Curriculum Development Module 3 Foundations of curriculum Development

1.What are the four foundations of curriculum development? Describe each foundation?

Philosophical foundation is essential for curriculum development as its foundation, direction and
determining the goal of education. Thus the philosophical foundation in curriculum development guides
the quality of learning, resources, content, learning process, students position, and assessment, also
interpersonal relations of students with surroundings.

Historical foundations will show to us the chronological developmentalong a timeline. Reading

materials would tell us that curriculumdevelopment started when Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956) wrote
thebook "The Curriculum." Let us see how each one contributed tocurriculum development during their
own time. Here are eight amongthe many, we consider to have great contribution.

Psychological Foundation of CurriculumPsychology provides a basis to understand the teachingand

learning process. It unifies elements of the learning process.Questions which can be addressed by
psychological foundationsof education are: How should curriculum be organized to enhance •learning?
What is the optimal level of students' participation inleaming the various contents of the curriculum? In
this module weshall consider three groups of learning theories: behaviorism orassociation theories;
cognitive-information processing theories andhumanistic theories (Omstien & Hunkins, 2004).

Sociological foundation of the school curriculum affects the development of the curriculum in the sense
that there are certain factors which intervene in the curriculum development process due to cultural
beliefs, societal expectations, values, norms and traditions emanating from the background of
stakeholders.

2. What significant contributions do these people identified below have in curriculum development?

a. Lev Vygotsky

• Cultural transmission and development

• Children could, as a result of their interactionwith society, actually perform certain cognitiveactions
prior to arriving at developmental stage

• Learning precedes development

• Sociocultural development theoryKey to Learning

• Pedagogy creates learning processes thatlead to development

• Child is an active agent in his or hereducational process.

b. Daniel Goleman

• Emotion contains the power to affect action.

• Emotional Quotient
c. William Kilpatrick

• Curricula are purposeful activities which are child-centered.The purpose of the curriculum is child
developmentand growth.

• The project method was introducedby Kilpatrick where teacher and student plan theactivities.

• The curriculum develops social relationships andsmall group instruction.

d. Hilda Taba

• Contributed to the theoretical and pedagogicalfoudations of concepts development and

criticalthinking in social studies curriculum.

• Helped lay the foundation for diverse studentpopulation

e. Ralph Tyler

•As one of the hallmarks of curriculum, Tylerbelieves that curriculum is a science and anextension of
school's philosophy.

•It is based onstudents' needs and interest.To Tyler, curriculum is always related toinstruction. Subject
matter is organized in termsof knowledge, skills and values.

•The process emphasizes problem solving. Thecurriculum aims to educate generalists and notspecialists.

f. John Dewey

•Considered two fundamental elements—schoolsand civil society—to be major topics needingattention

and reconstmction to encourageexperimental intelligence and plurality

g. Abraham Maslow

• Self-Actualization Theory

• Classic theory of human needs.

• A child whose basic needs are not met willnot be interested in acquiring knowledge ofthe world.

• Put importance in human emotions, basedon love and trust.Key to learningProduce a healthy and
happy learner whocan accomplish, grow and actualize his orher human self.

h. Carl Rogers

•Nondirective and Therapeutic Learning

• Established counselling procedures andmethods for facilitating learning.

• Children's perceptions, which are highlyindividualistic, influence their leaming andbehaviour in

class.CarJ Rogers (1902-1987)Key to leaming is

• Curriculum concemed with process, notproduct; personal needs, not subject matter,psychological
meaning, not cognitive scores.
i.Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956)

•Started the curriculum development movement.Curriculum as a science that emphasize onstudents'

needs.Curriculum prepares learners for adult life.Objectives and activities grouped together whentask
are clarified

j. Alvin Toffler

•Wrote the book Future Shock

•Believed that knowledge should prepare studentsfor the future

•Suggested that in the future, parents might havethe resources to teach prescribed curriculum
fromhome as a result of technology, not in spite of it.(Home Schooling)

•Foresaw schools and students worked creatively,collaboratively, and independent of their age

3. Identify which of the following foundations has influenced much our educational system in
Phil.schools?

4. How will your thinking be influenced by the ideas of Maslow on the hierarchy of human needs?

5. Make a self-reflection on the contributions of the different theories and principles under the
psychological foundation of education. Why are these theories important in curriculum development?