UNIT 1

Nature of the
Curriculum

What is Curriculum and Why is it important?

A. Definition
 Curriculum as courses taught in schools or universities. (The Oxford English
Dictionary)
 The curriculum is the heart of the school. It serves as the blueprint of the school.
 It is the Sum total of the learning experiences and activities done in the school.
It can also be compilation of lessons and activities that should be done in a
period of time.
 It is important because it serves as a guide for teachers, if teachers have a
guide, they will use their time properly. No time will be wasted.
 Having a good curriculum will assure that students will learn and gain a quality
education.

CURRICULUM FROM DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW

1. Traditional Points of View of Curriculum
2. Progressive Points of View of Curriculum

TRADITIONAL POINTS OF VIEW OF CURRICULUM

 “Curriculum is that it is a body of subjects or subject matter prepared by the
teachers for the students to learn.”
 It was synonymous to the “course of study” and “Syllabus”
 “Basic education should emphasize the 3Rs and college education should be
ground on liberal arts.” – Robert M. Hutchins
  Arthur Bestor believes that curriculum should focus on the fundamental
intellectual disciplines of grammar, literature and writing.
 Joseph Schwab viewed that discipline is the sole source of curriculum.
 Phenix, curriculum should consist entirely of knowledge which comes from
various discipline.
 Curriculum can be viewed as a field of study.
 It is made up of its foundation, domains of knowledge as well as its research
theories and principles.
 It is concerned with broad historical, philosophical and social issues and
academics.
 Most of the traditional ideas view curriculum as written document or a plan of
action in accomplishing goals.

PROGRESSIVE POINTS OF VIEW OF CURRICULUM

 “Curriculum is defined as the total learning experiences of the individual.”
 School subject, course study syllabi can only be called curriculum if the written
materials are actualized by the learners.
 This definition is anchored in John Dewey’s which stated that “reflective thinking
is a means that unifies curricular elements”. Thought is not derived from action
but tested by application.

 Casswell and Campbell view curriculum as “all experiences children have under
the guidance of teachers”.
 Smith, Stanley and Shores also define curriculum as “a sequence of potential
experiences set up in the schools for the purpose of disciplining children and
youth group ways of thinking and acting”.
 Marsh and Wills define it as “the experiences in the classroom which ae
planned and enacted by the teachers and also learned by the students.

Types of Curriculum

1. Recommended Curriculum (Ideological Curriculum)

 Curriculum construed by the educational stakeholders at the national level
 For Basic Education- Department of Education (DepEd), for Higher Education-
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and for vocational education by
TESDA
 It reflects the impact of “opinion shapers” such as: policy makers, educationists,
scholars, professional associations; International bodies (UNESCO)

2. Written Curriculum (Enacted curriculum)

 The Written Curriculum is the curriculum that is sanctioned and approved for
classroom delivery
 It translates the broad goals of the “Recommended Curriculum” into specific
learning outcomes
 The “Written Curriculum” is specific as well as comprehensive and it indicates
  Rationale of curriculum, General goals to be realized, Specific objectives to be
achieved, The sequence of objectives Kinds of learning activities
 They come in the form of course of study, syllabi, modules, books or
instructional guides among others and the teacher’s lesson plan
 The most recent written curriculum is the K to 12
 The Written Curriculum is a practicable plan since it balances the ideals
recommended by the experts and the real situations suggested by the teachers,
pupils and parents

3. Taught Curriculum (Operational curriculum)

 From what has been written or planned, the curriculum has to be implemented
or taught. Teachers are the chief implementers of curriculum
 The teacher and the learners will put life to the written curriculum
 The skill of the teacher to facilitate learning based on the written curriculum with
the aid of instructional materials and facilities will be necessary
 The taught curriculum will depend largely on the teaching style of the teacher
and the learning style of the learners

4. Supported Curriculum
 This described as support materials that the teachers need to make learning
and teaching meaningful
 These include print materials like books, charts, posters, worksheets, or non-
printing materials like Power Point presentation, movies, slides, models,
realia’s, mock-ups, and other electronic illustrations
 Also includes facilities where learning occurs outside or inside the four-walled
building (playground, science laboratory, audio-visual rooms, zoo, museum,
market of the plaza)

5. Assessed Curriculum
 Taught and supported curricula have to be evaluated to find out if the teacher
has succeeded or not in facilitating learning
 In the process of teaching and at the end of every lesson or teaching episode,
an assessment is made. (formative, summative)
 It includes both formative and summative evaluation of learners conducted by
teachers, schools, or external, organizations. It involves all the test (teacher-
made, district or standardized) in all formats (such as portfolio, performance,
production, demonstration, etc.)

6. Learned Curriculum
 All the changes occurred in the learners due to their school experience
 We always believed that if a student changed behavior, he/she has learned.
For example, from a non-reader to a reader or from not knowing to knowing or
from being disobedient to being obedient
 The positive outcome of teaching is an indicator of learning
 Learned curriculum will also demonstrate higher order and critical thinking and
lifelong skills.

7. Hidden/Implicit Curriculum
  Unwritten, unofficial, and often unintended lessons, values, and perspectives
that students learn in school
 Teachers should be sensitive and aware of this hidden curriculum
 Teachers must have good foresight to include these in the written curriculum,
in order to bring to the surface what are hidden

Components of Curriculum
 Curriculum intent
 Content
 Learning experiences
 Evaluation

CURRICULUM CONTENT
 Term used by print (1993) to mean the direction that curriculum developers wish
to take as a result of participating in the curriculum. It aims, goals and objectives
found in any curriculum documents.

AIMS
 Are the broad statements of social or educational expectations.
 Aims include what is hoped to be achieved by the entire curriculum.

GOALS
 Statements more specific than aims. Goals are general statements of what
concepts, skill and values should be learned in the curriculum

CONTENT
 Curriculum content simply means the totality of what is to be taught in a school
system. The content component of teaching learning situation refers to the
important facts, principles and concepts to be taught. These contents must be
in line with the learning experiences and there must be clear cut objective to be
achieved by the end of each respective lesson. It can be in form of knowledge,
skills, attitude and values that leaners are exposed to. Content involves subject
matter drawn on the basis of problems, themes or topics cutting across
traditional subjects.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES
 Includes all instructional strategies that are useful for the implementation of the
curriculum. These may appear in the form of activities, strategies, methods or
approaches that are useful in implementing the curriculum or in teaching the
content.
 According to Tyler learning experiences are the interactions between the
learner and the external conditions in the environment to which he can react. It
is an activity which may be planned by the class or teacher but perform by the
learners for the purpose of achieving some important learning objective.

EVALUATION
 Includes the different ways and tools used for evaluating whether or not the
curriculum intents were realized. Evaluation tools are also used to evaluate the
performance of the learners after they have undergone the curriculum.
 Evaluation essentially is the provision of information for the sake of facilitating
decision making at various stages of curriculum development.
 Also implies the selection of criteria, collection and analysis of data.
 Includes obtaining information for use in judging the worth of a programme and
procedure.
 Evaluation of curriculum is an integral and essential part of the whole process
of curriculum development.
NAME __________________________________ COURSE/YEAR __________
DATE ______________________

ACTIVITY 1. Encircle the correct answer. Print this page.

1. . A type of curriculum that is sanctioned and approved for classroom delivery.

a. written curriculum
b. supported curriculum
c. recommended curriculum
d. taught curriculum

2. A type of curriculum that depend largely on the teaching style of the teacher and
the learning style of the learners.
a. taught curriculum
b. written curriculum
c. recommended curriculum
d. supported curriculum

3. A type of curriculum that describe as support materials that the teachers needs to
make learning and teaching meaningful.
a. taught curriculum
b. written curriculum
c. recommended curriculum
d. supported curriculum

4. What type of curriculum that is used to evaluate and find out if the teacher has
succeeded or not in facilitating learning?
a. hidden curriculum
b. written curriculum
c. assessed curriculum
d. learned curriculum

5. What type of curriculum demonstrates higher order, critical thinking and lifelong
skills?
a. hidden curriculum
b. written curriculum
c. assessed curriculum
d. learned curriculum

6. What type of curriculum is the unwritten, unofficial and often unintended lesson,
values and perspectives that the students learn in school?
a. hidden curriculum
b. written curriculum
c. assessed curriculum
d. learned curriculum

7. Term used by print (1993) to mean the direction that curriculum developers wish
to take as a result of participating in the curriculum.
a. learning experience
b. curriculum context
c. evaluation
d. context

8. It includes all instructional strategy that are useful for the implementation of the
curriculum.
a. learning experience
b. curriculum context
c. evaluation
d. context

9. It includes the different ways and tools used for evaluating whether or not the
curriculum intents were realized.
a. learning experience
b. curriculum context
c. evaluation
d. context

10. It is the hope to be achieve in the entire curriculum.

a. aims
b. objective
c. ideals
d. aspirations
 Unit II (Historical- Sociological
Foundations Legal Foundations)

Historical Foundation
-Explain the teacher psychology at different times and also improve their teaching
styles.
-To promote a sense of freedom and encourage educational reform.
Johann Herbart(1776-1841)
-German philosopher and educator
-contributed the historical foundation of curriculum
-developed the Herbartian method
-He led the renewed 19th century interest in Realism and is considered among the
founders of modern scientific pedagogy. He believed that education would contribute
to people who had high moral character and the capacity to make appropriate
decisions.
Herbartian Method
5 Pedagogical Method
1. Preparation -The action of making ready
2. Presentation-Giving knowledge to someone
3. Association-Making connection/ cooperate
4. Systemization-Act of creating new system
5. Application-Action of putting something into operation
Sociological Foundation
IT AFFECTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CURRICULUM.
It intended to provide an understanding of the interactions and working of societies,
their institutions, organizations and groups. Helps to sharpen student capacities to
understand and analyze, also it affects the development of the curriculum.
Sociology of education helps teachers to be aware of certain outcomes of a groups
behavior and to understand that attitudes, values and beliefs of those around them
hence enhancing effective teaching and learning process.
Aspects of the society that need consideration in Curriculum making:
Transmission of Culture-The process through which cultural elements, in the form of
attitudes, values, beliefs, and behavioral scripts, are passed onto and taught to
individuals and groups.
Social problems as issues for curriculum-Racial or ethnic issues, gender issues of
access to education and equality of opportunity.

Immigration issues-Individuals become permanent residents or citizens of another

country.
Economic issues-The reduction in adult income makes it harder for the parents to
bear the direct costs of education.
Legal Foundations
-A set of rules and regulations that guide the workings of an education system.
-Helps learners acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes they need to
contribute constructively to society.
-It serves as a guide for the teachers on how to properly deal with their students and
for them to avoid instances that may violate the rights of the two parties.
Importance of legal foundations in curriculum is that it serves as a framework to
guide us as future educators to exercise our rights as well as to the students,
parents, teaching and non- teaching staff.
Legal Foundation of Education of the Philippines
The 1987 Philippine Constitution Section 1, Article XIV- it provides that the state
shall protect and promote of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall
take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.
NAME __________________________________ COURSE/YEAR __________
DATE ______________________

ACTIVITY 2 - Multiple Choice. Encircle the correct answer. Print this page.

1. A set of rules and regulations that guide the workings of an education system.
A. Legal Foundation
B. Historical Foundation
C. Sociological Foundation
2. He developed the Herbartian method.
A. Johann Herbert
B. Johann Herbart
C. Johann Harbart
3. IT AFFECTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CURRICULUM. What foundation is
it?
A. Legal Foundation
B. Sociological Foundation
C. Historical Foundation
4. The process through which cultural elements, in the form of attitudes, values,
beliefs, and behavioral scripts, are passed onto and taught to individuals and groups.
A. Legal Foundation
B. Transmission of Culture
C. Immigration Issues
5. The reduction in adult income makes it harder for the parents to bear the direct
costs of education.
A. Economic Issues
B. Immigration Issues
C. Family Issues
6. Racial or ethnic issues, gender issues of access to education and equality of
opportunity
A. Social problems as issues for curriculum
B. Immigration Issues
C. Historical Foundation
7. What section of The 1987 Philippine Constitution that provides that the state
shall protect and promote of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall
take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.
A. Section II
B. Section I
C. Section III
8. Pedagogical method that is making connection/ cooperate
A. Association
B. Cooperation
C. Preparation

9. Pedagogical method that is act of creating new system.

 A. Systemization
B. Association
C. Preparation
10. Pedagogical method that is action of putting something into operation.
A. Preparation
B. Association
C. Systemization