LESSON 4

Approaches to School Curriculum

SLO:
1. Describe the different approaches to school
curriculum
2. Explain by examples how the approaches clarify the
definition of curriculum
3. Reflect on how the three approaches relate with each
other.
Three Ways of Approaching a Curriculum

1. As a Content /Body of Knowledge to be Transmitted

2. As a Process/ What actually happens in the
classroom when the curriculum is practiced.
3. As a Product /Learning Outcomes Desired of
Learners
1. Content: the body of knowledge to be
transmitted to the students
Four Ways of Presenting the Content in the Curriculum
1. Topical Approach where much content is based on knowledge,
and experiences are included.
2. Concept approach with fewer topics in clusters around major
and sub-concepts and their interaction, relatedness
emphasized.
3. Thematic Approach as combination of concepts that develop
conceptual structures
4. Modular Approach that leads to complete units of instruction
Criteria in the Selection of Content(Scheffer, 1970
in Bilbao et .al. 2009)
1. Significance
- Should contribute to the ideas, concepts, principles and
generalization that should attain the over-all purpose of
the curriculum.
-means of developing the cognitive, affective or
psychomotor skills of the learner.
-addresses the cultural context of the learner
Criteria in the selection of content
2. Validity: The Authenticity of the subject-matter
-Knowledge becomes obsolete in a fast changing-world,
and knowledge may be valid in its original form but validity
may not continue to be valid in the current times.
3. Utility- Usefulness is relative to the learner who is going to
use it. Questions asked may be:
Will I use this in my future job?, Will it add meaning to
my life? Will it be useful in solving current problems?
4. Learnability- The complexity of the content should be
within the range of the experiences of the learners. Content
standards should be organized and sequenced appropriately.
Criteria in the selection of content
5. Feasibility- Can the subject be learned within the time
allowed, resources available, expertise of teachers and nature
of learners?

6. Interest- Will learners take interest in the content?, Are the

contents meaningful?, What value will the content have in the
present and future life of the learners/
Guide in the Selection of the Content

1. Commonly used in the daily life.

2. Appropriate to the maturity levels and abilities of the learners
3. Valuable in meeting the needs and competencies of the future
career
4. Related to other subject fields or discipline for complementation
and integration
5. Important in the transfer of learning to other disciplines.
BASIC Principles of Curriculum Content

1. Balance
2. Articulation
3. Sequence
4. Integration
5. Continuity
1. Balance
Fairly distributed in depth and breadth
2. Articulation
Smooth connections or bridging should be provided
vertically and horizontally across the same discipline.
3. Sequence
Logical arrangement of / order of content.
Arrange the content vertically for deepening of the
content or horizontally for broadening the same content.
Pattern is usually from easy to complex, known to
unknown, current to something in the future.
4. Integration
Relatedness or interconnectedness to other
contents.
Contents should be infused in other disciplines
whenever possible.
This will provide unified view of the curriculum.
Contents integrated to other discipline acquire
higher premium than when isolated.
5. Continuity: Constant repetition, reinforcement and
enhancement of content are all element of continuity.
It is perennial. It endures time
 2. Curriculum As a PROCESS: the practice of
teaching
The classroom is only part of the learning environment
where the teacher places action using the content to achieve
an outcome.
The process of teaching and learning becomes central
concern if teachers to emphasize critical thinking, meaning
making and hands-on doing and many others.
Process provides curriculum on how to teach the
content. It connotes instruction, implementation, teaching.
Guiding Principles when curriculum is approached
as a PROCESS
1. Curriculum process in the form of teaching methods or
strategies are means to achieve the end.
2. There is no single best process of method. Its effectiveness
will depend on the desired learning outcomes, the
learners, support materials and teachers.
3. Curriculum process should stimulate the learners’ desire to
develop the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains
in each individual.
4. In the choice of methods, learning and teaching styles
should be considered.
Guiding Principles when curriculum is approached
as a Process..
5. Every method or process should result to learning
outcomes which can be described as cognitive,
affective and psychomotor.
6. Flexibility in the use of method or process should be
considered. As effective process will always result to
learning outcomes.
7. Both the learning and teaching are the two
important processes in the implementation of the
curriculum.
3. Curriculum as a Product: student equipped with
KSA to function effectively and efficiently.
The real purpose of education is to bring about
significant changes in the students’ pattern of behavior.
Central to this approach is the formulation of
behavioral objectives stated as ILO or desired
outcomes.