CURRICULUM IN

SCHOOLS
1. Does the saber-tooth curriculum still exist
at present? Give examples of evidence.
2. Describe the kind of curriculum that
exists as described in the article.
3. What does the author mean, when he
said “A curriculum should be timeless?”
Explain.
4. What is the difference between education
and training?
 “The Saber-Tooth Curriculum by
Harold Bejamin(1939)”
A man by the name of New-Fist-Hammer-Maker knew how to do
things his community needed to have done, and he had the energy and
will to go ahead and do them. By virtue of these characteristics, he was an
educated man. New-Fist was also a thinker. Then as now, there were few
lengths to which men would not go to avoid the labour and pain of
thought….New-Fist got to the point where he became strongly dissatisfied
with the accustomed ways of his tribe. He began to catch glimpses of ways
in which life might be made better for himself, his family and his group.
By virtue of this development, he became a dangerous man…
New-Fist thought about how he could harness the children’s play to
better the life of the community. He considered what adults do…
Philippine Educational System:
3 Levels
•Basic Education
•Technical Vocational Education
•Higher Education
Basic Education
- The new basic education levels are
provided in the K to 12 Enhanced
Curriculum of 2013 of the Department of
Education.
Technical Vocational Education
- This is a post-secondary technical
vocational educational and training taken
care of by the TESDA.
Higher Education
- This includes the Baccalaureate or
Bachelor Degrees and the Graduate
Degrees (Master’s and Doctorate) which
are under the regulation of CHED.
Types of Curricula in Schools
• Recommended Curriculum
• Written Curriculum
• Taught Curriculum
• Supported Curriculum
• Assessed Curriculum
• Learned Curriculum
• Hidden/Implicit Curriculum
Recommended Curriculum
- Almost all curricula found in our schools
are recommended. These
recommendations come in the form of
memoranda or policies, standards and
guidelines.
Written Curriculum
- This includes documents based on the
recommended curriculum. They come in
the form of course of study, syllabi,
modules, books or instructional guides
among others.
Taught Curriculum
- From what has been written or planned,
the curriculum has to be implemented or
taught. The taught curriculum will largely
depend on the teaching styles of the
teacher and the learning style of the
learners.
Supported Curriculum
- This is described as support materials
that the teacher needs to make learning
and teaching meaningful.
Assessed Curriculum
- Taught and supported curricula have to
be evaluated to find out if the teacher has
succeeded or not in facilitating learning.
Learned Curriculum
- The positive outcome of teaching is an
indicator of learning. These are
measured by tools in assessment, which
can indicate the cognitive, affective and
psychomotor outcomes.
Hidden/Implicit Curriculum
- This curriculum is not deliberately
planned, but has a great impact on the
behavior of the learner. Teachers should
be sensitive and aware of this hidden
curriculum.
THE TEACHER AS
A CURRICULARIST
Curricularist
A professional who is a curriculum specialist
(Hayes, 1991; Ornstein & hunkins, 2004;
Hewitt, 2006).
A person who is involved in curriculum
knowing, writing, planning, implementing,
evaluating, innovating, and initiating.
The teacher as a curricularist…
1. Knows the curriculum (Knower)
2. Writes the curriculum (Writer)
3. Plans the curriculum (Planner)
4. Initiates the curriculum (Initiator)
5. Innovates the curriculum (Innovator)
6. Implements the curriculum (Implementor)
7. Evaluates the curriculum (Evaluator)
• knows the curriculum (Knower)
- As a teacher, one has to master what
are included in the curriculum. It is
acquiring academic knowledge both
formal or informal.
• writes the curriculum (Writer)
- The teacher writes books, modules,
laboratory manuals, instructional guides,
and reference materials in paper or
electronic media.
• plans the curriculum (Planner)
- It is the role of the teacher to make
yearly, monthly or daily plan of the
curriculum. This will serve as a guide in
the implementation of the curriculum.
• initiates the curriculum (Initiator)
- Implementation of a new curriculum
requires the open mindedness of the
teacher. A transformative teacher will
never hesitate to try something novel and
relevant.
• innovates the curriculum (Innovator)
- Creativity and innovation are hallmarks
of an excellent teacher. A curriculum is
always dynamic, hence it keeps on
changing.
• implements the curriculum
(Implementor)
- The curriculum that remains
recommended or written will never serve
its purpose. An implementor gives life to
the curriculum plan.
• evaluates the curriculum
(Evaluator)
- Is the curriculum working?
- Are the learners achieving?
- Should the curriculum be modified,
terminated or continued?
 THE SCHOOL
CURRICULUM:
DEFINITION,
NATURE AND SCOPE
 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”
 Curriculum
 originates from the Latin word currere
referring to the oval track upon which Roman
chariots raced
 the whole body of a course in an educational
institution or by a department (New
International Library)
 courses taught in schools or universities
(Oxford English Dictionary)
 Some Definitions of Curriculum
 Curriculum is a planned and guided set of
learning experiences and intended
outcomes, formulated through the
systematic reconstruction of knowledge and
experiences under the auspices of the
school, for the learner’s continuous and
willful growth in personal social competence.
(Daniel Tanner, 1980)
 It is a written document that
systematically describes goals planned,
objectives, content, learning activities,
evaluation procedures, and so forth.
(Pratt, 1980)
 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)
 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)
 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)
 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)
 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
• Curriculum from Traditional Points of
View
• Curriculum from Progressive Points of
View
Curriculum from Traditional Points of View

• 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 should be the emphasis in college.
Curriculum from Traditional Points of View

• 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.
Curriculum from Traditional Points of View

• Joseph Schwab thinks that the sole source of

curriculum is a discipline, thus the subject areas
such 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 discipline as a ruling doctrine for
curriculum development.
Curriculum from Traditional Points of View

• Phillip Phenix asserts that curriculum

should consist entirely of knowledge which
comes from various disciplines.
Curriculum from Progressive Points of View

• John Dewey believes that education is

experiencing. Reflective thinking is a means
that unifies curricular elements that are
tested by application.
Curriculum from Progressive Points of View

• Holin Caswell and Karen Campbell

viewed curriculum as all experiences
children have under the guidance of
teachers.
Curriculum from Progressive Points of View

• Othaniel Smith, William Stanley and Harlan

Shore likewise defined curriculum as a
sequence potential experiences, set up in
schools for the purpose of disciplining children
and youth in group ways of thinking and acting.
Curriculum from Progressive Points of View

• 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.
CURRICULUM is what is taught in school, set of
subjects, a content, a program of studies, a set of
materials, a sequence of courses, a set of
performance activities, everything that goes within
the school. It is what is taught inside and outside of
school directed by teacher, everything planned by
school, a series of experiences undergone by
learners in school or what experiences as a result
of school.