Types of Curriculum

• 1. Recommended Curriculum. Almost all of the curricula found in our schools are
recommended. For Basic Education, these are recommended by the Department of
Education (DepEd), for Higher Education by the Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) and Vocational Technical Education by Technical Education, Skills
Development Authority (TESDA). These three government agencies oversee and regulate
Philippine education. The recommendations come in the form of memoranda or policy,
standards and guidelines. Other professional organizations or international bodies like
UNESCO also recommends curricula in schools.
• 2. Written Curriculum. This includes documents based on the recommended curriculum.
They come in a form of course of study, syllabi, modules, books, instructional guides
among others. A packet of this written curriculum is the teacher’s lesson plan. The most
recent written curriculum is the K to 12 for the Philippine Basic Education.
• 3. Taught Curriculum. From what has been written or planned, the curriculum has to be
implemented or taught. The Teacher and the learners will put life to the written
curriculum. The skill of the teacher to facilitate learning based on the written curriculum
with the aid of instructional materials and facilities will be necessary. The taught
curriculum will depend largely on the teaching style of the teacher and the learning style
of the learners.
• 4. Supported Curriculum is described as support materials that the teacher needs to
make learning and teaching meaningful. These include print materials like books, charts,
posters, worksheets or non-print materials like power point presentation, movies, slides,
models, realias, mock ups and other electronic illustrations. Supported curriculum also
includes facilities where learning occurs outside or inside the four-walled building. These
include the playground, science laboratory, audio-visual rooms, zoo, museum, market or
the plaza. These are the places where authentic learning through direct experiences occur.

• 5. Assessed Curriculum Taught and supported curricula have to be evaluated to find out
if the teacher has succeeded or not in facilitating learning. In the process of teaching and
end of every lesson or teaching episode, an assessment is made. It can either be
assessment for learning, assessment as learning or assessment of learning. If the
processes is to find the progress of learning, then the assessed curriculum is for learning,
but if it is to find out how much has been learned or mastered, then it is assessment of
learning. In either way, such curriculum is the assessed curriculum.

• 6. Learned Curriculum. How do we know if the student has learned? We always believe
that if a student changed behavior, he/she has learned. For example, from a non-reader to
a reader or from not knowing to knowing or from being disobedient to being obedient.
The positive outcome of teaching is an indicator of learning. These are measured by tools
in assessment, which can indicate the cognitive, affective and psychomotor outcomes.
Learned curriculum will also demonstrate higher order and critical thinking and lifelong
skills.
• 7. Hidden/Implicit Curriculum This curriculum is not deliberately planned, but has a
greater impact on the behavior of the learner. Peer influence, school environment, media,
parental pressures, societal changes, cultural practices, natural calamities are some factors
 that create the hidden curriculum. Teachers should be sensitive and aware of this hidden
curriculum. Teachers must have good foresight to include these in the written curriculum,
in order to bring to the surface what are hidden.

THE TEACHER AS A CURRICULARIST

• Let us describe the teacher as a curricularist

• 1.knows the curriculum…Learning begins with knowing. The teacher as a learner starts
with knowing about the curriculum, the subject matter or content. As a teacher, one has to
master what are included in the curriculum. It is acquiring academic knowledge both
formal (disciplines, logic) or informal (derived from experiences, vicarious and
unintended). It is the mastery of the subject matter. (Knower)
• 2.writes the curriculum. A classroom teacher takes record of knowledge concepts,
subject matter or content. These need to be written or preserved. The teacher writes
books, modules, laboratory manuals, instructional guides and reference materials in paper
or electronic media as a curriculum writer or reviewer. (Writer)
• 3.plans the curriculum. A good curriculum has to be planned. It is the role of the
teacher to make a yearly, monthly or daily plan of the curriculum. This will serve as a
guide in the implementation of the curriculum. The teacher takes into consideration
several factors in planning a curriculum. These factors include the learners, the support
material, time, subject matter or content, the desired outcomes, the context of the learners
among others. By doing this, the teacher becomes a curriculum planner. (Planner)
• 4.initiates the curriculum In cases where the curriculum is recommended to the schools
from DepEd, CHED, TESDA, UNESCO, UNICEF or other educational agencies for
improvement of quality education, the teacher is obliged to implement. Implementation
of a new curriculum requires the open mindedness of the teacher, and the full belief that
curriculum will enhance learning. There will be many constraints and difficulties in doing
things first or leading, however a transformative teacher will never hesitate to try
something novel and relevant. (Initiator)
• 5.innovates the curriculum Creativity and innovation are hallmarks of an excellent
teacher. A curriculum is always dynamic, hence keeps on changing. From the
content ,strategies, ways of doing, blocks of time, ways of evaluating, kinds of students
and skills of the teachers, one cannot find a single eternal curriculum that would
perpetually fit. A good teacher therefore innovates the curriculum and thus becomes a
curriculum innovator. (Innovator)
• 6. implements the curriculum The curriculum that remains recommended or written
will never serve its purpose. Somebody has to implement it. As mentioned previously, at
the heart of schooling is the curriculum. It is this role where the teacher becomes
curriculum implementor. An implementor gives life to the curriculum plan. The teacher is
the height of an engagement with the learners, with support materials in order to achieve
the desired outcomes. It is where teaching, guiding, facilitating skills of the teacher is
 expected to the highest level. IT is here where teaching as a science and an art will be
observed. It is here, where all the elements of the curriculum will come into play, The
success of a recommended, well written and planned curriculum depends on the
implementation. (Implementor)
• 7.evaluates the curriculum How can one determine if the desired learning outcomes
have been achieved? Is the curriculum working? Does it bring the desired results? What
do outcomes reveal? Are the learners achieving? Are there some practices that should be
modified? Should the curriculum be modified, terminated or continued? These are some
few questions that need help of a curriculum evaluator. That person is the teacher.
(Evaluator)

Oftentimes curriculum is taken in its narrow view as a listing of subjects to be taught in school or
sometimes it is understood broadly as all learning experiences that individuals undergo whine in
school. We cannot deny the fact that curriculum should be clarified by teachers and other
stakeholders. Curriculum affects all teachers, students, parents, politicians, businessmen,
professionals, government official or even the common people.
Like many concepts in education, there seems to be no common definition of “curriculum”.
Because of this, the concept of curriculum is sometimes characterized as fragmentary, elusive
and confusing. However, the word originates from the Latin word “curere” referring to the oval
track upon which Roman chariots raced. New International Dictionary defines curriculum as the
whole body of a course in an educational institution or by a department while the Oxford
Dictionary defines curriculum as courses taught in schools or universities.

Curriculum means different things to different people. Sometimes educators equate curriculum
with the syllabus while a few regards it as all the teaching-learning experiences which the
student encounters while in school. Numerous definitions indicate dynamism which connotes
diverse interpretations as influenced by modes of thoughts, pedagogies, philosophies, political as
well as cultural perspectives.
Some Definitions of Curriculum
1. Curriculum is a planned and guided set of learning experiences and intended outcomes,
formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences under the
auspices of the school, for the learners’ continuous and willful growth in personal social
competence. (Daniel Tanner, 1980)
2. It is a written document that systematically describes goals, planned, objectives, content,
learning activities, evaluation procedures and so forth. (Pratt, 1980).
3. The contents of a subject, concept and tasks to be acquired, planned activities, the desired
learning outcomes and experiences product of culture and an agenda to reform society make up a
curriculum. (Schubert, 1987)
4. A curriculum includes “ all of the experiences that individual learners have in a program of
education whose purpose is to achieve broad goals and related specific objectives, which is
planned in terms of a framework of theory and research or past and present professional
practices. (Hass, 1987)
5. It is a programme of activities (by teachers and pupils) designed so that pupils will attain so
far as possible certain educational and other schooling ends or objectives. (Grundy, 1987)
6. It is a plan that consists of learning opportunities for a specific time frame and place, a tool
that aims to bring about behaviour changes in students as a result of planned activities and
includes all learning experiences received by students with the guidance of the school.
(Goodland and Su, 1992)
7. It provides answers to three questions: 1. What knowledge, skills and values are most
worthwhile? 2. Why are they most worthwhile? 3. How should the young acquire them?
(Cronbeth, 1992)

A. Points of View of Curriculum

Since the concept and meaning of curriculum are shaped by a person’s point of view, this added
to fragmentation, and some confusion. However, when put together, the different definition
diverse points of view, would describe curriculum as dynamic and perhaps ever changing.
Point of view about the curriculum can either be traditional or progressive according to their
philosophical, psychological, and even psychological orientations. These views can also define
what a curriculum is all about.
1. Curriculum from Traditional Points of View
The traditional points of view of curriculum were advanced by Robert Hutchins, Arthur Bestor and
Joseph Schwab.

 Robert Hutchins views curriculum as “permanent studies” where rules of grammar,

reading, rhetoric, logic and mathematics for basic education are emphasized. The 3Rs
(reading, Writing, ‘rithmetic) should be emphasized in basic education while liberal
education should be the emphasis in college.
 Arthur Bestor as an essentialist believes that the mission of the school should be
intellectual training, hence curriculum should focus on the fundamental intellectual
disciplines of grammar literature and writing. It should include mathematics, science,
history and foreign language.
 Joseph Schwab thinks that the sole source of curriculum is a discipline, thus the subject
areas such as Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, English and many more. In college,
academic disciplines are labelled as humanities, science, languages, mathematics among
others. He coined the word discipline as a ruling doctrine for curriculum development.
 Philip Phenix asserts that curriculum should consist entirely of knowledge which comes
from various disciplines.
Collectively from the traditional view of the theorists like Hutchins, Schwab, Bestor and
Phenix, curriculum can be defined as a field of study. Curriculum is highly academic and
is concerned with broad historical, philosophical, psychological and social issues. From a
traditional view, curriculum is mostly written documents such syllabus, course of study,
books and references where knowledge is found but is used as a means to accomplish
intended goals.
Curriculum from Progressive Points of View

On the other hand, a listing of school subjects, syllabi, course of study and list of specific
discipline do not make a curriculum. In its broadest terms, a progressive view of
curriculum is the total learning experiences of the individual.
 John Dewey believes that education is experiencing. Reflective thinking is a means
that unifies curricular elements that is tested by application.
 Holin Caswell and Kenn Campbell viewed curriculum as all experiences children
have under the guidance of teachers.
 Othaniel Smith, Willaim Stanley and Harlan Shore likewise defined curriculum as
a sequence of potential experiences, set up in schools for the purpose of disciplining
children and youth in group ways of thinking and acting.
 Colin Marsh and George Willis also viewed curriculum as all the experiences in the
classroom which are planned and enacted by the teacher and also learned by the
students.
The nature of curriculum has given rise to many interpretations, depending on a person’s
philosophical beliefs.
Curriculum is what is taught in school, a set of subjects, a content, a program of studies, a
set of materials, a sequence of courses, a set of performance objectives, everything that
goes within the school. It is what is taught inside and outside of school directed by the
teacher, everything planned by school, a series of experiences undergone by learners in
school or what individual learner experiences as a result of school. In short, curriculum is
the total learning experiences of the learner, under the guidance of the teacher.

B. Prescriptive vs Descriptive

Curriculum can be both prescriptive and descriptive. Prescriptive curriculum

definitions provide us with what “ought” to happen and they more often than not take the
form of a plan, an intended program or some kind of expert opinion about what needs to
take place in the course of study. (Ellis, 2004, p.4) However, Descriptive curriculum
goes beyond the prescriptive terms as they force thought about the curriculum “not
merely in terms of how things ought to be…but how things are in real classrooms” (Ellis,
2004, p.5) Another term that could be used to define the descriptive curriculum is
experience. This experience curriculum provides “glimpses” of the curriculum in action.

Prescriptive Definitions of Curriculum

1. John Dewey- curriculum is a continuous reconstruction, moving from the child’s

present experience out into that represented by the organized bodies of truth that we call
studies…the various studies…are themselves experience-they are that of the race.

2.Franklin Bobbit-curriculum is the entire range of experiences, both directed and

undirected, concerned in unfolding the abilities of the individual.

3. Harold O. Rugg- the curriculum is a succession of experiences and enterprises having

a maximum life-likeness for the learner…giving the learner that development most of
helpful in meeting and controlling life situations.

4. Hollis Caswell in Caswell and Campwell- the curriculum is composed of all

experiences children under the guidance of teachers…thus, curriculum is considered as a
field of study representing no strictly limited body of content, but rather a process or
procedure.

5.Ralph Tyler- the curriculum is all the learning experience planned and directed by the
school to attain its educational goals.

6.Robert Gagne- curriculum is a sequence of content units arranged in such a way that
learning of each unit may be accomplished as a single act, provided the capabilities
described by specified prior units (in the sequence) have already been mastered by the
learner.

7.James Popham and Eva Baker- curriculum is planned learning outcomes for which
the school is responsible…curriculum refers to the desired consequences of instruction.

8. J.L. McBrien & R. Brandt-curriculum refers to a written plan outlining what students
will be taught (a course of study). Curriculum may refer to all the courses offered at a
given school, or all the courses offered at a school in a particular area of study.

9.Indiana Department of Education- curriculum means the planned interaction of

pupils with instructional content, materials, resources and processes for evaluating the
attainment.

Descriptive Definitions of Curriculum

1. Hollis Caswell and Doak Campwell- all the experiences children have under the
guidance of teachers.

2.Thomas Hopkins- those learning each child selects, accepts, and incorporates into
himself to act with, on and upon, in subsequent experiences.
3. W. B. Ragan- all experiences of the child for which the school accepts responsibility.

4.Glen Hass- the set of actual experiences and perceptions of the experiences that each
individual learner has of his or her program of education.

5.Daniel Tanner & Laurel Tanner- the reconstruction of knowledge and experience that
enables the learner to grow in exercising intelligent control of subsequent knowledge and
experience.

6.D. F. Brown- all student school experiences relating to the improvement of skills and
strategies in thinking critically and creatively, solving problems, working collaboratively
with others, communicating well, writing more effectively, reading more analytically and
conducting research to solve problems.

7. E. Silva- an emphasis on what students can do with knowledge, rather than with units
of knowledge they have, is the essence of 21st century skills.

The definitions provided for prescriptive and descriptive curricula vary primarily in their
breath and emphasis. It would seem that a useful definition of curriculum should meet
two criteria: it should reflect the general understanding of the term as used by educators,
and it should be useful to educators in making operational distinctions.

It is important that curriculum workers have a common understanding of what curriculum

is. Their personal definition of curriculum defines the curriculum product that they will
produce.
 • Curriculum as Content- refers to the coverage of the curriculum or the inclusion of
new content
• Curriculum as a Plan- refers to the content, teaching strategies, and even evaluation
techniques
• Curriculum as Process– refers to the delivery of the planned content
• Curriculum as a Product refers to the outcome/ learners’ actual experience or gained.

Approaches to School Curriculum

We realize that curriculum is viewed in many ways. Recall the past lesson about the
definition of the curriculum.
Curriculum can be approached or seen in three ways. It can be defined as a content, a
process or an outcome. If you examine the definitions provided by the experts in the field, there
are three of approaching a curriculum. First is to approach it as content or a body of knowledge
to be transmitted. Second, is to approach it as a product or learning outcomes desired of learners.
Third is to approach it as a process or what actually happens in the classroom when the
curriculum is practiced.

1. Curriculum as a content or body of knowledge

It is quite common for traditionalists to equate a curriculum to topic outline, subject matter or
concepts to be included in the syllabus or a books. If the curriculum is equated as content, then
the focus will be the body of knowledge to be transmitted to students using appropriate teaching
method. There can be a likelihood that teaching will be limited to the acquisition of facts,
concepts, and principles of the subject matter, however the content or subject matter can also be
taken as a means to an end.
All curricula have content regardless of their design or models. The fund of knowledge is the
repository of accumulated discoveries and inventions of man from the exploration of the earth
and as products of research. In most educational setting, curriculum is anchored on a body of
knowledge or discipline.
Content is more than simply information to be learned in school. To some curriculum specialists,
content or subject matter is another term for knowledge. It is a compendium of facts, concepts
generalization, principles and theories. The fund of human knowledge represents the repository
of accumulated discoveries and inventions of man down the centuries, due to man’s exploration
of his world. This is the subject-centered view of the curriculum.
On the other hand those who view knowledge as learner-centered, relates knowledge to the
individual’s personal and social world and how he or she defines reality. According to Jerome
Bruner, “knowledge is a model we construct to give meaning and structure to regularities in
experience”
There are four ways of presenting the content in the curriculum. These are
a. Topical approach- where much content is based on knowledge and experiences are included.
b. Concept approach- with fewer topics in clusters around major and sub-concepts and their
interaction with relatedness emphasized.
c. Thematic Approach as a combination of concepts that develop conceptual structures and
d. Modular approach that leads to complete units of instruction
Criteria in the Selection of Content
There are some suggested criteria in the selection of knowledge or subject.
1. Significance – Content or subject matter will contribute to ideas, concepts, principles, and
generalization to achieve the overall purpose of the curriculum. It is also significant if content
becomes the means of developing cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills of the learner. As
education is a way of preserving culture, content will be significant when this will address the
cultural context of the learners.
2. Validity – The authenticity of the subject matter forms is its validity. Knowledge becomes
obsolete with the fast changing times. This there is a need for validity check and verification at a
regular interval, because content which may be valid in its original form may not continue to be
valid in the current times.
3. Utility- usefulness of the content in the curriculum is relative to the learners who are going to
use these. Utility can be relative to time.
4. Learnability- The complexity of the content should be within the range of experiences of the
learners. This is based on the psychological principles of learning. Appropriate organizations of
content standards and sequencing of content are two basic principles that would influence
learnability.
5. Feasibility- Can the subject matter or content be learned within the time allowed, expertise of
the teaches, and the nature of the learners?
6. Interest- For a learner-centered curriculum, this is the key criterion. A learner will value the
content if it is meaningful to him or her. Students’ interests should be considered and adjusted
taking into consideration maturity, prior experiences, educational and social value of their
interest among others.
There are other considerations that may be used in the selection of the learning content. It would
be of greater he curriculum makers can use them. As a guide, subject matter or content can be
rejected for use he these are:
a. commonly used in daily life;
b. appropriate to the maturity levels and abilities of students;
c. valuable in meeting the needs and the competencies of a future career;
d. related with other subject fields or discipline for complementation and integration
e. important in the transfer of learning.to other discipline

BASICS: Fundamental Principles for Curriculum Content

In organizing or putting together the different learning contents Palma, 1992 suggested the
following principles: balance, articulation, sequence, integration continuity and scope.

Curriculum content should be fairly distributed in depth and breadth of the particular learning
area or discipline. This will ensure that the level or area will not be overcrowded or less crowded.
This refers to BALANCE.

When each level of subject matter is smoothly connected to the next, glaring gap and wasteful
overlaps in the subject matter will be avoided. Teamwork among the teachers will enhance
ARTICULATION of contents in the curriculum.
SEQUENCE is the logical arrangement of the subject matter. It refers to the deepening and
broadening of content as it is taken up in the higher levels.
The horizontal connections are needed in subject areas that are similar so that learning will be
related to one another. This is INTEGRATION. This will help the learner get a holistic or
unified view of reality and outlook in life.

Learning requires a continuing application of the new knowledge, skills, attitudes states so that
there will be used in daily living. The constant repetition, review and reinforcement of learning is
what is referred to as CONTINUITY.
SCOPE- The breath and depth of the curricular content are vital in the curriculum. Scope
consists of all the content, topics, learning experiences comprising the curriculum.

2. Curriculum as a Process- is seen as a scheme about the practice of teaching. The intersection
of the content and process is called pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)

3. Curriculum as a Product- product is what the students desire to achieve as learning outcomes.
The product from the curriculum is a student is equipped with the knowledge, skills and values
to function effectively and efficiently.
The real purpose of education is to bring about significant changes in students pattern of
behaviour.
Products of learning are operationalized as knowledge, skills and values.
 Curriculum Development Process

Curriculum Development is a dynamic process involving many different people and

procedures. Development connotes changes which is systematic. A change for the better means
alteration, modification or improvement of existing condition. To produce positive changes,
development should be purposeful, planned, and progressive. Usually it is linear and follows a
logical step-by- step fashion involving the following phases: planning, design, implementation
and evaluation. Generally most models involve 4 phases.
1. Curriculum Planning considers the school vision, mission and goals. It includes the
philosophy or strong education belief of the school. All of these will eventually be translated to
classroom desired learning outcomes for the learners.
2. Curriculum designing is the way curriculum is conceptualized to include the selection and
organization of content, the selection and organization of learning experiences or activities and
the selection of the assessment procedure and tools to measure achieved learning outcomes. A
curriculum design will also include the resources to be utilized and the statement of the intended
learning outcomes.
3. Curriculum implementing in the classroom setting or the learning environment. The teacher
who is the facilitator of learning, leads in putting into action the plan which is based on the
curriculum design. Together with the learners, the curriculum design guides what will transpire
in the classroom with the end in view of achieving the intended learning outcomes.
Implementing the curriculum is where action take place. Implementing the curriculum is where
action takes places. It involves the activities that transpires in every teacher’s classrooms where
learning becomes an active process.
4. Curriculum evaluating determines the extent to which the desired outcomes have been
achieved. This procedure is on-going as in finding out the progress of learning (formative) or the
mastery of learning (summative). Along the way, evaluation will determine the factors that have
hindered or supported the implementation. It will also pinpoint where improvement can be made
and corrective measures introduced. The result of the evaluation is very important for decision
making of curriculum planners and implementors.

Curriculum Development Process Models

1. Ralph Tyler Model: Four Basic Principles
Also known as Tyler’s Rationale, the curriculum development model emphasizes the planning
phase. This is presented in his book Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction. He posited
four fundamental principles which are illustrated as answers to the following questions.
1. What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?
2. What educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes?
3. How can these educational experiences be effectively organized?
4. How can we determine whether these purposes re being attained or not?

Tyler’s model shows that in curriculum development, the following considerations should be
made:
• 1.Purpose of the school
• 2. Educational experiences related to the purposes
• 3. Organization of the experiences, and
4. Evaluation of the experiences

2. Hilda Taba Model: Grassroots Approach

She improved on Tyler’s Rationale by making a linear model. She believed that teachers who
teach or implement the curriculum should participate in developing it. Her advocacy was
commonly called the grassroots approach. She presented seven major steps to her model where
teachers could have a major input.
Taba proposed 7 major steps to her grass-roots model in which teachers would have major input
throughout the curriculum development process:
• Diagnosis of need
• Formulation of objectives
• Selection of content:
• Organization of content
• Selection of learning experiences
• Organization of learning activities
• Evaluation and means of evaluation
3. Galen Saylor and William Alexander Curriculum Model
Galen Saylor and William Alexander (1974) viewed curriculum development as consisting of
four steps. Curriculum is “a plan for providing sets of learning opportunities to achieve broad
educational goals and related specific objectives for an identifiable population served by a single
school center.”
• 1. Goals, Objectives and Domains
• 2. Curriculum Designing
• 3. Curriculum Implementation
4. Evaluation
•