PHILOSOPHICAL

FOUNDATIONS OF
CURRICULUM
WHAT ARE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONS?

• Curriculum Foundations are those basic forces that influence and

shape the content and organization of the curriculum.
PHILOSOPHY AND CURRICULUM

• Philosophy provides educators, especially curriculum workers, with a framework for organizing
schools and classrooms.
• It helps them determine what schools are for, what subjects have value, how students learn, and
what method and materials to use.
• It clarifies education’s goals, suitable content, teaching and learning processes, experiences and
activities that school should emphasize.
• It also give us basis for deciding which textbook to use, how to use them, and how much
homework to assign, how to test students and use the test results and what subject matter and
content to emphasize?
PHILOSOPHY AND THE CURRICULUM
WORKER
• There are two major issues that influence the curriculum worker.
• Conflict – Curriculum workers can be very passionate in their views about
curriculum. If the curriculum worker is too inflexible with their philosophy it will
be very difficult to work together with others who do not share the same ideals.
• Lack of clear philosophy – If the curriculum worker is not clear on what exactly
they believe in. The specialist would be to easily influenced by the philosophies of
others and therefor would have difficulty making important curricular decisions.
• A good curriculum worker should be clear about what philosophies they believe in
but also be able to adapt their views when presented with information that may
question their original principles.
 PHILOSOPHY, THE MAIN CURRICULUM
SOURCE
• In order to develop curriculum one must begin with a basic philosophy or set of beliefs
in which to govern the curricular decisions. According to our text Ornstein&Hunkins
(2013), Dewey had the idea that one’s philosophy is the starting point in curriculum
development. And although Tyler believed that philosophy was one of a five
component system in creating curriculum he places more emphasis on philosophy and
refers to it as “the first screen” in curriculum development. Goodlad’s ideas were that
one must first reflect upon the social order before curriculum development can occur
but Dewey reminds us that even the idea of thinking about the social aspect of
education versus the individual has been a philosophical issue in it’s self. So, just the
idea of beginning with the nation-state already had philosophical ideals at heart.
TYLER’S VIEW OF PHILOSOPHY IN
RELATION TO SCHOOL PURPOSE
Suggesti
on from
subject Studies of
specialist contempor
Studies ary life
of
learners School
purposes Use of
Use of psycholo
philosoph gy
y learning
MAJOR PHILOSOPHIES

• Paradigms on the basis of which we interpret and understand the world

• Idealism
• Realism
• Pragmatism
• Existentialism
MAJOR PHILOSOPHIES

• They shape and influence educational philosophies

• how/what we believe about what is real and valuable or the meaning of life
shapes who we are as teachers
• how/what we believe about how knowledge is acquired shapes our approach
to teaching
• our beliefs about what is right/good/beautiful/valuable impact the learning in
our classroom
Philosophy Reality Knowledge Values Teacher's role Emphasis on Emphasis on
learning curriculum
Idealism Spiritual, Rethinking Absolute and To bring latent Recalling Knowledge
moral or latent ideas eternal knowledge knowledge based; subject
mental: and to and ideas; based; classic
unchanging consciousness; abstract or liberal arts,
to be a moral thinking is hierarchy of
and spiritual highest form subjects:
leader philosophy,
theology and
mathematics
are most
important

Realism Based on Consists of Absolute and To cultivate Exercising the Knowledge

natural laws; sensation and eternal based rational mind; logical based; subject
objectives and abstraction on nature’s thought; to be and abstract based; arts and
composed of laws a moral and thinking are sciences;
matters spiritual highest form hierarchy of
leader; to be subjects:
an authority humanistic
and scientific
subjects
pragmatism Interaction of Based on Situational To cultivate Methods of No permanent
individual experience; and relative; critical dealing with knowledge of
with use of subject to thinking and changes subjects ;
environment; scientific change and scientific environment appropriate
always method verification processes and scientific experiences that
changing explanations transmit culture and
prepare individual
for change; problem
solving activities

existentialis subjective Knowledge Freely To cultivate Knowledge Choices in subject

m of personal chosen, personal and matter, elective,
choice based on choice and principles of emotional, aesthetic
individuals’ individual human and philosophical
perception self- condition; objects
definition acts of
choosing
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHIES
• They emerge from one or more of the four major
philosophical traditions. They range from traditional and
conservative to contemporary and liberal.
• Perennialism
• Essentialism
• Progressivism
• Reconstructionism
Education Philosophical Aim of knowledge Role of Curriculum Related
al base education Teacher focus curriculum
philosoph trends
y
Perennialis Realism To educate the Focus on past Teacher helps Classical Great books,
m rationale and permanent students think subjects; literary paideia, proposal;
personal; to studies; mastery rationally; based analysis; returning to the
cultivate the of facts and on Socratic constant liberal arts
intellect timeless method, oral curriculum
knowledge exposition;
explicit teaching
of traditional
values

Essentialis Idealism, To promote the Essential skills Teacher is Essential skills Back to basics;
m Realism intellectual and academic authority in and essential cultural literacy;
growth of the subjects; particular subjects excellence in
individual mastery of subject aea; ( English, education
person, to concepts and explicit teaching science, math
educate the principles of of traditional and foreign
competent subject matter values. languages)
person
Educational Philosophica Aim of knowledge Role of Curriculum Related
philosophy l base education Teacher focus curriculum
trends
Progressivism pragmatism To promote Knowledge Teacher is guide Based on Relevant
democratic leading to for problem students’ curriculum;
social living growth and solving and interest; humanistic
development; a scientific addresses education;
living learning inquiry human radical school
process; focus problems, and reform
on active and affairs;
relevant interdisciplinary
learning subject matter;
activities and
projects
Reconstructionis pragmatism To improve and Skills and Teacher serves Emphasis on International
m reconstruct subjects needed as an agent of social science education;
society; to to identify and change and and social reconceptualism
educate for ameliorate reform; acts as a research ; equality of
change and society’s project director methods, educational
social reform problems; active and research examination of opportunity
learning leader; helps social,
concerned with students become economic and
contemporary aware of political
and future problem problems
society confronting
human kind
CONCLUSION

 To a large extent curriculum reflects philosophy

 According to Dewey it is as necessary for “ forming fundamental
dispositions, intellectual and emotional, toward nature and fellow man.
 Major philosophical viewpoints have emerged within curriculum field
( Idealism, realism, pragmatism and existentialism). They have view points
traditional and conservative to contemporary and liberal.
 They have influenced educational theories: prennialism , essentialism
( conservative and traditional) progressivism, reconstrucnism ( contemporary
and liberal)
CONCLUSION

 No single philosophy, old or new, should exclusively guide decisions about

school and curriculum.
 A school approach to curriculum be politically and economically feasible and
it serve the needs of students and society.
THANK YOU