At the end of the unit, we should be able to:

1. define curriculum.
2.compare and contrast the different
perspectives/ideologies of curriculum design.
3. enumerate key features of a curriculum.
4.present the different period of English
curriculum innovations and implementation
in the Philippines through group activities.

What is a curriculum?

●A curriculum is more than a list of topics to be covered by an

educational programme, for which the more commonly accepted
word is a ‘syllabus’. A curriculum is first of all a policy statement
about a piece of education, and secondly an indication as to the
ways in which that policy is to be realized through a programme of
action. It is the sum of all the activities, experiences and learning
opportunities for which an institution (such as the Society) or a
teacher (such as a faculty member) takes responsibility – either
deliberately or by default (Coles, 2003)

● May be defined as an educational plan that spells out which goals

and objectives should be achieved, which topics should be covered and which
methods are to be used for learning, teaching and evaluation (Wojtczak, 2002)
●Is the planned and guided learning experiences and
intended learning outcomes, formulated through
the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and
experiences, under the auspices of the school, for
the learners’ continuous and willful growth in
personal social competence (Tanner, 1980)
●The term curriculum refers to the sum total of
organized
• learning stated as educational ends, activities,
school subjects and/or topics decided upon and
provided within an educational institution for the
attainment of the students (Garcia, 1976, SEAMEO
RELC)
●'A curriculum is an attempt to communicate the essential
principles and features of an educational proposal in such a form
that it is open to critical scrutiny and capable of effective
translation into practice'. A curriculum is rather like a recipe in
cookery (Stenhouse,1975)

The Ideology of the Curriculum

In developing goals for educational programs, curriculum

planners draw on their understanding both of the present and long
term needs of learners and of society as well as the planners’ beliefs
and values about schools, learners, and teachers. These beliefs and
values are sometimes referred to as curriculum ideologies, and
represent the philosophical underpinnings for educational programs
 and the justification for the kinds of aim they contain.
the goals of policy makers.

1. Academic Rationalism
The justification for the aims of curriculum stresses
the intrinsic value of the subject matter and its 2. Social and Economic Efficiency
role in developing the learner’s intellect,
humanistic values, and rationality. The content This educational philosophy emphasizes the
matter of different subjects is viewed as the basis practical needs of learners and society and the role
for a curriculum. Mastery of content is an end in of an educational program in producing learners
itself rather than a means to solving social who are economically productive. Bobbit (1918),
problems or providing efficient means to achieve one of the founders of curriculum theory,
advocated this view of the curriculum. Curriculum
In language teaching, this educational philosophy
development was seen as based on scientific
is leading to an emphasis on process rather than
principles, its practitioners were “educational
product, a focus on learner differences, learner
engineers’ whose job was to “discover the total
strategies and on learner self-direction and
range of habits, skills, abilities, forms of
autonomy.
thoughts…etc., that its members need for the
effective performance of their vocational labors.”
In language teaching, this philosophy leads to an
emphasis on practical and functional skills in a
foreign or second language.

4. Social Reconstructionism
This curriculum perspective emphasizes the roles
schools and learners can and should play in
3. Learner-centeredness addressing social injustices and inequality. Morris
(1995) observes: The curriculum derived from this
perspective focuses on developing knowledge, skills dominant social and economic group. Cultural
and attitudes which would create a world where pluralism seeks to redress racism, to raise the
people care about each other, the environment, and self-esteem of minority groups, and to help
the distribution of wealth. Tolerance, the children appreciate the viewpoints of other
acceptance of diversity and peace would be cultures and religions (Phillips and Terry ,
encouraged. Social injustices and inequality would 1999)
be central issues in the curriculum.

1.Learning is planned and guided. What is

sought to be achieved and how it is to be achieved
should be specified in advance.
2.The definition refers to schooling. It should be
5. Cultural Pluralism recognized that current appreciation of curriculum
This philosophy argues that schools should theory and practice emerged in the school and in
relation to other schooling ideas such as subject
prepare students to participate in several different and
cultures and not merely the culture of the lesson.
PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS
Psychology can provide the following:

• Educational objectives
• Students characteristics
• Learning processes
• Teaching methods
• Evaluation procedures
ACTIVITY
❖In the four foundations of curriculum which is best suited in applying
the curriculum to the students?
 DIMENSION OF
CURRICULUM DESIGN
 SCOPE
• TYLER IN ORSTEIN (2004) defines it as the content, topics, learning experiences
and organizing threads comprising the educational plan
• it does not only refer to the cognitive content, but also to the affective and
psychomotor content
• it is the depth, as well as the breath of these content
• scope provides boundaries in curriculum as it applies to the different educational
levels.
• curriculum is time- bound, hence the appropriate scope should be provided such
that the curriculum coverage should not be too much nor too minimal.
• simply said, scope refers to the coverage of the curriculum.
• the scope of the curriculum can be divided into chunks called units, sub-
units, chapters or sub- chapters.
• each chunk is guided by the general curriculum called objectives and goals.
• the division of content may use the deductive principle from the whole to
the parts which will have a cascading arrangement or the inductive
principle from the examples to the generalization.
 SEQUENCE
• to provides continous and cumulative learning, a vertical relationship
among the elements of the curriculum provides the sequence.

• contents and experiences are arranged in hierarchical sequence, where the

basis can either be logic of the subject matter or on the developmental
patterns of growth of the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.
 SMITH, STANLEY, AND SHORE INTRODUCED
FOUR PRINCIPLES FOR SEQUENCE
1. SIMPLE TO COMPLEX LEARNING- content and experiences are organized from
simple to complex, from concrete to abstract, from easy to difficult.
2. PREREQUISITE LEARNING- it means that there are fundamental things to be
learned ahead.
3. WHOLE TO PARTS LEARNING- this principle has a relation to gestalt. the meaning
can very well be understood if everything will be taken as a whole.
4. CHRONOLOGICAL LEARNING- the order of events is made as a basis of sequencing
the content and experiences. it is closely allied to history, political science or world
events.
 POSNER AND RUD NITSKY PRESENTED FIVE MAJOR
PRINCIPLES FOR ORGANIZING CONTENT IN UNITS

1.WORLD- RELATED SEQUENCE-what relationship exist among people, objects or events of

the world ? how can contents and experiences be arranged so that they will be consistent
with the world ?
A. SPACE- spatial relations will be the basis for the sequence.
B. TIME- this is similar to the chronological principle of smith, et.al. the content is based
from the earliest to the more recent.
C. PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES- it refers to the physical characteristics of the phenomenon such
as age, shape, size, brightness, and others
2. CONCEPT- RELATED SEQUENCE- this arrangement reflects the
organization of the conceptual world, how ideas are related together in a
logical number
a. CLASS RELATIONS- refers to the group or set of things that share
common practices
b. B. PROPOSITIONAL RELATIONS- proposition is a statement that asserts
something,. sequence is arranged so that evidence is presented ahead
before proposition
3. INQUIRY- RELATED SEQUENCE- it is based on the scientific method of inquiry.
4. LEARNING- RELATED SEQUENCE- this is based on psychology of learning and
how people learn
a. EMPIRICAL PREREQUISITION- sequence is primarily based on empirical
studies where the prerequisite is required before learning the next level.
b. B. FAMILIARITY- prior learning is important in sequence. what is familiar
must be taken up first before the unfamiliar.
c. C. DIFFICULTY- easy content is taken ahead than the difficult one
d. D. INTEREST- contents and experiences that stimulate interest are those that
are novel. these can arouse curiousity and interest of learners.
 CONTINUITY
• Vertical repetition and recurring appearances of the content provide
continuity in the curriculum
• this process enables the learner to strengthen the permanency of
learning and development of skills.
• Gerome Brunner calls this " spiral curriculum" where the content is
organized according to the interrelationship between the structure of the
basic ideas of a major discipline
 INTEGRATION
• "Everything is integrated and interconnected. Life is a series of emerging
themes"
• This is the essence of integration in the curriculum design.
• Organization os drawn from the world themes from real life contents.
• Subject matter content or disciplined comtent lines are erased and
isolation is eliminated.
 ARTICULATION
• This can be done either vertically or horizontally.
• In vertical articulation, contents are arranged from level to level or grade
to grade so that content in lower level is connected to the next level.
• Horizontal articulation happens when the association is among or
between elements that happen at the same time.
 BALANCE

• Equitable assignment of content, time, experiences and other elements

to establish balance is needed in curriculum design.
• Too much or too little of these elements maybe distrastous to the
curriculum
• Keeping the curriculum " in balance" requires continuous fine tuning
and review for its effectiveness and relevance
 GUIDELINES IN CURRICULUM
DESIGN
• curriculum design committee should involve teachers, parents, administrators an even
students
• school’s vision, mission. goals and objectives should be reviewed and used as a bases for
curriculum design
• the needs and interests of the learners, in particular, and the society, in general should be
consider
• alternative curriculum design should consider advantages and disadvantages in terms of
costs, scheduling, class size, facilities and personnel required.
• the curriculum design should take into account cognitive, affective, psychomotor skills,
concepts and outcomes.