CHAPTER 1: Module 2

THE TEACHER AS A KNOWER OF CURRICULUM

Lesson 2.4: Foundations of Curriculum

Curriculum development is anchored on a very solid foundation. Although considered to be a new

discipline, its significance in the light of global developments has now been acknowledged. What
philosophical, historical, psychological, and sociological influences inform the current school curriculum?
How do these foundations reflect the development of curriculum in our 21st century classrooms and
learning environment? Who are the identified curricularists with these foundations? Let us find out!

After successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

Describe the foundations of curriculum development

Explain how each foundation influences the curriculum development

Foundations of Curriculum
1. Philosophical Foundations

Educators, teachers, educational planners and policy makers must have a philosophy or strong
belief about education and schooling and the kind of curriculum in the teachers’ classrooms or learning
environment. Philosophy of the curriculum answers questions like: What are schools for? What subjects
are important? How should students learn? What methods should be used? What outcomes should be
achieved? Why?

The various activities in school are influenced in one way or another by a philosophy. John Dewey
influenced the use of “learning by doing”, he being a pragmatist. Or to an essentialist, the focus is on the
fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic, the essential objects in the curriculum.

There are many philosophies in education but we will illustrate only those as presented by
Ornstein and Hunkins in 2004.

There are many philosophies in education but we will illustrate only those as presented by
Ornstein and Hunkins in 2004.

A. Perennialism
Plato, Aristotle, or Thomas Aquinas

Aim: To educate the rational personal; cultivate intellect

Role: Teachers assist students to think with reason (critical thinking: HOTS)

Focus: Classical subjects, literary analysis Curriculum is enduring

Trends: Use of great books (Bible, Koran, Classics) and Liberal Arts

B. Essentialism

William Bagley

Aim: To promote intellectual growth of learners to become competent

Role: Teachers are sole authorities in the subject area

Focus: Essential skills of the 3Rs; essential subjects

Trends: Back to basics, Excellence in education, cultural literacy

C. Progressivism

John Dewey (1859-1952)

Aim: Promote democratic social living

Role: Teachers leads for growth and development of lifelong learners

Focus: Interdisciplinary subjects. Learner-centered. Outcomes-based

Trends: Equal opportunities for all, Contextualized curriculum, Humanistic education

D. Reconstructionism

Theodore Brameld (1904-1987)

Aim: To improve and reconstruct society. Education for change

Role: Teacher acts as agent of change and reforms

Focus: Present and future educational landscape

Trends: School and curricular reform, Global education, Collaboration and Convergence, Standards and
Competencies

2. Historical Foundations

Where is curriculum development coming from? The historical foundations will show to us the
chronological development along a time line. Reading materials would tell us that curriculum
development started when Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956) wrote the book “The Curriculum”. Let us see
how each one contributed to curriculum development during his own time. Here are eight among the
many whom we consider to have great contributions.

Persons

Contributions / Theories and Principles

Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956)

He started the curriculum development movement.

Curriculum as a science that emphasizes students’ needs.

Curriculum prepares learners for adult life.

Objectives and activities should group together when tasks are clarified.

Werret Charters (1875-1952)

Like Bobbit, he posited that curriculum is science and emphasizes students’ needs.

Objectives and activities should match. Subject matter or content relates to objectives.

William Kilpartick (1875-1952)

Curricula are purposeful activities which are child-centered.

The purpose of the curriculum is child development and growth. He introduced this project method
where teacher and student plan the activities.

Curriculum develops social relationships and small group instruction.

Harold Rugg (1886-1960)

Curriculum should develop the whole child. It is child-centered.

With the statement of objectives and related learning activities, curriculum should produce outcomes.

He emphasized social studies and suggested that the teacher plans curriculum in advance.

Hollis Caswell (1901-1989)

Curriculum is organized around social functions of themes, organized knowledge and learner’s interest.

Curriculum, instruction and learning are interrelated.

Curriculum is a set of experiences. Subject matter is developed around social functions and learners’
interests.

Ralph Tyler (1902-1994)

Curriculum is a science and an extension of school’s philosophy. It is based on students’ needs and
interest.

Curriculum is always related to instruction. Subject matter is organized in terms of knowledge, skills and
values.

The process emphasizes problem solving. Curriculum aims to educate generalists and not specialists.

Hilda Taba (1902-1967)

She contributed to the theoretical and pedagogical foundations of concepts development and critical
thinking in social studies curriculum.
She helped lay the foundation for diverse student population.

Peter Oliva (1992-2012)

He described curriculum change as a cooperative endeavor.

Teachers and curriculum specialist constitute the professional core of planners.

Significant improvement is achieved through group activity.

3. Psychological Foundation of Curriculum

Psychology provides a basis to understand the teaching and learning process. It unifies elements
of the learning process. Questions which can be addressed by psychological foundations of education
are: How should curriculum be organized to enhance learning? What is the optimal level of students’
participation in learning the various contents of the curriculum? In this module, we shall consider three
groups of learning theories: behaviorism or association theories; cognitive-information processing
theories and humanistic theories (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004).

Let us review some theories in learning related to these clusters of learning theories.

3.1 Association and Behaviorism

Persons

Contributions / Theories and Principles

Ivan Pavlov
He is the father of the classical conditioning theory, the S-R theory.

The key to learning is early years of life is to train them what you want them to become.

S-R Theory is a foundation of learning practice called indoctrination.

Edward Thorndike

(1874-1949)

He championed the connectionism theory.

He proposed the three laws of learning:

Law of readiness

Law of exercise

Law of effect

Specific stimulus has specific response.

Robert Gagne (1916-2002)

He proposed the hierarchical learning theory. Learning follows a hierarchy.

Behavior is based on prerequisite conditions.

He introduced tasking in the formulation of objectives.

3.2 Cognitive Information Processing Theory

Persons

Contributions / Theories and Principles

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

Theories of Jean Piaget

Cognitive development has stages from birth to maturity.

Sensorimotor stage (0-2), preoperational stage (2-7), concrete operations stage (7-11) and formal
operations (11- onwards).

Keys to Learning

Assimilation (incorporation of new experience)

Accommodation (learning modification and adaptation)

Equilibration (balance between previous and later learning)

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

Theories of Lev Vygotsky

Cultural transmission and development stage. Children could, as a result of their interaction with
society, actually perform certain cognitive actions prior to arriving at developmental stage.

Learning precedes development.

Sociocultural development theory.

Keys to Learning

Pedagogy creates learning processes that lead to development.

The child is an active agent in his or her educational process.

Howard Gardner

Gardner’s multiple intelligences

Humans have several different ways of processing information and these ways are relatively
independent of one another.

There are eight intelligences: linguistic, logic-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic,

interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic

Daniel Goleman
Emotion contains the power to affect action.

He called this Emotional Quotient.

3.3 Humanistic Psychology

Persons / Symbols

Contributions / Theories and Principles

Gestalt

Gestalt Theory

Learning is explained in terms of “wholeness” of the problem.

Human beings do not respond to isolated stimuli but to an organization or pattern of stimuli.

Key to Learning

Learning is complex and abstract.

Learners analyze the problem, discriminate between essential and nonessential data, and perceive
relationships.

Learners will perceive something in relation to the whole. What/how they perceive is related to their
previous experiences.
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

He advanced the Self-Actualization Theory.

Classic theory of human needs.

A child whose basic needs are not met will not be interested in acquiring knowledge of the world.

Key to Learning

Produce a healthy and happy learner who can accomplish, grow and actualize his or her human self.

Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

Nondirective and therapeutic learning

He established counselling procedures and methods for facilitating learning.

Children’s perceptions, which are highly individualistic, influence their learning and behavior in class.

Key to Learning

Curriculum is concerned with process, not product; personal needs, not subject matter, psychological
meaning, not cognitive scores.

4.0 Social Foundations of Curriculum

Persons / Symbols

Contributions / Theories and Principles

Schools and Society

Society as a source of change

Schools as agents of change

Knowledge as an agent of change

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

Influence of society and social context in education

Things that surround individuals can change, develop their behavior

Considered two fundamental elements which are schools and civil society
Alvin Toffler

Wrote the book Future Shock

Believed that knowledge should prepare students for the future

Suggested that in the future, parents might have the resources to teach prescribed curriculum from
home as a result of technology, not in spite of it. (Home Schooling)

Foresaw schools and students worked creatively, collaboratively, and independent of their age

Other Theorists

Paolo Freire

1921-1997

Education as a means of shaping the person and society through critical reflections and
“conscienticatization”

Teachers use questioning and problem posing approach to raise students’ consciousness

Emphasis on questioning problem posing and critical thinking

Major book: Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 1968

John Goodlad

1920-2014

Curriculum organized around needs of society and the students

Reduce student conformity in classroom

Constant need for school improvement

Emphasis on active learning and critical thinking

Involvement of student in planning curriculum content and instructional activities

Need to align content with standards

Major book: A Place Called Schools, 1984; What Are Schools For? 1989

William Pinar

Broaden the conception of curriculum to enrich the practice

Understand the nature of the educational experience

Curriculum involves multiple disciplines

Curriculum should be studied from a historical, racial, gendered, phenomenological, postmodern,

theological and international perspectives

In summary, the foundation upon which curriculum is based are educational philosophies,
historical developments, psychological explanations, and societal influences. All of these foundations are
interrelated.
Direction: Explore the web. Choose 1 box you prefer to discuss or elaborate its/his role in the
curriculum. If you prefer 1person you must make his biography to understand more of his contributions.
Attach photo of your chosen contributor. Do not forget to discuss his theory.

Rubrics

Relevance- 10

Grammar - 5

Completeness- 10

Correctness - 10

Total---------------35

Direction: Answer the following questions I 3-5 sentences only.

1. Identify which among the foundations of curriculum, has influenced what you have leaned in school
as a college student.
2. How will the thinking of Abraham Maslow influenel your teaching practice in the future?

3. Do you agree with Alvin Toffler? Why?

Compiled by:

CHARMAINE FAITH S. METIN

Instructor I