Assignment #1

EDUC 309 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

Directions: Answer the given items comprehensively. Kindly write your reference/s
below. Your answer shall be rated based on:
Thought-7, Relevance-3 = 10 pts. Total

a. Define Curriculum. (10pts.)

Curriculum is a standards-based sequence of planned experiences where students
practice and achieve proficiency in content and applied learning skills. Curriculum is the
central guide for all educators as to what is essential for teaching and learning, so that
every student has access to rigorous academic experiences. The structure,
organization, and considerations in a curriculum are created in order to enhance student
learning and facilitate instruction. Curriculum must include the necessary goals,
methods, materials and assessments to effectively support instruction and learning.
Traditional Points of View of Curriculum In the early years of 20th century, the
traditional concepts held of the “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” Robert M. Hutchins views curriculum as “permanent
studies” where the rule of grammar, reading, rhetoric and logic and mathematics for
basic education are emphasized.
Progressive Points of View of Curriculum On the other hand, to a progressivist, a
listing of school, subjects, syllabi, course of study, and list of courses or specific
discipline do not make a curriculum. These can only be called curriculum if the written
materials are actualized by the learner. Broadly speaking, curriculum is defined as the
total learning experiences of the individual.
Points of View on Curriculum Development From the various definitions and
concepts presented, it is clear that curriculum is a dynamic process. Development
connotes changes which are systematic. A change for the better means any alteration,
modification or improvement of existing condition. To produce positive changes,
development should be purposeful, planned and progressive. This is how curriculum
evolve

Reference/s:
https://www.ride.ri.gov/InstructionAssessment/Curriculum/CurriculumDefinition.aspx
b. Describe the major conceptions of curriculum. (20 pts.)
The concept of curriculum is as dynamic as the changes that occur in society. In its
narrow sense, curriculum is viewed merely as a listing of subject to be taught in school.
In a broader sense, it refers to the total learning experiences of individuals not only in
schools but in society as well.

The curriculum can also be seen and understood in terms of different conceptions and
they include; 
The Academic Rationalist Conception - Academic rationalism is an orientation to the
curriculum that honors the role of traditional content in the development of the rational
human mind. The works that contain the greatest products of the human mind thus
become the canon of the school curriculum.
The Humanistic Conception – The humanistic theory in education. In history
humanistic psychology is an outlook or system of thought that focuses on human beings
rather than supernatural or divine insight. This system stresses that human beings are
inherently good, and that basic needs are vital to human behaviors.
The Cognitive Perception - Cognitive perception includes, aside from the senses
listening, seeing, smelling, tasting and feeling, the way in which we deal with
information. While perception refers to ways of obtaining information from our
environment, cognition describes processes such as remembering, learning, solving
problems and orientation.
An The Social Re-Constructionist Conception- Social reconstructionism is a
philosophy that emphasizes the addressing of social questions and a quest to create
a better society and worldwide democracy. Reconstructionist educators focus on a
curriculum that highlights social reform as the aim of education.
Reference/s: https://studymoose.com/curriculum
https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/curriculumstudies
https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-humanistic-learning-theory
https://guides.fscj.edu/Education/social/reconstructionism