Principles of Curriculum Planning

What is Curriculum Planning?

Curriculum planning involves a series of organizational methods that are focused on achieving

optimal student comprehension. This comprehension is typically demonstrated in terms of what the
students have learned and how they can apply that knowledge. Instructors might structure
their curriculum around daily lesson plans, certain units within a class, or an entire educational program.

During the curriculum planning phase, instructors usually take into consideration various external

factors that might compliment or hinder their lesson curriculum. Current issues and trends in society
might necessitate the adjustment of certain lesson topics. There might also be certain institutional
requirements that the instructor could need to implement into their curriculum.

Instructors are typically responsible for making sure that their curriculum planning meets the
educational needs of students. If, for example, an instructor is teaching an  astronomy course, it is his or
her duty to make sure that the materials that are assembled are the most current and most
comprehensible. When the astronomers find something new, these discoveries can be included
in curriculum lessons.

Students usually have different methods of understanding information. Curriculum planning can be

done in such a way as to accommodate many different learning styles. Depending on the subject being
taught, lesson plans can implement ideas such as lectures, experiments, field trips, and research papers.

Some educational programs consist of classes that progress according to skill. For example, those
who are interested in learning a foreign language might start in a beginner's class, then take an
intermediate class, and finally an advanced class. The curriculum planning for a foreign language class is
often made with an emphasis on concept lessons, such as learning verb tenses and applying them in a
conversational situation.

Progress indicators are typically an integral part of curriculum planning. They allow instructors to
adjust their lessons accordingly if a concept is not fully understood by the students. Instructors usually
need to create their own set of planning guidelines to keep curriculum lessons on task.

Typically, the first set of guidelines involves an instructor's decision as to which materials are the
most necessary to learn. Once the materials have been taught, the instructor often needs to determine
which materials can be reviewed again for maximum comprehension. When the review has been
completed, the instructor then can figure out what materials need to be learned next if necessary. If
a curriculum goes too much off task, students sometimes don't learn as much as they could have.
 Curriculum planning as a strategic educational process for the improvement of learning first appeared
in the educational literature of the post-World War I era (Ornstein & Hunkins, 1988). Since that time,
curriculum planners have utilized several different approaches in designing curricula to improve
teaching and learning in light of changing societal factors (Hyman, 1973; Brandt, 2000). However, a
curriculum planning framework that has effectively been utilized in the later half of the Twentieth
Century to improve teaching and learning is based on the premise that curriculum planning activities
should be designed to be Cooperative, Comprehensive, Concrete, and Continuous (Krug, 1957).
Contemporary educational leaders need to keep those Twentieth Century four C’s in mind whenever
planning curriculum improvement projects to meet the everchanging educational landscape of the
Twenty-First Century.

*Walter S. Polka, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools, Lewiston-Porter Central

School District, Youngstown, NY 14174

Principles of Curriculum Planning

1) Principles of Utility: It should be useful in solving problems and facing situations in life. To avail
individual of his rights as a consumer & get the standard quality of service at right price.

2) Principle of flexibility: It must be capable of accommodating the changes in the child’s diverse
interest, inclinations & accordance with social requirements.

3) Principle of child-centeredness: The selection of content has to be in keeping with the child interests
and abilities.

4) Principle of life-centeredness: To enable as individual to function efficiently & face the challenges in
life. Experiences should achieve the physical, mental, social & emotional development.

5) Principle of community-centeredness: The needs, problems of the community should be the focus
development of social values & spirit of inquiry.

6) Principle of correlation: They should be viewed as an integrated whole bringing about the
development.

7) Principle of activity-centeredness: Learning through purposeful activity and actual life experiences
makes learning process interesting and enjoyable.

8) Principle for the use of leisure: The use of leisure in an appropriate manner develops creativity,
aesthetic sense and vocational skills.

9) Principle of inter-relation of subject: It means correlation of subjects & suggests an inter-disciplinary

approach.

10) Principle of development of culture and civilization: The pupil should have the knowledge of their
culture and civilization.
11) Principle of need based activity: It is to cater to the needs of society & provide the manpower for
social and economic development.

12) Principle of value-oriented ness: For the inculcation of values like social justice, equality of
opportunity, equality of sexes, social values and democratic values.

13) Conservative principles: Conservations of cultural heritage, monuments, natural resources, wildlife
should be inculcated & organization of field trips, visits, excursions, stamp collection, collection of
pictures.

14) Principle of creative training: It should stimulate and develop the creative abilities of the pupils.

15) Principle of harmony: Formal & Informal education, general, liberal and vocational education,
individual and social aims should be skillfully interwoven into a harmonious whole paving the way for
individual development & social upliftment.

Associate in Health Science Education (AHSE)

The curriculum provides for a common two-year program to all health-allied courses and allows a
student to shift on the third year to their preferred course. The Associate in Health Science Education
(AHSE) is the two-year common course offering by the College developed in accordance with the
provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 7722 or the “Higher Education Act of 1994” and CHED order No. 59,
series 1996. The AHSE program constitutes the general education component of all baccalaureate
degrees leading to the Health profession.

The AHSE is envisioned to equip its graduates with competencies in primary health care needed to
land jobs as health aides or community health aides. Certificates of completion are awarded to those
who successfully complete the common 2-year course.

The first level is focused on the study of physical, biological, social science and humanities. The fusion
of science and humanities is envisions to build a solid foundation in acquiring an understanding of
oneself in relation to his /her environment.

The second level provides a more intensive and deeper insight cognizant to the concept of man as a
bio-psychosocial-cultural being. Specifically, the second level focuses the study on health’s common
stress of life from womb to tomb and one’s roles and responsibilities in the family, community, health
care delivery system and the nursing profession. At the end of the 2 nd year level, the student shall have
acquired knowledge, skills and attitude for basic nursing practice in the care of the individual, the family
and the community utilizing the health care process in the promotion and maintenance of health and
prevention of illness.

The 1 st semester of the 3rd level is concentrates on the study of maternal & childcare and basic human
function as means of laying the groundwork for the 2 nd semester study of the illness state of a person.
The 2nd semester of the 3rd level examines the concept of illness particularly from the social,
epidemiological, ecological, economic as well as cultural facets. An emphasis is given to pathological
processes and coping techniques of the individual, the family and the community, all of which are
considered intrinsic components of the nursing process. This is with the end view of acquiring the
competencies required in the care of a sick client.

The 1st semester of the 4th level extends the nursing care of a sick client to include the promotion of
health in prevention and control of illness and disabilities, cure and rehabilitation. The 2 nd semester of
4th level is focused on the acquisition of competencies necessary in the professional practice. Students
work independently and/or in collaboration with others in the promotion of health, prevention and
control of illnesses and disabilities in hospital and/or community setting.

Different settings allows students to showcase a composite set of skills such as:

1) initiating nursing actions in cases of emergency situations where the physician is not immediately
available;

2) applying results of research studies related to nursing;

3) possessing necessary attitudes for his/her personal and professional growth; and

4) analyzing the legal aspect of nursing practice.

At the end of the fourth level, the student is deemed able to deliver nursing care services utilizing the
nursing process; demonstrate skill in basic research, leadership and management as a beginning nurse
practitioner in varied settings.

Clinical resources of the home-base hospital is supplemented by affiliation with the Philippine
Tuberculosis Society and San Lazaro Hospital for the students to acquire more skills in the care of
patients with disturbances in immunologic and inflammatory response. To facilitate learning about
maternal and child care (i.e., care of a pregnant woman, a woman in labor and delivery and newborn
care), students are exposed in the special areas of Quirino Memorial Medical Center and East Avenue
Medical Center. Competencies in caring for a client with disturbances in locomotion and coordination
are enhanced through the affiliation at Philippine Orthopedic Center. Students are also deployed to the
National Center for Mental Health in order to strengthen their knowledge, skills and attitudes in caring
for clients with maladaptive patterns of behavior. The Department of Health, DepED and the Antipolo
Community lying-in, and the Opera Maria Domenica are also utilized to further apply community and
family health nursing knowledge and skills. Exposure trips to various tertiary health agencies such as the
Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center, Kidney Center Foundation of the Philippines, and the Philippine
Children’s Medical Center are provided to give more meaningful learning experiences to the students.

Related learning experiences are planned in advance by the faculty and cover the required number of
hours per week in each service as specified in the curriculum. The faculty also ensures that co-curricular
activities of the students are harmonized with the academic schedule such as classroom lecture,
demonstration and related learning experience. All Related Learning experience (RLE) are provided
under the supervision of a clinical instructor/tutor. (Source: UERM)