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Understanding School Curriculum Types

Module 1 focuses on the relationship between school curricula and the teacher's role as a curricularist. It outlines various types of curricula present in educational settings, including recommended, written, taught, supported, assessed, learned, and hidden curricula. The module emphasizes the importance of understanding these curricula for effective teaching and curriculum development.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
21 views5 pages

Understanding School Curriculum Types

Module 1 focuses on the relationship between school curricula and the teacher's role as a curricularist. It outlines various types of curricula present in educational settings, including recommended, written, taught, supported, assessed, learned, and hidden curricula. The module emphasizes the importance of understanding these curricula for effective teaching and curriculum development.
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Module 1

Done
CURRICULUM AND THE TEACHER

I. INTRODUCTION

This module is all about school curricula and the teacher. This introductory
module identifies the different types of curricula that exist in the teacher’s
classroom and school. Further, Module 1 describes the important roles of
the teacher as a curricularist who engages in the different facets of
curriculum development in any educational level.

II. LEARNING OUTCOMES

Ø Discuss the different curricula that exist in the schools.

Ø Enhance understanding of the role of the teacher as a curricularist.

Ø Analyze the significance of curriculum and curriculum development in


the teacher's classroom.

III. COURSE CONTENT

TOPIC: Curriculum in School

IV. LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Take-Off

Have you read "The Sabre-Tooth Curriculum by Harold Benjamin (1939)?"


Take some time to read it and find out what curriculum is all about during
those times.

Start here and enjoy reading.


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 the 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 labor 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


harness the life of the community. He considered what adults do for
survival and introduced these activities to children in a deliberate and
formal way, These Included catching fish with bare hands, clubbing little
woolly horses and chasing away sabre-toothed-tigers-with-fire. These then
became the curriculum and the community began to prosper-with plenty
of food, hides for attire and protection from threat. "It is supposed that all
would have gone forever with this good educational system, if conditions
of life in that community remained forever the same." But conditions
changed.

The glacier began to melt and the community could no longer see the fish
to catch with their bare hands, and only the most agile and clever fish
remained which hid from the people. The woolly horses were ambitious
and decided to leave the region. The tigers got pneumonia and most died.
The few remaining tigers left. In their place fierce bears arrived who would
not be chased by fire. The community was in trouble.

One day, in desperation. someone made a net from willow twigs and
found a new way to catch fish-and the supply was even more plentiful
than before. The community also a system of traps on the path to snare
the bears. Attempts to change education system to include these new
techniques however encountered "stern opposition."

These are also activities we need to know. Why can't the schools teach
them? But most of the tribe particularly the wise old men who controlled
the school. smiled indulgently at this suggestion. "That wouldn't
education... it would be mere training". We don't teach fish grabbing to
catch fish. we teach it to develop a generalized agility which can never be
duplicated by mere training . . . and so on.

"If you had any education yourself. you would know that the essence of
rue education IS timelessness. It is something that endures through
changing conditions like a solid rock standing squarely and firmly in the
middle of a raging torrent."

The story was written in 1939. Curriculum then, was seen as a tradition of
organized knowledge taught in schools of the 19th century. Two centuries
later, the concept of a curriculum has broadened to include several modes
of thoughts or experiences.

No formal, non-formal or informal education exists without a curriculum.


Classrooms will be empty with no curriculum. Teachers will have nothing
to do, if there is no curriculum. Curriculum is at the heart of the teaching
profession. Every teacher is guided by some son of curriculum in the
classroom and in schools.

In our current Philippine educational system, different schools are


established in different educational levels which have corresponding
recommended curricula. The educational levels are:

l . Basic Education. This level includes Kindergarten, Grade 1 to Grade 6


for elementary, and for secondary, Grade 7 to Grade 10, for the Junior
High School and Grade Il and 12 and for the Senior High School. Each of
the levels has its specific recommended curriculum. The new basic
education levels are provided in the K to 12 Enhanced Curriculum of 2013
of the Department of Education.

2. Technical Vocational Education. This is post-secondary technical


vocational educational and training taken care of by Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority

(TESDA). For the TechVoc track in SHS of DepEd, DepEd and TESDA work
in close coordination.

3. Higher Education. This includes the Baccalaureate or Bachelor


Degrees and the Graduate Degrees (Master's and Doctorate) which are
under the regulation of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

In whatever levels of schooling and in various types of learning


environment, several curricula exist. Let us find out how Allan Glatthorn
(2000) as mentioned in Bilbao, et al (2008) classified these:

Types of Curricula in Schools

Have you realized that in every classroom there are several types of
curricula operating?

Let us look into each one.

1. Recommended Curriculum.

Almost all currricula found in our schools are recommended. For Basic
Education, these are recommended by the Department of Education
(DepEd), for Higher Education, by the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) and for vocational education by TESDA. These three government
agencies oversee and regulate Philippine education. The
recommendations come in the form of memoranda or policies, standards
and guidelines. Other professional organizations or international bodies
like UNESCO also recommend curricula in schools.

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. The most recent written curriculum is the K to
12 for Philippine Basic Education.

3. Taught Curriculum.

From what has been written or Planned, the curriculum has to be


implemented or taught. The teacher and the learners will put to life the
written curriculum. The skill of the teacher to facilitate learning based on
the written curriculum with the aid of instructional materials and facilities
will be necessary

The taught curriculum will depend greatly 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 These include print materials like books,
charts, posters worksheets. or non-print materials like Power Point
presentation movies, slides, models, realias, mock-ups and other
electronic illustrations. Supported curriculum also includes facilities where
learning occurs outside or inside the four-walled building. These include
the playground, science laboratory, audio-visual rooms, zoo. museum.
market or the plaza. These are the places where authentic learning
through direct experiences occur.

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 if a student changed behavior, he she has
learned. For example, from a non-reader to a reader or from not knowing
to knowing or from being disobedient to being obedient. 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.

In every' teacher's classroom, not all these curricula may be present at


one time. Many of them are deliberately planned, like the recommended,
written, taught, supported, assessed, and learned curricula.

However, a hidden is implied, and a teacher may or may not be able to


predict its influence on learning. All of these have significant role on the
life of' the teacher as a facilitator of learning and have direct implication
to the life of the learners.

Now that you are fully aware that there are seven types of curricula
operating in teacher's classroom, it is then very necessary to learn deeper
and broader about the role of' the teacher in relation to the
school curriculum.

Common questions

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Adapting curricula to changing societal conditions involves overcoming resistance to change, as observed in Source 2 where the introduction of new survival skills faced 'stern opposition' from those controlling traditional education. Teachers can address these challenges by advocating for curricula that balance traditional education with practical skills and by including diverse experiences and perspectives in their teaching. They must also be aware of the hidden curriculum, such as societal and cultural influences, which can impact students significantly. By incorporating these elements into lesson plans and fostering critical thinking, teachers can help students navigate changing conditions .

Allan Glatthorn's classification of curricula—including recommended, written, taught, supported, assessed, learned, and hidden curricula—collectively contribute to a holistic educational experience by covering all aspects necessary for effective teaching and learning . The recommended curriculum guides the overall educational standards, the written and taught curricula ensure systematic delivery of content, while the supported curriculum enriches learning with extra resources. The assessed curriculum provides feedback on learning outcomes, the learned curriculum represents the tangible skills acquired, and the hidden curriculum addresses unstated learning from environmental factors. Together, these curricula create a layered approach that addresses both explicit and implicit educational needs .

An assessed curriculum includes processes and tools designed to evaluate and measure the efficacy of learning and teaching. Its essential components involve assessment for learning, which identifies student progress, assessment as learning, which involves learners in self-assessment, and assessment of learning, which evaluates what students have comprehensively learned or mastered. These components reflect broader educational objectives by ensuring that educational delivery aligns with intended learning outcomes, thereby facilitating improvements in instructional methods and curriculum design to enhance overall educational quality .

A written curriculum refers to the documents and materials that form the foundation of teaching, such as syllabi, books, and lesson plans, all based on the recommended curriculum . A taught curriculum, on the other hand, is the actual delivery of these materials by the teacher in the classroom setting. These two types of curricula interact as the written curriculum sets the guidelines and expectations, while the taught curriculum encompasses the teacher's methods in bringing these writings to life, tailored to the needs and learning styles of students. Effective teaching requires synthesizing both to achieve educational goals .

Governmental bodies like the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in the Philippines play a pivotal role in recommending curricula through policies, standards, and guidelines . International organizations such as UNESCO may also provide recommendations. These recommendations shape the structure of educational programs at various levels, ensuring that curricula meet national and global standards. As a result, local educational practices are often aligned to reflect these guidelines, which can prompt regular updates to curricula to integrate best practices and innovations .

Assessments of taught and supported curricula provide insights into curriculum delivery effectiveness by measuring whether and how educational goals are being achieved. For taught curricula, the focus is on how well the teacher delivers and facilitates learning, adapting teaching styles to fit student needs . Supported curricula assessments consider the effectiveness of instructional materials and facilities in enhancing learning experiences. Through assessments for, as, and of learning, educators can evaluate both the progress and mastery of content by students, thus informing necessary adjustments in teaching methods or materials to improve educational outcomes .

The argument from "The Sabre-Tooth Curriculum" that education should be timeless suggests prioritizing foundational knowledge and skills over adapting constantly to societal changes . This philosophy implies that while methods and specific content may evolve, the core aim of education should be the development of critical thinking and transferable skills that persist through changing circumstances. However, this approach can limit responsiveness to practical needs of the society if not balanced with contemporary relevance. The implications are that educators must carefully integrate enduring educational values with the flexibility to adapt to current and future conditions, ensuring students are well-prepared for real-world challenges .

The hidden curriculum influences student learning by subtly shaping behavior and attitudes through factors such as peer influence, school environment, and societal norms . This curriculum is not deliberately planned, yet it greatly affects learners. Teachers can manage it by being sensitive to these factors and including them in the written curriculum when possible. They must have foresight to recognize and address the implications of the hidden curriculum, ensuring a more comprehensive approach to education that reflects both evident and underlying societal changes .

Teachers play a critical role in curriculum development by being actively involved in creating, implementing, and refining curricula to meet the needs of their students and school community. They are expected to understand and engage with the different types of curricula such as the recommended, written, taught, supported, assessed, learned, and hidden curricula. By doing so, they enhance their ability to act as curricularists, making informed decisions that affect the educational outcomes and effectiveness of teaching .

Resistance to incorporating new skills into the curriculum, as seen in "The Sabre-Tooth Curriculum," likely arises from a desire to preserve traditional values and methods perceived as foundational to education . Change often threatens established authority, as those in control of educational systems may view innovation as undermining their status or the perceived value of enduring educational practices. Additionally, there may be skepticism about the relevance or effectiveness of new methods and a reluctance to disturb long-standing pedagogical frameworks. Addressing this resistance requires demonstrating the benefits of change, engaging stakeholders in the developmental process, and ensuring that new skills complement rather than replace traditional educational aims .

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