Module 2: The Curriculum and the Teacher as Curricularist

Learning Outcomes: At the end of the module, the students should be able to:
1. define the curriculum;
2. analyze the different types of curriculum;
3. discuss different curriculum foundations; and
4. discuss the different curriculum conceptions.

Topics:
1. Definitions of Curriculum
2. Different Types of Curriculum
3. The Teacher as Curricularists
4. Approaches to School Curriculum

Timetable: 3 weeks

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:
You will be provided with Document and PowerPoint files on curriculum development taken from the
books of Reyes, et al. (2015), Bilbao et al, (2015) and Pawilen (2015). Read through the files, understand
the ideas presented and do the assessment tasks listed below. Should you need additional information,
browse the internet for other related topics.

*download the PDF file in the Google classroom and a recorded-video lecture will be uploaded by the
Instructor

Changing Concept of Curriculum (from Reyes et al., 2015: 3-5)

Ever since the term curriculum was added to educators’ vocabularies, it has seemed to convey different
meanings to many people. To some, curriculum has meant a specific course, while others would say that
curriculum consists of all the planned experiences that the school offers as part of its education
responsibility. Whereas perceptions of the term may vary, it must be recognized that curriculum
encompasses more than just a simple definition. Curriculum however, can be defined as prescriptive,
descriptive or both.

Prescriptive vs. Descriptive

Curriculum can be both prescriptive and descriptive. Prescriptive Curriculum definitions provide with
what “ought” to happen, and they more often than not take the form of a plan, an intended program,
or some kind of expert opinion about what needs to take place in the course of study (Ellis, 2004:4).
However, Descriptive Curriculum goes beyond the prescriptive terms as they force thought about the
curriculum “not merely in terms of how things ought to be… but how things are in real classrooms (Ellis,
2004:5). Another term that could be used to define the descriptive curriculum is experience. The
experienced curriculum provides “glimpses” of the curriculum in action.
 Table 1. Prescriptive Definitions of Curriculum
Date Author Definitions
1902 John Dewey Curriculum is a continuous reconstruction, moving from the child’s
present experiences out into that represented by the organized bodies
of truth that we call studies…the various studies…are themselves
experience – they are that of the race.
1918 Franklin Bobbit Curriculum is the entire range of experiences, both directed and
undirected, concerned in unfolding the abilities of the individual.
1927 Harold O. Rugg The curriculum is a succession of experiences and enterprises having a
maximum life-likeness for the learner…giving the learner that
development most helpful in meeting and controlling life situations.
1935 Hollis Caswell in The curriculum is composed of all the experiences children have under
Caswell & the guidance of teachers… Thus, curriculum is considered as a field of
Campbell study representing no strictly limited body of content, but rather a
process or procedure
1957 Ralph Tyler The curriculum is all the learning experiences planned and directed by
the school to attain its educational goals
1967 Robert Gagne Curriculum is a sequence of units arranged in such a way that the
learning of each unit may be accomplished as a single act, provided
the capabilities described by specified prior units (in the sequence)
have already been mastered by the learner
1970 James Popham & Curriculum is all planned learning outcomes for which the school is
Eva Baker responsible… Curriculum refers to the desired consequences of
instruction.
1997 J.L. McBrien & R. Curriculum refers to a written plan outlining what students will be
Brandt taught (a course of study). Curriculum may refer to all the courses
offered at a given school, or all the courses offered at a school in a
particular area of study
2010 Indiana Curriculum means the planned interaction of pupils with instructional
Department of content, materials, resources, and processes for evaluating the
Education attainment

Table 2. Descriptive Definitions of Curriculum

Date Author Definitions
1935 Hollis Caswell & All the experiences children have under the guidance of teachers.
Doak Campbell
1941 Thomas Hopkins Those learnings each child selects, accepts, and incorporates into
himself to act with, on, and upon, in subsequent experiences
1960 W.B. Ragan All experiences of the child for which the school accepts responsibility
1987 Glen Hass The set of actual experiences and perceptions of the experiences that
each individual learner has of his or her program of education
1995 Daniel Tanner & The reconstruction of knowledge and experience that enables to grow
Laurel Tanner in exercising intelligent control of subsequent knowledge and
experience.
Types of curricula in schools (7) [source: Bilbao et al., 2015: 3-4]
1. Recommended Curriculum. Almost all curricula found in our schools are recommended. For Basic
Education, these are recommended by DepEd, for higher education by CHED and for vocational
education by TESDA.
2. 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. A packet
of this written curriculum is the teacher’s lesson plan.
3. Taught Curriculum. From what has been written or planned, the curriculum has to be implemented
or taught. The teachers and the learners will put life to the written curriculum. The skill of the
teacher to facilitate learning based on the written curriculum will be necessary. The taught
curriculum will depend largely on the teaching style of the teacher and the learning style of the
learners.
4. Supported Curriculum. This is described as support materials that the teacher needs to make
learning and teaching meaningful. This includes print materials like books
5. Assessed Curriculum. Taught and supported curricula have to be evaluated to find out if the teacher
has succeeded or not in facilitating learning. In the process of teaching and at the end of every
lesson or teaching episode, an assessment is made. It can either be assessment for learning,
assessment as learning or assessment of learning. If the process is to find the progress of learning,
then the assessed curriculum is for learning, but if it is to find out how much has been learned or
mastered, then it is assessment of learning. Either way, such curriculum is the assessed curriculum.
6. Learned Curriculum. How do we know if the student has learned? We always believe that is a
student changed behavior, he/she has learned. For example, from a non-reader to a reader or from
not knowing to knowing. 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. Learned curriculum will also demonstrate higher order and critical thinking and lifelong
skills.
7. Hidden/implicit Curriculum. This curriculum is not deliberately planned, but has a great impact on
the behavior of the learner. Peer influence, school environment, media, parental pressures, societal
changes, cultural practices, natural calamities, are some factors that create the hidden curriculum.
Teachers should be sensitive and aware of this hidden curriculum. Teachers must have good
foresight to include these in the written curriculum, in order to bring to the surface what are hidden.

Curriculum Foundations [source: Pawilen, 2015: 7]

Curriculum development scholars like Tyler (1949); Taba (1962); Eisner (1985); Saylor, Alexander, and
Lewis (1981); Print (1993); Sowell (1996); and Tanner and Tanner (2007) generally identified three
categories of sources for curriculum foundations: (1) studies of learners and learning theory
(psychology); (2) studies of life (sociology and anthropology); and (3) studies of the nature and value of
knowledge (philosophy). These curriculum sources or foundations influence curriculum developers in
framing different curriculum conceptions and in developing curriculum.

*Other topics are provided in the PDF file

Assessment Tasks:
Activity 3. Write your personal definition of curriculum. Explain your definition
Activity 4. What are the benefits and possible pitfalls of having an official curriculum prescribed to all
schools?
Activity 5. Do the Task in the PDF file
Activity 6. Do the reflection using the template below.
REFLECTION: Write your insights about the learning experiences you had in this lesson. What you
learned, how you learned it, what are the difficulties you encountered in understanding this lesson and how
you cope with it.

Time and Date accomplished: _________________________________

Signature: ______________________

Activity 7. Do the Group Activity in the PDF file