concepts, nature, and purposes of curriculum

1. Concepts, Nature
and Purposes
Of Curriculum

2. •What is curriculum?
•What is its purpose?
•What is its nature?

3. Curriculum from Different Points of
View
• 1. 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”.

4. • “ Basic education should emphasize the 3Rs
and college education should be grounded on
liberal arts.” -- Robert M. Hutchins
• Arthur Bestor believes that curriculum should
focus on the fundamental intellectual
disciplines of grammar, literature and writing.

5. • Joseph Schwab viewed that discipline is the
sole source of curriculum. And to Phenix,
curriculum should consist entirely of
knowledge which comes from various
discipline

6. • 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.

7. • 2. Progressive Points of View of Curriculum
– “ Curriculum is defined as the total learning
experiences of the individual.”
– School subjects, course of study syllabi can only be
called curriculum if the written materials are
actualized by the learners.

8. • 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.
• Caswell and Campbell viewed curriculum as
“all experiences children have under the
guidance of teachers”.

9. • 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 in group ways of thinking and
acting”.
• Marsh and Wills define it as “the experiences in
the classroom which are planned and enacted by
the teachers and also learned by the students”.

10. Points of View on Curriculum
Developmnet
• TWO MODELS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
• 1. Ralph Tyler Model: Four Basic Principles
• A. What educational purposes should the school seek to
attain? (purposes of the school)
• B. What educational experiences can be provided that are
likely to attain the purposes? (educational experiences
related to the purposes)
• C. How can these educational experiences be effectively
organized? (organization of the experiences)
• D. How can we determine whether these purposes are being
attained or not? (evaluation of the experiences)

11. • 2. Hilda Taba’s model- the grassroots
approach.
• Seven Major Steps
• 1. Diagnosis of learners needs and expectations of the
larger society
• 2. Formulation of learning objectives
• 3. Selection of learning content
• 4. Organization of learning content
• 5. Selection of learning experiences
• 6. Organization of learning activities
• 7. Determination of what to evaluate and the means of
doing it.

12. Types of Curriculum Operating in
Schools
• 1. Recommended curriculum – proposed by
scholars and professional organization
• 2. Written Curriculum - documents, course study
or syllabi
• 3.Taught curriculum – what teachers implement
or deliver in the classrooms and schools
• 4. Supported curriculum – resources- textbooks,
computers, audio-visual materials which support
and help in the implementation of the curriculum

13. • 5. Assessed curriculum – that which is tested
and evaluated
• 6. Learned curriculum – what the students
actually learned and what is measured.
• 7. Hidden curriculum – the unintended
curriculum.

14. Major Foundations of Curriculum
• 1. Philosophical Foundation of Curriculum
• A. Educational Philosophy – Perennialism
– Aim of Education – To educate the rational person; to cultivate
the intellect
– Role of Education – Teachers help students think with reason.
Based on the Socratic methods of oral exposition or recitation.
– Focus in the Curriculum – Classical subjects, literary analysis
and curriculum is constant
– Curriculum Trends – Use of great books and return to liberal
arts

15. • B. Educational Philosophy – Essentialism
• Aim of Education – To promote the intellectual growth
of the individual and educate a competent person
• Role of Education – The teacher is the sole authority in
his or her subject area or field of specialization
• Focus in the Curriculum – Essential skills of the 3R’s and
essential subjects of English, Science, History, Math,
and Foreign Language.
• Curriculum Trends – Excellent in education, back to
basics and cultural literacy.

16. • C. Educational Philosophy – Progressivism
– Aim of Education – To promote democratic and social living
– Role of Education – Knowledge leads to growth and
development of lifelong learners who actively learn by doing
– Focus in the Curriculum – Subjects are interdisciplinary
integrative and interactive.
– Curriculum Trends – school reforms, relevant and
contextualized curriculum, humanistic education.

17. • D. Educational Philosophy –
Reconstructionism
– Aim of Education – To improve and reconstruct society
education for a change
– Role of Education – Teachers act as agents of change and
reforms in various educational projects including research.
– Focus in the Curriculum – focus on present and future trends
and issues of national and international interests
– Curriculum Trends – Equality of educational opportunities in
education, access to global education

18. • 2. Historical Foundations of Curriculum
– Some of the curriculum theorists and how they view
curriculum from a historical perspective.
1. Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956) – presented curriculum as a science
that emphasizes on students’ need and prepares students for
adult life.
2. Werret Charters (1875-1952) – like Boobit, to Charters
curriculum is a science.
3. William Kilpatrick (1871-1965) – Curricula are purposeful
activities which are child-centered. The purpose is child
development and growth.
4. Harold Rugg (1886-1960) – to Rugg, curriculum should develop
the whole child. It is child-centered.

19. – 5. Hollis Caswell (1901-1989) – sees curriculum as organized
around social functions of themes, organized knowledge and
learner’s interest.
– 6. Ralph Tyler (1902-1994) – believes that curriculum is a
science and an extension of school’s philosophy. It is based on
students’ needs and interests.

20. Psychological Foundation of Education
• 1. Behaviorist Psychology
» To the behaviorist, learning should be organized in order
that students can experience success in the process of
mastering the subject matter.

21. Psychological Foundation of Education
• 2. Cognitive Psychology
– These psychologists focus their attention on how individuals
process information and how they monitor and manage
thinking.
– To the cognitive theorists, learning constitutes a logical
method for organizing and interpreting learning

22. Psychological Foundation of Education
• 3. Humanistic Psychology
– Humanistic psychologists are concerned with how learners
can develop their human potential. Curriculum is concerned
with the process not the product; personal needs not subject
matter; psychological meaning and environmental situations.

23. Social Foundations of Education
• Schools exist within the social context.
Societal culture affects and shapes schools
and their curricula.
• Society as ever dynamic is a source of very fast
changes which are difficult to cope with and
to adjust to. Thus schools are made to help to
understand to these changes.