Republic of the Philippines

SORSOGON STATE COLLEGE

Sorsogon City Campus
Sorsogon City
Telephone No. (056) 211-0200 Email-Ad: ssc@sorsogonstatecollege.edu.ph
____________________________________________________________________________

The Teacher and the School Curriculum

Second Semester, SY 2020-2021

Third Activity for Self-Assessment

Instructions: Please provide a short substantive essay to each of the following

questions based on the third chapter of the textbook. Substantiate each answer with
relevant examples.

1. What are some of the differences between the various types of colonial schools?

Parochial/Private Schools

The parochial/private schools were found in the middle and southern colonies. The
difference between parochial and private schools is that the former was religiously focus
while the latter often was not. The focus of these schools was on reading. writing, and
arithmetic, which came to be known as the “three R’s”. Parochial schools would always
include a religious element to it such as memorizing sermons, singing hymns, or Bible
study.

Town Schools

Towns schools were found in the New England colonies. These schools were locally
controlled and conditions were not always accommodating for learning. The schools were
often only one room and weather would affect attendance severely.  The primary goal was
on memorization which was assessed by the teacher.
 Latin Grammar Schools

Latin Grammars schools were in many ways a type of high school for the affluent. They
were intended for those who were going to enter some form of profession such as medicine,
law, or business. A boy (no ladies at this time) would enter the school at around 8 and
complete their studies around the age of 16-17.

The focus of the curriculum was on the classics. In many ways, perennialism had its roots in
this system. Students studied Greek, Latin, rhetoric, logic, and other subjects. This was a
humanist curriculum and had much in common with education in Europe.

Academies

The origin of academies was in developing an educational model for those who were not
going to college. Academies were invented by Benjamin Franklin. The curriculum focused
on vocational skills and was much more secular in nature. Students would study history in
place of the bible. The academies form the foundation for vocational curriculum later in
American history.

Colleges

Students who completed their studies at the Latin Grammar school often went on to college.
College originally was a place to further train ministers of the gospel. Both Yale and Harvard
were started for this purpose. The curriculum of this schools focused on the Latin, Greek,
astronomy, ethics, natural sciences, and more. Colleges were not only for ministers but this
was one of its main purposes.

2. How did U.S. democratic ideas contribute to the rise of public schooling during the
National Period?

In the colonial American context, public education was a means of educating the elitist
class of the future business and political leaders. For the commoners it was left to the
churches and individual families. With time a large number of families who understood the
importance of education would then enroll their children free from any coercion to school,
which brought about the emergence of public schooling.
 Throughout U.S. history, Americans have pivoted between whether the central priority of
public education should be to create skilled workers for the economy, or to educate young
people for responsible citizenship. Both goals are important, of course, but with the recent
rise of a global economy, the emphasis has shifted away from preparing citizens and toward
serving the needs of the marketplace.

On one level, this change of priorities is understandable. As we celebrated two hundred

years of a continuous, improving democracy, the need for schools to emphasize the civic
portion of public education began to feel less urgent to many leaders and educators. In a
globalized economy, competition from foreign nations such as China appeared a more
imminent threat than domestic challenges undermining our democratic values.

Public education in the United States emerged in part from the goals of democratic
society: to prepare people to become responsible citizens; to improve social conditions; to
promote cultural unity; to help people become economically self-sufficient; and to enhance
individual happiness and enrich individual lives (Center for Education Policy 1996). In the
spirit of such goals, public schools were widely established in the late 1800s. Although the
quality and inclusiveness of such schools have varied since their creation, public schools
originated as the necessary expression of democratic society.

3. How did the 19th century European pioneers of pedagogy influence the U.S. school
curriculum?

The European pioneer of pedagogy influenced the curriculum in America by

emphasizing on the significance of democratic relation in a classroom setting essentially
shifting the focus of the educational theory from school institution to school’s student’s
needs.

4. How did education evolve to meet the needs of the masses during the rise of
universal education?

Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956) presented curriculum as a science that emphasizes

on students’ need. Curriculum prepares students for adult life. Werret Charters (1875-
1952), like Bobbit, to Charters curriculum is a science. It gives emphasis on students’
 needs. William Kilpatrick (1871-1965) curricula are purposeful activities which are
child-centered. The purpose of the curriculum is child development and growth.
Harold Rugg (1886-1960) To Rugg, curriculum should develop the whole child. It is
child-centered. Hollis Caswell (1901-1989) Sees curriculum as organized around
social functions of themes, organized knowledge and learner’s interest. Ralph Tyler
(1902-1994) As one of the hallmarks of curriculum, Tyler believes that curriculum is a
science and an extension of school’s philosophy. It is based on students’ needs and
interest. Hilda Taba (1902-1976) Contributed to the theoretical and pedagogical
foundations of concepts development and critical thinking in social studies curriculum.
She helped lay the foundation for diverse student population. Peter Oliva (1902-2012)
He described how curriculum change is a cooperative endeavor. Significant
improvement is achieved through group activity.

5. How did the Committee of Fifteen and the Committee of Ten influence 20th century
curriculum?

By the dawn of the 20th century, education, particularly completing primary education,
was a norm. Due to the growth in education, there was a corresponding expansion in the
courses taught. However, there was no unifying hand over schools or curriculum.

The lack of coordination over education led to problems. The amount of time needed for
a class was different from place to place. A student would be placed in different grades
depending on where they enrolled. Lastly, the courses offered were focused on a classical
tradition even though few went on to college (this last problem was exacerbated not solved).
The Committee of Fifteen

The Committee of Fifteen was not so much a committee om reformation as it was a

counter-reformation committee. This committee rejected adding additional courses, focusing
on children needs, and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching.

Instead, the Committee of Fifteen supported a support for the three R’s, and separate
subjects. In terms of change they did support reducing elementary school from grade K-10
to K-8, and including manual training starting in grade 7.
 The Committee of Fifteen put breaks on change but did not stop it. With other
committees arose the push for more reform.

The Committee of Ten

The Committee of Ten brought strong, but conservative, change to education. They
recommended nine academic subjects covering language, math, history, and science. They
also recommended having several different tracks that students can study on depending on
their goals. The tracks were classical, science and or language focused.

The Committee of Ten ignored the humanities (art, music, etc.,), PE, and even
vocational education believing that these subjects did not benefit the mind. The overall
purpose of the curriculum was still college preparation. The impact of this committee can be
seen in how secondary schools still focus on college preparation.

The Committee on College Entrance Requirements

The Committee on College Entrance Requirements simply reaffirmed what the

Committee of Ten proposed. They also proposed the number of credits students should
earn for particular subjects if they want to go to college.

The biggest contribution of this committee was the development of the “Carnegie Unit”
which was in response to the credit hour proposal of the committee. Seat time in class was
now a measure of knowledge of a subject. This idea has worked for over 90 years but is
now being criticized as seat time does not lead necessarily to mastery.

Rapid growth led to a need for rapid organizations. The committees mentioned in this piece
have had a tremendous impact on secondary education in the US. For most, going to high
school is preparation for going to college. This mindset is due to these committees that met
in the late 19th century.

The focus on college preparation may be due to the fact that these committees were led by
college-educated scholars whose passion was naturally the training of the mind. This
singular focused has made education one-dimensional to this day. Whenever pushing for
change in curriculum, the team needs to have a mixture of personalities and abilities to
 produce a balanced system. This was missing from these great committees. They had a
great vision that applied strictly to a minority of the population.

6. What are some of the “twenty-first century skills” that employers seek? What kind of
curriculum can help promote these skills among students?
Twenty-first century skills prepare students to enter the workforce or higher
education with the ability to think critically and creatively, collaborate with others,
take the initiative when approached with a task, and use technology to its fullest
potential.
Learning skills (the four C’s) teaches students about the mental processes required to
adapt and improve upon a modern work environment.

 Critical thinking: Finding solutions to problems

 Creativity: Thinking outside the box
 Collaboration: Working with others
 Communication: Talking to others
Literacy skills (IMT) focuses on how students can discern facts, publishing outlets, and the
technology behind them. There’s a strong focus on determining trustworthy sources and
factual information to separate it from the misinformation that floods the Internet.

 Information literacy: Understanding facts, figures, statistics, and data

 Media literacy: Understanding the methods and outlets in which information is
published
 Technology literacy: Understanding the machines that make the Information Age
possible
Life skills (FLIPS) take a look at intangible elements of a student’s everyday life. These
intangibles focus on both personal and professional qualities.

 Flexibility: Deviating from plans as needed

 Leadership: Motivating a team to accomplish a goal
 Initiative: Starting projects, strategies, and plans on one’s own
 Productivity: Maintaining efficiency in an age of distractions
 Social skills: Meeting and networking with others for mutual benefit
Designed Curriculum in the 21st Century can help promote those skills among students
because according to Paige (2009) adopting a 21st century curriculum should blend
knowledge, thinking, innovation skills, media, Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
literacy, and real-life experience in the context of core academic subjects.