AFRICA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

ED 210 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

LECTURER: EDWARD ALIGULA

TOPIC # 4: HISTORICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF

CURRICULUM

Lesson Objectives:
By the end of this week the student should have:
1. Assessed the historical and philosophical foundations of curriculum.
2. Appreciated the role of the knowledge of curriculum history in curriculum development.
3. Explained how philosophy influences curriculum development.

THE HISTORY OF CURRICULUM AS A DISCIPLINE

Curriculum is as old as education itself. It can be traced back to ancient Greek and
Roman civilizations, medieval culture, Renaissance, Classical Humanism, Religious formation
and the Great enlightenment. Great philosophers of the time influenced curriculum with their
philosophies and ideas. Examples of philosophers who influenced curriculum include: Plato,
Aristotle, Socrates, Quintillian, Cicero, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, Friedrich Froebel, Jean
Rousseau, Montessori, John Amos Comenius, Pestalozzi, John Heinrich, Johann Friedrich
Herbert etc.

Curriculum as a field of study emerged in the 20th century. It was rooted in the Herbatian
Movement. This movement was developed by a German philosopher called Johann Friedrich
Herbart in the late 19th century. Herbert was interested and required a systematic attention to be
given to selection and organization of subject matter. Subject matter was emphasized in the
United States of America in the late 19th century. This reawakened interest in curriculum content
in American education.

Four Major Periods of the Development of the Field of Curriculum

1. The Pre-Progressive Period (1890-1918)

2. The Progressive Period (1918-1955)
3. The Post-Progressive Period (1955-1970)
4. Maturation Period (1970-2011)

The Pre-Progressive Period (1890-1918)

This was a transition period sparked off by Herbert Spencer’s (an educational philosopher) essay
“What Knowledge is of Most Worth?’ Educators began asking what ought to be taught in school
out of the vast knowledge that exists. Scholars have built on this foundation as they have
explored the area of selecting knowledge-this is the concern of curriculum developers. Other
contributors to this period included the National Education Association, the Herbert Society by

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Charles and Frank McMurry, John Dewey, Edward Thondike, Charles Judd and William James
etc.

The Progressive Period (1918-1955)

This period saw education being influenced by scientific methods of research, psychology, child
study movement, the idea of efficiency in industry and the progressive movement. Several books
were written about curriculum. The major contributors were Franklin Bobbitt with his book The
Curriculum. Other contributors especially in writing included John Dewey, Charles Judd, Harold
Rugg etc. Schools began programs of revising their curriculum.

The nature of curriculum in this period was interested mainly in four things.

1. The nature of knowledge

2. The nature of knowing.
3. The domains and limits of this new specialty of curriculum.
4. The translation of curriculum principles and theories into educational practices.

The Post-Progressive Period (1955-1970)

In addition to previous concerns of Curriculum this period focused specifically on the following
areas:

1. Definition of curriculum concepts.

2. Deriving curriculum objectives from the broad national goals of education.
3. Models for curriculum development.
4. Research into the curriculum, its evaluation and innovation.
5. Curriculum relevance.
6. Resources for curriculum development, like teacher’s centers and the mass media.
7. The role of philosophy and psychology in the curriculum process.

The major curriculum specialists who contributed in this period included Hilda Tuba, Benjamin
S. Bloom, Herbert Kliebard, Othaniel Smith, George Beuchamp, Jerome Brunner, John Goodlad
etc.

Maturation Period (1970-2011)

Benjamin Bloom published his book Human Characteristics and School Learning which is
considered as a major landmark in the maturation of curriculum as a field of study. Curriculum
expanded beyond the boundaries of a small community of specialists as it developed
international character between USA and Europe.

Scholars at this time focused on transforming or reconceptualizing the existing curriculum field.
Their purpose was (1) to denounce rational, means-end approaches to curriculum. (2) to use

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European theoretical traditions (existentialism, phenomenology, psychoanalysis and neo-
Marxism) and eclectic approaches to explore curriculum.

PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF CURRICULUM

What is philosophy?

Role of Philosophy in Curriculum Development

Philosophy provides educators, teachers and curriculum makers with frameworks or framework
for planning/organizing schools and classrooms. It helps in determining what schools are
for, what subjects are important, how students should learn and what materials and methods
should be used. Philosophy influences objectives, content, teaching and learning experiences. In
decision-making, philosophy provides the starting point and will be used for the succeeding
decision-making.

Personal philosophy is determined by one’s background and experiences, worldviews, attitudes

and beliefs. Philosophy guides decisions and actions.

Four Major General Philosophies That Influence Education

1. Idealism
2. Realism
3. Pragmatism
4. Existentialism

Idealism

Idealists believe that ideas are the only true reality, the only thing worth knowing. They focus on
conscious reasoning in the mind. Plato is the father of Idealism. He believed that there are two
worlds-the spiritual or mental world, which is eternal, permanent, orderly, regular, and universal.
The other world is material experienced through the five senses. The curricular emphasis is
subject matter of mind with subjects like literature, history.

Realism

Realists believe that reality exists independent of the human mind. The ultimate reality is the
world of physical objects. The focus is on the body/objects. Truth is objective-what can be
observed. Aristotle is said to be the father of realism. The Realist curriculum emphasizes the
subject matter of the physical world, particularly science and mathematics.

Pragmatism (Experientialism)

Pragmatists believe that those things that are experienced or observed are real. The focus is on
the reality of experience. Unlike the Realists and Rationalists, Pragmatists believe that reality is

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constantly changing and that we learn best through applying our experiences and thoughts to
problems, as they arise. Pragmatism is derived from the teaching of Charles Sanders Peirce
(1839-1914) and John Dewey (1859-1952) Curriculum emphasizes the subject matter of social
experience. Thus the influence of the context of place, time, and circumstance, different cultural
and ethnic groups on curriculum. For Pragmatists, teaching methods focus on hands-on problem
solving, experimenting, and projects, often having students work in groups. Curriculum focuses
on application of knowledge to real situations through experimental inquiry.

Existentialism

Existentialists believe that the nature of reality is subjective, and lies within the individual. The
physical world has no inherent meaning outside of human existence. Individual choice and
individual standards rather than external standards are central. There are several different
orientations within the existentialist philosophy depending on the philosophers. (Soren
Kierkegaard (1813-1855), Jean Paul Sartre). Since knowledge is subjective there are choices in
subject matter. Teaching starts with the student, rather than on curriculum content.

Major Educational Philosophies

There are four major educational philosophies, each related to one or more of the general or
world philosophies. These include Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, and
Reconstructionism. These influence curriculum content and delivery.

Perennialism (Based on realism)

For Perennialists, the aim of education is to ensure that students acquire understandings about the
great ideas of Western civilization. Curriculum focuses on attaining cultural literacy, stressing
students' growth in enduring disciplines like literature and art, the laws or principles of science.
Proponents of this educational philosophy are Robert Maynard Hutchins who developed a Great
Books program in 1963 and Mortimer Adler.

Essentialism (based on idealism and realism)

Essentialists believe that there is a common core of knowledge that needs to be transmitted to
students in a systematic, disciplined way. The emphasis in this conservative perspective is on
intellectual and moral standards that schools should teach. The core of the curriculum is essential
knowledge and skills and academic rigor. Proponents of Essentialism are: William Bagley,
James D. Koerner (1959), H. G. Rickover (1959), Paul Copperman (1978), and Theodore Sizer
(1985).

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Progressivism (based on pragmatism)

Progressivists believe that education should focus on the whole child, rather than on the content
or the teacher. This educational philosophy stresses the scientific method. John Dewey was its
foremost proponent.

Reconstructionism/Critical Theory (based on pragmatism)

Social reconstructionism is a philosophy that emphasizes the addressing of social questions and a
quest to create a better society and worldwide democracy. Reconstructionist educators focus on a
curriculum that highlights social reform as the aim of education (Majorly influenced by realities
of World War II). Proponents include Theodore Brameld (1904-1987), George Counts (1889-
1974), and Paulo Freire (1921-1997). For social reconstructionists and critical theorists,
curriculum focuses on student experience and taking social action on real problems, such as
violence, hunger, international terrorism, inflation, and inequality.

Class discussion: Christian Response to the above philosophies.