Module 2: The Teacher as a Knower of Curriculum

Module Overview:

Module 2 describes the school curriculum in terms of its definition, its nature and scope,
are needed by the teacher as a knower. This module provides a wider perspective for the teachers
which about the curriculum, in terms of curriculum approach, curriculum development process,
some curriculum models and the foundations upon which curriculum is anchored.

The School Curriculum: Definition, Nature and Scope

 Define curriculum from different perspectives.

 Describe the nature and scope of curriculum.

Read today’s 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 or Distraction?”
5. “Parents Get Involved in School Learning”

What can you say of 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 headline to the classroom curriculum?

Each member of society seems to view school curriculum differently, hence there are varied
demands on what schools should do and what curriculum should be taught. Some would demand
reducing content and shifting emphasis to development of lifelong skills. Others feel that
development of character has been placed at the back seat of some school. More debates are
emerging on the use of languages in the classroom. Should it be mother tongue, the national
language or the global language?

There seems to be confusion about what curriculum should really be. To have a common
understanding of what curriculum really is, this lesson will present some definitions as given by
authors. Likewise, you will find in this lesson the description of the nature and scope of
curriculum from several points of view. This lesson will also explain how curriculum is being
approaches. It further shows a development process as a concept and as a process as applied to
school curriculum.

Content Focus

Whether curriculum is take in its narrow view as 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 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 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 originates from the Latin word currere
referring to the oval track upon which Roman chariots raced. The New International Dictionary
defines curriculum as the whole body of a course in an educational institution or by a
department while the Oxford English Dictionary defines curriculum as courses taught in school
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 student encounters while in school. Numerous definitions indicate dynamism which
connotes diverse interpretations as influenced by modes of thoughts, pedagogies, philosophies,
political as well as cultural perspectives. Here are some of them.

Some Definitions of Curriculum

1. Curriculum is a planned and guides set of learning experiences and intended outcomes,
formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences under
the auspices of the school, for the learners’ continuous and willful 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 a 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)
4. A curriculum includes “all of 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 framework 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 wills 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 behavior changes in students as a result of planned activities
and 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 should the young acquire them?
(Cronbeth, 1992)

Some Points of View of Other Curricularists

Since the concept and meaning of curriculum are shaped by a person’s point of view, this
has added to fragmentation, and some confusion. However, when put together, the different
definitions rom the 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 even psychological orientations. These views can
also define what a curriculum is all about.

Curriculum from Traditional Point of View

The traditional points of view of curriculum were advanced by Robert Hutchins, Arthur
Bestor, and Joseph Schwab.

 Robert M. Hutchins views curriculum as “permanent studies” where rules of grammar,

reading, rhetoric, logic and mathematics for basic education are emphasized. The 3Rs
(Reading, Writing, ‘rithmetic) should be emphasized in basic education while liberal
education while liberal education should be the emphasis in college.
 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 include mathematics, science,
history and foreign language.
 Joseph Schwab thinks that the sole source of curriculum is a discipline thus the subject
areas as Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, English and many more. In college,
academic disciplines are labelled as humanities, sciences, languages, mathematics among
others. He coined the word disciplines as a ruling doctrine for curriculum development.
  Phillip Phenix asserts that curriculum should consist entirely of knowledge which comes
from various disciplines.

Collectively from the traditional view of theorists like Hutchins, Schwab, Bestor and Phenix,
curriculum can be defined as a field of study. Curriculum is highly academic and is
concerned with broad historical, philosophical, psychological and social issues. From a
traditional view, curriculum is mostly written documents such syllabus, course of study,
books and references where knowledge is found but is used as a means to accomplish
intended goals.

Curriculum from Progressive Points of View

On the other hand, a listing of school subjects, syllabi, course of study, and specific
discipline does not make a curriculum. In its broadest terms, a progressive view of
curriculum is the total learning experiences of the individual. Let us look into how
curriculum is defined from a progressive point of view.

 John Dewey believes that education is experiencing. Reflective thinking is a means

that unifies curricular elements that are tested by application.
 Holin Caswell and Kenn Campbell viewed curriculum as all experiences children
have under the guidance of teachers.
 Othaniel Smith, William Stanley and Harlan Shore likewise defined 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.
 Colin Marsh and George Willis also viewed curriculum as all the experiences in the
classroom which are planned and enacted by the teacher and also learned by the
students.

The nature of curriculum has given rise to many interpretations, depending on a person’s
philosophical beliefs. Let us put all of these interpretations in a summary.

CURRICULUM is what is taught in school, a set of subjects, a content, a program of

studies, a set of materials, a sequence of courses, a set of performance objectives, everything that
goes within the school. It is what is taught inside and outside of school directed by the teacher,
everything planned by school, a series of experiences undergone by learners in school or what
individual learner experiences as a result of school. In short, Curriculum is the total learning
experiences of the learner, under the guidance of the teacher.
 Traditional or Progressive: What is your View of Curriculum?

1. What is your own definition of a curriculum? Write down your answer in the space
provided.
Answer:
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2. Do you have a traditional view of a curriculum, a progressive view or both? Explain your
view based on your definition.
Answer:
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Label the description/definition on the left with either Traditional (T), or Progressive (P).
Put a check on your choice.

No. Description (T) (P)

1. Teachers are required to teach the book from cover to cover.
2. If the learners can memorize the content, then the curriculum is
best.
3. Children are given opportunity to play outdoors.
4. Parents send children to a military type school with rigid
discipline.
5. Teachers are reluctant to teach beyond the written curriculum.
6. Prerequisites to promotion for the next grade are skills in reading,
writing and arithmetic only.
 7. Teachers provide varied experiences or the children.
8. Learning can only be achieved in schools.
9. It is the systematic arrangement of contents in the course syllabus.
10. Co-curricular activities are planned for all to participate.

Pick up a daily newspaper and read today’s headline. Choose one and reflect on this
headline that relates on curriculum and to your becoming a curricularist. Write your answer in at
least two paragraphs.
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Approaches to School Curriculum

Describe the different approaches to school curriculum.

 Explain by examples by how the approaches clarify the definition of curriculum.
 Reflect on how the three approaches interrelate with each other.

From the various definitions, we realized that curriculum is viewed in many ways. Let us
look back and use the definitions as a way of classifying how curriculum is viewed. In this
lesson, let us look at the curriculum as either a Content, a Process or a Product to fully
understand the different perspectives of what curriculum is all about. This can be one way of
approaching a curriculum.

Content Focus

Three Ways of Approaching a Curriculum

 Curriculum can be approached or seen in three ways. It can be defined as a content, a
process or an outcome. If you examine the definitions provided by the experts in the field, there
are three ways of approaching a curriculum. First, is to approach it as content or a body of
knowledge to be transmitted. Second, is to approach it is a product or the learning outcomes
desired of learners. Third, is to approach it as a process or what actually happens in the
classroom when the curriculum is practiced.

1. Curriculum as a Content or Body of Knowledge

It is quite common for traditionalists to equate a curriculum as a topic outline, subject matter,
or concepts to be included in the syllabus or a books. For example, a primary school mathematics
curriculum consists of topics on addition, multiplication, subtraction, division. Distance, weight
and many more. Another example is in secondary school science that involves the study of
biological science, physical science, environmental science and earth science. Textbooks tend to
begin with biological science such are plants and animals, physical science with the physical
elements, force and motion, earth science with the layers of the earth and environmental science
with the interaction of the biological and physical science and earth’s phenomena, climate,
vegetation followed by economic activities such as agriculture, mining, industries, urbanization
and so forth.

If curriculum us equated as content, then the focus will be the body of knowledge to be
transmitted to students using appropriate teaching method. There can be a likelihood that
teaching will be limited the acquisition of facts, concepts and principles of the subject matter,
however, the content or subject matter can also be taken as a means to an end.

All curricula have content regardless of their design or models. The fund of knowledge is the
repository of accumulated discoveries and inventions of man from the explorations of the earth
and as products of research. In most educational setting, curriculum is anchored on a body of
knowledge or discipline.

There are four ways of presenting the content in the curriculum. These are:

1. Topical approach, where much content is based on knowledge, and experiences and
included;
2. Concept approach with fewer topics in clusters around major and sub-concepts and their
interaction, with relatedness emphasized.
3. Thematic approach as a combination of concepts that develop conceptual structures, and
4. Modular approach that leads to complete units of instruction.

Criteria in the Selection of Content

 These are some suggested criteria in the selection of knowledge or subject matter.
(Scheffer, 1970 in Bilbao, et al 2009)

1. Significance. Content should contribute to ideas, concepts, principles and generalization that
should attain the overall purpose of the curriculum. It is significant if content becomes the
means of developing cognitive, affective or psychomotor skills of the learner. As education is
a way of preserving culture, content will be significant when this will address the cultural
context of the learners.
2. Validity. The authenticity of the subject matter forms its validity. Knowledge becomes
obsolete with the fast changing times. Thus there is a need for validity check and verification
at a regular interval, because content which may be valid in its original form may not
continue to be valid in the current times.
3. Utility. Usefulness of the content in the curriculum is relative to the learners who are going
to use these utility can be relative to time. It may have been useful in the past, but may not be
useful now or in the future. Questions like: Will I use this in my future job? Will it add
meaning to my lie as a lifelong learner? Or will the subject matter be useful in solving
current concerns?
4. Learnability. The complexity of the content should be within the range of experiences of the
learners. This is based on the psychological principles of learning. Appropriate organization
of content standards and sequencing of contents are two basic principles that would influence
learnability.
5. Feasibility. Can the subject content be learned within the time allowed, resources available,
expertise of the teachers and the nature of the learners? Are the contents of learning which
can be learned beyond the formal teaching-learning engagement? Are there opportunities
provided to learn these?
6. Interest. Will the learners take interest in the content? Why? Are the contents meaningful?
What value will the contents have in the present and future life of the learners? Interest is one
of the driving forces for students to learn better.

The selection of the subject matter or content, aside from the seven criteria mentioned earlier,
may include the following guide in the selection of the CONTENT.

Guide in the Selection of the Content in the Curriculum

In 1952, Palma proposed the principle of BASIC as a guide in addressing CONTENT in

the curriculum. B.A.S.I.C. refers to Balance, Articulation, Sequence, Integration and Continuity.
In organizing content or putting together subject matter, these principles are useful as a guide.

Balance. Content should be fairly distributed in depth and breadth. This will guarantee
that significant contents should be covered to avoid too much or too little of the contents needed
within the time allocation.
 Articulation. As the content complexity progresses with the educational levels, vertically
or horizontally, across the same discipline smooth connections or bridging should be provided.
This will assure no gaps or overlaps in the content. Seamlessness in the content is desired and
can be assured if there is articulation in the curriculum. Thus, there is a need of team among
writers and implementers of curriculum.
Sequence. The logical arrangement of the content refers to sequence or order. This can
be done vertically for deepening the content or horizontally for broadening the same content. In
both ways, the pattern usually is from easy to complex, what is known to the unknown, what is
current to something in the future.
Integration. Content in the curriculum does not stand alone or in isolation. It has some
ways of relatedness or connectedness to other contents. Contents should be infused in other
disciplines whenever possible. This will provide a wholistic or unified view of curriculum
instead of segmentation. Contents which can be integrated to other disciplines acquire a higher
premium than when isolated.
Continuity. Content when viewed as a curriculum should continuously flow as it was
before, to where it is now, and where it will be in the future. It should be perennial. It endures
time. Content may not be in the same form and substance as seen in the past since changes and
developments in curriculum occur. Constant repetition, reinforcement and enhancement of
content are all elements of continuity.

2. Curriculum as a Process

We have seen that the curriculum can be approached as content. On the other hand, it can be
approached as a process. Here, curriculum is not seen as a physical thing or a noun, but as a verb
or an action. It is the interaction among the teachers, students and content. As a process,
curriculum happens in the classroom as the questions asked by the teacher and the learning
activities engaged in by the students. It is an active process with emphasis on the context in
which the processes occur. Used in analogy of the recipe in a cookbook, a recipe is the content
while the ways of cooking is the process.

Curriculum as a process is seen as a scheme about the practice of teaching. It is not a package
of materials or a syllabus of content to be covered. The classroom is only part of the learning
environment where the teacher places action using the content to achieve an outcome. Hence the
process of teaching and learning becomes the central concern of teachers to emphasize critical
thinking, thinking meaning-making and heads-on, hands-on doing and many others.

As a process, curriculum links to the content. While content provides materials on what to
teach, the process provides curriculum on how to teach the content. When accomplished, the
process will result to various curriculum experiences for the learners. The intersection of the
content and process is called the Pedagogical Content Knowledge or PCK. It will address the
question: If you have this content, how will you teach it?
 This section will not discuss in detail the different teaching strategies from where learning
experiences are derived. Rather, it will describe how the process as a descriptor of curriculum is
understood. The content is the substance of the curriculum, how the contents will be
communicated and learned will be addressed by the process.

To teachers, the process is very critical. This is the other side of the coin: instruction,
implementation, teaching. These three words connote the process in the curriculum. When
educators ask teachers: what curriculum are you using? Some of the answers will be: 1. Problem-
Based. 2. Hands-on, Minds On 3. Cooperative Learning 4. Blended Curriculum 5. On-line 6.
Case-based and many more. These responses approach curriculum as a process. These are the
ways of teaching, ways of managing the content, guiding learning, methods of teaching and
learning and strategies of teaching or delivery modes. In all of these, there are activities and
actions that every teacher and learner do together or learners are guided by the teacher. Some of
the strategies are time-tested traditional methods while others are emerging delivery modes.

When curriculum is approached as a PROCESS, guiding principles are presented.

1. Curriculum process in the form of teaching methods or strategies are means to achieve the
end.
2. There is no single best process or method. Its effectiveness will depend on the desired
learning outcomes, the learners, support materials and the teacher.
3. Curriculum process should stimulate the learners’ desire to develop the cognitive, affective,
psychomotor domains in each individual.
4. In the choice of methods, learning and teaching styles should be considered.
5. Every method or process should result to learning outcomes which can be described as
cognitive, affective and psychomotor.
6. Flexibility in the se of the process or methods should be considered. An effective process will
always result to learning outcomes.
7. Both teaching and learning are the two important processes in the implementation of the
curriculum.

3. Curriculum as a Product

Besides viewing curriculum as content that is to be transmitted, or process that gives action
using the content, it has also been viewed as a product. In other words, product is what the
students desire to achieve as a learning outcomes.

The product from the curriculum is a student equipped with the knowledge, skills and values
to function effectively and efficiently. The real purpose of education is to bring about significant
changes in students’ pattern of behavior. It is important that any statement of objectives or
intended outcomes of the school should be a statement of changes of take place in the students.
Central to the approach is the formulation of behavioral objectives stated as intended learning
outcomes or desired products so that

content and teaching methods may be organized and the results evaluated. Products of
learning are operationalized as knowledge, skills and values.

Curriculum product is expressed in form of outcomes which are referred to as the achieved
learning outcomes. There may be several desired learning outcomes, but if the process is not
successful, then no learning outcomes will be achieved. These learned or achieved learning
outcomes are demonstrated by the person who has meaningful experiences in the curriculum. All
of these are result of planning content and processes in the curriculum.

Making an Inventory of Curriculum Approach as Content, Process and Product

Instruction: Choose a book that is being used in elementary, high school or college. Identify the
following: Content. Process, Product.

Inventory of the Curriculum Content, Process and Product

Title of the Book:
Grade Level:
Subject Area Used:

NO. CONTENT PROCESS PRODUCT/OUTCOME

Example: Example: Example:
 A. Type of curriculum A. Individual A. Lists of types o
in the classroom research curriculum.
B. Interview B. Skill in interview
C. Observation and observation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Instruction: Match the CONCEPT in Column II with the CHOICES in Column III. Write the
letter of your ANSWER in Column I.

I. ANSWER II. CONCEPTS III. CHOICES

1. Curriculum as way of A. Content
doing
2. Authenticity of the B. Process
content
3. Curriculum as the C. Product
subject matter
4. Fair distribution of the D. Validity
content across the
subjects
5. Curriculum as the E. Balance
outcome of learning
6. Seamless flow of F. Articulation
content vertically or
horizontally in the
curriculum
7. Evidence of G. Sequence
successful teaching
8. Enduring and H. Integration
perennial content,
from past to future
9. Allowing the transfer I. Continuity
of content to other
fields
 10.Arranging of content J. Learning Outcomes
from easy to difficult

Instruction: After learning from this lesson, how would you prepare yourself to become a
teacher, using the three approaches to Curriculum? Write on the space below.

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