Foundations of

curriculum
Desired learning outcomes

•Describe the foundations of curriculum

development

•Explain how each foundation

influences the curriculum development
Curriculum development is anchored on a very
solid foundation. Although considered to be a new
discipline, its significance in the light of global
developments has now been acknowledged. \Vhat
philosophical, historical, psychological and
sociological influences inform the current school
curriculum? How do these foundations reflect the
development of curriculum in our 21' century
classrooms and learning environment? Who are
the identified curricularists with these
foundations? Let us find out!
Foundations of Curriculum

1. Philosophical Foundations
Educators, teachers, educational planners and policy makers
must have a philosophy or strong belief about education and
schooling and the kind of curriculum in the teachers' classrooms
or learning environment. Philosophy of the curriculum answers
questions like: What are schools for? What subjects are
important? How should students learn? What methods should he
used'? What outcomes should be achieved'? Why? The various
activities in school are influenced in one way or another by a
philosophy. John Dewey influenced the use of "learning by
doing", he being a pragmatist. Or to an essentialist, the focus is
on the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic, the
essential subjects in the curriculum.
There are many philosophies in education but we will illustrate only
those as presented by Ornstein and Hunkins in 2004.
Plato, Aristotle or Thomas Aquinas
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) and Liberal Arts

Wiliam Bagley (1974-1946)

B. Essentialism
Aim: To promote intellectual growth of learners to become
competent
Role: Teachers are sole authorities in the subject area.
Focus: Essential skills of the 3Rs; essential subjects
Trends: Back to basics, Excellence in education, cultural literacy
John Dewey (1859-1952)
C. Progressivism
Aim: Promote democratic social living
Role: Teacher leads for growth and development of lifelong learners
Focus: Interdisciplinary subjects. Learner- centered. Outcomes-based
Trends: Equal opportunities for all, Contextualized curriculum, Humanistic
education

Theodore Brameld (1904-1987)

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
2. Historical Foundations
Where is curriculum development coming from? The
historical foundations will show to us the chronological
development along a time line. Reading materials would
tell us that curriculum development started when
Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956) wrote the book "The
Curriculum." Let us see how each one contributed to
curriculum development during his own time. Here are
eight among the many whom we consider to have great
contributions.
Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956)
• He started the curriculum development movement.
Curriculum as a science that emphasizes students'
needs.
•Curriculum prepares learners for adult life.
•Objectives and activities should group together when
tasks are clarified.

Werret Charters (1875-1952)

•Like Bobbit, he posited that curriculum is science and
emphasizes students' needs.
•Objectives and activities should match. Subject matter
or content relates to objectives.
William Kilpartick (1875-1952)
•Curricula are purposeful activities which are child-
centered.
•The purpose of the curriculum is child development and growth.
He introduced this project method where teacher and student
plan the activities.
•Curriculum develops social relationships and small group
instruction.

Harold Rugg (1886-1960)

•Curriculum should develop the whole child. It is child-
centered.
•With the statement of objectives and related learning
activities, curriculum should produce outcomes.
•He emphasized social studies and suggested that the
teacher plans curriculum in advance.
Hollis Caswell (1901-1989)
•Curriculum is organized around social functions
interest.
•Curriculum, instruction and learning are interrelated
•Curriculum is a set of experiences. Subject matter is
developed around social functions and learners
interests.

Ralph Tyler (1902-1994)

•Curriculum is a science and an school's philosophy. It is based on
students need and interest.
•Curriculum is always related to instruction, Subject matter is
organized in terms of knowledge, skills and values.
•The process emphasizes problem solving,Curriculum aims to
educate generalists and not specialists.
Hilda Taba (1902-1967)

•She contributed to the theoretical and pedagogical

foundations of concepts development and critical
thinking in social studies curriculum.
•She helped lay the foundation for diverse student
population.

Peter Oliva (1992-2012)

•He described curriculum change as a cooperative

endeavor.
•Teachers and curriculum specialist constitute the
professional core of planners.
•Significant improvement is achieved through group
activity.
3. Psychological Foundation of Curriculum

Psychology provides a basis to understand the teaching and

learning process. It unifies elements of the learning process.
Questions which can be addressed by psychological
foundations of education are: How should curriculum be
organized to enhance learning? What is the optimal level of
students' participation in learning the various contents of the
curriculum? In this module, we shall consider three groups of
learning theories: behaviorism or association theories; cognitive-
information processing theories and humanistic theories
(Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004).
Let us review some theories in learning related to these clusters
of learning theories.
Association and Behaviorism
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)

•He is the father of the classical conditioning theory, the S-R

theory.
•The key to learning is early years of life is to train them what
you want them to become.
•S-R Theory is a foundation of learning practice called
indoctrination.

Edward Thorndike (1874-1949)

•He championed the connectionism theory.

•He proposed the three laws of learning:
Law of readiness
Law of exercise
Law of effect
•Specific stimulus has specific response.
Robert Gagne (1916-2002)

•He proposed the hierarchical learning theory.

Learning follows a hierarchy.
•Behavior is based on prerequisite conditions.
•He introduced tasking in the formulation
objectives.
Cognitive Information Processing Theory

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

Theories of Jean Piaget

•Cognitive development has stages from birth
to maturity.
•Sensorimotor stage (0-2), preoperational stage (2-7), concrete
operations stage (7-11) and formal operations (11 - onwards).

Keys to learning
•Assimilation (incorporation of new
experience)
•Accommodation (learning modification and adaptation)
•Equilibration (balance between previous and later learning)
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

Theories of Lev Vygotsky

•Cultural transmission and development stage. Children
could, as a result of their interaction with society, actually
perform certain cognitive actions prior to arriving at
developmental stage.
•Learning precedes development.
•Sociocultural development theory.

Keys to Learning
•Pedagogy creates learning processes
that lead to development.
•The child is an active agent in his or her
educational process.
Howard Gardner

Gardner's multiple intelligences

•Humans have several different ways of processing information
and these ways are relatively independent of one another.
•There are eight intelligences: linguistic, logico-mathematical,
musical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal,
and naturalistic

Daniel Goleman

•Emotion contains the power to affect action.

•He called this Emotional Quotient.
 Humanistic Psychology

Gestalt

Gestalt Theory
• Learning is explained in terms of "wholeness" of the problem.
• Human beings do not respond to isolated stimuli but to an
organization or pattern of stimuli.

Keys to learning
• Learning is complex and abstract.
• Learners analyze the problem, discriminate between essential and
nonessential data, and perceive relationships.
• Learners will perceive something in relation to the whole. What/how
they perceive is related to their previous experiences.
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

•He advanced the Self-Actualization Theory

•Classic theory of human needs
•A child whose basic needs are not not be interested in acquiring knowledge of
the world.
•He put importance to human emotions based on love and trust.

Key to learning
•Produce a healthy and happy learner who can accomplish, grow and actualize
his or her human self.

Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

Nondirective and therapeutic learning

•He established counselling procedures and methods for facilitating
learning.
•Children's perceptions, which are highly individualistic, influence their
learning and
behaviour in class.
Key to learning
•Curriculum is concerned with process, not product; personal needs, not
Social Foundations of Curriculum
Schools and Society

•Society as a source of change

•Schools as agents of change
•Knowledge as an agent of change

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

•Influence of society and social context in

education
•Things that surround individuals can change,
develop their behavior.
•Considered two fundamental elements which are schools and
civil society
Alvin Toffler

•Wrote the book Future Shock

•Believed that knowledge should prepare students for
the future
•Suggested that in the future, parents might have the
resources to teach prescribed curriculum from home as
a result of technology, not in spite of it. (Home
Schooling)
•Foresaw schools and students worked creatively,
collaboratively, and independent of their age
Other Theorists

Paolo Freire 1921-1997

•Education as a means of shaping the person and

society through critical reflections
and"conscientization"
•Teachers use questioning and problem posing
approach to raise students' consciousness
•Emphasis on questioning problem posing and
critical thinking
•Major book: Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 1968
John Goodlad 1920-2014

•Curriculum organized around needs of society and

the students
•Reduce student conformity in classroom
•Constant need for school improvement
•Emphasis on active learning and critical thinking ➤
•Involvement of students in planning curriculum
content and instructional activities
•Need to align content with standards
•Major book: A Place Called Schools, 1984; What
Are Schools For? 1989
William Pinar 1947-

•Broaden the conception of curriculum to enrich

the practice
•Understand the nature of the educational
experience
•Curriculum involves multiple disciplines
•Curriculum should be studied from a
historical,racial, gendered, phenomenological,
postmodern,
theological and international perspectives.
In summary, the foundation upon which curriculum
is base are educational philosophies, historical
developments, psychologic explanations, and
societal influences. All of these foundations
interrelated.
 THANK YOU !
Prepared by:Cambiel
&
Reference:The teacher
Moreño and the school
curriculum (Book)