Curriculum

 the learning experiences and intended outcomes formulated through systematic reconstruction of knowledge
and experiences, under the auspices of the school for the learners’ continuous and willful growth in personal-
social competence; the cumulative tradition of organized knowledge (Tanner, D. and Tanner, L.)
 the sum total of all learning content, experiences and resources that are purposely selected, organized and
implemented by the school in pursuit of its peculiar mandate as a distinct institution of learning and human
development.
 that what is taught in school; set of subjects, materials and performance objectives; everything that goes on
within the school, including extra-class activities, guidance and interpersonal relationships in the school (Oliva)
 The planned and guided learning experiences and intended learning outcomes, formulated through the
systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences, under the auspices of the school, for the learners’
continuous and willful growth in personal social competence.”
Different Levels of Curriculum Focus: Curriculum Development and Educational Technology Competencies:
For Curriculum Development
1. Apply approaches to curriculum
2. Align curriculum components to instruction and assessment
3. Distinguish the roles of stakeholders in the delivery of the curriculum For Educational Technology
4. Identify varied and appropriate use of technology;
5. Employ instructional materials and technology appropriate for a chosen subject-area, that is, for teaching; and
6. Apply principles in the preparation and utilization of the conventional and non- conventional technology tools as
well as the traditional and alternative strategies.
Different Levels of Curriculum
Societal Level of Curriculum–the farthest from the learners since this is where the public stakeholders (politicians,
special interest groups, administrators, professional specialists) participate in identifying the goals, the topics to be
studied, time to be spent in teaching/learning, and materials to aid instruction.
Institutional Level of Curriculum – refers to the curriculum derived from the societal level, with modification by local
educators or lay people; often organized according to subjects and includes topics and themes to be studied; may also
include standards, philosophies, lesson plans, and teaching guides
Instructional Level of Curriculum–refers to how teachers use the curriculum developed in the societal level and
modified in the institutional level, or what authorities have determined; involves the teachers’ instructional strategies,
styles and materials used.
Experiential Level of Curriculum – the curriculum perceived and experiences by each student and may, therefore, vary
among learners because of individual differences.
Three Major Types of Curriculum
SUBJECT-CENTERED CURRICULUM
 Emphasis on well-organized subject by lecture; on improving teaching of subject matter and on uniformity of
exposures; on teaching facts and knowledge for future use; Questions focus on “What” rather than “Why” or
“How”; on conformity to patterns set by the curriculum.
 Subject contains fragmented, unique body content, different from other subject/disciplines
 Central task: mastery of the subject matter, the amount to be covered of which follows a set of standards and
well organized context
 Learning sequences in a step- by-step pattern
 Habits and skills taught as separate aspects of learning
 Lacks consideration for the learners’ capacity for growth and has low level of cooperative interaction since the
teacher is in full control
 Textbook is the primary instructional tool; and the 7 liberal arts comprised the curriculum
LEARNER-CENTERED CURRICULUM
 Emphasis on all-around growth of learners; on meaningful immediate use of learning; on understanding and
improving through active, dynamic process; on parts flow together as whole, with continuous fusion and
merging
 Focuses on the learners’ interest and the integration of content from many subject fields
 Subject matter selection based on learners’ needs/interests as needed for a task
  High level of cooperative interaction in which habits and skills integrated in learning experiences; cooperative
controls by learners, parents, and teachers.
 Learners are encouraged to use problem-solving skills, methods, and to set their own tasks.
 Promotes integration of subject but with scope and sequence not well-defined
 Structures developed as a result of on-going process
PROBLEM-BASEDCURRICULUM(SOCIETY/CULTURAL BASED)
 Emphasizes problem-solving processes and skills on human and social relations more than content – acquisition
 Based on the needs of society and culture; rooted in the study of life, social problems, and activities of social life
 Promotes social action and reconstruction theories whose major goal in the improvement of the society through
a direct involvement of both schools and the learners
 Integrates different subject matter and their relevance to students and society
 Content strongly relevant to learners but has weak scope and sequence of subjects
Designs and Patterns of Subject-Centered Curriculum
Subject Design: the oldest and so far the most familiar design for teachers, parents and other laymen; easy to deliver
since complementary books are written and support instructional materials are commercially available; teachers are
familiar with the format because they were also educated using the design; the drawback of this design is that
sometimes learning is compartmentalized. It stresses so much the content that it forgets about students’ natural
tendencies, interests and experiences.
Discipline Design (Separate/Single Subject): related to the subject design, but it focuses only on academic discipline (or
organized subject matter area) which is referred to specific knowledge learned through a method which the scholars use
to study a specific content of their fields; teachers should teach how the scholars in the discipline will convey the
particular knowledge. It is often use in the college in which discipline becomes the degree program.
Correlated Design: comes from a core, correlated curriculum that links separate subject design in order to reduce
fragmentation, isolation or compartmentalization, that is, subjects in two or more areas are related in content and time:
maybe factual (facts relate subjects), descriptive, normative, but the subject identities remain (example:
vocabulary/spelling words may be based on science or social studies; literature may be corrected with history of a given
era; when science subject becomes the core Mathematics is related to it, as they are taken in chemistry, physics and
biology).To use this design, teachers should come together and plan their lessons cooperatively.
Fused Subjects: similar to correlated subjects but the individual identity of each subject is lost (example: social studies,
which is a combination of geography, and culture, history; Language arts, where reading, speaking, listening and writing
are all taught)
Broad-Fields Design (Interdisciplinary): broadening and integration or fusion of several subjects on longer time blocks;
may integrate through a) principles or themes; or b) historical integration of subject like Humanities program or General
Science (Biology, chemistry and Physics). It combines two or more related subjects into a single broad field of study like
Language Arts combines the separate but related subjects of Reading, Spelling, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and
Composition. It is commonly found in elementary and middle grades. An attempt to overcome and/or to prevent the
fragmentation and compartmentalization characteristic of the subject centered design is one emphasis in which the
intent is to achieve a greater integration of learning experiences.
Spiral Curriculum: A spiral concept of the curriculum provides for both horizontal (widening of knowledge) and vertical
(deepening of knowledge) aspects of the curriculum design simultaneously. It recognizes that students are not ready to
learn certain concepts until they reach the required level of development and maturity and have the necessary
experiences; some topics treated with corresponding degree of complexity across levels; provides for widening
horizontal organization of scope, integration and deepening of knowledge (vertical sequence, continuation).
Designs and Patterns of Learner-Centered Curriculum
Activity-Based: based on child’s needs but there is no advance planning; may necessitate special subjects for specialized
interests; use of problem-solving method; cooperative planning
Child-Centered: focuses on normal, “custom-made” activities for children, with no advance planning made; use of
experiential rather than rote learning; researched- based; large use of motivation; learners actively participate in
teaching-learning process; teaching-learning activities draw on experiences and knowledge of learners (ex. Group
projects).It is anchored on the needs and interests of the child; the learner is not considered as a passive individual but
as one who engages with his/her environment; one learns by doing; learners interact with the teachers and the
environment.(Proponents: John Dewey, Rouseau, Pestallozi and Froebel).
Experience-Centered Design: experiences of the learners become the starting point of the curriculum; the school
environment is left open and free since the interests and needs of learners cannot be pre-planned; learners are made to
choose from various activities that the teacher provides; the learners are empowered to shape their own learning from
the different opportunities given by the teacher; the activities revolve around different emphasis such as touching,
feeling, imagining, constructing, relating, etc.; hence, the emergence of multiple intelligence theory blends well in this
design.
Process-Oriented: focuses on personal attributes and skills of individual learner in ever-widening circles of self, others,
and society (working well with others, effective leadership, giving and following directions, making judgment, decision
making, planning, etc.); emphasizes development of skills and traits that will serve the learner for life; there is a higher
degree of carry-over into everyday living experiences than in other designs, and a better balance between affective and
cognitive considerations.(Ex. teaching thinking skills, public speaking skills).
Humanistic Design: the development of self is the ultimate objective of learning; it stresses the whole person and the
integration of thinking, feeling, and doing; focuses also is the development of positive self-concept and interpersonal
skills; the concept of self-actualization applies here as well as self-directed learning. (Proponents: Abraham Maslow and
Carl Rogers)
Designs and Patterns of Problem-Centered Curriculum
 Life-Situations Design (Social Process and Life Functions-Focused): uses the past and present experiences of the
learners as a means to analyze the basic areas of living; the pressing immediate problems of the society and the
students’ existing concerns are utilized; focuses heavily on society, that is, social processes, functions, or
problems become the center for the design of the curriculum. Centers around major cultural life activity of
mankind; based on analysis of life activities; relates learners and society; uses experiential learning and social
process approach; structured around the various aspects of problems and processes of community. This design
is focused heavily on society. A major goal is the improvement of society through the direct involvement of the
schools.
 Core (social function): focuses on the set of learning experiences that are felt to be essential for all students that
includes common needs, problems, concerns; centers on general education and the problems are based on
common human activities; its underlying purpose is to create a universal sense of inquiry, discourse, and
understanding among learners of different backgrounds and aspirations; broad areas of concern are examined
and set of learning experiences intended to promote a common body of knowledge are carefully prepared.
PHILOSOPHIES
1. Sociological Foundations
- Society and culture relate to curriculum in the sense that they are part of the bases and sources of many curriculum
matters and decisions. Whatever changes there are in them, education in general and curriculum in particular are
affected.
 The societal changes/forces affect the school, and hence, the curriculum: these include: Cultural Traditions,
Moral Values and Laws
2. Philosophical Foundations
- Philosophy is the starting point in any curriculum decision making and is the basis for all subsequent decisions
regarding curriculum. Philosophy gives direction to curriculum and becomes the criteria for determining the aims,
selection, organization and implementation of the curriculum in the classroom and the school in general; the schools’
underlying beliefs and values have impact on curriculum content and choices of appropriate strategies activities in
implementing the curriculum. Philosophy helps us answer the general questions such as: “What are schools for?”, “What
subjects are of value?”, “How should students learn the content?”
3. Historical Foundations:
- The historical foundation of curriculum reflects the educational focus prevalent during a particular period or event in
Philippine history. This focus could be made basis or model for curriculum development of recent years.
 Pre-Spanish- Focused on practical training to satisfy basic needs for survival and to transmit social ideas,
customs, beliefs, and traditions; Training done in the homes
 Spanish- Focused on the learning of the Christian Doctrine; religion; the course of study is not centralized; no
grade level; rote memorization
 American- Focused on establishing the public school system, highly influenced by the philosophy of John Dewey;
spread of democracy; the course of study is prescribed, uniform and centralized
 Commonwealth- Focused on the development of moral character, personal discipline civic conscience, and
vocational efficiency as provided for in the 1935 constitution
 Japanese- Focused on promoting the East Asia co – prosperity sphere educational objective; spread of new
Asian order; Use of threat and punishment; course of study is prescribed, uniform and centralized; rote
memorization; use of threat and punishment
 New Society- Focused on national development goals; manpower training; high level professions; self-
actualization
 Fourth Republic- Focused on promotion of the rights of all citizens to quality education
Educational Philosophy
Metaphysics - study of what is beyond the natural (what is real is true); systematic analysis of the question of
ultimate reality; fundamental existence of reality; developed during middle age.
Epistemology- truth about the nature of knowledge; has to do with effective approaches to teaching; recognizes
importance of education; It asks What is true?; Also discusses How we know? What we know?
Logic- focuses on logical and accurate thought patterns; focuses on the formal structure of truth and argument
Axiology- sets values desirable to live by, anytime, or place; divided ethics (concerns with good or evil) into
moral and aesthetic (values); subjects as GMRC and Values Education