Problem Centered Curriculum

CURRICULUM
FOUNDATIONS
PROBLEM CENTERED
DESIGNS
Presentation by:
Norliza Mohamad
Curriculum Designs:
Problem Centered
Designs
(Robert S. Zais)
PROBLEM CENTERED DESIGN
Design focused on the problems of living,

individual and social.
Broad and inclusive – large number of
variations on the theme and focusing e.g.
persistent life situations, major social
problems, contemporary social problems,
areas of living, the personal and social
concerns of youth, social action projects for
the reconstruction of society.
Emphasis an individual as opposed to social needs.

Problems centered design curricula determined by:
Scope
Classification of problem
Needs, concern and abilities of students
* Content and the development of learners
Emphasis the major life activities and problems of
mankind
 3 designs in this category:

1. Areas-of-living
2. Core curriculum
3. Personal / social concerns of youth
Areas-of-living design
• 19th century
• Herbert Spencer’s (1885)
What Knowledge Is Of Most
Worth?
• Spencer proposed the curriculum
prepared people to function effectively in
the 5 basic areas of living common to all
societies:
Areas of living design
1. Direct self preservation

2. Indirect self preservation
(securing food, shelter).
3. Parenthood
4. Citizenship
5. Leisure activities
Another statement advocating

Commission on the Recognition of
Secondary Education (1918) proposed
a classification of areas of living – The
Seven Cardinal Principles
THE 7 CARDINAL PRINCIPLES
1. Health
2. Command of fundamental process
3. Worthy home membership
4. Vocation
5. Citizenship
6. Worthy use of leisure time
7. Ethical character
Educational Policies of The National Education

Association (1944) proposed
6 major categories of life:
1. Responsibility and competence
2. Economic understanding
3. Family relationship
4. Intelligent consumer action
5. Appreciation of beauty
6. Language Proficiency
• Stratemeyer et. al prepared MASTER

List of Persistent Life Situations:
a. Situations calling for growth in

individual capacities :Health,
Intellectual power, Responsibility for
moral choices and aesthetic
expression and appreciation.
b. Situations calling for growth in social

participation : person to person relationships,
group membership and intergroup
memberships.
c. Situations calling for growth in ability to

deal with environmental factors and forces :
Natural phenomena technological
phenomena, economic social political
structure and forces.
Tentative Course of Study for Virginia

Public Schools identifies 11 areas of
living constitute the scope of the
curriculum for all grade levels.
11 AREAS OF LIVING
11. Exploration
11 6. Expression of
1. Protection & conservation of
life, property & natural resources A aesthetic impulsus
RE
7. Expression of
2. Production of goods, AS aesthetic impulsus
services & distribution of the
OF
returns of production
L 8. Education
3. Consumption of good & I
services V 9. Extension of
I freedom
4. Communication and N
transportation of goods & G
people 10. Integration of
the individual
5. Recreation
THE ADVANTAGES OF AREAS OF
LIVING DESIGN
• Presents subject matter in an

integrated form – focusing on the
related categories of social life.
• Encourages problem solving
procedures for learning.
• Present subject matter in a relevant
form – the content focus the solution of
real life problems.
FEATURES OF THE AREAS OF
LIVING DESIGN
• Focuses on problem solving

procedures for learning.
• Utilizes the experience immediate

situations of learners – every students
experience is closely realted to the
basic areas of lives.
THE ADVANTAGES OF AREAS OF
LIVING DESIGN
• Present content in a functional form-

focuses the solution of student own
problems, it provides them with
learning that are applicable to future
life situations.
• Learns the facts and processes of their

own existence in the real world.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF AREAS
OF LIVING DESIGN
• How to determine the scope and sequence of

the essential areas of living?
• Tendency to indoctrinate youth into existing

conditional and to perpetuate the social
status quo.
• Teacher are not prepared to function

effectively with the design
THE DISADVANTAGES OF AREAS
OF LIVING DESIGN
• Textbook and other teaching material

needed to implement the design are not
readily available.
• Parents are not ready to accept the

departure from tradition that the design
represents.
THE CORE DESIGN
• It centers on general education and the

problems are based on common human
activities.
• The central focus of the core design

includes common needs, problems,
concerns of the learners.
THE CORE DESIGN
• Provide common learnings or general

education for all students.
• See the Figure 17-1; Skeletal structure

of the core design (page 422, Zais).
SKELETAL STRUCTURE OF THE
CORE DESIGN
V V-
P- V V VOCATIONAL
COURSE
PREPROFESIONAL P V
COURSE
P S
CORE
D S
D-
D S S- SPECIAL
ACADEMIC INTEREST
DISCIPLINE D D COURSE
COURSE D
THE SEPARATE SUBJECTS CORE
• Required individual subjects separately

taught by subject matter specialists. E.g.
English and social studies – taught by
single teacher in a block time class.
• Manifest the same characteristic,

strengths, and weaknesses as that design.
THE CORRELATED CORE
• Showing the relationships among the two or

more subjects included in the core – the
content of the separate core subjects that
can be related is brought together and taught
concurrently.
• E.g. When students are studying communism

in their social studies class, they are reading
biographies of Marx and Lenin in their
English class.
THE FUSED CORE
• Based on the total integration or fusion

of two or more separate subjects. E.g.
physics, chemistry, botany, zoology as
general sciences.
• Mathematics and science are seldom

found in this type core although they
are required as separate subjects
outside the block time classes.
THE ACTIVITY / EXPERIENCE CORE
• Immediate felt need and interest of

learners.
• E.g. project design to eliminate

pollution in a local river. Students and
teacher decide on the project, plan the
activities, and establish criteria for
evaluation.
THE AREAS OF LIVING CORE
• Preplanned
• Required program of general education based on

problems arising out of the common activities of
man in society.
• Allowance for student-teachers planning, when such

planning take place, however, it is always within the
framework set by the basic curriculum structure.
THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS CORE
• Centering on crucial and controversial issues.

-Tied to identification of crucial contemporary social
problems.
• Some curriculum specialists believe this core

represents the ideal design for general education in
a democracy.
• e.g. Learning value standards and how to use them

in process of critical thoughts.
CORE WEAKNESSES & STRENGTHS
S W
• Unifies content • Nontraditional
• Provides relevant • Ignores the
subject matter
fundamentals
• Encourages active
processing of • Materials are hard to
information find
• Fosters democratic
processes in the
classroom
CONCLUSION
Problem-centered design, or problem

based learning, organizes subject
matter around a problem, real or
hypothetical, that needs to be solved.
CONCLUSION
The connection of subject matter to

real situation increases the relevance
of the curriculum.
CONCLUSION
The planner should concern

what outcomes and
experiences all should have
in common.
REVIEW
• What curriculum design(s) do you find?
• Do your schools support the problem –

centered curriculum?
Approaches Child or Subject-Centered Problem-
to CD Learner- Centered
Centered
1.Teacher Guide Master Trainer
2. Learners Most Competitors/ Problem-solvers/
important next masters independent
/center of the
educational
process
3. What to What learners Subject matter Practical work
teach want to content which (ex: social
learn/accompl are detached construction
ish from life skills)
4. How to Self- Intellectual Direct
Teach discovery, practices (ex: participation (ex:
self-direction cram reviews) case study)
5. Performance Learner’s Dealing with life
Performance compared to mastery of the and its problems
(measureme learner’s own subject content
nt) set of goals
6. Partners Parents community

Problem Centered Curriculum

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CURRICULUM

Design focused on the problems of living,

Emphasis an individual as opposed to social needs.

 3 designs in this category:

1. Direct self preservation

Another statement advocating

Educational Policies of The National Education

• Stratemeyer et. al prepared MASTER

a. Situations calling for growth in

b. Situations calling for growth in social

c. Situations calling for growth in ability to

Tentative Course of Study for Virginia

• Presents subject matter in an

• Focuses on problem solving

• Utilizes the experience immediate

• Present content in a functional form-

• Learns the facts and processes of their

• How to determine the scope and sequence of

• Tendency to indoctrinate youth into existing

• Teacher are not prepared to function

• Textbook and other teaching material

• Parents are not ready to accept the

• It centers on general education and the

• The central focus of the core design

• Provide common learnings or general

• See the Figure 17-1; Skeletal structure

• Required individual subjects separately

• Manifest the same characteristic,

• Showing the relationships among the two or

• E.g. When students are studying communism

• Based on the total integration or fusion

• Mathematics and science are seldom

• Immediate felt need and interest of

• E.g. project design to eliminate

• Required program of general education based on

• Allowance for student-teachers planning, when such

• Centering on crucial and controversial issues.

• Some curriculum specialists believe this core

• e.g. Learning value standards and how to use them

Problem-centered design, or problem

The connection of subject matter to

The planner should concern

• What curriculum design(s) do you find?

• Do your schools support the problem –

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