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Curriculum development is anchored on a very

solid foundation. Although considered to be a new
discipline, its significance in the light og 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 curriculaurist with
these foundation?

At the end of the module, pre-service tachers What philosophical, historical,

should be able to: psychological and sociological
Compare and contrast the influences inform the current school
philosophical beliefs of perennialism, curriculum?
essentialism, progressivism and How do these foundations reflect the
recontructionism development of curriculum in our 21st
Explain the influence of the four century classrooms and learning
educational philosophies on environment?
curriculum Who are the identified curriculaurist
Identify the application of with these foundations?
behaviourist, cognitivist,
constructivist and humanist principles
in the classroom.
State your vaalues and beliefs about
the nature of learning.
Examine how history and society
influenced curriculum

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What are the 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 teacher’s classrooms or learning
environments. 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 on the fundamentals or reading,
writing and arithmetic are essential subjects in the curriculum.
There are many philosophies in education but we will illustrate only those
presented by Ornstein and Hunkins in 2004.

Perennialism
• Aim: To educate the rational person; cultivate intellect
• Role: Teachers assist students to think with reason (critical thinking HOTS)
• Focus: Classicial subjects, literary analysis, Curriculum is enduring
• Trends: Use of great books (Bible, Koran, Classics) and Liberal Arts

Essentialism
• Aim: To promote intellectual growthof learners to become co`mpetent
• 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

Progressive
• Aim: To promote democratic social living
• Role: Teachers leads for growth and development of lifelong learners
• Focus: Interdiciplinary subjects. Learner-centered. Outomes-based
• Trends: Equal opportunities for all, Contextualized curriculum, Humanistic education

Reconstructionism
• Aim: To improve and reconstruct society. Education for change.
• Role: Teachers acts as agent of change and reforms
• Focus: Present and future educational landscape
• Trends: School and curriculum reform, Global education, Collaboration and
Convergence, Standards and Competencies

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What are the learning theories/contributions and principles?

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 What is
be organized to enhance learning? What is the optimal level of students’ Psychology?
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).

Persons Contributions/Theories and Principles

• He is the father of Classicial Conditioning

Theory, the S-R Theory
• The key to learning is early years of life os to train them what
you want them to become.
• S-R Theory is a foundation of learning practice called
indoctrination.

Ivan Pavlov
(1849-1963)

• 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.

Edward Thorndike
(1874-1949)

• He proposed the Hierarichal Learning Theory. Learning

follows a hierarchy
• Behaviour is based on prerequisite conditions
• He introduced tasking in the formulation of objectives

Robert Gagne
(1916-2002)
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❖ 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)
• Accomodation (learning modification and adaptation)
Jean Piaget
(1896-1980) • Equilibration (balance between previous and later
learning)

❖ Theories of Lev Vygotsky

• Cultural transmission and development: 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
Lev Vygotsky develooment
(1896-1934) • The child is an active agent in his or her education
process.

❖ Gardener’s multiple intelligences

• Humans have several different ways of processing
information and these ways of processing information
and these ways are relatively independent of one
another
• There are eight intelligences: linguistic, logico-
mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic,
interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic

Howard Gardner

❖ Emotion contains the power to affect action.

• He called this Emotional Quotient

Daniel Goleman

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Persons/Symbols Contributions/Theories and Principles

❖ 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.
❖ Keys 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 previous
Gestalt
experiences.

• He advanced the Self-Actualization Theoryand classic

theory of human needs.
• A child whose basic needs are not met will not be
interested in acquiring knowledge of the worlds
• He put importance to human emotions, based on love
and trust
❖ Keys to Learning
• Produce a healthy and happy learner who can
Abraham Maslow
(1808-1970) accomplish, grow and actualizre his or her human
self.

❖ Nondirective and Therapeutic Learning

• He established counselling procedures and methods
for facilitating learning.
• Children’s perceptions, which are highly individualistic,
influence their learning and behaviour in class.
❖ Key to learning

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Carl Rogers • Curriculum is concerned with process, not product

(1902-1987) personal needs, not subject matter, psychological
meaning, not cognitive scores.

What are the historiacal foundations?

Where is curriculum development coming from? The historical foundations will show 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, we consider to have great contibutions.

Persons Contributions/Theories and Principles

• He started the curriculum development

movement
• Curriculum is a science that emphasizes
students’ needs
• Curriculum prepares leaners for adult life
• Objectives and activities should group
together when tasks are clarified.
Franklin Bobbit
(1876-1956)

• Like Bobbit, he posited that curriculum is science and

emphasizes students’ needs.
• Objectives and activities should match. Subject matter or
content relates to objectives.

Werrett Charters
(1875-1952)

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• 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.

William Kilpatrick
(1875-1952)

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

centered
❖ With the statement of the objectives and related learning
activities, curriculum should produce outcomes.
❖ Emphasized social studies and suggested that the teacher
plans curriculum in advance

Harold Rugg
(1886-1960)

❖ Curriculum is organized around social functions of themes,

organized knowledge and learner’s interest.
❖ Curriculum, instruction and learning are irrelated
❖ Curriculum is a set of experience. Subject matter is
developed around social functions and learners’ interests.

Hollis Caswell
(1901-1989)

❖ Curriculum isa science and an extension of school’s

philosophy. It is based on students’ needs and interest.
❖ Curriculum is always related to instructions. Subject matter is
organized in terms of knowledge, skills and values.
❖ The process emphasizes problem solving. Curriculum aims
to educate genrealists and not specialist.

Ralph Tyler
(1902-1994)

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❖ She contributed to the theoretical and pedagogical

foundations of concepts development and critical thinking in
social studies curriculum.
❖ She helped lay the foundation for dierse student population.

Hilda Taba
(1902-1967)

❖ He described how curriculum change is a cooperative

endeavor
❖ Teachers and curriculum specialist constitute the
professional core of planners
❖ Significant improvement is achieved through group activity.

Peter Oliva
(1992-2012)

What are the social foundations of curriculum?

Persons/Symbols Contributions/Theories and Principles

• Society as a source of change

family
• Schools as agents of change
• Knowledge as an agent of change
The school

Society

Schools and Society

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 The Teacher and The School Curriculum 2PROF ED 6

• Considered two fundamental elements – schools and civil

society – to be major topics needing attention and
reconstruction to encourage experimental intelligence and
pluarilty

John Dewey
(1859-1952)

• 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,
Alvin Toffler collaboratively, and independent of their age.

Name of Student: _________________________________________ Section: ________________

Activity 1: Quick Check

What significant contribution can you recall about these persons?

1. Lev Vygotsky
2. Daniel Goleman
3. William Kipatrick
4. Hilda Taba
5. Ralph Tyler
6. John Dewey
7. Abraham Maslow
8. Carl Rogers
9. Franklin Bobbit
10. Alvin Toffler

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Activity 2: Self- Reflect

After discussing this lesson, reflect on the following questions.

1. Identify which among the foundations of curriculum, has influenced what you have learned
in school as a college student?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2. How will the thinking of Abraham Maslow influence your teaching practice in the future?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

3. Do you agree with Alvin Toffler?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

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 The Teacher and The School Curriculum 2PROF ED 6

Making Timeline
Instructions:
Make/Construct Historical Timeline of Philippine Curriculum through the years
and explain how the changes in curriculum through the years were influenced by
the different foundations of curriculum.

Bilbao, Purita P.; Dayagbil, Filomena T.; Corpuz, Brenda B. 2015. Curriculum Development For
Teachers. Lorimar Publishing, Inc. Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Reyes, Emerita; Dizon, Erlinda; Villena, Danilo K. 2015. Curriculum Development. Adriana Publishing
Co., Inc. Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philipines.

Bilbao, Purita P. [Link]. 2008. Curriculum Development. Lorimar Publishing, Inc. Cubao, Quezon City,
Metro Manila, Philippines.

Calderon, Jose P. 2004. Curriculum and Curriculum Development. Educational Publiching House.
United Nations Avenue, Ermita, Manila, Philippines.

[Link]

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