TJHSST Curriculum Development and Design 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which curriculum design approach organizes content around real-world problems rather than academic disciplines?
- Subject-centered design
- Learner-centered design
- Problem-centered design (Correct answer)
- Activity-centered design
Correct answer: Problem-centered design
Problem-centered design focuses on authentic issues and challenges that cut across traditional subject boundaries.
Question 2: In Wiggins and McTighe's 'Understanding by Design,' what does the term 'backward design' specifically refer to?
- Starting with the oldest content first
- Beginning with desired learning outcomes before planning instruction (Correct answer)
- Reviewing previous units before introducing new ones
- Assessing students before teaching new material
Correct answer: Beginning with desired learning outcomes before planning instruction
Backward design begins by identifying desired results, then determines acceptable evidence, and finally plans learning experiences.
Question 3: A curriculum committee wants to evaluate whether their program meets professional standards. Which process is most appropriate?
- Norm-referenced testing
- Curriculum alignment audit (Correct answer)
- Formative classroom assessment
- Summative student evaluation
Correct answer: Curriculum alignment audit
A curriculum alignment audit systematically compares curriculum content and outcomes against established professional or academic standards.
Question 4: TJHSST's STEM-integrated curriculum most closely reflects which curriculum theory?
- Essentialism
- Reconstructionism
- Progressivism (Correct answer)
- Perennialism
Correct answer: Progressivism
Progressivism emphasizes interdisciplinary inquiry, problem-solving, and connecting learning to real-world contexts — hallmarks of STEM integration.
Question 5: Which factor is the PRIMARY driver when sequencing content in a spiral curriculum?
- Student interest surveys
- Revisiting concepts with increasing complexity across grade levels (Correct answer)
- Alphabetical ordering of topics
- Teacher availability and scheduling
Correct answer: Revisiting concepts with increasing complexity across grade levels
Bruner's spiral curriculum deliberately returns to core ideas over time, deepening understanding with each iteration.
Question 6: A school adopts Common Core State Standards. What curricular action is most immediately required?
- Purchasing new textbooks only
- Aligning scope and sequence documents to the new standards (Correct answer)
- Retesting all current students
- Eliminating elective courses
Correct answer: Aligning scope and sequence documents to the new standards
Standards adoption requires revising scope and sequence so that content, pacing, and assessment targets reflect the new expectations.
Question 7: Which type of curriculum refers to the unintended lessons students learn from school culture, routines, and social interactions?
- Explicit curriculum
- Hidden curriculum (Correct answer)
- Null curriculum
- Extracurricular
Correct answer: Hidden curriculum
The hidden curriculum encompasses implicit messages about values, norms, and social roles conveyed through school structures and practices.
TJHSST Curriculum Development and Design 2
Which curriculum design approach organizes content around real-world problems rather than academic disciplines?