Chapter 1 – Module 2

Lesson 2 – Approaches to School Curriculum

Content Focus

Three ways of Approaching a Curriculum

Curriculum can be approached or seen in three ways. Look back at the definitions of
curriculum by experts in the field. There are three ways of approaching curriculum. First, is to
approach it as content or body of knowledge to be transmitted. Second is to approach it as a
process or what actually happens in the classroom curriculum is implemented. Third, is to
approach it as a product or the learning outcomes desired of learners.

Curriculum as content or body of knowledge

Traditionalists equate curriculum as a topic outline, subject matter or concepts to be

included in syllabi or books. Take a look at the books used in different subject areas or your
syllabi. They contain a list of topics or subject matter to be taught. When curriculum is viewed
as content, the focus is the body of knowledge to be transmitted to students using appropriate
teaching methods and strategies. There can be a likelihood that the end of teaching is
acquisition of facts, concepts and principles of the subject matter which does not constitute
true education. Mastery of content or subject matter is not and end in itself but a means to an
end. All curricula have content regardless of their design or models. The content represents
the fund of knowledge that has been accumulated for centuries and are preserved in books
and other printed/ e- materials kept in libraries. In educational setting, curriculum is anchored
on a body of knowledge or discipline. The content of a curriculum can be presented in the form
of topics, concepts, themes, or modules.

Criteria in the selection of content

There are some suggested criteria in the selection of knowledge or subject matter.
(Bilbao, et al 2009)

 Significance. Content should become the means of developing the cognitive, affective
and psychomotor skills of the learner, the overall purpose of the curriculum. In
addition, since education is a tool to preserve and transmit the cultural heritage of the
race, curriculum content is significant when it will address the cultural context of the
learner (K to 12 contextualization of the curriculum which involves indigenization and
localization)
 Validity. Content should reflect contemporary scientific knowledge. It must be in tune
with the realities of the time (up-to-date). Knowledge is rapidly changing (e.g. views
about the nature of COVID-19 and the methods of treatment), so content may be valid
in its original form but may not continue to be valid in the current times.
  Utility. Usefulness of content is relative to learners who are going to use these
(e.g.may be useful to Learner A but not to Learner B) as well as to time (past, present,
and future).
 Learnability. The complexity of the subject matter should be within the range of
experiences of the learners. The organization and sequencing of content, two basic
principles that influence learnability of content should be appropriate to the
developmental level of the learners.
 Feasibility. This criterion answers the questions, “Can the content or subject matter be
learned within the time allowed, resources available, expertise of the teacher and the
nature of the learners?” “Are there contents of learning that can be learned beyond
the formal teaching-learning engagement?” “Are there opportunities provided to learn
these?”
 Interest. Are the contents meaningful to the learners? Of what value is the subject
matter/content to the present and future life of the learners?
Aside from the criteria mentioned earlier, the selection of subject matter or content may
include the following guide: Select content that is:
 Commonly used in the daily life.
 Appropriate to the maturity levels and abilities of the learners.
 Valuable in meeting the needs and competencies of the future career.
 Related to other subject fields or discipline for complementation and integration.
 Important in the transfer of learning to other disciplines.
In the selection of curriculum content, Palma (1992) proposed the principle of BASIC as
guide in addressing content in the curriculum. BASIC refers to:
 Balance. Content should be fairly distributed in depth and breadth as a guaranty that
significant contents should be covered to avoid too much or too little of the contents
needed within the time allocation.
 Articulation. As t. he complexity of content progresses with the educational levels,
vertically or horizontally, across the same disciplines, smooth connection should be
provided. This will assure that there are no gaps or overlaps in the content.
Seamlessness in the content is desired and can be assured if there is articulation in
the curriculum. Thus, there is a need of teamwork among writers and implementers
of curriculum.
 Sequence. This refers to the logical arrangement of the content of the curriculum. Tis
could be done vertically for deepening the content or horizontally for broadening of
the same content, the pattern usually is from easy to complex, from what is known
to the unknown, or what is current to something in the future.
 Integration. Content in the curriculum does not stand alone. It has some ways of
relatedness or connectedness to other contents. This can provide a holistic or unified
view of curriculum. Contents which can be integrated to other disciplines/subjects
acquire a higher premium than when isolated.
 Continuity. Constant repetition, reinforcement and enhancement of content are all
elements of continuity considering that change is inevitable.
Curriculum as a Process
 Curriculum can also be approached as a process. It involves the interaction among the
teachers, students and content. As a process curriculum happens in the classroom as teachers
and students engage in the teaching-learning process. As an analogy, a recipe in a cookbook is
the content while the ways of cooking is the process. Hence the process of teaching and
learning becomes central in using content to achieve an outcome. Content provides the
materials on what to teach, the process provides curriculum on how to teach the content. We
use the terms instruction, implementation, teaching to refer to the process. Effective teaching
and learning requires knowledge of content and knowledge of pedagogy (recall the three
figures under taught curriculum in Module 1, Lesson 1).The intersection of content and process
is called Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) which addresses the question ”If you have this
content, how will you teach it?” When educators and teachers are asked: What curriculum are
you using? Some answers may be: Problem-based, cooperative learning, blended curriculum,
case-based, hands-on and many more. These responses approach curriculum as a process.
These are the ways of teaching, managing the content, guiding learning, methods of teaching
and learning or strategy of teaching or delivery modes. Some of the strategies are time-tested
traditional methods; others are emerging.

When curriculum is approach as a process, the guiding principles are:

 Curriculum process in the form of teaching methods or strategies are means to achieve
the end.
 There is no singles best process or method. The effectiveness will depend on the desired
learning outcomes, the learners, support materials and the teacher.
 Curriculum process should stimulate the learners’ desire to develop the cognitive,
affective and psychomotor domains in each individual.
 In the choice of methods, learning and teaching styles should be considered.
 Every method or process should result to learning outcomes which can be described as
cognitive, affective and psychomotor.
 Flexibility in the use of method or process should be considered.
 Both teaching and learning re two important processes in the implementation of the
curriculum
Curriculum as a Product
Curriculum can also be viewed as a product, what students desire to achieve as a
learning outcome. The product from the curriculum is a student equipped with the knowledge,
skills, attitudes, and values (KSAV) to function effectively and efficiently as a member of
society. The real purpose of education is to bring about significant changes in learners’ pattern
of behavior. It is important that any statement of objectives or intended outcomes should be a
statement of changes to take place in the students. Central to this approach to curriculum is
the formulation of behavioral objectives stated as intended or desired learning outcomes so
that content, teaching methods and evaluation procedure may be organized. To bring about a
desired product, there should be careful planning, choice of content and processes in the
curriculum.

End of the Lesson Activity: To be given later after the presentation.