EDUC 10

EDUC 10

The Teacher
The Teacher
and School
and School
Curriculum
Curriculum

Elieza Marie N. Dizon

BECED 3-1
 1. How do you understand
FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM?
Curriculum foundations are the fundamental forces that
influence and shape the minds of us educators and it also
improves the structure and content of the curriculum.
Curriculum ideas do not emerge in a void, because the ideas that
been got are based on beliefs about human behaviour, the source
of moral standards, valuable knowledge, and even the role of
teachers and schools. And because of it, I do believe that the
development of curriculum is heavily reliant on ideas emerging
from the field of philosophy and definitely serves as the
foundation as well of the curriculum. Why? Because it assists
educators in developing beliefs, arguments, and assumptions, as
well as making moral judgements. Every society is held together
by a common belief or "Philosophy," which act as a guide for its
citizens to live the good life. As a matter of fact, it is perfectly
normal for adults in society to carry on this philosophy or
"knowledge of good" to their children.
Knowledge of the good life was told and retold in earliest
societies, from father to son and mother to daughter. The
philosophy of education as a foundation of curriculum
influences and, to a large measure, it also helps to determine
our educational decisions and alternative solutions. Those in
charge of curriculum decisions should therefore be clear about
their beliefs. If we are unsure or confused about our own beliefs,
our curricular plans will inevitably be vague and confusing.
Understanding the various alternatives that others have
developed over the years is an essential part of developing a
personal philosophy of education. And since curriculum
contains a strong moral components, it is critical for the
educators to recognize what philosophy underpins the
curriculum and to decide how curriculum will be used to
educate students who will become members and leaders in
society.
 2. Explain the Philosophical
Foundations of Curriculum and give
examples.

❥ Idealism: Idealism holds that matter is an illusion and that reality

exists only in the mind. This philosophy holds that human behavior is
rational when it follows natural laws and is abided by social laws.

EXAMPLE:
- Teacher Danizel thinks that "a person who is inherently honest
tends to assume others are telling the truth, and while someone who
is inherently dishonest tends to assume others are lying." Danizel
exemplifies the idea that a person's perception of reality is
determined by how their own mind functions.
- Teacher Momo acts as a role model of values inside her classroom.

❥ Realism: Realism is related with the world of fixed ideas and

things within defined subject matter. Matter or objects that we see
exist by themselves in this philosophy. In other words, matter is not
a human concept.

EXAMPLE:
- "Don't steal chocolate from your friend because the universe will
bring your karma back to you and your chocolates will be stolen"
Mina said. This implies that the universe follows an objective moral
code known as karma. People still believe in it despite the fact that it
cannot be proven or supported by evidence.
- Rather than using a textbook to teach his students about gravity,
Chae took her students outside to recreate Sir Isaac Newton's moment
of clarity when he saw the apple fall. Chae climbs a tree and drops
objects of varying masses to demonstrate how gravity and mass
interact.
❥ Pragmatism: Pragmatism gives give weight of importance
to change, processes, and relativity. It implies that the
worth of an idea is determined by its real consequences.

EXAMPLE:
- Analyn, the teacher, instructs her students to conduct an
experiment and report back with an explanation of what
worked in their experiment. It is up to her students to
determine which facts are the most useful in obtaining the
desired results.
- The motto of Teacher Nayeon is "learning by doing." That
is why she incorporates a lot of experiments, hands-on
activities, and project-based learning into her classroom.

❥ Existentialism: In existentialism philosophy, the person

believes that he or she has the freedom to choose whatever
type of life to live and that he or she is in control of his or
her fate. As an outcome, a person is free to make choices and
bear responsibility for them. In this philosophy, reality is
subjective.

EXAMPLE:
- Sana, the teacher, does not discriminate against her
students. She accepts them for who they are and does not
take a one-sided approach to each of her students'
development.
- Ellycel was pleased because their teacher allowed them to
choose when to submit their projects. Ellycel, on the other
hand, was unable to complete her project and was obliged to
accept the consequences of a failing grade.
❥ Progressivism: One of the educational philosophies derived
from pragmatism is progressivism. The curriculum is centered
on students' interests, human problems, and current events.
The topics are multidisciplinary, integrative, and interactive.

EXAMPLES:
- Teacher Jepoy wants to teach fractions, however one of his
students is still having difficulty with basic division. Jepoy
worked with that student on division until it was ready to
progress to fractions.
- Teacher Chiki made a unit that explores into topics such as
human rights and the value of voting. She chose literature that
instills values in students, such as truthfulness and justice.
She would be teaching the children how to be good citizens
rather than just facts and figures in this manner.

❥ Reconstructionism: Reconstructionism arose from a critique

of the work of progressivists, who placed a high value on the
needs of the child, sometimes at the expense of societal needs.

EXAMPLE:
- The class read an article about texting and driving and
watched a documentary about the importance of spreading
awareness in education systems. They were inspired by the
article and the movie, and they started an awareness project
that can benefit society in the long run.
- Students was encouraged to love writing and they were
given the freedom to express themselves in their journals and
were assigned to write about anything they wanted. The
journal writing not only taught them basic writing skills, but
it also helped them get away from a violent life.