TEACHERS’ EDUCATION PROGRAM

BACHELOR OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

THIRD YEAR

TEACHERS AND THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM

PEd 7
STUDENT LEARNING MODULE 2
Curriculum Essentials
Teacher as a Knower of the Curriculum
“The School Curriculum: Definition, Nature and Scope ”

POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE OF BOTOLAN

Botolan, Zambales

NOTE:
Do not write anything on this module. You may write your answers on the separate sheet/s underneath of
this Student Learning Module.

Module 2 | page 1
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE OF BOTOLAN
Botolan Zambales
Email: polytechniccollegeofbotolan@gmail.com
Website: www.pcbzambales.com
Mobile Number: 09491153113

TEACHER AND SCHOOL CURRICULUM (PEd 7)

I. Module Title: Module 2: Curriculum Essentials

Teacher as a Knower of the Curriculum
“The School Curriculum: Definition, Nature and Scope”

II. Expected Learning Output:

After reading student realizes what the different point of view on the curriculum are.
Define curriculum from the different perspective
Describe the nature and scope of curriculum.

III. Motivation: We can read from the different newspapers the following headlines:
1) “Philippines Shifts to K to 12 Curriculum”
2) “Nature Deficit Syndrome On the Rise Among School Children ”
3) “Teachers are Reluctant to Teach Beyond the Written Curriculum”
4) “Co-curricular Activities: Learning Opportunities Distraction? ”
5) “Parents Get Involve in School Learning”
6) “Education Cannot Wait”

Activity 1: What can you say about these headlines?

Do these reflect what are going on in our schools?
Should the public know and be involved in the schooling of their citizens?
What are the implications of each headlines to the classroom curriculum?

IV. Introduction: There so many definitions of curriculum. Because of this, the concept of the curriculum is
sometimes characterized as fragmentary, elusive and confusing. However, the numerous definitions indicate
dynamism that connote diverse interpretations of what curriculum is all about. The definitions are influenced by
modes of thoughts, pedagogies, and political as well as cultural experiences.

IV. Subject Content:

Whether curriculum is taken in its narrow view was a listing of subjects to be taught in schools or broadly
as all learning experiences that individuals undergo while in school, we cannot deny the fact that the curriculum
should be understood by teachers and other stakeholders for curriculum affects all teachers, students, parents,
politicians, businessmen, professionals, government officials or even the common people.

Like many concepts in education, there seem there seems to be no common definition of “curriculum ”.
Because of this, the concept of curriculum is sometimes characterized as fragmentary, elusive and confusing.
However, the word originated from a Latin word ‘currere’ referring to the oval track upon which Roman chariots
raced. The New International Dictionary defines curriculum as the whole body of course in an educational
institution or by a department while the Oxford English Dictionary defines curriculum as courses taught in schools
or universities. Curriculum means different things to different people. Sometimes educators equate curriculum with
the syllabus while a few regard it as all the teaching-learning experiences which the students encountered while in
school. Numerous definitions indicate dynamism which connotes diverse interpretation as influenced by modes of
thoughts, pedagogies, philosophies, political as well as cultural perspectives. Here are some of them:

1) Curriculum is a planned and guided set of learning experiences and intended outcomes, formulated
through the systematics reconstruction of knowledge and experiences under the auspices of the school, for
the learners’ continuous and wilful growth in personal social competence (Daniel Tanner, 1980).
2) It is a written document that systematically describes goals planned, objectives, content, learning activities,
evaluation procedures and so forth (Pratt, 1980).
3) The contents of the subject, concepts and tasks to be acquired, planned activities, the desired learning
outcomes and experiences, product of culture and an agenda to reform society make up a curriculum
(Schubert, 1987).

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 4) A curriculum includes “all the experiences that individual learners have in a program of education whose
purpose is to achieve broad goals and related specific objectives, which is planned in terms of a frame
work of theory and research or past and present professional practice (Hass, 1987).
5) It is a programme of activities (by teachers and pupils) designed so that pupils will attain so far as possible
certain educational and other schooling ends or objectives (Grundy, 1987).
6) It is a plan that consists of learning opportunities for a specific time frame and place, a tool that aims to
bring about behaviour changes in students as a result of planned activities that includes all learning
experiences received by students with the guidance of the school (Goodland and Su, 1992).
7) It provides answers to three questions. 1) What knowledge, skills and values are most worthwhile? 2)
Why are they most worthwhile? 3) How the young acquire them? (Cronbeth1992).

Some points of view of other Curricularists.

Since the concepts and meaning of curriculum are shaped by a person ’s point of view, this has added to
fragmentation, and some confusion. However when we put together, the different definitions from diverse points of
view, would describe curriculum as dynamic and perhaps ever changing.

Points of view about the curriculum can either be traditional or progressive according to the person ’s
philosophical, psychological and psychological orientations. These views can also can also define what a
curriculum is all about.

A. TRADITIONAL POINTS OF VIEW OF CURRICULUM

In the early years of the 20 th century, the traditional concepts held of the “curriculum is that it is the
body of subjects or subject matter prepared by the teachers for the students to learn. ” It was synonymous
to the “course study” and “syllabus.”

Robert M. Hutchins views curriculum as “permanent studies” where the rules of grammar, reading,
rhetoric and logic and mathematics for basic education are emphasized. Basic education should
emphasize the 3-Rs and the college education should be grounded on liberal education. On the other
hand, Arthur Bestor as an essentialist, believes that the mission of the school should be intellectual
training, hence curriculum should focus on the fundamental intellectual disciplines of grammar, literature
and writing. It should also include mathematics, science, history and foreign language.

The definition lead us to the view of Joseph Schwab that discipline is the sole source of curriculum.
Thus in our education system, curriculum is divided into chunks of knowledge we call subject areas in
basic education such as English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and others. In college, discipline
may include humanities, sciences, languages and many more. To Phillip Phenix, curriculum should
consist entirely of knowledge which come from various disciplines.

Academic discipline became the view of what curriculum is after the cold war and the race to space.
Joseph Schwab, a leading curriculum theorist coined the term discipline as a ruling doctrine for curriculum
development. Curriculum should be consist only of knowledge which come from disciplines which is the
sole source.

Thus curriculum can be viewed as a field of study. It is made up of its four foundations (to be discuss
on the next module); domains of knowledge as well as its research theories and principles. Curriculum is
taken as scholarly and theoretical. It is concerned with the broad historical, philosophical and social issues
and academics.

Most of the traditional ideas view of curriculum as written documents or a plan of action in
accomplishing goals.

B. PROGRESSIVE POINTS OF VIEW OF CURRICULUM

On the other hand, to a progressivist, a listing of school subjects, syllabi, course of study, and the list
of courses or specific discipline do not make a curriculum. These can only be called if the written materials
are actualized by the learner. Broadly speaking, curriculum is defined as a total learning experiences of
the individual. This definition is anchored on John Dewey’s definition of experience and education. He
believed that reflective thinking is a means that unifies curricular elements. Thought is not derived from the
action but tested by application.

Module 2 | page 3
 Caswell and Campbell viewed curriculum as “all experiences children have under the guidance of
teachers.” This definitions is shared by Smith, Stanley and Shores when they define “curriculum as a
sequence of potential experiences set up in schools for the purpose of disciplining children and youth in
group ways of thinking and acting”.

Mars and Willis on the other hand view curriculum as all the “experiences in the classroom which are
planned and enacted by the TEACHER, and also learned by the STUDENTS.

Reflection: Do you have a traditional view of a curriculum, a progressive view or both? Explain your
view based on your own definition.

C. POINTS OF VIEW ON CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

From the various definitions and concepts presented, it is clear that curriculum is a dynamic process.
Development connotes changes which are systematic. A change for the better means any alteration,
modification or improvement should be purposeful, planned and progressive. This is how curriculum
evolves.

Let us look at the two models of curriculum development and concepts of Ralph Tyler and Hilda Taba.

Ralph Tyler Model: Four Basic Principles. This is also popularly known as Tyler ’s Rationale. He
posited four fundamental questions or principles in examining any curriculum in schools. These four
fundamental principles are as follows:

1. What educational purpose 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 or not?

In summary, Tyler’s Model show that in curriculum development, the following considerations should
be made: a) Purposes of the school, 2) Educational experiences related to the purposes, 3) Organization
of the experiences, and 4) Evaluation of the experiences.

On the other hand, Hilda Taba improved on Tyler’s Rationale by making a linear model. She believed
that the teachers who teach or implement the curriculum should participate in developing it. Her advocacy
was commonly called the grassroots approach. She presented seven major steps to her model where
teachers could have a major input.

These steps are as follows:

1. Diagnosis of learners needs and expectations of the larger society
2. Formulation of learning objectives
3. Selection of learning content
4. Organization of the learning content
5. Selection lf learning experiences
6. Organization of the learning activities
7. Determination of what to evaluate and the same means of doing it.

Thus as you look into curriculum models, the three interacting processes in curriculum development
are planning, implementing and evaluating.

From the various concepts give, Allan Glatthorn (2000) describes seven types of curriculum operating
in the schools which was discussed on the first module. These are the following:

1. Recommended (Ideal) curriculum

2. Written curriculum (Intended, Official)
3. Taught curriculum
4. Supported
5. Assessed (Tested) curriculum
6. Learned (Achieved) curriculum
7. Hidden (Implicit) curriculum

Module 2 | page 4
 Activity 2: Identify some practices that can be considered as following the traditional orientation and
those that are progressive in orientation. Give examples or illustrations. (You can use yellow pad for your
answer)

POINTS OF VIEW OF ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF

CURRICULUM PRACTICES

Traditional Curricular Practices

Progressive Curricular Practices

Portfolio: Pick up a daily newspaper or listen to a radio or watch TV and have today ’s headline. Choose
one and reflect on this headline that relates on curriculum and to your becoming curricularist. Write your
answer in at least two paragraphs.

Self Check: Label the description/definition on the left with either Traditional (T), or Progressive (P).
No. Description (T) (P)
R 1 Teachers are required to teach the book from cover to cover. ef
er 2 If the learners can memorize the content, then the curriculum is best. en
ce 3 Children are given opportunity to play outdoors. s:
4 Curriculum
ParentsDevelopment : Purita
send children to aP. Bilbao,type
military Ed.D.
ofet. Al. with rigid discipline.
school
5 Teachers are reluctant to teach beyond the written curriculum.
Curriculum Development for Teachers : Purita P. Bilbao, Ed.D. et Al
6 Prerequisites for a promotion for the next grade are skills in reading, writing and
arithmetic
Curriculum only.
Development, A Guide for Teachers and Students : Greg Tabios Pawilen
7 Teachers provide varied experiences for the children.
8 Learning can only be achieved in schools.
9 It is systematic arrangement of contents in the course syllabus.
10 Co-curricular activities are planned for all to participate.

Nilo C. Balangon. Ed.D.

Instructor

Module 2 | page 5