts.

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 III. References

The reference follows the content. It tells where the content or subject matter has been taken. The
reference may be a book, a module, or any publication. It must bear the author of the material and if
possible, the publications. Some examples are given below.

1. Project Wild (1992) K to 12 Activity Guide, An Interdisciplinary, Supplementary Conservation and

Environmental Education Program. Council of Environment Education, Bethesda, MD
2. Shipman, James and Jerry Wilson, et al (2009). An Introduction to Physical Science. Houghton
Mifflin Co. Boston MA
3. Romo, Salvador B. (2013). Horticulture an Explanatory Course. Lorimar Publishing Inc. Quezon
City
4. Bilbao, Purita P. and Corpuz, Brenda B. et al (2012). The Teaching Profession 2nd Ed. Lorimar
Publishing Inc. Quezon City

IV. Teaching and Learning Methods

These are the activities where the learners derive experiences. It is always good to keep in mind the
teaching strategies that students will experience (lectures, laboratory classes, fieldwork. Etc.) and make
them learn. The teaching-learning methods should allow cooperation, competition as well as individualism
or independent learning among the students. For example:

 Cooperative learning activities allow students to work together. Students are guided to learn on
their own to find solutions to their problems. The role of the teachers is to guide the learners.
Democratic process is encouraged and each one contributes to the success of learning. Students
learn from each other in ways. Group projects and activities considerably enhance the curriculum.

 Independent learning activities allow learners to develop personal responsibility. The degree of
independence to learn how to learn is enhanced. This strategy is more appropriate for fast learners.

 Competitive activities, where students will test their competencies against another in a healthy
manner allow learners to perform to their maximum. Most successful individuals in their adult life
are competitive, even in early schooling. They mostly become the survivors in a very competitive
world.

 The use of various delivery modes to provide learning experiences is recommended. Online
learning and similar modes are increasingly important in many curricula, but these need to be
planned carefully to be effective.

V. Assessment/ Evaluation

Learning occurs most effectively when students receive feedback, i.e. when they receive information
on what they have already (and have not) learned. The process by which this information is generated is
assessment. It has 3 main forms:

 Self-assessment, through which students learn to monitor and evaluate their own learning. This
should be significant element in the curriculum because we aim to produce graduates who are
appropriately reflective and self-critical.

 Peer assessment, in which students provide feedback on each other’s learning. This can be viewed
as an extension of self-assessment and presupposes trust and mutual respect. Research suggests
that students can learn to judge each other’s work as reliably as staff.

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  Teacher assessment, in which the teacher prepares and administers tests and gives feedback on
the student’s performance.

Assessment may be formative (providing feedback to help the student learn more) or summative
(expressing a judgment on the student’s achievement by reference to stated criteria). Many assessment
tasks involve an element of both, e.g. an assignment that is marked and returned to the student with detailed
comments.

Summative assessment usually involves the allocation of marks or grades. This helps the teacher make
decisions about the progress or performance of the students.

Students usually learn more by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of their work than by
knowing the mark or grade given to it. For this reason, summative assessment tasks (including unseen
examinations) should include an element of formative feedback, if possible.

Application of the Fundamental Components to Other Curriculum Designs

While our example refers only to designing a lesson plan which is a mini curriculum, similar
components will also be used in making a syllabus for teaching in higher education courses or other
curricular projects. Based on the curriculum models we have learned, the fundamental components include
the following:

Major Components of a Course Design or Syllabus

1. Intended Outcomes (or Objectives)
2. Content/ Subject Matter (with references)
3. Methods/Strategies (with needed resources)
4. Evaluation (means of assessment)

All other additional components are trimmings that each designer may place. This additional part may
be an institutional template, suggested by other curriculum experts and as required by educational agencies
like the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Accrediting Agencies, and
Professional Organizations that would serve the purposes they intend to achieve.

Lesson 2
APPROACHES TO CURRICULUM DESIGNING

You have started to be familiar with the preliminaries of making a simple design through a lesson
plan components. You will further enrich your knowledge by looking into how other curricularists approach
the curriculum design. In this lesson, we will see how several examples of curriculum designs are used in
the schools and classrooms.

Types of Curriculum Design Models

There are many ways of looking at curriculum and designing one. For our own purposes, let us
focus on the most widely used examples.

I. Subject-Centered Design

This is a curriculum design that focuses on the content of the curriculum. The subject-centered design
corresponds mostly to the textbook because textbooks are usually written based the specific subject or
course. Henry Morrison and William Harris are the few curricularists who firmly believed in this design. As
practiced, school hours are allocated to different school subjects such as Science, Mathematics, Language,
Social Studies, Physical Education and others. This is also practiced in the Philippines, because a school

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day is divided into class period, a school year into quarters or semester. Most of the schools using this kind
of structure and curriculum design aim for excellence in the specific subject discipline content.

Subject-centered curriculum design has also some variations which are focused on the individual
subject, specific discipline and a combination of subjects or disciplines which are a broad field or
interdisciplinary.

1. Subject Design. What subject are you teaching? What subject are you taking? These are two
simple questions that the teacher and the learner can easily answer. It is because they are familiar
with the subject design curriculum.

Subject design curriculum is the oldest and so far the most familiar design for teachers,
parents and other laymen. According to the advocates, subject design has an advantage because
it is easy to deliver. Textbooks are written and support instructional materials are commercially
available. Teachers are familiar with the format, because they were educated using also the design.
In the Philippine Educational system, the number of subjects in the elementary education is fewer
than in the secondary level. In college, the number of subjects also differs according to the degree
programs being pursued. For each subject, a curriculum is being designed.

However, the drawback of this design is that sometimes, learning is to compartmentalized.

It stresses so much the content and forgets about students’ natural tendencies, interests and
experiences. The teacher becomes the dispenser of knowledge and the learners are the simply the
empty vessel to receive the information or content from the teacher. This is a traditional approach
to teaching and learning.

2. Discipline design. This curriculum design model is related to the subject design. However, while
subject design centers only on the cluster of content, discipline design focuses on academic
disciplines. Discipline refers to specific knowledge learned through a method which the scholars
use to study a specific content of their fields. Students in history should learn the subject matter
like historians, students in biology should learn how the biologists learn and so with students in
mathematics, who should learn how mathematicians learn. In the same manner, teachers should
teach how the scholars in the discipline will convey the particular knowledge.

Discipline design model of curriculum is often used in college, but not in the elementary or
secondary levels. So from the subject centered curriculum, curriculum moves higher to a discipline
when the students are more mature and are already moving towards their career path or disciplines
as science, mathematics, psychology, humanities, history and others.

3. Correlation design. Coming from a core, correlated curriculum design links separate subject
designs in order to reduce fragmentation. Subjects are related to one another and still maintain
their identity. For example, English literature and social studies correlate well in the elementary
level. In the two subjects, while history is being studied, different literary pieces during the historical
period are also being studied. The same is true when science becomes the core, mathematics is
related to it, as they are taken in chemistry, physics and biology. Another example is literature as
the core with art, music, history, geography related to it. To use correlated design, teachers should
come together and plan their lessons cooperatively.

4. Broad field design/interdisciplinary. Broad field design or interdisciplinary is a variation of the

subject-centered design. This design was made to cure the compartmentalization of the separate
subjects and integrate the contents that are related to one another. Thus subjects such as
geography, economics, political science, anthropology, sociology and history are fused into one
subject called social studies. Language arts will include grammar, literature, linguistics, spelling
and composition.

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 Sometimes called holistic curriculum, broad fields draw around themes and integration.
Interdisciplinary design is similar to thematic design, where a specific theme is identified, and all
other subject areas revolve around the theme.

II. Learner-Centered Design

Among the progressive educational psychologists, the learner is the center of the educative
process. This emphasis is very strong in the elementary level, however, more concern has been placed on
the secondary and even the tertiary levels. Although in high school, the subject or content has become the
focus and in the college level, the discipline is the center, both levels still recognize the importance of the
learner in the curriculum.

Here are some examples of curriculum designs which are learner-centered.

1. Child-centered design. This design is often attributed to the influence of John Dewey, Rouseau,
Pestallozi and Froebel. This curriculum design is anchored on the needs and interests of the child.
The learner is not considered a passive individual but one who engages with his/ her environment.
One learns by doing. Learners actively create, construct meanings and understanding as viewed
by the constructivists. In the child-centered design, learners interact with the teachers and the
environment, thus there is a collaborative effort on both sides to plan lessons, select content and
do activities together. Learning is a product of the child’s interaction with the environment.

2. Experience-centered design. This design is similar to the child-centered design. Although the
focus remains to be the child, experience-centered design believes that the interests and needs of
learners cannot be pre-planned. Instead, experiences of the learners become the starting point of
the curriculum, thus the school environment is left open and free. Learners are made to choose
from various activities that the teacher provides. The learners are empowered to shape their own
learning from the different opportunities given by the teacher. In a school where experience-
centered curriculum is provided, different learning centers are found, time is flexible and children
are free to make options. Activities revolve around different emphasis such as touching, feeling,
imagining, constructing, relating and others. The emergence of multiple intelligence theory blends
well with experience-centered design curriculum.

3. Humanistic design. They key influence in this curriculum design is Abraham Maslow and Carl
Rogers. Maslow’s theory of self-actualization explains that a person who achieves this level is
accepting of self, other and nature; is simple spontaneous and natural; is open to different
experiences; possesses empathy and sympathy towards the less fortunate among the many
others. The person can achieve this state of self-actualization later in life but has to start the process
while still in school. Carl Rogers, on the other hand, believed that a person can enhance self-
directed learning by improving self-understanding, the basic attitude to guide behavior.

In humanistic curriculum design, the development of self is the ultimate objective of

learning. It stresses the whole person and the integration of thinking, feeling and doing. It considers
the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains to be interconnected and must be addressed in
the curriculum. It stresses the development of positive self-concept and interpersonal skills.

III. Problem-Centered Design

Generally, problem-centered design draws on social problems, needs, interest and abilities of the
learners. Various problems are given emphasis. There are those that center on life situations, contemporary
life problems, areas of living and many others. In this curriculum, content cuts across subject boundaries
and must be based on the needs, concerns and abilities of the students. Two examples are given for the
problem-centered design curriculum.

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 1. Life-situation design. What makes the design unique is that the contents are organized in
ways that allow students to clearly view problem areas. It uses the past and the present
experiences of learners as a means to analyze the basic areas of living. As a starting point, the
pressing immediate problems of the society and the students’ existing concerns are utilized.
Based on Herbert Spencer’s curriculum writing, his emphases were activities that sustain life,
enhance life, aid in rearing children, maintain the individual’s social and political relations and
enhance leisure, tasks and feelings. The connection of subject matter to real situations
increases the relevance of the curriculum.

2. Core problem design. Another example of problem-centered design is core design. It centers
on general education and the problems are based on the common human activities. The central
focus of the core design includes common needs, problems and concerns of the learners.
Popularized by Faunce and Bossing in 1959, it presented ways on how to proceed using core
design of a curriculum. These are the steps.

Step 1. Make a group consensus on important problems.

Step 2. Develop criteria for selection of important problem.
Step 3. State and define the problem.
Step 4. Decide on areas of study, including class grouping.
Step 5. List the needed information for resources.
Step 6. Obtain and organize information.
Step 7. Analyze and interpret the information.
Step 8. State the tentative conclusions.
Step 9. Present a report to the class individually or by group.
Step 10. Evaluate the conclusions.
Step 11. Explore other avenues for further problem solving.

These are some examples of curriculum designs. There are many more which are emerging and
those that have evolved in the past. The example given may be limited, however, for our purposes, they
can very well represent curriculum designs.

Approaches to Curriculum Designs

How will a particular design be approached by the teacher? After writing a curriculum based on the
specific design, let us see how a teacher will approach this. We will find out the utilization of the example
design.

Child or Learner-Centered Approach. This approach to curriculum design is based on the

underlying philosophy that the child or the learner is the center of the educational process. It means that
the curriculum is constructed based on the needs, interest, purposes and abilities of the learners. The
curriculum is also built upon the learners’ knowledge, skills, previous learnings and potentials.

From its design, how should a child-centered curriculum be approached> let us consider these
principles.

Principles of Child-Centered Curriculum Approach

1. Acknowledge and respect the fundamental rights of the child.

2. Make all activities revolve around the overall development of the learner.
3. Consider the uniqueness of every learner in a multicultural classroom.
4. Consider using differentiated instruction or teaching.
5. Provide a motivating supportive learning environment for all the learner.

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 Subject-Centered Approach. This is anchored on a curriculum design which prescribes separate
distinct subjects for every educational level: basic education, higher education or vocational-technical
education. This approach considers the following principles.

1. The primary focus is these subject matter.

2. The emphasis is on bits and pieces of information which may be detached from life.
3. The subject matter serves as a means of identifying problems of living.
4. Learning means accumulation of content or knowledge.
5. Teacher’s role is to dispense the content.

Problem-centered Approach. This approach is based on a design which assumes that in the
process of living, children experience problems. Thus, problem solving enables the learners to become
increasingly able to achieve complete or total development as individuals.

This approach is characterized by the following views and beliefs:

1. The learners are capable of directing and guiding themselves in resolving problems, thus
developing every learner to be independent.
2. The learners are prepared to assume their civic responsibilities through direct participation in
different activities.
3. The curriculum leads the learners in the recognition of concerns and problems in seeking solutions.
Learners are problem solvers themselves.
The choice of the design is influenced by philosophical and psychological beliefs of the designer.
It is very important that as a curricularist, you will be able to understand the different design models
and how to approach each one.

Lesson 3
CURRICULUM MAPPING
A curriculum design is reflected in a written curriculum either as a lesson plan, syllabus, unit plan
or a bigger curriculum like K to 12. Before a teacher shall put this plan or design into action, he/she must
need to do a curriculum map.

Have you ever wondered how to pace your lesson, so that it will cover a period of time like hours,
weeks, quarters, semester or the whole year?

This lesson will teach us, curricularists, an important process and tool in curriculum development
which is Curriculum Mapping and Curriculum Maps.

Curriculum Mapping

Curriculum mapping is a process or procedure that follows curriculum designing. It is done before
curriculum implementation or the operationalization of the written curriculum. This process was introduced
by Heidi Hayes Jacobs in 2004 in her book Getting Results with Curriculum Mapping (ASCD, 2004). This
approach is an ongoing process or “work-in-progress”. It is not a one-time initiative but a continuing action,
which involves the teacher and other stakeholders, who have common concerns. Curriculum mapping can
be done by teachers alone, a group of teachers teaching the same subject, the department, the whole
school or district or the whole educational system.

Some curricularists would describe curriculum mapping as making a map to success. There are
common questions that are asked by different stakeholders, like teachers, colleagues, parents, school
officials and the community as well. These questions may include:

1. What do my students learn?

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 2. What do they study in the first quarter?
3. What are they studying in the school throughout the year?
4. Do my co-teachers who handle the same subject, cover the same content? Achieve the same
outcomes? Use similar strategies?
5. How do I help my students understand the connections between my subjects and other subjects
within the year? Next year?

Curriculum mapping, may be able to answer these questions above. Furthermore, mapping will
produce a curriculum map, which is a very functional tool in curriculum development.

Curriculum Mapping Process

There are many ways of doing things, according to what outcome one needs to produce. This is
also true with curriculum mapping. However, whatever outcome (map) will be made, there are suggested
steps to follow.

Example A
1. Make a matrix or a spread sheet.
2. Place a timeline that you need to cover (one quarter, one semester, one year). This should be
dependent on time frame of a particular curriculum that was written.
3. Enter the intended learning outcomes, skills needed to be taught or achieved at the end of the
teaching.
4. Enter in the same matrix the content areas/subject areas to be covered.
5. Align and name each resource available such as textbooks, workbooks, module next to subject
areas.
6. Enter the teaching-learning methods to be used to achieve the outcomes.
7. Align and enter the assessment procedure and tools to the intended learning outcomes, content
areas and resources.
8. Circulate the map among all involved personnel for their inputs.
9. Revise and refine map based on suggestions and distribute to all concerned.

You will find Example A as a component of an OBE-Inspired syllabus for the higher education. However,
this can be modified for basic education to serve the specific purpose as you will see in some maps.

Example B (For a degree program in college)

1. Make a matrix or a spread sheet.
2. Identify the degree or program outcomes (ex. BEEd or BSED)
3. Identify the subjects or courses under the degree (GenEd, ProfEd and Major for BSED)
4. List the subjects along the vertical cells of the matrix in a logical or chronological order.
5. List the degree program outcomes along the horizontal cell (use code as PO1, PO2… if outcomes
are too long to fit in the cell) PO means Program Outcomes
6. Cross the Subject and the Outcome, and determine if such subject accomplishes the outcomes as
either Learned (L), Performed (P) or given Opportunity (O). Place the code in the corresponding
cell.
7. Fill up all cells.
8. After accomplishing the, use it as a guide for all teachers teaching the course for students to
complete the degree in four years.

The Curriculum Map

Curriculum maps are visual timelines that outline desired learning outcomes to be achieved,
contents, skills, and values taught, instructional time, assessment to be used, and the overall student
movement towards the attainment of the intended outcomes. Curricular maps may be simple or elaborate
that can be used by individual teacher, a department, the whole school or educational system. A map is
geared to a school calendar.
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 Curriculum maps provide quality control of what are taught in schools to maintain excellence,
efficiency and effectiveness. It is intended to improve instruction and maintain quality of education that all
stakeholders need to be assured.

Sometimes, parents and teachers would ask questions like: “Why is my friend’s son studying
decimals in Mr. Bernardo’s class and my own son is not studying the same in Miss Julia’s class when they
are of the same grade level?” or “Why do some of my students recognize the parts of speech while others
are totally lost?

Parents, teachers and the whole educational community can look at the curriculum map to see that
intended outcomes and content are covered. A map can reassure stakeholders’ specific information for
pacing, and alignment of the subject horizontally or vertically. It will also avoid redundancy, inconsistencies
and misalignment. Courses that are not correctly aligned will allow teachers to quickly assess the mastery
of the skills in the previous grade, to avoid unnecessary re-teaching.

Horizontal alignment, called sometimes as “pacing guide”, will make all teachers, teaching the
same subject in a grade level follow the same timeline and accomplishing the same learning outcomes.
This is necessary for state-mandated, standard-based assessment that we have in schools. Vertical
alignment, will see to it that concept development which may be hierarchy or in spiral form does not overlap
but building from a simple to more complicated concepts and skills. Alignment, either vertical or horizontal,
will also develop interdisciplinary connections among teachers and students, between and among courses.
Teachers can verify that skills and content are addressed in other courses or to higher levels, thus making
learning more relevant.

A curriculum map is always a work in progress that enables the teacher or the curriculum review
team to create and recreate the curriculum. It provides a good information for modification of curriculum,
changing of standards and competencies in order to find ways to build connections in the elements of the
curricula.

Example of a Curriculum Map

Here are two examples of a curriculum map. Sample A is for Basic Education and Sample B is for
a College Level.

Example A: Excerpt from DepEd Curriculum Guide for Science 3 shows a sample of a map for Quarter 1
and 2. A column for Code was not included.

Elementary Science Grade 3

Note: For Quarter 2, there are still two major content which are 3. Living Things 3.1 Plants and 4.
Heredity: Inheritance and Variation.
Content Content Performance Learning Learning
Standards Standards Competency Materials
Grade 3- Matter
FIRST QUARTER/ FIRST GRADING PERIOD
1. Properties The Learners The Learners The Learners Learning Guide
1.1 demonstrate should be able should be able to… in Science And
Characteristics of understanding to… Describe the Health: Mixtures
solids, liquids, of… Group common different objects
gases Ways of sorting objects found at based on their BEAM-Grade 3
materials and home and in characteristics (e.g. Unit 4 Materials
describing them school according shape, weight, LG-Science 3
as solid, liquid, or to solids, liquids volume, ease or Materials Module
gas based on and gas flow) 1

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 observable
properties
Classify objects and
materials as solid,
liquid and gas
based on some
observable
characteristics.
Describe ways on
the proper use and
handling solid, liquid
and gas found at
home and in school
Changes Effects of Investigate the Describe changes in BEAM-G3 Unit 3
that temperature on different changes materials based on Materials-
materials materials in materials as the effect of Distance
undergo affected by temperature: Learning Module
temperature 4.1 solid to BEAM G3 Unit 3
liquid Materials Module
4.2 liquid to 44-49
solid
4.3 liquid to gas
4.4 solid to gas
Grade 3- Living Things and Their Environment
SECOND QUARTER/SECOND GRADING PERIOD
1. Living The learners The learners The learners should
Things demonstrate should be able be able to…
1.1 Humans understanding to…
1.2 A Sense of… 1. Describe
Organs Practice healthful the parts
Parts and habits in taking and
functions of the care of the sense functions of
sense organs of organs the sense
the human body. organs of
the human
body;
2. Enumerate
healthful
habits to
protect the
sense
organs;
2. Living Parts and Enumerate ways 3. Describe
Things functions of of grouping the animals
2.1 Animals animals and animals based on in their
importance to their structure immediate
humans and importance surrounding;
4. Identify the
parts and BEAM- Grade 3-
function of Unit 2 Animals
animals;
DLP Science 3
5. Classify
DLP 19 Beam-
animal
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 according Grade 3 Unit 2
arts and Animals DLP
use; body Science 3 31-32
6. State the Learning Guide
importance in Science and
of animals Health: The Body
to humans; Guards
7. Describe
ways of
proper
handling of
animals

Sample A1- Science Curriculum Map Showing the Sequence of Domain for the Year per Quarter
Qtr G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10
1 Matter Matter Matter Matter Matter Force, Living Earth and
Motion, Things and Space
Energy Their
Environment
2 Living Living Living Living Living Earth and Force,
Things and Things and Things and Things and Things and Space Matter Motion,
Their Their Their Their Their Energy
Environment Environment Environment Environment Environment

3 Force, Force, Force, Force, Force, Earth and Living

Motion, Motion, Motion, Motion, Motion, Matter Space Things and
Energy Energy Energy Energy Energy Their
Environment
4 Earth and Earth and Earth and Earth and Earth and Living Force,
Space Space Space Space Space Things and Motion, Matter
Their Energy
Environment

SAMPLE B- CURRICULUM MAP FOR BACHELOR OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

(Professional Education Courses)

Outcomes PO1 PO2 PO3 PO4 PO5 PO6 PO7 PO8

Sample
Subjects
Child Dev P L L O L O O O
Facilitating P P L O L O L O
Human
Learning
Social P L L O L O L O
Dimensions
Teaching P P P P P O P P
Profession
Principles of P P P P L O P O
Teaching

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 Assessment of P P P P L O P O
Learning
Educational P P P P L O P O
Technology
Curriculum P P P P O O P P
Development
Developmental P P P P O O P O
Reading
Field Study P P O P O P P P
Practice P P P P P P P P
Teaching

Legend:
L- Learned outcomes (knowledge, skills, values)/ outcomes achieved in the subject
P- Practiced the learned outcomes (knowledge, skills, values)
O- Opportunity to learn and practice (opportunities to learn and practice knowledge, skills and values but
not taught formally)

Note:
1. Not all professional subjects are entered in the matrix.
2. Desired outcomes for the professional courses are:

PO1- Applied basic and higher 21st century skills.

PO2- Acquired deep understanding of the learning process.
PO3- Comprehended knowledge of the content they will teach.
PO4- Applied teaching process skills (curriculum designing, materials development, educational
assessment, teaching approaches).
PO5- Facilitated learning of different types of learners in diverse learning environments.
PO6- Directed experiences in the field and classrooms (observation, teaching assistance, practice
teaching)
PO7- Demonstrated professional and ethical standards of the profession.
PO8- Demonstrated creative and innovative thinking and practice of alternative teaching approaches.

REFERENCES:

 Bilbao, Purita P., EdD, Dayagbil, Filomena T., Ed.D, Corpuz, Brenda B., PhD, (2015) Curriculum
Development For Teachers. Lorimar Publishing Inc., Quezon City, Metro Manila.
 Bilbao, Purita P., EdD, Dayagbil, Filomena T., Ed.D, Corpuz, Brenda B., PhD, (2014) Curriculum
Development For Teachers. Lorimar Publishing Inc., Quezon City, Metro Manila.
 Pawilen, Greg T. (2015) Curriculum Development: A Guide For Teachers and Students. Rex Book
Store, Inc., Nicanor Reyes, Sr. St., Sampaloc, Manila.

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