Concepts, Nature and Purposes

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Curriculum from Different Points of ViewThe definitions are influenced by modes of thoughts,

pedagogies, political as well as cultural experiences.

1. Traditional Points of View of Curriculum20th Century – “curriculum is that it is a body of subjects

or subject matter prepared by the teacher for the students to learn.”

Robert M. Hutchins – “permanent studies” where the rule of grammar, reading, rhetoric and logic and mathematics for basic education are emphasized.

Arthur Bestor – curriculum should focus on the fundamental intellectual disciplines of grammar, literature and writing; also include mathematics, science, history and foreign language.

Joseph Schwab – discipline is the sole source of curriculum; coined the term discipline as a ruling doctrine for curriculum development.

Curriculum can be viewed as a field of study. It is taken as scholarly and theoretical.

2. Progressive Points of View of CurriculumJohn Dewey - is defined as the total learning experiences

of the individual.Caswell and Campbell – “all experiences children have

under the guidance of the teachers”.Smith, Stanley and Shores – “curriculum as a sequence

of potential experiences set up in a schools for the purpose of disciplining children in group ways of thinking and acting.

Marsh and Willis – “experiences in the classroom which are planned and enacted by a teacher, and also learned by the students.”Points of View on Curriculum Development To produce positive changes, development should be purposeful, planned and progressive. This is how curriculum evolves.

Ralph Tyler Model: Four Basic Principles (also known as Tyler’s Rationale) show that in curriculum development, the following considerations should be made: (1) Purpose of the school, (2) Educational experiences related to the purpose, (3) Organization of the experiences, and (4) Evaluation of the experiences.

Hilda Taba’s Linear Model: Grassroots Approach These steps are as follows:1.Diagnosis of learners needs and expectations of the larger society2.Formulations of learning objectives3.Selections of learning content4.Organization of learning content5.Selection of learning experiences6.Organizations of learning activities7.Determination of what to evaluate and the means of doing it

Types of Curriculum Operating in Schools (Allan Glatthorn 2000)

Recommended Curriculum – proposed by scholars and professionals organizations.

Written Curriculum – appears in schools, district, division or country documents

Taught Curriculum – what teachers implement or deliver in classrooms and schools

Supported Curriculum – resources-textbooks, computers, audio-visual materials which support and help in implementation of the curriculum

Assessed Curriculum – which is tested and evaluatedLearned Curriculum – what the students actually learned

and what is measuredHidden Curriculum – the unintended curriculum

Major Foundations of Curriculum

Philosophical Foundations of Curriculum

Philosophy provides educators, teachers and

curriculum makers with framework for planning,

implementing and evaluating curriculum in schools.

School Purposes

Studies of Contempor

ary Life

Use of Psychology of Learning

Use of Philosophy

Studies of Learners

Suggestions from Subject Specialists

Tyler’s View of Philosophy in Relation to School Purposes

Educational Philosophy

Aim of Education

Role of Education Focus in the Curriculum

Curriculum Trends

Perennialism to educate the rational person; to cultivate the intellect

teachers help students think with reason. Based on the Socratic methods of oral exposition or recitation Explicit or deliberate teaching of traditional values.

classical subjects, literary analysis and curriculum in constant

use of great books and return to liberal arts

Essentialism to promote the intellectual growth of the individual and educate a competent person

the teacher is the sole authority in his or her subject area or field of specialization

essential skills of the 3 R’s and essential subjects of English, Science, History, Math and Foreign Language

excellence in education, back to basics and cultural literacy

Progressivism to promote democratic and social living

knowledge leads to growth and development of lifelong learners who actively learn by doing

subjects are interdisciplinary, integrative and interactive. Curriculum is focused on student’s interest, human problems and affairs

school reforms, relevant and contextualized curriculum, humanistic education

Reconstruc-tionism

to improve and reconstruct society Education for change

teachers act as agent of change and reform in various educational projects including research

focus on present and future trends and issues of national and international interests

equality of educational opportunities in education, access to global education

Historical Foundations of Curriculum Several curriculum theorists and how they view curriculum

from a historical perspective. Franklin Bobbit (1876-1959) – presented curriculum as a

science that emphasizes on students’ need. To Bobbit, objectives with corresponding activities should be grouped and sequenced.

Werret Charters (1875-1952) – the listing of objectives and matching these with corresponding activities ensures that the content or subject matter is related to objectives.

William Kilpatrick (1871-1965) – curricula are purposeful activities which are child-centered. The purpose of the curriculum is child development and growth.

Harold Rugg (1886-1990) – curriculum should develop the whole child.

Psychological Foundations of Education Some questions which can be addressed by psychological foundations of education:

How should curriculum be organized to enhance learning? What is the optimum level of students’ participation in learning the various contents of the curriculum?

Three groups of learning theories:Behaviorist Psychology

• dominated the 20th century psychology• Robert Gagne’s hierarchical learning or sets of behavior and five learning outcomes became classic examples:

- intellectual skills or “knowing how” to categorize and use symbols, forming concepts and problem-solving

- information or “knowing what” knowledge

- cognitive strategies or learning skills -motor skills- attitudes, feelings and emotions learned through

experiencesCognitive Psychology

• psychologists focus their attention on how individuals process information and how they monitor and manage thinking• learning constitutes a logical method for organizing and interpreting learning

Humanistic Psychology• concerned with how learners can develop their human potential• curriculum is concerned with the process not the products; personal needs not subject matter; psychological meaning and environmental situations.

* The psychology foundations will help curriculum makers in nurturing a more advanced, more comprehensive and complete human learning.

Social Foundations of EducationSocietal culture affects and shapes schools and

their curricula. The home, the family, community likewise educate the people in the society. But schools are formal institutions that address more complex and interrelated societies and the world.

In order for schools to be relevant, school curricula should address diversity, explosion of knowledge, school reforms and education for all.

PREPARED BY :ERiKA R. ViLLALON