1. PHILOSOPHIES OF
EDUCATION
CURRICULUM DEFINED
GOALS AND STANDARDS
TCHR 6011

2. Philosophy of Education
 Behind every school is a
set of related beliefs—a
philosophy of education—
that influences what and
how students are taught.
 A philosophy of education
answers questions about
the purpose of schooling,
a teacher’s role, what
should be taught, and how
learning should occur.

3. Major Philosophies of Education
 Essentialism: teaches the essential elements of
academic and moral knowledge. “Get back to
basics.” “Teach core curriculum.”
 Perennialism: focuses on universal truths that have
stood the test of time. Urge students to read Great
Books and know concepts that underlie human
knowledge. Curriculum is constant.
 Progressivism: lessons must be relevant to
students. Curriculum is built around experiences,
interests, and needs of students and is
interdisciplinary and integrative.

4. Major philosophies of education,
cont.
 Social reconstructionism: followers separated from
progressivism because they wanted more direct
attention to societal ills. Want to combine study and
social action and believe that education should
ameliorate social problems. Curriculum is on trends
and issues of national and international interests.
 Existentialism: free will is critical; individuals shape
their own futures. Students control their education
and assume responsibility for their actions.

5. Constructivism
 Originated from cognitive
psychology (Lev Vygotsky)
 Based on the idea that people
construct their own understanding
of the world
 Constructivist teachers gauge
students’ prior knowledge and
then orchestrate classroom
experiences to push students to
higher levels of understanding.

6. Behaviorism
 Originated with B. F.
Skinner.
 Rewards motivate students
to learn material even if
they don’t fully understand
its value.
 Behavior modification is a
system of gradually
lessening extrinsic rewards.

7. So what?
 When an educator holds a particular philosophy, the
guiding principles of the philosophy are translated
into the school and classroom.
 How they are interpreted is decided by the state, the
local community, the school board, the school
system, the school, and the individual teacher.
 When these philosophical views work in tandem,
students learn.
 So how do we decide what students should learn?

8. What is Curriculum?
 Root word is “currere” meaning “to run”—as in
“running course”
 Defined as all those experiences students have
while engaged in the process of schooling

9.  1. What educational purposes should the school
seek to attain?
 2. What educational experiences can be
provided that are likely to attain these
purposes?
 3. How can these educational experiences be
effectively organized?
 4. How can we determine whether these
purposes are being attained?
Curriculum expert Ralph Tyler
asked these questions in 1947—
they still stand as the gold
standard!

10. Elements of Curriculum
 Formal curriculum
 Informal curriculum
 Hidden curriculum
 Integrated
curriculum

11. Formal curriculum
 Includes the standard
subjects (reading, writing,
arithmetic, for example)
 Instructional procedures
 State and local guidelines
and policies define the
formal curriculum for what
should be taught.

12. Informal curriculum
 Classroom and school rules
 Has to do with teacher-student relationships
(affect; expectations)
 Discipline policy
 Extracurricular programs
 Dress codes
 Language usage
 Guidelines for behavior outside of school but
for school activities

13. What’s the connection between the
formal and informal curriculum?
 Does the informal curriculum determine the
effectiveness of the formal curriculum?
 Does the informal curriculum determine student
achievement?
 Does the formal curriculum totally define the
school?
 Does the formal curriculum “stay” with the student
as long or longer than the informal curriculum?

14. Hidden curriculum
 Defined as what we teach but never actually
say
 Often thought to be the same as informal—but
is different
 Has to do with the “distribution of power”—how
students are viewed by self and others; self-
worth
 Influences not only what and how they learn,
but later stations in life
 Perpetuates inequality

15. Integrated curriculum
 Interrelatedness between subject/curriculum
areas
 Integration of:
 Students’ past experiences
 Students and school space (classroom media center,
cafeteria, hallways)
 Students’ interests with subject matter
 Variation of age groups
 Lives of teachers with each other and with lives of
students
 Students’ home lives and their school lives

16. Spiral Curriculum
 Curriculum in which
students repeat the
study of a subject at
different grade levels,
each time at a higher
level of difficulty and
in greater depth.

17. Other curriculum types
 Electronic curriculum: learning that occurs while
searching for information on the Internet; students
need critical-learning skills to determine the
quality of information within this curriculum.
 Tested curriculum: body of information on which
students will be tested. Teachers who put more
emphasis on tested curriculum may overlook the
written/formal curriculum.
 Null curriculum: materials or subjects that are
NOT being taught.

18. What is a goal?
 It gives us a
sense of
direction.
 It is a general
expression of our
common values.
 It’s written
broadly enough
to be acceptable
to large numbers
of people.

19. Goal development process
 Ralph Tyler set the standard for establishing
goals.
 He named 5 critical components that have
been used since 1934!
1. Subject matter mastery
2. Societal concerns
3. Student needs and interests
4. Schools’ educational philosophy and priorities
5. What is known about instruction and research

20. Who has set the goals for North
Carolina’s schools?
 How long has
North Carolina had
its goals?
 Have these goals
changed? Why?
 What makes the
goals “good” or
“bad”?

21. Common Core Standards
 http://www.governor.state.nc.us/NewsI
tems/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?newsI
temID=1156
 http://www.corestandards.org/

22. Common Core
 The Common Core State Standards Initiative has
been a state-led effort coordinated by two national
groups: National Governors Association Center for
Best Practices AND the Council of Chief State
School Officers.
 New academic core standards were developed
and experts across the nation worked to provide
clarity and consistency in standards for schools
across state lines.
 These standards have been accepted for use in
North Carolina beginning in 2012, replacing the
North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

23. Common Core
 We need standards to ensure that all students,
no matter where they live, are prepared for
success in postsecondary education and the
workforce.
 Common standards will help ensure that
students are receiving a high quality education
consistently, from school to school and state to
state.
 Common standards will provide a greater
opportunity to share experiences and best
practices within and across states that will
improve our ability to best serve the needs of
students.

24. Common Standards
(from website)
 Standards do not tell teachers how to teach, but they do
help teachers figure out the knowledge and skills their
students should have so that teachers can build the best
lessons and environments for their classrooms.
 Standards help students and parents by setting clear and
realistic goals for success.
 Standards are a first step in providing our young people
with a high-quality education that will prepare them for
success in college and work.
 Of course, standards are not the only thing that is
needed for our children’s success, but they provide an
accessible roadmap for our teachers, parents, and
students.

25. More about the standards
 Are aligned with college and work expectations
 Are clear, understandable and consistent
 Include rigorous content and application of
knowledge through high-order skills
 Build upon strengths and lessons of current state
standards
 Are informed by other top performing countries, so
that all students are prepared to succeed in our
global economy and society
 Are evidence-based