LESSON 5:

FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM
DEVELOPMENT
THE TEACHER AND THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM
 OBJECTIVES:

1. COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE PHILOSOPHICAL BELIEFS OF

PERENNIALISM, ESSENTIALISM, PROGRESSIVISM AND
RECONSTRUCTIONISM.
2. EXPLAIN THE INFLUENCE OF FOUR EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES ON
CURRICULUM.
3. IDENTIFY THE APPLICATION OF BEHAVIOURIST, COGNITIVIST,
CONSTRUCTIVIST AND HUMANIST PRINCIPLES IN THE CLASSROOM.
4. EXAMINE HOW HISTORY AND SOCIETY INFLUENCED CURRICULUM.
 FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

• PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS
• PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
• HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS (PHILIPPINE CONTEXT)
• SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS
 FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

•PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS
 A. PERENNIALISM
• AIM: TO EDUCATE THE RATIONAL PERSON; CULTIVATE
INTELLECT
• ROLE: TEACHERS ASSIST STUDENTS TO THINK WITH REASON
(CRITICAL THINKING: HOTS)
• FOCUS: CLASSICAL SUBJECTS, LITERARY ANALYSIS,
CURRICULUM IS ENDURING
• TRENDS: USE OF GREAT BOOKS (BIBLE, KORAN, CLASSICS)
LIBERAL ARTS
 B. ESSENTIALISM

• AIM: TO PROMOTE INTELLECTUAL GROWTH OF LEARNERS

TO BECOME COMPETENT.
• ROLE: TEACHERS ARE ALSO 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: PROMOTE DEMOCRATIC SOCIAL LIVING

• ROLE: TEACHER LEADS FOR GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT OF LIFELONG LEARNERS.
• FOCUS: INTERDISCIPLINARY SUBJECTS, LEANER-
CENTERED, OUTCOMES-BASED
• TRENDS: EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL,
CONTEXTUALIZED CURRICULUM, HUMANISTIC
EDUCATION
 D. RECONSTRUCTIONISM

• AIM: TO IMPROVE AND RECONSTRUCT SOCIETY.

EDUCATION FOR CHANGE
• ROLE: TEACHER 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
 FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

• PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
 A. BEHAVIORISM
• IVAN PAVLOV – INTRODUCED THE THEORY OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

• EDWARD THORNDIKE – PROPOSED THE THREE LAWS OF LEARNING (LAW OF EFFECT, LAW OF
EXERCISE AND LAW OF READINESS)

• BURRHUS FREDERIC SKINNER- INTRODUCED THE THEORY OF OPERANT CONDITIONING

• ALBERT BANDURA – HIS SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF

OBSERVING AND MODELLING THE BEHAVIOURS, ATTITUDES AND EMOTIONAL REACTIONS OF
OTHERS.
 B. COGNITIVISM

• JEAN PIAGET- HE DESCRIBED COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

IN TERMS OF STAGES FROM BIRTH TO MATURITY.

• HOWARD GARDNER – HE EXPLAINED THAT HUMANS HAVE

DIFFERENT WAYS OF PROCESSING INFORMATION AND
THESE WAYS ARE RELATIVELY INDEPENDENT OF ONE
ANOTHER.
 C. CONSTRUCTIVISM

• LEV VYGOTSKY- HE DEVELOPED SOCIAL

CONTRUCTIVISM REJECTING THE ASSUMPTION OF
PIAGET THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO SEPARATE
LEARNING FROM ITS SOCIAL CONTEXT.
 D. HUMANISM

• ABRAHAM MASLOW- HE PROPOSED HIS WELL-KNOWN

THEORY CALLED MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS.

• CARL ROGERS- HE ESTABLISHED COUNSELLING

PROCEDURES AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING LEARNING.
 FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

• HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS
(PHILIPPINE CONTEXT)
A. PRE-HISPANIC FILIPINOS HAD NO
FORMAL SCHOOLS. LEARNING BEGAN IN
THE HOME. EDUCATION WAS ORAL,
PRACTICAL AND HANDS-ON.
B. THE ARRIVAL OF THE SPANIARDS PAVED THE
WAY TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOOLS IN
THE COUNTRY. THE FRIARS ESTABLISHED
PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS IN ACCORDANCE WITH
THE PRIMARY GOAL OF COLONIAL
EDUCATION TO SPREAD CHRISTIANITY
THROUGHOUT THE ARCHIPELAGO. HENCE,
RELIGION (CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES WAS A
COMPULSORY SUBJECT AT ALL LEVELS.
C. AMERICANS, IN THEIR ALMOST 50 YEARS OF RULE IN THE PHILIPPINES,
WERE ABLE TO INFLUENCE PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. FROM THE
THOMASITES, THE FILIPINOS LEARNED NOT ONLY THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE BUT TO ADHERE AND APPRECIATE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE.
IT WAS DURING THE COMMONWEALTH REGIME THAT AN ORGANIZED
EFFORT TO DEVELOP A COMMON LANGUAGE WAS STARTED IN
COMPLIANCE WITH THE MANDATE OF THE 1935 CONSTITUTION. THE
NATIONAL LANGUAGE WAS MADE A COMPULSORY SUBJECT IN ALL
SCHOOLS IN THE BEGINNING OF SY 1940-1941. TO HELP STRENGTHEN
THE MORAL FIBERS OF THE FILIPINOS AND TO FOSTER LOVE OF
COUNTRY, PRESIDENT QUEZON ISSUED HIS FAMOUS CODE OF ETHICS
WHICH WAS REQUIRED TO BE TAUGHT IN ALL SCHOOLS
D. WHEN THE JAPANESE OCCUPIED MANILA THEY RECOGNIZED THE
IMPORTANT ROLE OF EDUCATION IN REALIZING THEIR VISION OF A
NEW ORDER IN ASIA. THERE WERE IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THE
CURRICULUM. FIST, SCHOOL CALENDAR BECAME LONGER, NO
SUMMER VACATION FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. SECOND,
CLASS SIZE INCREASED TO 60 AND THE JAPANESE DELETED ANTI-
ASIAN OPINIONS AS WELL AS AMERICAN SYMBOLS, POEMS AND
PICTURES FROM ALL INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. THIRD, THEY
BANNED THE SINGING OF AMERICAN SONGS AND NIHONGO WAS
USED AS MEANS OF INTRODUCING AND CULTIVATING LOVE FOR
JAPANESE CULTURE.
E. AFTER THE WAR, PHILIPPINE EDUCATION
INTENSELY CHANGED IN TERMS OF OBJECTIVE,
FOCUS AND METHODOLOGY. THE BOARD OF
NATIONAL EDUCATION APPROVED A NEW SET
OF OBJECTIVES IN ESTABLISHING AN
“INTEGRATED, NATIONALISTIC, AND
DEMOCRACY-INSPIRED EDUCATIONAL
SYSTEM”.
E. AFTER THE WAR, PHILIPPINE EDUCATION
INTENSELY CHANGED IN TERMS OF OBJECTIVE,
FOCUS AND METHODOLOGY. THE BOARD OF
NATIONAL EDUCATION APPROVED A NEW SET
OF OBJECTIVES IN ESTABLISHING AN
“INTEGRATED, NATIONALISTIC, AND
DEMOCRACY-INSPIRED EDUCATIONAL
SYSTEM”.
F. A BILINGUAL EDUCATION WAS
ESTABLISHED IN 1974, REQUIRING FILIPINO
AND ENGLISH IN SCHOOLS. SCIENCE
AND MATH SUBJECTS AS WELL AS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CLASSES WERE TAUGHT IN ENGLISH WHILE
THE REST WERE TAUGHT IN FILIPINO.
G. THE TRIFOCAL EDUCATION SYSTEM
REFOCUSED DECS’ MANDATE TO BASIC
EDUCATION WHICH COVERS ELEMENTARY,
SECONDARY AND NON-FORMAL EDUCATION,
INCLUDING CULTURE AND SPORTS. TESDA
ADMINISTERS THE POST-SECONDARY, MIDDLE-
LEVEL MANPOWER TRAINING AND
DEVELOPMENT WHILE CHED IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
HIGHER EDUCATION.
 FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

• PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS
• PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
• HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS (PHILIPPINE CONTEXT)
• SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS
 SOCIAL FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM
DEVELOPMENT

• A CURRICULUM SHOULD ADDRESS THE WANTS AND

NEEDS OF THE LEARNERS BY RESPONDING TO
SOCIAL CONDITIONS LOCALLY, NATIONALLY AND
GLOBALLY. (MCNEIL, 1995)
 CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND CURRICULUM
• SOCIETY IS INCREASINGLY BECOMING DIVERSE, ESPECIALLY IN URBAN AREAS.
SOCIETIES ARE BECOMING MORE MULTICULTURAL, MULTI-ETHNIC AND MULTI-
RELIGIOUS AND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT CURRICULUM UNDERSTANDS AND REFLECT
THESE CHANGES.

• HOW SHOULD CURRICULUM ADDRESS CULTURAL DIVERSITY OR PLURALISM? THE

CHALLENGE CONFRONTING EDUCATORS IS DEVELOPING CURRICULUM THAT IS
RESPONSIVE TO STUDENTS’ DIVERSE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL VALUES AT THE SAME
TIME CAPABLE OF CREATING A NATIONAL IDENTITY BASED ON CORE VALUES AND
PRACTICES.
• DIRECTION:
1.EXAMINE THE PICTURE BELOW.
2.WHAT MESSAGE IS BEING DEPICTED IN THE PICTURE?
3.HOW SHOULD CURRICULUM ADDRESS CULTURAL
DIVERSITY OR PLURALISM?
4.DO YOU THINK THE K-12 CURRICULUM IS ADDRESSING
CULTURAL DIVERSITY? SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER.