INTRODUCTION:

Curriculum plays a vital role in the Philippines

OBJECTIVES:
 Determine the two schools of thought on
Curriculum development
 State the basic Principles in Curriculum
development
 Identify the steps in the curriculum
development
because it is the heart of education. It should have a
concrete goals and objectives to mould the students/pupils
to be globally competitive. Curriculum development is
defined as the process of selecting, organizing, executing
and evaluating learning experiences on the basis of the
needs, abilities and interests of the learners and the nature
of the society or community. Curriculum development in
the Philippines: Touched on the religion, economic,
political, and social influences and events that took place
in the country. Colonial rules in the Philippines tailored
the curriculum to serve colonial goals and objectives.
There are two schools that are related to
curriculum, these are the progressive and essentialist
schools. The essentialist school is a book-centered and the
methods of teaching recommended are memory work,
mastery of facts and skills, and development of abstract
intelligence. It is more on teaching in which the teacher is
the source of information and ideas about the particular
topic. Less collaboration and mastery of lesson occurred
in this school. Progressive school is a learner-centered
where the teacher act as a facilitator of learnings, it is more
on collaborative activities where in the students are free to
share their own ideas to create a more concrete ideas.
 In curriculum development, we think about the
type of learning experiences to be given to a child at
various age and grade levels. It needs a systematic and
sequential planning to widen the sphere of the learning
experience at each level by keeping in view the principles
of integration and correlation. In developing a school
curriculum one must follow Curriculum rules and
principles. Curriculum principles are the values a school
believes will give both their pupils and community the
best chance of succeeding, and what they know to be right
given its’ contexts.
There are different phases of curriculum
development such as PLANNING where the target
audience issues, problems and concerns were identified,
CONTENTS AND METHODS where the goals,
objectives, teaching strategies were created and identified,
IMPLEMENTATION where the revision of curriculum,
reporting and testing of curriculum happened, and
EVALUATION which consist of formative evaluation in
which done during the instruction and summative test in
which done after the instruction. There are a lot of people
behind the creation of curriculum, they are the curriculum
development team. “Nobody plans to fail but failure
results from a failure plans.” They were given a task to
create a productive and useful curriculum to be used by
the teachers to give a high standard of instruction. They
are responsible in determining the target audience,
creating goals and objectives and of course addressing the
issues, problems and concerns of the teachers and
students.
 THE TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHTS
IN CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
Essentialism is a movement started by William C.
Bagleya in 1930's. The essentialist school is structured and
In creating and developing a curriculum the
focused on accountability and meeting the standards.
developer must be knowledgeable and understands the
Discipline is the main and major motivation of an
schools of thoughts regarding to the curriculum
essentialist school. It is also described as rigid with the
development. The two schools of thoughts are namely;
teacher role as a supervisor while students looked at as in
Progressive School and Essensialist School.
animate objects in which knowledge can be poured into.
The essentialist school is book centered and the approach
is authoritative, it also has no interests in social interaction
and life activities. Essentialist measurement of outcomes
are standard based on subject matter mastery.

The traditional points of view of curriculum in

essentialist school, most of the traditional ideas view
curriculum as written documents or plan of action in
accomplishing goals. The body of subjects or subject
matter is prepared by the teachers for the students to learn.
Curriculum to essentialist is synonymous to "course
study". According to Hutchins, essentialist school is
"permanent studies" where the rule of grammar, reading,
Figure 1. Essentialist School
rhetoric, logic and mathematics for basic education is
emphasized.

In creating and developing a curriculum the
developer must be knowledgeable and understands the
schools of thoughts regarding to the curriculum
development. The two schools of thoughts are namely;
Progressive School and Essensialist School.
Figure 2. Progressive School
The progressive school is introduced by John
Dewey from mid1920's through mid1950's.
Progressivism word comes from progress, means making
changes, reforms or improvements towards better
conditions.
The progressive school is a child-centered learning
it is best known for its hands-on approach to learning. The
teacher's role is to stimulate direct learning process.
Progressive school ways in measurement of outcomes are
now devices taking into consideration subject matter and
personality values. It uses life experiences approach to fit
the students for future social action. The progressive
school approach conceives of the curriculum as something
flexible based on areas of interest.
The objectives of Progressive schools aims to
promote democratic and social living, cooperative or
group learning or group activities, to enhance individual
effectiveness in society and to Give student practical
knowledge and problem solving skills through discussion,
fieldwork, practical etc.
Progressive school acknowledge that no two
persons are alike. Constant revisions aims and
experimental techniques of teaching and learning are
imperatives in curriculum development in order to create
independent thinking, initiative, self-reliance,
individuality, self-expression and activity in the learner.
 Activity 1: Let’s Compare And Contrast.

Direction: Complete the Venn diagram below by writing down the differences and similarities of Essentialist and
Progressive schools. (10 Minutes)

Essentialist School Progressive School

 THE CURRICULUM PRINCIPLES

development. The capacity for understanding, and how

children grow with age. The content of the study in any
The curriculum principles are the values a school
subject should be formed to suit the learners’ mental
believes will give both their pupils and community the
ability.
best chance of succeeding and what they know to be right
given its context. The second principle of curriculum is the (2)
According to the specific interests of students. Learner
In curriculum development, we think about the
will be able to learn better in fields where they have
type of learning experiences to be given to a child at
special tastes and inclination of the mind. It is also found
various age and grade levels. It need systematic and
that at different stages of age groups, children have
sequential planning to widen the sphere of learning
different interest patterns. The interest of children changes
experiences at each level by keeping in view the principles
according to circumstances and situations. Therefore
of integration and correlation. The questions the
learning experiences should be designed to suit the
curriculum developer must answer are the following
interests and tastes of the age group of students.
questions; what should we teach? What should be the
content of education" and "How should we organize it and Third is (3) The Curriculum should be
how should we teach". environmentally centered. The content of learning
experiences for children should be linked with the needs
Let's begin with the first principle of the
of environment in which they lived. For example, children
curriculum, (1) The Suitability to the Age and Mental
from rural areas can understand and grasp easily the
Level of the Children, means of what is to be given to the
information which is directly concerned with their
children in the form of learning experiences at a particular
experiences in their own rural environment.
age and grade level should suit their age and mental

The (4) Principle of the comprehensive
curriculum. The curriculum must have necessary details.
List of topics to be covered does not solve the purpose.
Both teachers and students should know clearly what is
expected of them, what is the beginning and what is the
end of the topic for the particular class. The material,
aids, activities, life situations etc. should be listed in the
curriculum
The 5th curriculum principle is the Principle of
Co-relation. The curriculum should be such that all the
subjects are correlated with each other. While designing
the curriculum, it must be kept in mind that the subject
matter of various subject has some relation to each other
so that they help the child eventually.
The 6th curriculum is the Principle of Practical
Work. Children are very active by nature, they like new
things and can learn more by doing or by activity
method. Therefore curriculum should be
designed in such a way that it provides maximum
opportunity to the child for practical work with the help of
concre The 7th is The Principle of Flexibility instead of
being rigid curriculum should show the sign of flexibility.
The organization of the curriculum should be on the basis
of individual differences as every child is different from
the other. Apart from this conditions of society go on
changing, therefore, the curriculum must be flexible
enough to address the needs as aspirations of the society.
The 8th principle is the Principle of Forward-Looking.
This principle asks for the inclusion of those topics,
content and learning experiences that may prove helpful
to the students in leading their future life in a proper way.
The 9th principle is the Principle of Consultation with
Teachers. The teacher play a key role in implementation
of the school curriculum of any grade or stage. It is
therefore quite essential to seek the proper involvement of
the teachers in the construction and development of school
curriculum.
The Principle of Joint Venture is the 10th principle
and it is necessarily a joint venture where various experts
are involved like educational psychologist, educational
technologist, curriculum specialist, evaluation specialist,
teachers, subject matter experts etc.
 The 11th and last principle of curriculum is The
Principle of the Availability of Time and Resources.
Curriculum is the means to realize the outcomes of the
educational objectives of the school. Implementation of
curriculum is equally important as curriculum
instruction. While developing, curriculum experts should
also keep its implementation in mind. They should be
aware of the conditions of the schools and the availability
of time and resources available.
 PHASES OF CURRICULUM
DEVELOPMENT
Phase I: The planning phase lays the foundation
for all of the curriculum development steps. The steps in
The curriculum development process
this phase include: Identify issue, problem, or need. The
systematically organizes what will be taught, who will be
need for curriculum development usually emerges from a
taught, and how it will be taught. defined as planned,
concern about a major issue or problem of one or more
purposeful, progressive, and systematic process in order
target audience. This section explores some of the
to create positive improvements in the educational system
questions that need to be addressed to define the issue and
- the “heart” of any learning institution and education -
to develop a statement that will guide the selection of the
total learning experiences of individuals not only in
members of a curriculum development team. The issue
school, but in society as well (Bilbao et al., 2008).
statement also serves to broadly identify, the scope (what
Each phase has several steps or tasks to complete will be included) of the curriculum content.
in logical sequence. These steps are not always separate
Once the nature and scope of the issue has been
and distinct, but may overlap and occur concurrently. For
broadly defined, the members of the curriculum
example, the curriculum development team is involved in
development team can be selected. Topics covered in this
all of the steps. Evaluations should occur in most of the
section include: (1) the roles and functions of team
steps to assess progress. The team learns what works and
members, (2) a process for selecting members of the
what does not and determines the impact of the curriculum
curriculum development team, and (3) principles of
on learners after it is implemented. Each step logically
collaboration and teamwork. The goal is to obtain
follows the previous. It would make no sense to design
expertise for the areas included in the scope of the
learning activities before learner outcomes and content are
curriculum content among the team members and develop
described and identified. Similarly, content cannot be
an effective team. Form curriculum development team.
determined before learner outcomes are described.
 and prioritized, the next step is to refine and restate the
issue, if needed, and develop the intended outcomes or
educational objectives. An intended outcome states what
the learner will be able to do as a result of participating in
the curriculum activities.

This section includes: (1) a definition of intended

There are two phases in the needs assessment
outcomes, (2) the components of intended outcomes
process. The first is procedures for conducting a needs
(condition, performance, and standards) (3) examples of
assessment. A number of techniques are aimed toward
intended outcomes, and (4) an overview of learning
learning what is needed and by whom relative to the
behaviors.
identified issue. Techniques covered in this section
include: KAP - Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Survey; Select content. The next challenge in the
focus groups; and environmental scanning. Conduct needs curriculum development process is selecting content that
assessment and analysis will make a real difference in the lives of the learner and
ultimately society as a whole. At this point, the primary
Analysis, the second part of this needs assessment
questions are: "If the intended outcome is to be attained,
step, describes techniques on how to use the data and the
what will the learner need to know? What knowledge,
results of the information gathered. Included are: ways to
skills, attitudes, and behaviors will need to be acquired and
identify gaps between knowledge and practice; trends
practiced?“ The scope (breadth of knowledge, skills,
emerging from the data; a process to prioritize needs; and
attitudes, and behaviors) and the sequence (order) of the
identification of the characteristics of the target audience.
content are also discussed..
Phase II determines intended outcomes (what
Design experiential methods. 1. learning styles and
learners will be able to do after participation in curriculum
activities appropriate for each style; 2. a list of types of
activities), the content (what will be taught), and the
activities (with descriptions); 3. an activity design
methods (how it will be taught). Steps include: State
worksheet for facilitators; and 4. brief discussions on
intended outcomes. Once the issue is defined, the
learning environments and delivery modes.
curriculum team is formed, the needs assessed, analyzed
and prioritized, the next step is to refine and restate the
issue, if needed, and develop the intended outcomes or
educational objectives. An intended outcome states what
the learner will be able to do as a result of participating in
the curriculum activities.

After the content is selected, the next step is to
design activities (learning experiences) to help the learner
achieve appropriate intended outcomes. An experiential
learning model and it's components (i.e., experience,
share, process, generalize, and apply) are discussed in this
section. Additional topics include:
Phase III: Produce curriculum product. Once the
content and experiential methods have been agreed upon,
the actual production of curriculum materials begins. This
section includes: 1) suggestions for finding and evaluating
existing materials; 2) evaluation criteria; and 3)
suggestions for producing curriculum materials.
Test and revise curriculum. This step includes
suggestions to select test sites and conduct a formative
evaluation of curriculum materials during the production
phase. A sample evaluation form is provided. Reporting
and securing resources It is a waste of resources to develop
curriculum materials if adequate training is not provided
for facilitators to implement it. Suggestions for recruiting
appropriate facilitators are provided with a sample three-
day training program.
Implement curriculum. Effective implementation
of newly developed curriculum products is unlikely to
occur without planning. Strategies to promote and use the
curriculum are discussed in this step.
Phase IV: Evaluation is a phase in the curriculum
development model as well as a specific step. Two types
of evaluation, formative and summative, are used during
curriculum development. Formative evaluations are used
during the needs assessment, product development, and
testing steps. Summative evaluations are undertaken to
measure and report on the outcomes of the curriculum.
This step reviews evaluation strategies and suggests
simple procedures to produce valid and reliable
information. A series of questions are posed to guide the
summative evaluation process and a sample evaluation
format is suggested. Design Evaluation Strategies.
The final element in an evaluation strategy is
"delivering the pay off (i.e., getting the results into the
hands of people who can use them). In this step,
suggestions for what and how to report to key
shareholders, especially funding and policy decision
makers, are provided and a brief discussion on how to
secure resources for additional programming. Reporting
and securing resources.
 Activity 2: Group Activity

Direction: Create a specific objectives for the topics given to your group and present it in a creative way. You will
be given 10 minutes to complete the task.

Topics:

Group 1: History of science and technology in the Philippines.

Group 2: Decaying materials.
Group 3: Parts of speech.
Group 4: Respiratory system
 Assessment: True or False

Direction: Read each statement below carefully. Place a T if the statement is TRUE. Place F if the statement is
FALSE. If you have a questions, raise your hand and ask your teacher.

_____1. The progressive school is a book-centered learning it is best known for its hands-on approach to learning.
The teacher's role is to stimulate direct learning process.

_____2. Curriculum development is defined as the process of selecting, organizing, executing and evaluating
learning experiences on the basis of the needs, abilities and interests of the learners and the nature of the society
or community.
_____3. The curriculum principles are the values a school believes will give both their pupils and community the
best chance of succeeding and what they know to be right given its context.

_____4. The two types of curriculum evaluations are formative and diagnostic evaluations.

_____5. The four phases of curriculum development are planning, contents and methods, implementation and
evaluation.

Answers: 1-F. 2-T, 3-T, 4-F, 5-T

 References:

Apple, M. W. (1990). Ideology and curriculum.New York: Routledge.

Halpern, D. F. (1998). Teaching critical thinking for transfer across domains: dispositions, skills, structure
training, and metacognitive monitoring. American Psychologist, 53(4), 449-455.

Schmidt, W. H. (2005). Curriculum coherence: An examination of U.S. mathematics and science content
standards from an international perspective. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 35(5), 528–529.

Singer, J. (2000). Designing curriculum to meet national standards.New Orleans, LA.

Wiggins, G. (2005). Understanding by design.Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.

Salvador, G. V. (2016). Phases of Curriculum Development: Calamba Doctor’s College, Laguna, Calamba,
Laguna.