The vast amount of literature on curriculum and instructional design does not establish a clear frame of reference to help teachers utilize and operationalize concepts and information. Four specific problem areas are of special concern in the literature: (1) the terminology and definitions are confusing; (2) the place of the classroom teacher is at best vague; (3) component elements are overemphasized without reference to the total process; and (4) the mechanical and impersonal nature of the methodology is distracting. Guidelines to help teachers overcome these problems in the literature must seek to establish a perspective regarding curriculum tasks, deal with their complexities in a manageable fashion, and establish a developmental set for continuous experience and growth in instructional design. (DS)