Module 4

Module Overview

Trends and Issues on Curriculum

and Curriculum Development
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you
were to live forever” – Mahatma Gandhi

In this Module
Lesson 1: Researches on Curriculum Development (local)

Lesson 2: Researches on Curriculum Development (foreign/

international)

Lesson 3: Contextualization of the Curriculum

Lesson 4: Curriculum Indigenization

Lesson 5: Curriculum Localization

 Lesson
1 Researches on Curriculum
Development (Local)

At the end of the session, you are expected to:

1. Analyze research studies relative to curriculum design and development.

2. Propose continuous quality improvement initiatives relevant to curriculum design and
development

Introduction

Please note that all curricula are not absolute. These are all subject to assessment, evaluation
and continuous quality improvement to continually respond to the latest trends and
developments of the different disciplines, international standards and the needs of the society
in general. Expectedly, a curriculum will be revised either by Department of Education
(DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) or Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA). In this lesson, you will be required to read research
investigations in the local and national level.

Reading of Research
Articles
Instruction: Read the research articles below. Please fill out the tables provided based from
the research article:

1. “Effective Implementation of the Senior High School Curriculum: A Descriptive Analysis

by: Nacorda, S.H. and associates (2019). International Journal of Engineering Research &
Technology (IJERT).

Research Findings Conclusions Recommendations

Questions
 1.

2.

3.

1. Bongco, R. T., & David, A. P. (2020). Filipino teachers' experiences as curriculum

policy implementers in the evolving K to 12 landscape. Issues in Educational
Research,  30(1), 19-34.

Research Findings Conclusions Recommendations

Questions

1.

2.

3.
 Analysis

Focus Questions:

Based from the research articles that you have read, explain extensively the following
questions:

1. Do you agree that the senior high school curriculum is highly congested? If yes, how
to decongest? If no, please elaborate.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________
2. Do you agree that senior high school graduates are not industry ready? Please explain from a
curriculum point of view and based from your previous readings
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________
3. What are the tensions experienced by teachers in making sense and operationalizing
curriculum policies in their classroom:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________

Abstraction: Let Us Build On!

Implementation of the Senior High School Curriculum

The Philippine educational system can be summarized into the following:

 A total of 13 years from kindergarten to grade 12 mandatory and free in the public
schools.
  Grade 11 to 12 classes in the private schools or universities/colleges are subsidized
through the voucher program.
 Students’ chosen SHS strands is used as a requirement for college admission. This is
based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity.
 Students will undergo standardized assessments (aptitude tests, national career
assessment examination – NCAE and occupational interest test to empirically
determine their strengths and interests leading to strand preference.
 Curriculum guides are distributed to elementary, junior and SHS teachers to use as a
tool for teaching instructions based on standards.
 Mass training was conducted to prepare prospective SHS teachers in the actual
implementation of the curriculum.
 The purpose of the SHS curriculum is for graduates to demonstrate essential
knowledge, skills and behaviors that will increase their employability to the relevant
industries.

Implementation Challenges of SHS Curriculum

Until today, a substantial number of critiques argue that the country is not yet
prepared to implement the SHS curriculum. However, these did not hinder the full
implementation of the said curriculum. Thus, challenges are experienced:

 The resources of a particular area dictate what SHS strands will be offered.
 Inadequacy of facilities. It is more glaring in the public schools particularly for hard
sciences and technical/vocational courses.
 Lack of qualified teachers. The teacher education curriculum does not include
preparing teachers to teach in the SHS level.
 Difficulty of the private schools in particular to apply for permission to offer SHS
levels because of the many very idealistic requirements.
 Lack of buildings, simulation spaces and laboratories especially for technical and hard
science courses in the different strands.

Curricular Policies

Today’s educational landscape is heavily inundated with changes and demands in

health, technological and academic domains. These have dictated the education quality
assurance procedures to ensure a quality and responsive education. The following are:

1. Globalization. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, globalization still prospers. This can
be evidenced by the country’s compliance to international standards such as the ASEAN
Qualifications Reference Framework (AQRF) which officially recognizes the Philippines
version of Qualifications Framework (PQF). The AQRF is predominantly benchmarked
with prestigious global standards e.g. Malcolm Baldridge quality framework, European
and Australian qualifications framework.
2. Technological advances. With the advent of industrial revolution 4.0 (Internet of Things,
Rise of the Machines), teaching and learning are not just delivered face-to-face but other
flexible modes as well that are highly technology-integrated and embedded. The current
 health crisis has popularized in the Philippines the use of learning management system
(LMS) and open technologies to sustain quality of teaching and learning processes.
3. Holistically developed lifelong learners. More than ever, education has over emphasized
on producing graduates who are equipped with 21st century competencies (e.g. critical
thinking, problem solving, decision making, global citizenship, ability to work in teams
etc.).
4. Culturally sensitive curriculum and inclusivity. This means education for all. Regardless of
race, ethnicity, color, social economic status, religion, gender etc. all students should be
educated. This requirement makes contextualization or indigenization of curriculum an
important feature of the new curriculum.
5. Child protection policy (DepEd Order 40, series of 2012) which seeks to protect “children
in school from abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination, bullying, and other forms of
abuse”. This procedure has significantly affected the teacher’s classroom management and
paved the way for differentiated instruction which responds to the needs and interests of
students.
6. Competency/outcome-based curriculum. There is now a heavier focus on the deployment
of performance over traditional assessment tasks. This means that the performance of
students is matched with established grade-level, content and performance standards.
7. Expectation vs reality. The curricular goals do not match with the realities of the
classroom particularly for the public schools.

Required Readings:

Effective Implementation of the Senior High School Curriculum: A Descriptive Analysis by:
Nacorda, S.H. and associates (2019). International Journal of Engineering Research &
Technology (IJERT).

Bongco, R. T., & David, A. P. (2020). Filipino teachers' experiences as curriculum policy
implementers in the evolving K to 12 landscape. Issues in Educational Research, 30(1),
19-34.

Application: Let’s Apply

Using the curriculum guide of the Department of Education, choose a grade level and subject
(1 quarter only), create a 1-quarter curriculum guide that shows decongestion of a highly
saturated unit or quarter (see table below). Please use the recent “Most Essential Learning
Competencies (MELCs)” of DepEd to guide you in the task. Before the table, explain why
the unit you designed is not congested. Please consider the coverage of the topics, formative
assessment tasks and nature of learning activities in your explanation.

Sample Subject: English

(your explanation here)

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________

Grade- Content Performance MELCs Formative

Level Standard Standard Assessments/
Standard Resources

Please do not forget:

1. Curriculum is subject to revision. The changes may come from voluntary and
mandated curriculum review, assessment, evaluation and continuous quality
improvement. The revisions may also be caused by government mandates, trends and
developments of the discipline, international demands and qualifications, and the
needs of the society in general.
2. As a front liner in the curriculum implementation, you should be reminded of
curriculum congestion and saturation. This means that in your design, include only
what are essentials in the pursuit of the substance of the lesson and the demonstration
 of the knowledge skills and attitudes that you promised students to demonstrate after
completion of the unit.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
You may now proceed to the next
lesson.

Lesson
2 Researches on Curriculum
Development (Foreign)

At the end of the session, you are expected to:

1. Analyze international research studies relative to curriculum design and development.

2. Propose continuous quality improvement initiatives relevant to curriculum design and

development

Introduction
In lesson 1, you analyzed the most recent local and national investigations in curriculum
design and development. You will be needing the same mind-set and skills in this lesson
because this time you will deal with research projects conducted in the international level.
This is intentionally designed to give you a vantage point on how the country’s educational
curricula compete with our international counterparts. In lesson 1 and 2, you may find
inspiration or interest in conceptualizing your thesis project during your fourth year in the
teacher education program.

Acrostics
Instruction: Read the research articles below. Please fill out the tables provided based from
the article:

1. Gunay, R. (2016). An Evaluation of High School Curricula Employing Using the Element-
based Curriculum Development Model. Journal of Education and Training Studies 4 (7). DOI
10.11114/jets.v4i7.1477.

Research Findings Conclusions Recommendations

Questions

1.

2.

3.

2. Ulferts, H. (2019). The relevance of general pedagogical knowledge for successful

teaching: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the international evidence from primary to
tertiary education. Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/ede8feb6-en.

Research Findings Conclusions Recommendations

Questions

1.

2.
 3.

Analysis

Focus Questions:

Based from the research articles that you have read, explain extensively the following
questions:

1. What accounts as a quality curriculum? Explain each element of a quality curriculum in the
Philippine context.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________

2. Explain each of the typology of teacher’s knowledge according to Schulman in relation to

the establishment of a quality curriculum.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
3. How crucial is the teacher’s technological competence in the implementation of a quality
curriculum?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
 Abstraction: Let Us Build On!

What accounts as quality curriculum?

Once again, as previously learned, all curricula are subject assessment, evaluation and
continuous quality improvement cycle. This cycle ensures the quality of the curriculum
relative to the achievement of intended goals, standards and competencies. Curricular quality
should take into cognizance the following:

1. High expectations. All students including those academically struggling, when

informed about the challenges and expectations of the curriculum will result in the increase of
academic achievement. In other words, a quality curriculum should be able to challenge the
intellectual, psychological and physical domains of the learners

2. Responsiveness. Since the curriculum is dynamic and continually evolving, the

assessment, evaluation and continuous quality improvement are designed to determine its
relevance and significance to the needs of the learners and society in general.

3. Coherence. The principle of sequence and content curation of curriculum will help
establish the chronology of topics, activities, formative and summative assessment tasks. You
may refresh yourself with the spiral curriculum of Bruner, where learning is premised on
prior learning.

4. Stakeholders involvement. One trademark of a quality curriculum is when key

stakeholders such as the parents, teachers, students, people from the relevant industries,
representatives from government agencies and local government among others are actively
involved in the curriculum planning, assessment, evaluation and continuous quality
improvement.

5. Flexibility. The centralized system of the Philippine education lessens the degree of
flexibility of its curricular offerings. The review of the curriculum typically is only done after
3-5 years based on the strategic plan of the government. However, in terms of
implementation, the schools and teachers are given freedom to exercise flexibility in terms of
pace, criteria by which students’ performance will be assessed, the learning experiences,
teaching strategies and methods and the completion time.

6. Learner-centeredness. In today’s pedagogical landscape, there is a general shift

from teaching to learning, from instruction to assessment, from what to how students learn,
from cognition to metacognition, from direct instruction to guided discovery, from
individualized to collaborative problem learning among others. These shifts define the
learner-centeredness principle of curriculum design and development.
Quality Teacher’s Knowledge

1. Content knowledge. Pre-requisite to becoming a quality teacher is one’s expertise of

the subject being taught. A teacher with a trivial content knowledge is as good as not
teaching at all. What separates teachers from pretending to be teachers is expertise.
This implies that should really prepare for the challenges of teaching. For pre-service
teachers, you can endlessly update yourself with the trends and developments of your
subject through research. For in-service teachers, deepening one’s content knowledge
can be done through professional development activities such as pursuing master’s or
doctorate degree or attendance to training and seminars relevant with the subject
being taught.

2. Pedagogical knowledge. The set of skills on how to teach covers pedagogical

knowledge. This includes the seamless conduct of teaching-learning activities and
classroom management skills. However, a teacher who is good in pedagogical
knowledge does not automatically mean the teacher also has content knowledge.

3. Pedagogical content knowledge. The competence of the teacher to choose

appropriate and constructively aligned teaching and learning activities or strategies in
teaching the content is pedagogical content knowledge.

4. Technological pedagogical content knowledge. The advent of COVID-19 and

advancement of technology in and of education now requires teachers to be
technologically-savvy. In today’s instructional landscape, the use of learning
management systems (LMS), open technologies, open educational resources, course
wares and the maximization of blended-online and other flexible learning delivery
modes.

Required Readings:

Gunay, R. (2016). An Evaluation of High School Curricula Employing Using the Element-
based Curriculum Development Model. Journal of Education and Training Studies 4 (7). DOI
10.11114/jets.v4i7.1477.

Ulferts, H. (2019). The relevance of general pedagogical knowledge for successful teaching:

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the international evidence from primary to tertiary
education. Paris: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/ede8feb6-en.

Quality criteria may target aspects such as: Source: International Bureau of Education.
http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en/geqaf/annexes/technical-notes/what-makes-quality-
curriculum.

Application: Let’s Apply

 1. Using the curriculum guide that you made in lesson 1, assess and evaluate the
document using the elements of a quality curriculum that you have read in this lesson.
Justify whether or not the curriculum you designed meets the quality curriculum
criteria. If not, propose recommendations on how you can further improve the
curriculum guide.
(your curriculum guide here)

Criteria 1:

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Criteria 2

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Criteria 3

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________
 1. Is it possible for a teacher to have content knowledge without pedagogical
knowledge? Explain your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________

Please do not forget:

1. One of the many jobs of teachers is to design and implement a curriculum. Having said
that, you should take into consideration the different quality criteria. These criteria will guide
you in your journey as teachers and your tireless quest for quality teaching and learning.

2. To be a quality teacher, you should demonstrate competence not just in character but also
in content and pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and technological
content knowledge.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
You may now proceed to the next
lesson .

Lesson
Contextualization of the Curriculum
3

At the end of the session, you are expected to:

1. Distinguish the best practices and suggest improvement in the implementation of

curriculum in the Philippine education system
2. Explain the concept of contextualization in the curriculum of the Philippines’ basic
education

3. Present an argument through writing on the perception of the stakeholders in the

implementation of the K to 12 curriculum in the Philippines

Introduction
By now, you are already equipped with the knowledge on the basics of the school and the
curriculum. This part you will go further by understanding the concept in the adaptation of
contextualization in the curriculum.

Acrostics
Instruction: Read the case study on the Philippine Education. After reading, Fill out the
matrix below in the Best Practices and Needs Improvement on the areas of: Reforms, School
Management, Institutionalization, Handling Challenges and Opportunities, and Curriculum .
Click the link on the copy of the case study provided below for reference.

https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/global-20170307-philippines-case-
study.pdf

Areas Best Practices Needs Improvement

1. Reforms
2.School Management

3. Institutionalization

4. Handling Challenges
and Opportunities

5. Curriculum

Analysis
Focus Questions:

Now, answer the following questions based on the activity you have done.

1. What are significant reforms in the Philippine education that made an impact to its system?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________-

__________________________________________________________

2. What is its impact to the trends in curriculum development?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

3. What areas in the current curriculum that should be improved?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________-

__________________________________________________________

4. How important is contextualization in the curriculum?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________-

__________________________________________________________

5. Can contextualization of the curriculum improve the current status of Philippine

Education? Why or Why not?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________-

__________________________________________________________

After answering the questions, we will read further contextualization in curriculum and how
did it shape the Philippine Education System.

Abstraction: Let Us Build On!

Contextualization in the Philippine Curriculum

 According to the presentation in the regional training conducted by DOST-SEI
(https://www.slideshare.net/joeyvaldriz/contextualization-in-the-philippines) as posted by
Joey F. Valdriz (2017)

The following are the developments throughout the decade in contextualization of the
Curriculum:

 1998-2006: Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP)

-development of readers using local stories

-integration of culture and artistic expressions in learning areas

 2002-2007: Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM)

-“tri-people” perspective- Muslims, Christians, and Lumads

 2005-present: Strengthening Implementation of Visayas Education (STRIVE)

-Region-wide efforts on localization/contextualization

 2011-2014: Philippines’ Response to Indigenous Peoples’ and Muslim Education

(PRIME)-initial attempt at generating the contextualization process
Legal Basis for Contextualization

Republic Act 9155, Sec. 2

… encourage local initiatives for improving the quality of basic education.

… the values, needs and aspirations of a school community are reflected in the program
of education
… Schools and learning centers shall be empowered to make decisions on what is best
for the learners they serve.

Republic Act 10533, Sec 5 (Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013)

The DepED shall adhere to the following standards and principles in developing the
enhanced basic education curriculum:
(d) … contextualized and global

Governance (RA 9155) and K to 12 (RA 10533) highlights the Local Level which requires
understanding of the Local Context

Key Concepts of Contextualization

DepED Order 32, s. 2015

“Adopting the Indigenous Peoples Education Curriculum Framework” (July 29, 2015)
-Definition of contextualization, localization, and indigenization based on historical use and
experiences in the Philippine public schools.

 Examples used in lessons start with those in the locality

  Names, situations, setting needed to give context to test questions or problem-solving
exercises are those of the immediate community
 Local materials are used as often as possible in making instructional materials
 Local stories are used in the language learning areas
 Translating a story written in another language to the language of one’s learners for
use
in MTB-MLE

Contextualization in the K to 12 Curriculum

What is K to 12?

The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six

years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior
High School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop
lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills
development, employment, and entrepreneurship.

Strengthening Early Childhood Education

 Every Filipino child now has access to early childhood education through Universal
Kindergarten. At 5 years old, children start schooling and are given the means to slowly
adjust to formal education.

Research shows that children who underwent Kindergarten have better completion
rates than those who did not. Children who complete a standards-based Kindergarten
program are better prepared, for primary education.

Education for children in the early years lays the foundation for lifelong learning and
for the total development of a child. The early years of a human being, from 0 to 6 years, are
the most critical period when the brain grows to at least 60-70 percent of adult size..[Ref: K
to 12 Toolkit]. In Kindergarten, students learn the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors
through games, songs, and dances, in their Mother Tongue.

Building Proficiency through Language (Mother Tongue Based Education)

Students are able to learn best through their first language, their Mother Tongue
(MT). Twelve (12) MT languages have been introduced for SY 2012-2013: Bahasa Sug,
Bikol, Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon, Iloko, Kapampangan, Maguindanaoan, Meranao,
Pangasinense, Tagalog, and Waray. Other local languages will be added in succeeding school
years.

Aside from the Mother Tongue, English and Filipino are taught as subjects starting
Grade 1, with a focus on oral fluency. From Grades 4 to 6, English and Filipino are gradually
introduced as languages of instruction. Both will become primary languages of instruction in
Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS).

After Grade 1, every student can read in his or her Mother Tongue. Learning in
Mother Tongue also serves as the foundation for students to learn Filipino and English easily.

Ensuring Integrated and Seamless Learning (Spiral Progression)

Subjects are taught from the simplest concepts to more complicated concepts through
grade levels in spiral progression. As early as elementary, students gain knowledge in areas
such as Biology, Geometry, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Algebra. This ensures a mastery
of knowledge and skills after each level.

For example, currently in High School, Biology is taught in 2nd Year, Chemistry in
3rd Year, and Physics in 4th Year. In K to 12, these subjects are connected and integrated
from Grades 7 to 10. This same method is used in other Learning Areas like Math.

Gearing up for the Future (Senior High School)

Senior High School is two years of specialized upper secondary education; students
may choose a specialization based on aptitude, interests, and school capacity. The choice of
career track will define the content of the subjects a student will take in Grades 11 and 12.
SHS subjects fall under either the Core Curriculum or specific Tracks.

Core Curriculum
 There are seven Learning Areas under the Core Curriculum. These are Languages,
Literature, Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
Current content from some General Education subjects are embedded in the SHS curriculum.

Tracks

Each student in Senior High School can choose among three tracks: Academic;
Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes three
strands: Business, Accountancy, Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social
Sciences (HESS); and Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).

Students undergo immersion, which may include earn-while-you-learn opportunities,

to provide them relevant exposure and actual experience in their chosen track.

TVET (Technical Vocational Education & Training) National Certificate

After finishing Grade 10, a student can obtain Certificates of Competency (COC) or a
National Certificate Level I (NC I). After finishing a Technical-Vocational-Livelihood track
in Grade 12, a student may obtain a National Certificate Level II (NC II), provided he/she
passes the competency-based assessment of the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA).

NC I and NC II improves employability of graduates in fields like Agriculture,

Electronics, and Trade.

Modeling Best Practices for Senior High School

In SY 2012-2013, there are 33 public high schools, public technical-vocational high

schools, and higher education institutions (HEIs) that have implemented Grade 11. This is a
Research and Design (R&D) program to simulate different aspects of Senior High School in
preparation for full nationwide implementation in SY 2016-2017. Modeling programs offered
by these schools are based on students’ interests, community needs, and their respective
capacities.

Nurturing the Holistically Developed Filipino (College and Livelihood Readiness, 21st
Century Skills)

After going through Kindergarten, the enhanced Elementary and Junior High
curriculum, and a specialized Senior High program, every K to 12 graduate will be ready to
go into different paths – may it be further education, employment, or entrepreneurship.

Every graduate will be equipped with:

1. Information, media and technology skills,

2. Learning and innovation skills,
3. Effective communication skills, and
4. Life and career skills.

Required Readings:
(Read the following articles, research journal, and presentations for additional inputs by
clicking the link.)

1. Contextualization in English Language Education: Navigating the Place of Maritime

Culture in Philippine English Language Teaching by Jessie Labiste Jr (2019)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337588887_Contextualization_in_English_Langua
ge_Education_Navigating_the_Place_of_Maritime_Culture_in_Philippine_English_Languag
e_Teaching

2. Conception and Application of Contextualization in Mathematics Education by Joseph D.

Reyes et.al (2018)
https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/664590

3. Facilitating Student Learning Through Contextualization by Dolores Perin (2011)

https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/facilitating-learning-contextualization-
working-paper.pdf

4. Localization and Contextualization of Science Activities in Enhancing Learners’

Performance by Jeffrey O. Ballesteros
https://scholar.google.com.ph/scholar?
q=localization+and+contextualization+pdf&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

5. DepED Order 35, s. 2016

https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DO_s2016_035.pdf

Application: Let’s Apply

Read the published research entitled “THE PERCEPTION OF THE PARENTS AND
STUDENTS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF K – 12 BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM
IN THE PHILIPPINES” by Nhelbourne K. Mohammad (click the link below for reference or
search the paper in Google). Write a three-page reflection paper on the challenges of the K to
12 curriculum implementation that you have observed and also provide opportunities for
improvement that you can suggest. You will be graded based on the following criteria:
Presentation of Argument (content and relevance) -50 points, Flow of Ideas (Coherence and
Unity) -30 points, Mechanics ( proper grammar and spelling) -20 points.

http://jurnal.unmuhjember.ac.id/index.php/IECO/article/download/544/429
Closure
As an end note:

Let us remember that Contextualization is developing skills, knowledge, abilities and

attitudes in students by presenting new subject matter in meaningful and relevant context.
This could be a context of previous experience, real-life understanding, or workplace
practice.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
You may now proceed to the next
lesson .

Lesson
4 Curriculum Indigenization
At the end of the session, you are expected to:

1. Explain the basic principles and concepts of indigenization of curriculum.

2. Apply the principles and concepts of indigenization using an actual designed curriculum
guide.

Introduction
One of the most highly contested issues in education research and curriculum design and
development is the utter exclusion of the indigenous people’s context. Today, this issue has
been extensively discussed and fully supported and funded by government and non-
government organizations throughout the world. This international pressure has compelled
educational systems to indigenize the curriculum particularly the assessment and instructional
practices. In this lesson, you will be required to apply the principles and concepts of
indigenization of education in your design curriculum guide.

Acrostics

Instruction: Using the curriculum guide that you made in lesson 1, assess and evaluate the
guide using the quality indigenization checklist below: Your judgment should be guided by
the extent and consistency of the required items. It is highly recommended that you refresh
your knowledge on the principles and designs of curriculum to explain deeply in the details
or remarks column.

Quality Criteria Yes No Details/Remarks (how to

improve the curriculum guide?)
1. Are the statements of grade-
level standards, content and
performance standards and
learning competencies cover
or complements with holistic
development of learners?
2. Are the statements of grade-
level standards, content and
performance standards and
learning competencies benefit
 indigenous learners or
communities?
3. Are the statements of
learning competencies
emphasize not just cognitive
but also emotional, spiritual,
physical and psychological
development of the learners?
4. Are there opportunities for
where students are given the
voice to define their own or
group learning goals and self-
development?
5. Do the formative
assessment tasks include
stories and relationships of
people and actual experiences
of the learners?
6. Are the learning activities
multisensory?
7. Are the assessment tasks
(both formative and
summative) holistic in nature?
8. Are there opportunities for
students’ self-assessment that
allow them to reflect and
monitor their progress?
9. Are there opportunities for
learning in community or
intergenerational learning?
10. Are the learning
competencies and tasks
connected to the world outside
the classroom?

Analysis

Focus Questions:

1. Why is there a need to indigenize the curriculum design? Elaborate on the potential
consequences if teachers failed to indigenize.
2. Describe an ideal indigenized teaching-learning process. How does it look like in the
classroom and in the school?

Abstraction: Let Us Build On!

The indigenization advocacy in education has impacted the curriculum design and
development of educational systems in the world. This has also brought difficulty and
struggle on the part of the teachers and curriculum writers and developers on how to fully
integrate the principle of indigenization in the teaching-learning process. Below are some
strategies to indigenize the curriculum:

1. Experiential and lifelong learning. The use of experiential and lifelong learning allows
students to reflect on their own context and culture. This can be maximized to
intentionally provide students opportunities to look at the substance of the subjects
from their perspective.
2. Cultural integration. This is one of the most common strategies of indigenization. The
strategy requires teachers to be very knowledgeable with the students culture and
intentionally integrate it in many ways e.g. in the criteria by which students
performance will be assessed, the teaching strategies, the type of formative
assessment and summative assessment tasks among others.
 3. Field trips, events, and feasts. At the institutional level, the schools may hold regular
cultural events that is not just limited to performing arts. This could also be in the
form of food, clothing, lifestyle, paintings, rituals and many more. In the classroom
level, teachers have the option to do field trips to cultural sites to further enrich the
substance of the lesson.
4. Oral tradition. The use of cultural narratives as one of the teaching and learning
strategies is very high in indigenization. The teacher may also invite speakers from
the indigenous peoples community to further contextualize the substance of the
lesson. This could also be done through dedicating a special award to students in
honor of the cultural tradition of the community.
5. Indigenous worldview. Respect for indigenous peoples ways and cultural tradition
particularly spiritual practices all over the world is arguably is the highest form of
indigenization.
6. Indigenized instructional materials. Books and articles authored by a member of the
indigenous community, and use of indigenous films are highly recommended to
indigenize the curriculum and the teaching-learning process.

Required Readings:

Antoine, A., Mason, R., Mason, R., Palahicky, S. & Rodriguez de France, C. (2018). Pulling
Together: A Guide for Curriculum Developers. Victoria, BC: BCcampus. Retrieved from
https://opentextbc.ca/indigenizationcurriculumdevelopers/.

Teaching Styles, Culture and Good Practices (Indigenous Resources: Indigenization of the
Curriculum Justice Institute of British Columbia https://libguides.jibc.ca/c.php?
g=409910&p=2792363.

Application: Let’s Apply

Using the curriculum guide you designed in lesson 1, revise or enhance the document to
comply with the criteria of curriculum indigenization. Explain thoroughly the revisions or
enhancements or why there is no need to revise.

(explanation starts here)

(your revised curriculum guide)
Grade-Level Content Performance MELCs Formative
Standard Standard Standard Assessments/
Resources

Closure
Please do not forget:
 1. Curriculum indigenization should be equally treated with other curriculum integration
efforts of other advocacies of education. Learning is better achieved when the
substance of the lesson is contextualized to the situations of students. Let this
contextualization be the cultural tradition or personal lives of students.

2. There are a substantial number of strategies where indigenization can be placed

premium in the curriculum design. These include, assessment criteria, choice of
teaching and learning strategies, design of assessment tasks, regular conduct of school
and classroom activities, giving of special awards to students or people in the
community among others.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
You may now proceed to the next
lesson .

Lesson
5 Curriculum Localization

At the end of the session , you are expected to:

1. Evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum reforms in the Philippine Basic and
Higher Education Sectors.
2. Establish understanding on the features of Mother Tongue- Based instruction as an
example of localization in the curriculum
3. Assess the advantages and disadvantages in the implementation of mother tongue-based
instruction in the curriculum

Introduction
From the previous topics you are already knowledgeable with the contextualization and
indigenization of the curriculum. In this part, we will learn the concept of localization in the
curriculum.

Read the paper of Allan B. de Guzman entitled “The Dynamics of Educational Reforms in
the Philippine Basic and Higher Education Sectors” (click the link below for reference).
Identify three significant curriculum reforms in education that shaped the current design and
give 5 factors each on their effectiveness. Use the matrix template in answering.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ776349.pdf

Curriculum Reform Factors of Effectiveness

1.

2.

3.
 Analysis

Focus Questions:

Now, answer the following questions based on the activity you have done.
1. What are your insights in the different curriculum reforms in the Philippine Education
system?
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________-

__________________________________________________________

2. How did the curriculum reforms shape the current design?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

3. What particular curriculum reform that focused on the localization of the curriculum?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________-

__________________________________________________________

4. How can localization in the curriculum make the Teaching-Learning process more
dynamic?
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________-

__________________________________________________________

5. As a future educator, do you agree on the precepts of localization in the curriculum?

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________-

__________________________________________________________

After answering the questions, we will discuss further localization in the curriculum and
understand further about Mother tongue-based instruction.
 Abstraction: Let Us Build On!

Localization of the Curriculum

Freedom for schools or local authorities to adapt the curriculum to local conditions
and relating the context of the curriculum and the process of teaching and learning to the
local environment (Taylor, 2004)

Relevance of curriculum content is a crucial dimension of quality education. The

promotion of localized curricula is a way of encouraging such relevance in very different
local, cultural and socio-economic contexts. It is an important component of the
decentralization of education, governance and management.

The localization of the curriculum can allow learning to become more meaningful and
relevant. It supports policy formulation and standard setting for reform of the curriculum and
the impact of this on teacher skills and knowledge. Localization will involve the use of local
materials both as the subject and object of instruction. Localization will also involve making
the local culture an integral part of the curriculum.

However, there are a number of constraints in the devolution of responsibility for

curricula to local levels, including lack of local technical expertise and material resources,
fear of the unknown and resistance to change among teachers and local educators. These
constraints are often managed through:

 Developing a curriculum framework, including a clear set of curriculum standards, at

the central level;
 Ensuring compliance with these standards in local and school developed curriculum,
either through paper-based accreditation or endorsement processes or through
supervision and monitoring processes (or both);
 Providing training of local and school based curriculum developers; and
 Ensuring clear and open communication exists between central and localized
authorities.

Examples of global trends in localization of curriculum

Indonesia Finland
The primary change in the 1994 In the 1990s, educational policy in Finland
curriculum reform is the inclusion of the shifted to decentralization and the granting
local curriculum subject (LCS) as an of more local control to municipalities and
independent subject that takes more than schools, with the intent of encouraging
20 % of the curriculum. However, LCS more active, locally relevant learning.
implementation is problematic. LCS tends Within national guidelines, each school can
to alienate learners’ experiences, because be given substantial latitude for local
local is not singular, rural is plural, and curriculum design, even if it has to be
district has different beliefs, perceptions, confirmed at the municipality level. One
values, norms, and skills. Thus it is important aspect of the curriculum reform
difficult to decide the LCS as the most has been to enable the shift from a didactic
“local” for all. The new curriculum applies teacher-centered philosophy of the previous
“unity in policy and diversity in practice”. central curriculum to a more learner-
The minimum standard of competency is centered approach to teaching. It could be
centralized (unity in policy) and the said that the development and
curriculum content, methods and implementation of the curriculum
assessment procedure are decentralized influenced teacher views of knowledge,
(diversity in practice). This new learning, and education in a more
curriculum attempts to deal with the progressive direction, but this change is not
overcrowded curriculum through always reflected in the same way in actual
integration, reduction of instructional time teaching practices at each school, revealing
and decentralization of content, methods, the influence of curriculum leadership,
and assessment procedures. It can be said teacher commitment to the curriculum and
that in the new curriculum – except the the evaluation of the curriculum in the
competency and exit performance standard development of the school-based
– everything is localized at school or curriculum.
district levels.

Namibia Israel
The greatest challenge to the process of The Ministry of Education encourages
localizing Vocational Education and school autonomy, in order to improve the
Training curricula in Namibia is a quality of education provided by the
preference by practitioners and educators school. The basic assumption is that the
for a more scientific, academic, general school staff is capable of developing and
and standardized vocational education and formalizing an educational approach, and
training. The traditional paradigm of can then formulate a school-based
education and training is characterized by curriculum by adapting teaching and
an overemphasis of high general academic learning methods to local conditions.
secondary school requirements for access Greater school autonomy has had a positive
to training and qualifications and instructor impact on teachers’ motivation and sense
based delivery and assessment methods of commitment and on schools’
and techniques, as against a focus on work- achievement orientation, but only 4% of
related competences that are essentially the variance in the effectiveness between
contextual and relevant to the local socio- autonomous and less autonomous schools
economic and geographical and physical could be explained by school-based
setting. The nature of local industry is management.
based on the utilization and processing of The pupils themselves should be allowed a
locally available resources, and the great deal of initiative and involvement in
Namibia Qualification Framework pursues planning their studies, while maintaining
the development of a diverse range of dialogue with their peers, teachers, parents
standards and qualifications as long as they and experts. The school schedule is largely
meet all the guidelines and requirements of based on allocating units of flexible time,
the NQF and the different NQF level where different pupils will be occupied
 descriptors. However, the difficulty of with different subjects or fields. The school
determining local skills needs and is free to structure these units in accordance
distinguishing between local and national with the various characteristics of pupils.
needs and the complexities involved in the The only constraint on the school’s
implementation of a more flexible NQF autonomy in organizing class schedule is
results in curriculum centralization and a that for each pupil, the time during six
“one for all” approach. school years is allocated on the basis of
disciplines, where each one has a relative
proportion. This proportion can be
expressed by teaching each discipline
separately and/or by interdisciplinary
teaching, which combines the methods of
different approaches.

Australia Argentina
A wave of school-based curriculum The changes in the secondary curriculum
development started in English-speaking around 1998 allowed each province to
countries during the 1970s encountered produce their curriculum designs. A
problems because of insufficient teacher provision was made in the timetables to
preparation, unchanging school structures, further allow each school to allocate some
and conservative community expectations. 10% of the available teaching hours to an
In parallel with school based curriculum, “Institutional Option” subject, to be defined
and with a similar rationale, school based at school level. The experience has not
assessment was introduced into the increased a lot the relevance of the content
education systems in parallel with, or taught to students, in part because of the
integrated into, public examination small proportion of time allocated for the
systems as the numbers of students institutional option, and also because
accessing and remaining in secondary schools have tried to make use of the
education grew. Since the 1990s most already existing teachers, as there is no
Australian States have resorted to provide freedom to hire teachers at the school level.
state curriculums with “essential learning”
formulations to help reduce variability in
the students achievement. It is assumed
that because of equity and quality
considerations, school based curriculum
cannot deliver the whole curriculum.

Challenges and Opportunities

As we have seen, while important, the process of localizing curricula is challenging

on a number of levels.

When embarking on a process of localization, educators at all levels in an education

system are required to adopt additional responsibilities, new roles and to perform familiar
tasks in different ways. The role and definition of “expert” is changed as the system and the
individuals within it become learners to varying extents. It is important to acknowledge in
advance that such a process will be stressful, frustrating, and at times difficult, but one hopes,
ultimately rewarding and positive.
 If the education system is seen as a learning organization and the individuals within it
as learners, the role of the policy maker and implementer becomes one of facilitating change
and building capacity throughout the system. Effective localization processes demand both a
clear articulation of policy and a sympathetic understanding of the new demands on
individuals and organizations. Areas where capacity is not adequate to deal with new
demands need to be identified in advance and given the support necessary to fulfil the
expectations of policy makers and of the public.

Four main areas where practical difficulties may arise can be identified:
 Lack of competent staff
 Teachers attitudes and potential resistance
 Fear of the unknown
 Lack of resources
(Source: UNESCO-IBE’s Training Tools for Curriculum Development)

Mother- Tongue Based Instruction

The curriculum in the Philippines is revised every ten years, but the swift phases of
changes in education and the global demands of the Filipino society necessitate the update of
the curriculum to make it responsive to emerging demands of the learners in the 21st century.
To keep abreast with the demand of the world’s changing technology, the education
curriculum in the Philippines tried to keep in pace with the global trends. Finally, for the
school year 2012, the K to 12 basic education curriculum was first implemented in the
Philippines.

The mother tongue based instruction is one of the refinement of the newly
implemented curriculum. Currently, the K to 12 remains to be an endeavor in progress among
the educators of the country. Aside from the issue of educational essence, the refinement of
the education curriculum was guided by the global needs, as concomitant in the Education for
All Plan 2015 which aims to rationalize its content in order to improve students’ skills and
contribute to the fulfillment of functional literacy.

During these past decade, there were only three countries in the world that do not
have the K to 12 curriculum. These were the countries of Djibouti and Angola. Until recently,
in June 2012, the Philippines has finally implemented the K to 12 curriculum. One of its
educational mandate is the introduction of the MTB (Mother Tongue Based) instruction
specifically in the Kindergarten, and grades 1, 2 and 3 as one of the academic features of the
recently implemented K to12 Curriculum. This language policy supports one of the of
UNESCO (2008) which bear out its sprouting interest in promoting mother tongue-based
education and to develop learning programs using the mother tongue.
 Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) is a form of
education that emphasizes the use of the language of the home as a medium of instruction.
The movement to MTB-MLE is an effort to establish equitable educational opportunities for
speakers of indigenous languages. The Mother Tongue framework seeks to achieve increased
access to education and increased quality of education through providing instruction in the
first language before transitioning to other languages (Benson, 2004). The movement has
taken hold around the world, primarily through non-profit organizations in small-scale
projects.

In many nations worldwide, students enter into educational contexts that teach almost
exclusively in the national, regional, and increasingly English language. Often, speakers of
indigenous languages do not have the ability to engage in learning contexts that rely only on
the national language, thus they fall behind or are otherwise excluded from education. In an
attempt to make education more equitable, multilingual education provides the opportunity
for more than one language to be used both as the target of instruction, as well as the medium
of instruction. However, simply using multiple languages does not ensure that students have
access to the material in their own language. MTB-MLE differentiates itself by utilizing the
first language first as the language of instruction, followed by a regional or national language,
and then often followed by English. In this way, MTB-MLE serves as a form of transitional
language education with varying degrees of emphasis on the preservation of the mother
tongue.

Some models of MTB-MLE include the development of teaching materials and print
literature through the use of mother-tongue translators. Others require a more contextual
approach that includes the development of materials through a close analysis of the local
culture, such as stories or anthologies being written from oral histories or folklore. Some
programs use the mother tongue as a means to teach content until a time in which students
can use a second language and transfer academic knowledge into that language, or a “weak
form” of bilingual or multilingual education. Others approach the task as teaching the
language as well as teaching through the language, thus focusing more on sociolinguistic
identity. This would include a much longer time to use the mother tongue in the schools
setting, or a “strong form” (Baker, 2006)

Mother Tongue Based Instruction Curriculum Guide

Task: Read the Curriculum Guidelines for Mother Tongue-Based Instruction by clicking the
link below.
https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Mother-Tongue-CG.pdf

Task: Read DepED Order 16, S. 2012 – GUIDELINES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF

THE MOTHER TONGUE-BASED- MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION (MTB-MLE) by
clicking the link below. https://www.deped.gov.ph/2012/02/17/do-16-s-2012-guidelines-on-
the-implementation-of-the-mother-tongue-based-multilingual-education-mtb-mle/.

Application: Let’s Apply

Read the published research entitled “CURRENT PERSPECTIVES ON MOTHER –

TONGUE BASED INSTRUCTION IN THE NEWLY IMPLEMENTED K TO 12
CURRICULUM OF THE PHILIPPINES” by Ma. Theresa B. Valerio,Ph.D (click the link
below for reference or search the paper in Google). In the diagram presented below, cite
advantages and disadvantages in the implementation of the Mother-tongue based instruction
and Analyze which you think it is leaning towards. Is MOTHER – TONGUE BASED
INSTRUCTION more an advantage or a disadvantage?

http://www.eajournals.org/wp-content/uploads/Current-Perspectives-on-Mother-Tongue-
Based-Instruction-in-the-Newly-Implemented-K-to-12-Curriculum-of-the-Philippines.pdf
Essential points to remember:

1. Curriculum development describes all the ways in which teaching or training organization
plans and guides learning. This learning can take place in groups or with individual learners.
It can take place inside or outside the classroom. It can take place in an institutional setting
like school, college, training center, or in a village or a field. It is central to the teaching-
learning process.

2. The curriculum is a means followed by the teachers and students for achieving the set
goals and the aims or objectives of education being provided in the school.

2. Curriculum, in every sense, is supposed to be used for all experiences. These may be
curricular or co-curricular, imparted by the school for the realization of the stipulated
aims and objectives of the school education.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
You are now ready to open doors of opportunities in the
field of teaching. The knowledge obtained in this course
on the various concepts of Curriculum Development
made you deeply understand the Educational System in
the Philippines. It is now your individual battle to make
innovations in Education as a Teacher. We, your
mentors, wish you best of luck!!!