LESSON 3

MAJOR FOUNDATION OF CURRICULUM

Overview
Curriculum development is anchored on a very solid foundation. Although
considered to be a new discipline, its significance in the light of global development has
now been acknowledged. This lesson will discuss the philosophical, historical,
psychological and sociological influences inform the current school curriculum. It also
explains how these foundations reflect the development of curriculum in our 21 st century
classrooms and learning environment.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, the students can:
1. describe the different curriculum foundation;
2. explain how each foundation influences the curriculum development; and
3. summarize the foundation of curriculum.

Materials Needed

a. Laptop/Gadget
b. Power Point Presentation/ApowerREC
c. Module in CPE 108
Duration: 3 hour

Learning Content
Curriculum development scholars like Tyler (1949), Taba (1962), Eisner (1985)
Saylor, Alexander, and Lewis (1981), Print (1993), Sowell (1996), and Tanner and
Tanner (2007) generally identified three categories of sources for curriculum
foundations (1) studies of learners and learning theory (psychology); (2) studies of life
(sociology and anthropology); and (3) studies of the nature and value of knowledge
(philosophy), These curriculum sources or foundations influenced curriculum developers
in different curriculum conceptions and in developing curriculum.
Foundations of Curriculum
Curriculum development is anchored on a very solid foundation. Curriculum
development scholars generally identified three categories of sources for curriculum
foundations (1) studies of the nature and value of knowledge (philosophy), (2) studies of
life (sociology and anthropology) and (3) studies of learners and learning theory
(psychology).
1. Philosophical Foundations
Educators, teachers, educational planners and policy makers must have
philosophy or strong belief about education and schooling and the kind of curriculum in
the teachers’ classrooms or learning environment. Philosophy of the curriculum answers
questions like: What are schools for? What subjects are important? How should
students learn? What methods should be used? What outcomes should be achieved?
Why?
Here are some philosophical foundations of curriculum:

A. Perennialism
 Aim: To educate the rational person; cultivate intellect
 Role: Teachers assist students to think with reason (critical thinking HOTS)
 Focus: Classical subject, literary analysis. Curriculum is enduring.
 Trends: Use of great books (Koran, Bible, Classics) and Liberal Arts
B. Essentialism
 Aim: To promote intellectual growth of learners to become competent
 Role: Teachers are sole authorities in the subject area
 Focus: Essential skills of the 3Rs, essential subjects
 Trends: Back to basics, excellence in education, cultural literacy
C. Progressivism
 Aim: To promote democratic social living
 Role: Teachers leads for growth and development of lifelong learners
 Focus: Interdisciplinary subjects, learner-centered, outcomes-based
 Trends: Equal opportunities for all, contectualized curriculum, humanistic
education
D. Reconstructionionism
 Aim: To improve and reconstruct society. Education for change.
 Role: Teachers acts as agent of change and reforms
 Focus: Present and future educational landscape
 Trends: School and curricular reform, global education, collaboration and
convergence, standards and competencies

1. Historical Foundations
Where is curriculum development coming from? The historical foundations will
show to us the chronological development along time. Here are eight among the many;
we consider having great contributions.
Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956).
 He stated the curriculum development movement.
 Curriculum is a science that emphasizes students’ needs.
 Curriculum prepares learners for adult life.
 Objectives and activities should group together when tasks are clarified.

Werret Charters (1875-1952)

 Like Bobbit, he posited that curriculum is science and emphasizes
students’ needs.
  Objectives and activities should match. Subject matter or content relates to
objectives.
William Kilapartick (1875-1952)
 Curricula are purposeful activities which are child-centered.
 The purpose of the curriculum is child development and growth. He
introduced this project method where teacher and student plan the
activities.
 Curriculum develops social relationships and small group instruction.
Harold Rugg (1886-1960)
 Curriculum should develop the whole child. It is child-centered.
 With the statement of objectives and related learning activities, curriculum
should produce outcomes.
 Emphasized social studies and suggested that the teacher plans
curriculum in advance.
Hollis Caswell (1901-1989)
 Curriculum is organized around social functions of themes, organized
knowledge and learner’s interest.
 Curriculum, instruction and learning are interrelated.
 Curriculum is a set of experiences. Subject matter is developed around
social functions and learner’s interests.

Ralph Tyler (1902-1994)

 Curriculum is a science and extension of school’s philosophy. It is based
on students’ needs and interest.
 Curriculum is always related to instruction. Subject matter is organized in
terms of knowledge, skills and values.
 The process emphasizes problem solving. Curriculum aims to educate
generalists and not specialists.
Hilda Taba (1902-1967)
 She contributed to the theoretical and pedagogical foundations of
concepts development and critical thinking in social studies curriculum.
 She helped lay the foundation for diverse student population.
Peter Oliva (1992-2012)
 He described how curriculum change is a cooperative endeavour.
 Teachers and curriculum specialist constitute the professional core of
planners.
 Significant improvement is achieved through group activity.
1. Psychological Foundations
 Psychology provides a basis to understand the teaching and learning process. It
unifies elements of the learning process. Questions which can be addressed by
psychological foundations of education are: How should curriculum be organized to
enhance learning? What is the optimal level of students’ participation in learning the
various contents of the curriculum? In this module, we shall consider three groups of
learning theories: behaviourism or association theories; cognitive-information
processing theories and humanistic theories (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004).

A. Association and Behaviorism & Cognitive Information Processing Theory

Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
 He is the father of the Classical Conditioning Theory, the S-R Theory
 The key to learning is early a year of life is to train them what you want
them to become.
 S-R Theory is a foundation of learning practice called indoctrination.
Edward Thorndike (1874-1949)
 He championed the Connectionism Theory.
 He proposed the three laws of learning: Law of readiness, Law of exercise
and Law of effect
 Specific stimulus has specific response.
Robert Gagne (1916-2002)
 He proposed the Hierarchical Learning Theory. Learning follows a
hierarchy.
 Behavior is based on prerequisite conditions.
 He introduced tasking in the formulation of objectives.
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
Theories
 Cognitive development has stages from birth to maturity:
sensorimotor stage (0-2), preoperational stage(2-7), concrete
operations stage (7-11) and formal operations (11-onwards)
Keys to learning
 Assimilation (Incorporation of new experience)
 Accommodation (learning modification and adaption)
 Equilibration (balance between previous and later learning)

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

Theories
 Cultural transmission and development: Children could, as a result
of their interaction with society, actually perform certain cognitive
actions prior to arriving at developmental stage
 Learning precedes development
 Sociocultural development
 Keys to Learning
 Pedagogy creates learning process that lead to development
 The child is an active agent in his or her educational process.
Howard Gardner
Gardner’s multiple intelligences
 Human have several different ways of processing information and
these ways are relatively independent of one another
 There are eight intelligences: linguistic, logico-mathematical,
musical, spatial, bodily/kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal
and naturalistic
Daniel Goleman
 Emotion contains the power to affect action.
 He called this Emotional Quotient.
B. Humanistic Psychology

Gestalt
Theories
 Learning is explained in terms of “wholeness” of the problem.
 Human beings do not respond to isolated stimuli but to an
organization or pattern of stimuli.
Keys to learning
 Learning is complex and abstract.
 Learners analyse the problem, discriminate between essential and
nonessential data, and perceive relationships.
 Learners will perceive something in relation to the whole. What/how
they perceive is related to their previous experiences.
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
Theories
 He advanced the Self-Actualization Theory and classic theory of
human needs.
 A child whose basic needs are not met will not be interested in
acquiring knowledge of the world.
 He put importance to human emotions based on love and trust.

Keys to learning
 Produce a healthy and happy learner who can accomplish, grow
and actualize his or her human self.
Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
Nondirective and Therapeutic Learning
 He established counselling procedures and methods for facilitating
learning.
 Children’s perceptions, which are highly individualistic, influence
their learning and behaviour in class.
 Keys to learning
 Curriculum is concerned with process, not product; personal needs,
not subject matter, psychological meaning, not cognitive scores.
C. Social Foundations
School and Society
 Society as a source of change
 Schools as agents of change
 Knowledge as an agent of change
John Dewey (1859-1952)
 Considered two fundamental elements-schools and civil society-to
be major topics needing attention and reconstruction to encourage
experimental intelligence and plurality
Alvin Toffer
 Wrote the book Future Shock
 Believed that knowledge should prepare students for the future
 Suggested that in the future, parents might have the resources to
teach prescribed curriculum from home as a result of technology,
not in spite of it.
(Home Schooling)
 Foresaw schools and students worked creatively, collaboratively,
and independent of their age.

Learning Activities

Activity 1. Using a chart summarize the foundations of curriculum (10 points).

Activity 2. Reflect on the following questions orally through 5 to 7 minutes video

presentation and send your answer to our GC.
1. What philosophical, historical, psychological and sociological influence the K
to 12 Curriculum?
2. How do these foundations reflect the development of curriculum in our 21 st
century classroom and learning environment?

Learning Evaluation

After discussing or reading this lesson, reflect on the following questions.

1. Identify which among the foundations of curriculum, has influenced what you
have learned in school as a college student?
2. How will the thinking of Abraham Maslow influence your teaching practice in
the future?
3. Do you agree with Alvin Toffler? Why?

References
Pawilen, Greg T. (2019). The Teacher and The School Curriculum: A Guide To
Curriculum Development Practice. Rex Book Store.
Corpuz, Brenda et al. (2015). Curriculum Development for Teachers. Lorimar
Publishing, Inc.