Professional Education · The School Curriculum
Curriculum Design Approaches — Part 2 of 2
Problem-Centred Design and Comparative Summary
Approach 3: Problem-Centred Design
The problem-centred approach organises the curriculum around real-life problems, social issues, and the common concerns of human living. Rather than starting with subject content or the child’s interests, it starts with problems in society that learners must grapple with. This makes learning relevant to the world outside the classroom.
Problem-centred design has two main sub-types:
| Sub-Design | What It Means |
| Life-Situations Design | Content is organised around the recurring problems of daily life. The connection of subject matter to real situations increases curriculum relevance. Example: A unit built around “managing household finances” that integrates Math, Values, and Practical Arts. |
| Core Design | Focuses on the common needs, problems, and concerns of learners as members of society. Often built around a “general education core” that all students take, regardless of specialisation. Example: All students study environmental issues as a compulsory core unit because it is a shared societal concern. |
Exam Tip: A stem describing a curriculum built around “common human activities,” “social problems,” or “real-life concerns” points to Problem-Centred Design. The key contrast with Learner-Centred is this: Learner-Centred starts with the individual child’s needs; Problem-Centred starts with the shared problems of society.
Sample LET Item — No. 1
A school designs a unit where students of all year levels study the problem of climate change by integrating Science, Social Studies, and Values Education. The curriculum is built around this shared societal concern that all students need to understand as future citizens. Which curriculum design is illustrated?
A. Correlation Design
B. Child-Centred Design
C. Core Design
D. Broad Fields Design
Answer: C
The two key signals here are: (1) a common concern for all students, and (2) focus on a shared societal problem rather than individual interest. That is Core Design under the Problem-Centred approach. Choice A (Correlation) would mean two subjects are coordinated but kept separate — not the case here, where multiple subjects are integrated around the issue. Choice B (Child-Centred) is ruled out because the starting point is a societal problem, not the individual child’s interest or development. Choice D (Broad Fields) merges related subjects into one — but Broad Fields is a subject-centred design, not problem-centred.
Comparative Summary: All Three Approaches
| Approach | Organised Around | Sub-Designs | LET Stem Signal |
| Subject-Centred | Subject matter / content | Separate Subject, Discipline, Correlation, Broad Fields | “school divides the day into separate periods” |
| Learner-Centred | Needs, interests, and development of the individual learner | Child-Centred, Experience-Centred, Humanistic | “learner is the centre” / “activities revolve around the child” |
| Problem-Centred | Real-life problems and shared social concerns | Life-Situations, Core Design | “common human activities” / “social problems” / “shared concerns” |
Sample LET Item — No. 2
Geography, History, and Civics are combined into a single subject called “Araling Panlipunan” (Social Studies). Which curriculum design does this represent?
A. Core Design
B. Broad Fields Design
C. Correlation Design
D. Experience-Centred Design
Answer: B
Merging related subjects into one broader subject area is the exact definition of Broad Fields Design. The original separate subjects (Geography, History, Civics) lose their independent identity and are fused into a single “Araling Panlipunan” subject. Choice C (Correlation) is the most common wrong answer because both involve related subjects — but Correlation keeps the subjects separate and coordinates them, while Broad Fields merges them entirely. That distinction between “coordinated” and “merged” is consistently tested on the LET.
References
Glatthorn, A. A., Boschee, F., Whitehead, B. M., & Boschee, B. F. (2012). Curriculum leadership: Strategies for development and implementation (3rd ed.). SAGE.
Ornstein, A. C., & Hunkins, F. P. (2018). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues (7th ed.). Pearson.