Concepts, Nature

and Purposes
Of Curriculum
Dr. Reynaldo B. Inocian
Full Professor
Cebu Normal University

What

is curriculum?

What

is its
purpose?

What

is its nature?

Curriculum

is derived from a Latin word curere,

which means to run like in the course of
the race. It is the sum of all learning
contents, 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
(Bauzon, 2009).

Curriculum

Curriculum is also defined as something

that is taught in schools, a set of subjects,
content, a program of studies, a set of
materials, a sequence of courses, a set of
performance objectives, and a course of
study. It also includes everything that is
planned by school personnel, a series of
experiences undergone by learners in
school as a result of formal school, (Oliva,
1997).

Curriculum

To Wilson, (1990), curriculum is anything

and everything that teaches a lesson,
planned or otherwise. This includes
everything that the teachers planned out
for a successful lesson delivery (formal
curriculum) and anything that surfaces out
in the discussion us unplanned (the informal
curriculum) are blended in a successful
teacher and students interaction.

Curriculum from Different Points

of View

1. Traditional Points of view of curriculum (The

Behavioral Approach anchored on the philosophical
theories of Idealism, Perrenialism, Realism,
Behaviorism and Positivism)
Curriculum is that it is a body of subjects or subject matter
prepared by the teachers for the students to learn.
It was synonymous to the course of study and syllabus.

Basic education should emphasize the 3Rs

and college education should be grounded
on liberal arts. -- Robert M. Hutchins

Arthur Bestor believes that curriculum

should focus on the fundamental
intellectual disciplines of grammar,
literature and writing.

Joseph Schwab viewed that discipline is

the sole source of curriculum. And to
Phenix, curriculum should consist entirely
of knowledge which comes from various
discipline.

Curriculum can be viewed as a field of

study.
It is made up of its foundation, domains of
knowledge as well as its research theories
and principles.
It is concerned with broad historical,
philosophical and social issues and
academics.
Most of the traditional ideas view curriculum
as written document or a plan of action in
accomplishing goals.

2. Progressive Points of View of Curriculum

(Participatory Approach anchored on the
theories of Pragmatism, Progressivism,
Reconstructionism, Existentialism,
Humanism and Constructivism)
Curriculum is defined as the total learning
experiences of the individual.
School subjects, course of study syllabi can only
be called curriculum if the written materials are
actualized by the learners.

This definition is anchored in John Deweys

which stated that reflective thinking is a
means that unifies curricular elements.
Thought is not derived from action but
tested by application.

Caswell and Campbell viewed curriculum as

all experiences children have under the
guidance of teachers.

Smith, Stanley and Shores also define

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

Marsh and Wills define it as the

experiences in the classroom which are
planned and enacted by the teachers and
also learned by the students.

Points of View on Curriculum

Development
TWO MODELS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
1. Ralph Tyler Model the skyline approach

Four Basic Principles

A. What educational purposes should the school seek to
attain? (purposes of the school)
B. What educational experiences can be provided that are
likely to attain the purposes? (educational experiences
related to the purposes)
C. How can these educational experiences be effectively
organized? (organization of the experiences)
D. How can we determine whether these purposes are
being attained or not? (evaluation of the experiences)

2. Hilda Tabas Model- the grassroots

approach.
Seven Major Steps
1. Diagnosis of learners needs and expectations of
the larger society
2. Formulation of learning objectives
3. Selection of learning content
4. Organization of learning content
5. Selection of learning experiences
6. Organization of learning activities
7. Determination of what to evaluate and the means
of doing it.

Categories of Curriculum

1. Formal Curriculum (overt) includes the entire

written and structured curriculum like books,
instructional devices, memoranda, technology and
other school facilities. It is accepted, committee
passed, written documents that are supposed to guide
practice. Example is circulars and university bulletins.

2. Informal Curriculum (covert) includes the entire

unwritten curriculum like the hidden and the natural
curriculum. This also includes those activities that
happen that are not designed, planned or formally
accepted by the school.

Kinds of an Informal Curriculum

Hidden curriculum refers to the

unintended curriculum like ideologies,
values, beliefs, traditions, practices,
customs, and habits which are blended
together in the use of formal curriculum.

Natural curriculum refers to all

phenomenal occurrences brought by nature
like issues, calamities, environmental
changes and catastrophes.

Types of Curriculum Operating in

Schools(Cortes, 1981, Esner, 1994, Wilson,
2006, Glatthorn, 2000 in Bilbao, et.al, 2008)

1. Recommended curriculum proposed by

scholars and professional organization
2. Written Curriculum - documents, course
study or syllabi
3.Taught curriculum what teachers
implement or deliver in the classrooms and
schools
4. Supported curriculum resourcestextbooks, computers, audio-visual materials
which support and help in the implementation
of the curriculum

5. Assessed curriculum that which is tested

and evaluated
6. Learned curriculum what the students
actually learned and what is measured.
7. Hidden curriculum the unintended
curriculum.
8. Null Curriculum or the Excluded Curriculum
-what is not taught. It is a left out curriculum,
either intentionally or unintentionally, since it
is not readily apparent.
9. Extra Curriculum - the planned experiences
outside of the specific educational session like
experiences in the mall or in the park.

10. Societal Curriculum - massive, ongoing, and informal

curriculum of family, peer groups, neighborhoods,
church organizations, mass media, and other socializing
forces that educate all of us throughout our lives,
Cortes, (1981) as cited by Wilson, (2005).
11. Phantom Curriculum - a message imbibed
curriculum prevalent in and through exposure to any
type of media like the impact of teleserye to students
learning.
12. Concomitant Curriculum - emphasized at home or
those experiences that are part of a familys
experiences, or related experiences sanctioned by the
family. This curriculum maybe received at church, in the
context of religious expression, lesson on values, ethics
or morals, molded behaviors, or social experiences
based on the familys preferences.

13. Rhetorical Curriculum based on national

and state reports, public speeches, or from
text critiquing outdated educational practices.
14. Internal Curriculum - the processes,
content, knowledge, combined with the
experiences and realities of the learner to
create new knowledge which is found unique
to any specific learner.
15. Electronic Curriculum - any learned
lessons through searching the internets World
Wide Web (www) for information with different
search engines, or through using e-forms of
communication, social media, and blogs.

Major Foundations of
Curriculum

1. Philosophical Foundation of Curriculum

A. Educational Philosophy Perennialism
Aim of Education To educate the rational person; to
cultivate the intellect
Role of Education Teachers help students think with
reason. Based on the Socratic methods of oral exposition
or recitation.
Focus in the Curriculum Classical subjects, literary
analysis and curriculum is constant
Curriculum Trends Use of great books and return to
liberal arts

B. Educational Philosophy Essentialism

Aim of Education To promote the intellectual growth
of the individual and educate a competent person
Role of Education The teacher is the sole authority
in his or her subject area or field of specialization
Focus in the Curriculum Essential skills of the 3Rs
and essential subjects of English, Science, History,
Math, and Foreign Language.
Curriculum Trends Excellent in education, back to
basics and cultural literacy.

C. Educational Philosophy Behaviorism

Aim of Education To promote multi-sensorial and
naturalistic learning.
Role of Education The teacher controls the learning
environment for learning
Focus in the Curriculum Essential skills in learning
through the use of stimulus-response connection.
Curriculum Trends Excellent in education through
the use of rewards and punishment.

D. Educational Philosophy Positivism

This view states that knowledge exists outside the self

and that truth can only be derived through objective
observations which are proven through reliable tests and
predictions (Alkove & McCarty, 1992).
Aim of Education To promote realistic education.
Role of Education The teacher presents learning
with quantification and makes it more evidential .
Focus in the Curriculum Essential skills in the
research, sciences, and mathematics.
Curriculum Trends teaching and learning scaffolds
with empirical data.

E. Educational Philosophy Progressivism

Aim of Education To promote democratic and social
living
Role of Education Knowledge leads to growth and
development of lifelong learners who actively learn by
doing
Focus in the Curriculum Subjects are interdisciplinary
integrative and interactive.
Curriculum Trends school reforms, relevant and
contextualized curriculum, humanistic education.

F. Educational Philosophy
Reconstructionism
Aim of Education To improve and reconstruct society
education for a change
Role of Education Teachers act as agents of change
and reforms in various educational projects including
research.
Focus in the Curriculum focus on present and future
trends and issues of national and international interests
Curriculum Trends Equality of educational opportunities
in education, access to global education

G. Educational Philosophy Humanism

Aim of Education To enhance the holistic development
of the whole person
Role of Education Teachers act as facilitators of
learning that promotes independent learning.
Focus in the Curriculum focus on the cognitive,
affective and the psychomotor aspects of learning
Curriculum Trends whole brain curriculum that
emphasizes differentiated instruction.

H. Educational Philosophy Constructivism

Aim of Education To promote individual interest toward
the development of collective social development
Role of Education Construction of meaning based on
the learners experiences.
Focus in the Curriculum focus on hands-on learning
experiences.
Curriculum Trends metacognitive learning or the use of
learning transfer.

2. Historical Foundations of Curriculum

Some of the curriculum theorists and how they view
curriculum from a historical perspective.
1. Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956) presented curriculum as
a science that emphasizes on students needs and
prepares students for adult life.
2. Werret Charters (1875-1952) like Boobit, to Charters
curriculum is a science.
3. William Kilpatrick (1871-1965) Curricula are
purposeful activities which are child-centered. The
purpose is child development and growth.
4. Harold Rugg (1886-1960) to Rugg, curriculum should
develop the whole child. It is child-centered.

 5. Hollis Caswell (1901-1989) sees curriculum as

organized around social functions of themes, organized
knowledge and learners interest.
6. Ralph Tyler (1902-1994) believes that curriculum is a
science and an extension of schools philosophy. It is
based on students needs and interests.

Psychological Foundation of
Education

1. Behaviorist Psychology
To the behaviorist, learning should be organized in order
that students can experience success in the process of
mastering the subject matter.

Psychological Foundation of
Education

2. Cognitive Psychology
These psychologists focus their attention on how
individuals process information and how they monitor
and manage thinking.
To the cognitive theorists, learning constitutes a logical
method for organizing and interpreting learning

Psychological Foundation of
Education

3. Humanistic Psychology
Humanistic psychologists are concerned with how
learners can develop their human potential. Curriculum
is concerned with the process not the product; personal
needs not subject matter; psychological meaning and
environmental situations.

Social Foundations of Education

Schools exist within the social context.
Societal culture affects and shapes schools
and their curricula.
Society as ever dynamic is a source of very
fast changes which are difficult to cope with
and to adjust to. Thus schools are made to
help to understand to these changes.

According to Feeney, et al., (2001) curriculum has three major

elements which can be answered by these three questions:

What? refers to the list of contents to be learned in a specific

time frame in our subject matter such (knowledge) in terms of
facts, concepts, principles, theories, laws, (skills) in terms of finemotor, gross-motor, perceptive, and non-discursive, (attitudes)
such as manner, conduct, character, and (values) such as beliefs,
ideologies, and convictions.

Who? refers to the learners, who are the recipient of the

intended contents. They are uniquely different and have exhibited
different learning styles such as analytic, imaginative, intuitive,
and dynamic learners.

How? refers to the teaching approaches (philosophical

hunch), methodologies (procedural munch), and techniques
(personal punch) used in a specific content selection. These are
categorized according to various philosophical underpinnings such
as classical, participatory, and dialectical processes.