Curriculum Design Selected Learning Theory

Curriculum Design

Selected Learning Theory

Impact on Curriculum Design

The objective of this work is to describe how a selected learning theory impacts curriculum design. Included will e a discussion of the learning theory "Humanistic: A. Combs and D. Snygg" and how it impacts curriculum design and the use of this theory in the 21st Century schools.

Combs and Snygg presented a theory in 1949 which is known as "Perceptual Psychology" which has been described as follows: "Human beings and their behavior is a function of perception or in other words "human behavior is a function or expression or a more or less organized field of perceptions, meanings, values, beliefs, understandings, thoughts, and feelings encompassing the entire universe (including a sense of self) experienced by an individual from moment to moment."(Richards, 2003)

Fields of Meanings are Not Merely Random

One very important point of the theory of Combs and Snygg is as stated by Richards (2003) citing Combs and Snygg: "fields of meanings or perceptions are not just random or chaotic in nature. They are organized or structure in characteristic and distinctive ways." Art Combs and his students and colleagues found during their research conducted at the University of Florida found that: "All the good helpers in all of the professions we looked at are people who are....deeply sensitive to how things look from other fellow's point. This is what is sometimes called the internal as opposed to the external frame of reference. Sometimes it is called empathy. It has to do with the capacity to put yourself in the other person's shoes and see how things look from his point-of-view. (Combs, 1970 p.11)

The theory of Combs and Snygg did not have the impact in general that other theorists did but their theory was noticed by a group of humanists. Snygg and Comb's understanding of motivation was stated as: "The basic need of everyone is to preserve and enhance the phenomenal self, and the characteristics of all parts of the field are governed by this need." The individual's view of self is that which is called the phenomenal self. This view is developed over the course of a lifetime and is based on cultural and personal experiential factors.

Does Curricular Design Really Matter?

According to the works of many, curricular design is very vital in its' structure when considering student achievement in learning. In fact, many are the reports that curricular design "can very extensively influence outcomes through their impact on the development of students as learners." (Ramsden and Entwistle, 1981; Gibbs, 1992; Long, 2000; Norton et al., 2001: in by Kell and Deursen, 2002). In the report of a study concerning the student's learning and the impact of the curriculum design on that learning it is stated by Kell and Deursen (2002) that: "the study results appear to confirm that students' learning development is influenced by their educational experience. Educators and course designers therefore have a responsibility to consider the influence of their curricula during course design activities." (Kell and Deursen, 2002) in the review of literature the relationship that exists between behavior and experience is much like simple principles of cause and effect. Such as if the ball is pushed across a level surface then the ball will roll as far as the momentum of the push causes it to roll. Richards states that, "Combs, his colleagues and a host of other professionals have sought to help us understand that the quality of human interactions holds the key to professional effectiveness and is governed by the relationship between experience and behavior." How much the design of curriculum may affect the student in terms of learning outcomes is another very important consideration in this humanistic theory of Combs and Snygg.

Differentiation in the Perceptions of Learning Style

Just as different individuals have different tastes, views and personalities the theories of learning are differentiated as well. Some of the learning styles that exist are Learning preferences that exist are based in (1) Concrete learning (2) Abstract learning (3) Teacher-structured learning (4) Student structured learning (5) Interpersonal learning; and (5) Individual learning. The differentiation that exists in relation to styles of learning is that upon which the many different theories of learning are based in their beliefs. For example concrete learning is based on a belief or a theory that tangible, specific and practical tasks focused on skills is the most desirable method while in the methods that support abstract learning the preference is for generation of hypotheses with the focus remaining on general principles and concepts. Richards (2002) states that: "We become "more," according to Snygg and Combs, by means of differentiation, a process that involves pulling a figure out of a background. Learning is not a matter of connecting a stimulus and a response or one stimulus with another or even one response with another. Learning is a matter of improving the quality of one's phenomenal field by extracting some detail from the confusion, because that detail is important, is meaningful, to the person. "

Summary & Conclusion