Major Foundations of Curriculum Philosophical Foundations of Curriculum:

Philosophy provides educators, teachers and curriculum makers with framework for planning,
implementing and evaluating curriculum in school. It helps in answering what schools are for, what
subjects are important, how students should learn and what materials and methods should be used. In
decision-making, philosophy provides the starting point and will be used for the succeeding decision-
making.

The following four educational philosophies relate to curriculum:

 Perennialism. The focus in the curriculum is classical subjects, literary analysis and
 considers curriculum as constant.
 Essentialism. The essential skills of the 3 R's and essential subjects of English,
 Science, History, Math and Foreign Language is the focus of the curriculum.
 Progressivism. The curriculum is focused on students' interest, human problems and affairs. The
subjects are interdisciplinary, integrative and interactive.
 Reconstructionism. The focus of the curriculum is on present and future trends and
 issues of national and international interests. Educational philosophy lays the strong foundation
of any curriculum. A curriculum planner or specialist, implementer or the teacher, school heads,
evaluator anchors his/her decision-making process on a sound philosophy.
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Historical Foundations of Curriculum.

Curriculum is not an old field. Majority of scholars would place its beginning in 1918 with the publication
of Franklin Bobbit's book "The Curriculum".

Philippine education came about from various foreign influences. This can be traced back to the glorious
history. Of all foreign educational systems, the American educational system has the greatest influence
on our educational system.

The following six curriculum theorists contributed their views on curriculum:

 Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956)- presented curriculum as a science that

 emphasizes on students' need.
 Werret Charters (1875-1952) - considered curriculum also as a science which
 is based on students' need, and the teachers plan the activities.
 William Kilpatrick (1871-1965) - viewed curriculum as purposeful activities which are child-
centered.
 Harold Rugg (1886-1960) - emphasized social studies in the curriculum and the teacher plans the
lesson in advance.
 Hollis Caswell (1901-1989) - sees curriculum as organized around social
 functions of themes, organized knowledge and earner's interests.
 Ralph Tyler (1902-1994) - believes that curriculum is a science and an extension of school's
philosophy. based on students' need and interests. The historical development shows the
different changes in the purposes, principles and content of the curriculum.
 Psychology provides basis for the teaching and learning process. It unifies elements of the
learning process and some of the questions which can be addressed by psychological
foundations.

Major groups of learning theories:

 Behaviorists Psychology - consider that learning should be organized in order that

students can experience success in the process of mastering the subject matter, and thus,
method of teaching should be introduced in a step by step manner with proper sequencing of
task.
 Cognitive Psychology - focus their attention on how individuals process information and how the
monitor and manage thinking. For the cognitive theorists, learning constitutes a logical method
for organizing and interpreting learning. Learning is rooted in the tradition of subject matter
where teachers use a lot of problem and thinking skills in teaching learning. These are
exemplified by practices like reflective thinking, creative thinking, intuitive thinking, discovery
learning, etc.
 Humanistic Psychology - concerned with how learners can develop their human
potential. Based on Gestalt psychology where learning can be explained in terms of the
wholeness of the problem and where the environment is changing and the learner is
continuously reorganizing his/her perceptions. Curriculum is concerned with the process not the
products, personal needs not subject matter; psychological meaning and environmental
situations.
 Social Foundations of Education. Curriculum Notes Schools exists within the social context.
Societal culture affects and shapes schools and their curricula. The relationship of curriculum
and society is mutual and encompassing. Hence, to be relevant, the curricula should reflect and
preserve the culture of society and its aspirations. At the same time, society should also imbibe
the changes brought about by the formal institutions called schools.

Types of Curriculum Operating in Schools

Allan Glatthorn (2000) describes seven types of curriculum operating in the schools:

1. recommended curriculum - proposed by scholars and professional organizations

2. written curriculum - appears in school, district, division or country documents

3. taught curriculum - what teachers implement or deliver in the classroom and schools

4. supported curriculum - resources-textbooks, computers, audio-visual materials which

support and help in the implementation of the curriculum

5. assessed curriculum - that which is tested and evaluated

6. learned curriculum - what the students actually learn and what is measured

7. hidden curriculum - the unintended curriculum Models of Curriculum Development Ralph

Tyler's Model/Rationale Ralph Tyler considered four considerations in curriculum

 development:

1. purposes of the school

2. educational experiences related to the purposes

3. organization of the experiences

4. evaluation of the experiences

Hilda Taba's Linear Model

Hilda Taba believed that teachers who teach or implement the curriculum should participate in
developing it. Her advocacy was commonly called the "grassroots approach" where teachers could have
a major input. She presented 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

The Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum (EBEC) or the K-12 (R.A. 10533)

The succeeding text were taken verbatim from the article titled “Bridging the Gap: Enhanced Basic
Education through K-12” written by Ricardo Ma. P. G. Ongkiko, which was published on August, 2013,
submitted and posted on September, 2013.

One of the more stirring reforms in the past two decades in the field of education is Republic Act 10533,
or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (“Enhanced Basic

Education Act”). Passed by Congress on January 30, 2013 and approved by the President on May 15,
2013, the law in its full name stands as “An Act Enhancing the Philippine Basic

Education System by Strengthening its Curriculum and Increasing the Number of Years for Basic
Education, Appropriating Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes.” The law became effective on June 4,
2013.

Much debate accompanied the passage of the law. Primarily, the statute mandates the incorporation of
two more years of high school to our basic ten-year education cycle. Critics say the added two years
translate only to a financial burden to parents who can barely afford to send their children to school, to
say nothing of how it fails to accurately address the lack of quality education in the country. Proponents,
on the other hand, suggest that the added time will allow students to learn their lessons with mastery,
thereby ensuring their global competitiveness in the long run. Wherever the debates may lead, the
passage of the law urges us to look forward and observe how the new law might create for us new gains
in employment and socio-economic growth. The first batch of students to begin the K-12 cycle will finish
the full program in 2024.

The Enhanced Basic Education Act establishes the Enhanced Basic Education Program, which espouses
the following objectives:

(1) give every student an opportunity to receive quality education that is globally

competitive based on pedagogically sound curriculum that is at par with international standards,

(2) broaden the goals of high school education for college preparation, vocational

and technical career opportunities as well as creative arts, sports and entrepreneurial employment in a
rapidly changing and increasingly globalized environment, and

(3) make education learner-oriented and responsive to the needs, cognitive and

cultural capacity, the circumstances and diversity of learners, schools and communities through the
appropriate languages of teaching and learning, including the mother tongue as a learning resource
(Sec. 2).

The Enhanced Basic Education Program encompasses at least one (1) year of kindergarten education, six
(6) years of elementary education, and six (6) years of secondary education. Secondary education
includes four (4) years of junior high school and two (2) years of senior high school education (Sec. 4).
The program shall be supported by and implemented through an enhanced basic education curriculum
which the DepEd shall formulate alongside the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), in consultation with other national
agencies and stakeholders including the Department of Labor and Employment, the Professional
Regulation Commission, private and public schools associations, national student organizations, national
teacher organizations, parents-teachers associations and chambers of commerce (Sec. 5).

The Enhanced Basic Education Act offers the following salient features:

Mother-Tongue Based Multi-Lingual Education. Language is recognized to play a strategic role in shaping
the formative years of learners; hence, basic education is to be taught in languages understood by the
students. For kindergarten and the first three (3) years of elementary education, instruction, teaching
materials and assessments is to be given and made in the regional or native language of the learners.
The DepEd will formulate a mother language transition program from Grade 4 to Grade 6 so that Filipino
and English will gradually be introduced as languages of instruction until such time when the two (2)
languages can become the primary languages of instruction at the secondary level (Sec. 4). Twelve
mother tongue languages have been introduced for SY 2012-2013, namely: Bahasa Sug, Bikol, Cebuano,
Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Kapampangan, Maguindanaoan, Meranao, Pangasinense, Tagalog, and
Waray.
Specialized Upper Secondary Education. The law mandates that the enhanced basic education
curriculum shall be designed to ensure the global competitiveness and college readiness of Filipino
graduates (Sec. 5). In this regard, students in their senior year of high school are allowed to choose a
specialization based on their interests, aptitude, and school capacity. Their choice of career tracks will
determine the content of their subjects taken in Grades 11 and 12. A student can choose among three
tracks: (1) Academic, (2) Technical-Vocation-Livelihood, and (3) Sports and Arts. The Academic track
includes three strands: (a) Business, Accountancy, Management; (b) Humanities, Education, Social
Sciences; and (c) Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. (See http://www.gov.ph/k-
12/#Features) After finishing a Technical-Vocational-Livelihood track in Grade 12, a student may obtain a
National Certificate Level II (NC II) from TESDA, provided he passes the competency-based assessment of
the agency. Such a certificate improves his employability in fields like Agriculture, Electronics, and Trade.

To properly guide the students in choosing their chosen career tracks, the DepEd, in coordination with
TESDA and CHED, shall regularly conduct career advocacy activities for secondary level students (Sec. 9).

Teacher Training and Hiring

Current DepEd teachers will be retrained to meet the content and performance standards of the new K-
12 curriculum. Superintendents, principals, subject area coordinators and other instructional school
leaders will likewise be made to undergo training on school leadership (Sec. 7).

Significantly, the law also allows the hiring of non-licensed teachers as part-time teachers in high school.
Should they choose to teach full time, graduates of science, mathematics, statistics engineering, music
and other degree courses with shortages in qualified Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET)
applicants, may teach in their specialized subjects in the elementary and secondary education, provided
that they pass the LET within five years from their date of hiring (Sec. 8(a)). The DepEd and private
institutions may also hire graduates of technical-vocational courses to teach in their specialized subjects
in secondary education, provided, these graduates possess the necessary certification issued by TESDA
(Sec. 8(b)).

All in all, the new law seeks to bridge our basic education with, ultimately, employment in the globalized
world. It does this by harnessing language to improve the way we learn, and by maximizing time spent in
secondary education to equip us with skills for the careers we choose. The implementation of the new
law may be expensive, what with the need to build more classrooms and train more teachers to
accommodate two more years of basic education, but it is about time that we invest heavily in
education, if we should invest in the future of our country at all.

Source: Bridging the Gap: Enhanced Basic Education through K-12/Ricardo Ma. P. G.
Ongkiko/Published: August, 2013/Submission: September, 2013

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The Secondary Social Studies in the K-12

Echoing the Rex Bookstore statement about understanding the 21st Century Society, the Social Studies
in the Basic Eucation and the basis of the K-12 Social Studies Curriculum is to achieve the goal
“Edukasyon para sa Lahat 2015” (Education for All 2015) and the K-12 Philippine Basic Education
Curriculum Framework. The aim of these is for students to develop 21st Century Skills to nourish a
functionally literate and developed Filipino. The overall objective of Social Studies is to hone learners to
become citizens who are investigative, critical thinkers, responsible, productive, environment friendly,
patriotic and values oriented with a nationalistic and global view and value to social and historical topics.
Source: http://www.rexpublishing.com.ph/social-studies/

Themes of Social Studies

Through understanding the history and the structure of the country and the world, Social Studies aim to
develop students into becoming Filipino Citizens who contribute to the nation and the world. To cover
the wide and many topics within social studies, these are the connected themes to guide the whole
social studies curriculum driven from the National Council of Social Studies in the United States. Source:
http://www.rexpublishing.com.ph/social-studies/

National Council for Social Studies

(NCSS) first published national curriculum standards in 1994. Since then, the social studies standards
have been widely and successfully used as a framework for teachers, schools, districts, states, and other
nations as a tool for curriculum alignment and development. However, much has changed in the world
and in education since these curriculum standards were published. This revision aims to provide a
framework for teaching, learning, and assessment in social studies that includes a sharper articulation of
curriculum objectives, and reflects greater consistency across the different sections of the document. It
incorporates current research and suggestions for improvement from many experienced practitioners.
These revised standards reflect a desire to continue and build upon the expectations established in the
original standards for effective social studies in the grades from pre-K through 12.

The approach originally taken in these curriculum standards has been well received in the United States
and internationally; therefore, while the document has been revised and updated, it retains the same
organization around major themes basic to social studies learning. As in the original document, the
framework moves beyond any single approach to teaching and learning and promotes much more than
the transmission of knowledge alone. These updated standards retain the central emphasis of the
original document on supporting students to become active participants in the learning process.

What Is Social Studies and Why Is It Important?

National Council for the Social Studies, the largest professional association for social studies educators in
the world, defines social studies as:

…the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Within the
school program, social studies provide coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as
anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science,
psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics,
and natural sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and
reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an
interdependent world.1

The aim of social studies is the promotion of civic competence—the knowledge, intellectual processes,
and democratic dispositions required of students to be active and engaged participants in public life.
Although civic competence is not the only responsibility of social studies nor is it exclusive to the field, it
is more central to social studies than to any other subject area in schools. By making civic competence a
central aim, NCSS has long recognized the importance of educating students who are committed to the
ideas and values of democracy. Civic competence rests on this commitment to democratic values, and
requires the abilities to use knowledge about one’s community, nation, and world; apply inquiry
processes; and employ skills of data collection and analysis, collaboration, decision-making, and
problem-solving. Young people who are knowledgeable, skillful, and committed to democracy are
necessary to sustaining and improving our democratic way of life, and participating as members of a
global community.

The civic mission of social studies demands the inclusion of all students—addressing cultural, linguistic,
and learning diversity that includes similarities and differences based on race, ethnicity, language,
religion, gender, sexual orientation, exceptional learning needs, and other educationally and personally
significant characteristics of learners. Diversity among learners embodies the democratic goal of
embracing pluralism to make social studies classrooms laboratories of democracy.

In democratic classrooms and nations, deep understanding of civic issues—such as immigration,

economic problems, and foreign policy—involves several disciplines. Social studies marshals the
disciplines to this civic task in various forms. These important issues can be taught in one class, often
designated “social studies,” that integrates two or more disciplines. On the other hand, issues can also
be taught in separate discipline-based classes (e.g., history or geography). These standards are intended
to be useful regardless of organizational or instructional approach (for example, a problem-solving
approach, an approach centered on controversial issues, a discipline-based approach, or some
combination of approaches). Specific decisions about curriculum organization are best made at the local
level. To this end, the standards provide a framework for effective social studies within various curricular
perspectives.