FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM

Desired Learning Outcomes

• Describe the foundations of curriculum
development
• Explain how each foundation influences the
curriculum development
Introduction
• Curriculum development is anchored on a very solid foundation.
Although considered to be a new discipline, its significance in the
light of global developments has now been acknowledged. What
philosophical, historical, psychological and sociological influences
inform the current school curriculum? How do these foundations
reflect the development of curriculum in our 21" century
classrooms and learning environment?
PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION OF
CURRICULUM
 • Teachers assist students to think with
PERENNIALISM
Role: reason (critical thinking: HOTS)

Plato, Aristotle or
• Classical subjects, literary analysis
Thomas Aquinas reason (critical thinking: HOTS)
Focus:

• Classical subjects, literary analysis

Trends:
 • To promote intellectual growth of learners to
ESSENTIALISM Aim: become competent

Wiliam Bagley • Teachers are sole authorities in the subject area.

Role:
(1974-1946)
• Essential skills of the 3Rs; essential subjects
Focus:

• Back to basics, Excellence in education, cultural

Trends: literacy
PROGRESSIVISM • Promote democratic social living
Aim:

• Teacher leads for growth and development of

John Dewey Role: lifelong learners
(1859-1952)
• Interdisciplinary subjects. Learner-centered.
Focus: Outcomes-based

• Equal opportunities for all, Contextualized

Trends: curriculum, Humanistic education
 • To improve and reconstruct society.
RECONSTRUCTIONISM Aim: Education for change

Theodore Brameld • Teacher acts as agent of change and

(1904-1987) Role: reforms

• Present and future educational landscape

Focus:

• School and curricular reform, Global education,

Collaboration and Convergence, Standards and
Trends: Competencies
HISTORICAL FOUNDATION OF
CURRICULUM
 He started the curriculum development
movement.
Franklin Bobbit
(1876-1956) Curriculum as a science that emphasizes
students' needs. Curriculum prepares
learners for adult life.

Objectives and activities should group

together when tasks are clarified.
 Like Bobbit, he posited that curriculum
is science and emphasizes students'
Werret Charters needs.
(1875-1952)
Objectives and activities should match.
Subject matter or content relates to
objectives.
 Curriculum should develop the whole
child. It is child-centered.
William Kilpartick
(1875-1952) With the statement of objectives and
related learning activities, curriculum
should produce outcomes.

He emphasized social studies and

suggested that the teacher plans
curriculum in advance.
 Curricula are purposeful activities which
are child centered.
Harold Rugg
(1886-1960) 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.
 Curriculum is organized around social
functions of themes, organized
Hollis Caswell knowledge and learner's interest.
(1901-1989)
Curriculum, instruction and learning are
interrelated.

Curriculum is a set of experiences.

Subject matter is developed around
social functions and learners' interests.
 Curriculum is a science and an extension
of school's philosophy. It is based on
Ralph Tyler students' needs and interest.
(1902-1994)
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.
 She contributed to the theoretical and
pedagogical foundations of concepts
Hilda Taba (1902- development and critical thinking in
1967) social studies curriculum.

She helped lay the foundation for

diverse student population.
 He described curriculum change as a
cooperative endeavor.
Peter Oliva (1992-
2012) Teachers and curriculum specialist
constitute the professional core of
planners.

Significant improvement is achieved

through group activity.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF
CURRICULUM
(Association and Behaviorism)
 He is the father of the classical
conditioning theory, the S-R theory.
Ivan Pavlov
(1849-1936) The key to learning is early years of life
is to train them what you want them to
become.

S-R Theory is a foundation of learning

practice called indoctrination.
 He championed the connectionism
theory.
Edward Thorndike
(1874-1949) He proposed the three laws of learning:
- Law of readiness
- Law of exercise
- Law of effect

Specific stimulus has specific response.

 He proposed the hierarchical learning
theory. Learning follows a hierarchy.
Robert Gagne
(1916-2002) Behavior is based on prerequisite
conditions.

He introduced tasking in the

formulation of objectives.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF
CURRICULUM
(Cognitive Information Processing
Theory)
 Theories of Jean Piaget

- Cognitive development has stages from birth to

Jean Piaget (1896- maturity.
1980) - 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
adaptation)
- Equilibration (balance between previous and later
learning)
 Theories of Lev Vygotsky

Cultural transmission and development stage.

Lev Vygotsky (1896- Children could, as a result of their interaction with
1934) society, actually perform certain cognitive actions prior
to arriving at developmental stage.
Learning precedes development.
Sociocultural development theory.

• Keys to Learning

Pedagogy creates learning processes that lead to

development.
The child is an active agent in his or her educational
process.
 Gardner's multiple intelligences

Howard Gardner Humans 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/kinesthetic, interpersonal,
intrapersonal, naturalistic, existential
 Emotion contains the power to affect
action.
Daniel Goleman
He called this Emotional Quotient.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF
CURRICULUM
(Humanistic Psychology)
 Gestalt Theory

- Learning is explained in terms of "wholeness" of the

Daniel Goleman 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 analyze 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.
.
 He advanced the Self-Actualization Theory, Classic
theory of human needs
Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow
(1908-1970) 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.

Key to learning
Produce a healthy and happy learner who can
accomplish, grow and actualize his or her human
self.
.
 - Nondirective and therapeutic learning

- He established counselling procedures and

Carl Rogers (1902- methods for facilitating learning.
1987)
- Children's perceptions, which are highly
individualistic, influence their learning and
behaviour in class.

• Key to learning

Curriculum is concerned with process, not product;

personal needs, not subject matter, psychological
meaning, not cognitive scores.
SOCIAL FOUNDATION OF CURRICULUM
 Society as a source of change

Schools and Society Schools as agents of change

Knowledge as an agent of change

 Influence of society and social context
in education
Emile Durkheim
(1858-1917) Things that surround individuals can
change, develop their behavior.

Considered two fundamental elements

which are schools and civil society
 Wrote the book Future Shock Believed that
knowledge should prepare students for the
Alvin Toffler 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
OTHER THEORIES
 Education as a means of shaping the person
and society through critical reflections and
Paolo Freire 1921- "conscientization"
1997
* Teachers use questioning and problem
posing approach to raise students'
consciousness

* Emphasis on questioning problem posing

and critical thinking

Major book: Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 1968

 * Curriculum organized around needs of
society. and the students
John Goodlad * Reduce student conformity in classroom
1920-2014 * Constant need for school improvement
* Emphasis on active learning and critical
thinking
* Involvement of students in planning
curriculum content and instructional
activities
* Need to align content with standards
Major book: A Place Called Schools, 1984; Are
Schools For? 1989
 * Broaden the conception of curriculum to
enrich the practice
William Pinar 1947
* Understand the nature of the educational
experience

* Curriculum involves multiple disciplines

* Curriculum should be studied from a

historical, racial, gendered,
phenomenological, postmodern, theological
and international perspectives.