CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT MODULE 1

At the end of this module, the student is expected to:

1. learn & understand that curriculum is not merely a list of subjects to be taught &
learned in school, but it includes the total learning experiences of individuals in
schools & in society;
2. explain the nature & purpose of curriculum; and
3. strengthen the knowledge & understanding of the nature, concepts & purposes of
the curriculum.

I. CURRICULUM: CONCEPTS, NATURE & PURPOSES

A. INTRODUCTION

Curriculum, as the foundation of the teaching-learning process, is engaged in the

rapid societal changes and the new responsibilities for the new breed of Filipinos, more
particularly in the fast phase of the societal changes and technological progress at
present brought on by the threat of COVID-19 Pandemic.

It is, therefore, eminent that the development of programs of study, the learning
and teaching resources, lesson plans, assessment of students, and even teacher
education which are all based in curriculum needs to be changed to cope up with the
changing times. According to De Coninck (2008) as mentioned by Dr. Dizon, et al.
(2015), curriculum is now considered to be at the center of daily life and the
responsibility of the society as a whole.

According to Bilbao (2015), curriculum means “to run” implying that one of the
functions of a curriculum is to provide a template or design which enables learning to
take place. The concept of curriculum is dynamic and has many definitions. It can be
defined simply as a list of subjects to be taught in school, or in a broader sense, as the
total learning experiences of an individual, not only in school but in society as well.

There are many definitions of curriculum and because of this, the concept of
curriculum is sometimes characterized as fragmentary, elusive, and confining.
However, the numerous definitions indicate dynamism that connotes diverse
interpretations of what curriculum is all about. The definitions are influenced by models
of thoughts, pedagogies, political as well as cultural experiences. There are different
points of view of curriculum as can be seen in the following.

1. Traditional Points of View of Curriculum

The traditional concepts of the curriculum in the early years of the 20 th

century 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.”

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
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.

Joseph Schwab views discipline as the sole source of curriculum. Thus in

our education system, curriculum is divided into chunks or knowledge we call
subject areas in basic education, such as English, Mathematics, Science, Social
Studies and others. In college, discipline may include humanities, sciences,
language and many more. Curriculum should consist only of knowledge which
comes from disciplines which is the sole source.

Most of the traditional ideas view curriculum as written documents or a

plan of actions in accomplishing goals.

2. Progressive Points of View of Curriculum

To a progressive, a list of school subjects, syllabi, course of study, and a

list of courses or specific discipline do not make a curriculum. These can only be
called curriculum if the written materials are actualized by the learner. Broadly
speaking, curriculum is defined as the total learning experiences of the individual.
This definition is anchored on Joh Dewey’s definition of experience and
education. He believed that reflective thinking is a means that unifies curriculum
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.” This is shared by Smith, Stanley and
Shores when they defined “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 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.”
Major Foundations of Curriculum

The currently accepted foundations include philosophical, historical,

psychological, and social.

1. Philosophical Foundations of Curriculum

Philosophy provides educators, teachers, and curriculum makers with framework for
planning, implementing, and evaluating curriculum in schools. It helps in answering
what schools are for, what subjects are important, how student 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 philosophy of a curriculum planner, implementor or evaluator reflects hi/her life

experiences, common beliefs, social and economic background and education. For
example, John Dewey (1916) looks at “education as a way of life,” a laboratory in which
philosophy becomes concrete and is tested.

On the other hand, Ralph Tyler’s framework shows that philosophy is one of the five
criteria in selecting educational purposes. The other criteria are use of psychology of
learning, suggestions from subject specialists, studies of contemporary life, and studies
of learners.

Educational philosophy lays the strong foundation of any curriculum. A curriculum

planner or specialist, a curriculum implementor or the teacher, school administrator or
curriculum evaluator, whether school-based or externally-based anchors his/her
decision making process on a sound philosophy. The four (4) educational philosophies
and how they relate to curriculum are the following:

A. 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
Explicit or deliberate teaching traditional values
Focus in the Curriculum - Classical subjects, literary analysis and curriculum is
constant.

B. Essentialism
Aim of Education - to promote the intellectual growth of the individual and educate a
competent person
Role of Education - Knowledge leads to growth and development of lifelong learners
who actively learn y doing
Focus in the curriculum - Subjects are interdisciplinary, integrative and interactive.
Curriculum is focused on student’s interest, human problems and affairs.
Curriculum Trends - School reforms, relevant and contextualized curriculum,
humanistic education.
 C. Reconstructionism
Aim of Education - to improve and reconstruct society. Education for change.
Role of Education - Teachers act as agents of change and reform in various education
projects including research
Focus in the Curriculum - Focus on present and future trends and issues of national
and international interests.
Curriculum Trends - Equality of education opportunities in education, access to global
education.

2. Historical Foundations of Curriculum

Why is it important to know the 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 our glorious history. Of all foreign educational systems, the American education
system has the greatest influence on our educational system. Here we present several
curriculum theorists and how they view curriculum from a historical perspective. They
are presented chronologically from the time of Bobbit in 1876-1956 to Ralph W. Tyler in
1902-1944.

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

emphasizes on students’ need. Curriculum prepares the students for adult
life. To Bobbit, objectives with corresponding activities should be sequenced
which can only be done if instructional activities and tasks are classified.

b. Werret Charters (1875-1952) - Like Bobbit, to Charters, curriculum is a

science. It gives emphasis on students’ needs. The listing of objectives and
matching these with corresponding activities ensures that the content or
subject matter is related to objectives as planned by the teachers.

c. William Kilpatrick (1871-1965) -Curricula are purposeful activities which are

child-centered. The purpose of the curriculum is child development and
growth. The project method was introduced by Kilpatrick where teachers and
students plan the activities. The curriculum develops social relationships and
small group instruction.

d. Hrold Rugg (1886-1960) - To Rugg, curriculum should develop the whole

child. It is child-centered. With the statement of objectives and related to
learning activities, curriculum should produce outcomes. Rugg emphasized
social studies and the teacher plans the curriculum in advance.

e. Hollis Caswell (1901-1989) - Cawell sees curriculum as organized around

social functions of themes, organized knowledge and learner’s interest.
 Caswell believes that curriculum is a set of experiences. Subject matter is
developed around social functions and learners’ interests.

f. Ralph Tyler (1902-1994) - As one of the hallmarks of curriculum, Tyler

believes that curriculum is a science and an extension of school’s philosophy.
It is based on students’ needs and interest. To Tyler, curriculum is always
related to instruction. Subject matter is organized in terms of knowledge,
skills, and values. The process emphasizes problem solving. The curriculum
aims to educate generalists, and not specialists.

The historical development shows the different changes in the purposes, principles, and
content of the curriculum. The different changes are influenced by educational
philosophy, psychology, and pedagogical theorists. This implies that curriculum is ever
changing putting in knowledge and content form many fields of disciplines.

3. Psychological Foundation of Education

Psychological provides a 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 of education. How curriculum should be organized to
enhance learning? Examples of school goals:

a. Build a strong foundation of skills and concepts.

b. Efficient and effective administration responsive to the needs of the university
and community.

In a curriculum, these goals are made simple and specific for the attainment of each
learner. These are called educational objectives. Benjamin Bloom and Robert Mager
defined educational objectives in two ways:

a. Explicit formulations of the ways in which students are expected to be

changed by the educative process, and
b. Intent communicated by statement describing a proposed change in learners.

In other words, objectives direct the change in behavior which is the ultimate aim of
learning. They provide the bases for the selection of learning content and learning
experiences. They also set the criteria against which learning outcomes will be
evaluated.

Benjamin Bloom and his associates classified three big domains of objectives. These
are cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. Each domain is composed of
specific skills, attitudes and values which are presented in hierarchy or levels. Although
there are some modifications in the concepts of behavioral objectives, the original ideas
are presented in this section.

● Cognitive Domain (Bloom, et al., 1956) - domain of thought process

 1. Knowledge - recall, remembering of prior learned materials in terms of facts,
concepts, theories, and principles. It is the lowest cognitive level.
2. Comprehension - the ability to grasp the meaning of material. It indicates the
lowest form of understanding.
3. Application - the ability to use learned material in new and concrete situation
4. Analysis - the ability to breakdown material into component parts so that its
organizational structure may be understood.
5. Synthesis - the ability to put parts together to form a new whole
6. Evaluation - the ability to pass judgment on something based on given criteria.

● Affective Domain (Krathwohl, 1964) - domain of valuing, attitude and appreciation

1. Receiving - students’ willingness to pay attention to particular event, stimuli or
classroom activities.
2. Responding - active participation on the part of the students
3. Valuing - concerned with the worth or value a student attaches to a particular
phenomena, object or behavior.
4. Organization - concerned with bringing together different values and building a
value system.
5. Characterization by a value or value complex - developing a lifestyle from a
value system
● Psychomotor Domain (Simpson, 1972) - domain of the use of psychomotor
attributes
1. Perception – use of sense organs to guide motor activities
2. Set - refers to the readiness to take particular type of action
3. Guided response - concerned with the early stages in learning complex skills.
Imitation and trial and error are some of the ways of doing.
4. Mechanism - responses have become habitual. Performance skills are with
ease and confidence.

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Textbook:

Bilbao, Purita P., Ed.D., et al. (2008). Curriculum Development. Quezon City,
Metro Manila: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.

References:

Beacco, Claude, et al. (2016). Handbook for Curriculum Development &

Teaching Training.

Bilbao, Purita P., Ed.D., et al. (2012). The Teaching Profession.

 Bunch, Michael B. (2012). Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, and
Assessment. Measurement Inc. Retrieved from
www.measurementinc.com

Button, Linda J. Curriculum Essentials: A Journey. Retrieved from:

https://oer.pressbooks.pub/curriculumessentials/chapter/chapter-
curriculum-innovations/

Kolesnikova, Tasha (2022). Everything You Need to Know about

Stakeholders in Education. Retrieved from
https://studybay.com/blog/importance-of-stakeholders-in-curriculum.

Nelson, Masese B. (2010). The Role of Technology in Curriculum

Development and Delivery. African Higher Education Review.

Santos, Rosita de Guzman, Ph.D. (2007). Assessment of Learning 1. Cubao,

Quezon City, Metro Manila: Lorimar Publishing, Inc.

Westbrook, Jo, et al. (2014). Pedagogy, Curriculum, Teaching Practices and

Teacher Education in Developing Countries.

https://adriana.com.ph/products/curriculum-development

https://www.meshguides.org/guides/node/764.

https://www.wccnet.edu/mywcc/faculty-staff/curriculum/assessment/
importance.php.

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QUIZ

Answer the following questions in not less than three (3) sentences:

1. Compare and differentiate the different points of view of curriculum.

2. What is your own point of view on curriculum development?

3. Briefly discuss the importance of the three (3) domains in shaping the students’
knowledge, skills & characteristics.

GOOD LUCK!