Course Code: Prof. Ed.

317
Course Title: The Teacher and the School Curriculum

Course Description:
The course includes the fundamental concepts and principles in curriculum and curriculum
development as a foundation to engage prospective teachers as curricularists. The more active role of
the teacher in planning, implementing and evaluating school-curriculum as well as in managing school
curriculum change vis-à-vis various context of teaching-learning and curricular reforms shall be given
emphasis.

No. of Units: 3 units

No. of Hours: 54 hours

CHAPTER 1: The Field of Curriculum

Lesson 1: Curriculum: An Overview
1. Changing Concepts, Nature, Purpose, and Types of Curriculum

Intended Learning Outcomes:

• Demonstrate understating with a concrete concept of a curriculum
• Differentiate the types of curriculum
• Distinguish between the term “curriculum” and other associated terminologies such as
“syllabus; scheme of work” “course of study” and lesson note”
• Explain the nature and important of curriculum in school

Introduction
• What is curriculum?
The word curriculum has been in existence since about 1820, and comes from the Latin word
currere, which means “to run” or “to run a course.” That is, a course of study, which contains a body
of subject matter approved for teaching in schools. However, as time passed by, experts defined
“curriculum” in different ways. By and large, the way we view curriculum reflects our approach to it.

Definition of Curriculum according to Ornstein and Hunkins

- First, curriculum can be defined as a plan for achieving goal. The plan involves a sequence of
steps. Today, most behavioral and some managerial systems people agree with this definition.
For example, J. Galen Saylor defines curriculum as “a plan for providing sets of learning
opportunities for persons to be educated.” David Pratt writes, “curriculum in an organized set
of formal education and/or training intentions.” Jon Wiles and Joseph Bondi view curriculum as
a “four-step plan involving purpose, design, implementation, and assessment.” The curriculum
worker wants the plan’s “intent” to be realized a fully as possible.

- Second, curriculum can be defined broadly, as dealing with the learner’s experiences. By this
definition, almost anything planned in or outside of school is part of the curriculum. This
definition is rooted in Dewey’s definition of experience and education and in Hollis Caswell and
Doak Campbell’s view curriculum as “all the experiences children have under the guidance of
teachers.” Gene Shepherd and William Regan state, “The curriculum consists of the ongoing
experiences of children under the guidance of the school.” It presents “a special environment
 for helping children achieve self-realization through active participation within the school.” Elliot
Eisner describes the curriculum as “a program” that a school “offers to its students,” a “planned
series of educational hurdles and an entire range of experiences a child has within the school.”
Collin Marsh and George Willis view curriculum as all the “experiences in the classroom that are
planned and enacted.”

- Third, curriculum is a system for dealing with people. The system can be linear or nonlinear. A
linear system plots out the means to a desired end. In contrast, a nonlinear system permits the
curriculum specialist to enter at various points of the model, skip parts, reverse order, and work
on more than one component at a time. Many managerial and systems curricularist adapt this
definition.

- Fourth, curriculum can be defined as a field of study with its own foundations, knowledge
domains, research, theory, principles, and specialists. Those who adapt this definition tend to
discuss curriculum in theoretical rather than practical terms. They are concerned with broad
historical, philosophical, or social issues. Academics often subscribe to this view of curriculum.

- Finally, curriculum can be defined in terms of subject matter (math, science, English, history, and
so on) or content (the way we organize and assimilate information). We can also talk about
subject matter or content in terms of grade levels. People who adapt this definition emphasize
the facts and concepts of particular subject areas.

From the given definitions above, it is logical to conclude that a curriculum has the
following characteristics:
1. It includes all the experiences of children for which the school is responsible;
2. It has content;
3. It is a system for dealing with people;
4. It is planned;
5. It is a series of courses to be taken by the students.

TYPES OF CURRICULA
7 Types of curriculum operating in school (Allan Glatthorn)

1. Recommended Curriculum
The recommended curriculum is that which is recommended by scholars and
professional organizations. It also encompasses the curriculum requirements of policy making
groups, such as DepEd, CHED and DOST. It is a curriculum that stresses “oughtness,”
identifying the skills and concepts that ought to be emphasized, according to the perceptions
and value systems of the sources.

2. Written Curriculum
The written is intended primarily to ensure that the educational goals of the system are
being accomplished; it is curriculum of control. Typically, the written curriculum is much more
specific and comprehensive than the recommended curriculum, indicating the rationale that
supports the curriculum, the general goals to be accomplished, the specific objectives to be
 mastered, the sequence in which those objectives should be studied, and the kinds of learning
activities that should be used.
Note, however, that Glatthorn (1980) questioned such comprehensiveness and
recommended that the written curriculum be delivered to teachers as a loose-leaf notebook,
containing only a scope-and-sequence chart, a review of the research, a list of course
objectives, and a brief list of materials to be used. This simpler format, be believed, would
make the written curriculum more likely to be used.

3. Taught Curriculum
The taught curriculum is the delivered curriculum, a curriculum that an observer sees in
action as the teacher teaches. The taught curriculum is that which the teacher actually deliver
day by day.

4. Supported Curriculum
The supported curriculum includes those resources that support the curriculum-
textbooks, software, and other media.

5. Assessed Curriculum
The assessed curriculum is that which appears in tests and performance measures: state
tests, standardized tests, district tests, and teacher-made-tests.

6. Learned Curriculum
The learned curriculum is the bottom-line curriculum, the curriculum that students
actually learn. It denotes all the changes in values, perceptions, and behavior that occur as a
result of school experiences.

7. Hidden Curriculum
This is the unintended curriculum. It defines what students learn from the physical
environment, the policies, and the procedures of the school.

Characteristics of a Good Curriculum

1. The curriculum is continuously evolving.
It evolves from one period to another, to the present. For a curriculum to be effective, it
must have continuous monitoring and evaluation. Curriculum must adapt its educational
activities and services to meet the needs of a modern and dynamic community.

2. The curriculum is based on the needs of the people.

A good curriculum reflects the needs of the individual and the society as a whole. The
curriculum is in proper shape in order to meet the challenges of the times and make education
more responsive to the clientele it serves. We plan the curriculum with people.

3. The curriculum is democratically conceived.

A good curriculum is developed through the efforts of a group of individuals from
different sectors in the society who are knowledgeable about the interest, needs and
resources of the learner and the society as a whole. It is the product of many minds and
energies.
4. The curriculum is the result of a long-term effort.
A good curriculum is a product of long and tedious process. It takes a long period of time
in the planning, management, evaluation and development of a good curriculum.

5. The curriculum is a complex of details.

A good curriculum provides the proper instructional equipment and meeting places that
are often most conducive to learning. It includes the student-teacher relationship, guidance
and counseling program, health services, school and community projects, library and
laboratories, and other school related work experiences.

6. The curriculum provides for the logical sequence of subject as matter.

Learning is developmental. Classes and activities should be planned. A good curriculum
provides continuity of experiences.

7. The curriculum complements and cooperates with other programs of the community.
The curriculum is responsive to the needs of the community. The school offers it’s courses in
the improvement and realization of ongoing programs of the community. There is cooperative
effort between the school and the community towards greater productivity.

8. The curriculum has educational quality.

Quality education comes through the situation of the individual’s intellectual and
creative capacities for social welfare and development. It helps the learner to become the best
that he can possibly be. Further, curriculum support system is secured to augment existing
sources for its efficient and effective implementation.

9. The curriculum has administrative flexibility.

A good curriculum must be ready to incorporate changes whenever necessary. The
curriculum is open to revision and development to meet the demands of globalization and
digital age.

Hence, the purpose of the curriculum is encapsulated in the four capacities- to enable
each child or young person to be a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible
citizen and an effective contributor. The attributes and capacities can be used by
establishments as a guide to check whether the curriculum for ant individual child or young
person sufficiently reflects the purposes of the curriculum.
DISTINCTION BETWEEN CURRICULUM AND OTHER RELATED TERMINOLOGIES

Curriculum and Syllabus

Most often, people tend to equate the word “syllabus” with “curriculum.” This should not be
so. As can be understood from explanations already given, curriculum is wider in scope than
“syllabus.”
A syllabus is part of the curriculum but it is not the curriculum. Syllabus is the content of the
school subjects offered in the school, and it is a subset of the curriculum. Such subject includes
Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and so on. A syllabus normally contains what students will
learn in the various school subjects in a year or for longer period of schooling leading to certification.
It is a long-term plan of work for students and normally prepared by the classroom teachers.

Curriculum and Scheme of Work

Again, the curriculum of a school is not the scheme of work. As the name implies, a scheme of
work is a breakdown of the contents of what students are expected to learn in a given period. In other
words, a scheme of work is the systematic arrangement of subject matter and activities within a given
time period, such as a term or a semester. Whatever the learners are expected to learn are broken
down into instructional units and normally prepare by the classroom teacher. It is usually a guide in
planning what is to be done per week over a term or a semester and for the three terms or two
semesters in an academic year as the case may be.

Curriculum and Course of Study

A course of study is an educational programme leading to the award of a certificate at the end
of the programme for a particular set of learners. For example, a Teacher Certificate in Education (TCE)
is a course of study. Another example is a Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) programme in
Social Studies, in a Teacher Education programme. A course of study therefore refers mainly to a
programme of learning that are offer to students with various course contents at the end of which
they are awarded a certificate indicating the type of course of study they had undergone.

Curriculum and Lesson Note

A lesson note (or note of lesson; or lesson plan) is a guide for teachers to assist them in the
orderly presentation of a lesson to the learners in order to facilitate learning. Teachers draw the plan
for teaching a particular lesson from the scheme of work. That is, just as the scheme of work is a
breakdown of the syllabus so the lesson note is a breakdown of the scheme of work into daily lessons,
which are planned by the teacher. In this plan, the teacher explains the step-by-step procedure which
he/she would follow in presenting the lesson to the learners. It usually contains the activities expected
of the students as well as the teachers during the period of the lesson. The lesson note is therefore
not a curriculum.

NATURE OF CURRICULUM IN SCHOOL

Ralph Tyler (1949) was the first to suggest four fundamental questions which must be
answered when talking about the nature of curriculum in schools:
1. What educational purpose should the school seek to attain? (Objectives)
2. What educational experiences can be provided to attain these purposes? (i.e. the activities,
the subject-matter ect.)
3. How can these educational experiences be organized effectively to achieve these purposes?
(e.g. Teacher-centered of child-centered)
4. How can we determine whether or not the expected objectives have been achieved? (i.e.
using tests, performance observations and other forms of evaluation).
 These are the four fundamental questions from the core of the curriculum development
process. By its very nature therefore, curriculum cannot be said to have been presented until
objectives, contents, evaluation procedures are clearly specified.

Importance of Curriculum in Schools

It is clear from what has been written so far as you can see, that curriculum is the very heart
of the school system. There are no school if there is no curriculum. Curriculum is the reason for
existence of the school. Schools develop their own curriculum, sometimes, for existing curriculum, in
order to meet its own peculiar needs.

Curriculum as a Process and as a Product

Curriculum processes are the procedures involved in creating, using, and evaluating the
curricula represented in various documents or products such as guides, syllabi, and others.

Processes
Curriculum process is a collective term that encompasses all of the considerations about which
curriculum workers ponder and ultimately use to make choices in the development and evaluation of
a curriculum project. These processes involved changes that some students, teachers, school staff,
and community members welcome, but that others resist either actively or passively. Rarely is a school
curriculum developed from scratch, because most “new” represent revisions of those in existence.
However, whether generating a brand-new curriculum of revising an existing one, curriculum
development means creating or modifying what is taught to students. “Curriculum development”,
understood as a process implying a wide range of decisions concerning learning experiences, taken by
different levels: politicians, experts, and teachers; at the national, provincial, local, school and also
international levels.

Products
Curriculum products or projects result from curriculum development processes and provide
the bases for instructional decisions in classrooms. Curriculum projects include curriculum guides,
courses of study, syllabi, resource units, lists of goals and objectives, and other documents that deal
with the content of schooling.

Curriculum guides “usually include details about the topics to be taught, predetermined
teaching goals and suggestions for instructional strategies” (Ben-Peretz, 1990, p.25). Curriculum
guidelines furnish information about predetermined learning outcomes and are generally less
complete than curriculum guides. Courses of study or syllabi usually specify the content, the learning
outcomes, and time allocations for the various topics. Sometimes a rationale for the choices of content
is included in the syllabi.

In conclusion, the term “curriculum” may be said to be a total package of what the
schools do to make learners become what society expects them to become, namely good
citizens, who are not only able to understand or learn certain school subjects, but fully
integrated individuals that are able to fit into society and contribute their own share as well,
to the progress of that society.
 Activity 1

Interview an individual who were primary or secondary school during the 1960s, 1970s,
1980s, 1990s and 2020s. What were the characteristics of curriculum during the period? Compare
their answers.

Period Curriculum Characteristics

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2020s
 Activity 2
A school administrator comes up with a new school timetable. The new timetable is
presented below. Study the timetable and answer the questions that follow:
SCHOOL TIMETABLE

Morning Afternoon Observations

Days of
Made on
Week
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Attendance

Poor
Soc
Monday English Math Fil Sci Music Physical Education afternoon
Stud
Attendance

Poor
Soc
Tuesday English Math Sci Art Filipino Physical Education Afternoon
Stud
Attendance

High
Wednesday TLE TLE TLE PE PE PE Gardening Sports Absenteeism
Rate

Good
Attendance
Soc
Thursday English Math Sci Fil Computer Art CLE Math both in
Stud
morning and
afternoon
Good morning
Soc Attendance,
Friday English Math Sci Fil TLE Computer Music Sport
Stud Fair afternoon
Attendance

1. Why do you think there was poor attendance on Wednesday?

2. Why do you think there was a good attendance on Thursday?
3. If parents started withdrawing their children, saying that there was little learning going
on in school, what do you think is their interpretation of the curriculum?
Activity 3

1. Define the term “curriculum” as you understand it. Make a concept web.
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2. Make a clear distinction in your own words between curriculum and

a. Syllabus
b. Scheme of work
c. Course of study
d. Lesson note
Use a graphic organizer to show your answer.

3. Explain the importance of curriculum in school. Prepare a checklist.

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4. Think of the formal curriculum offered at your school and list its characteristics.
Illustrate your answer through a matrix.
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