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Philosophical Foundations: A. Perennialism
Philosophical Foundations: A. Perennialism
Philosophical Foundations: A. Perennialism
1. Philosophical Foundations
Educators, teachers, educational planners and policy makers must have a philosophy or strong belief
about education and schooling and the kind of curriculum in the teachers classrooms or learning
environment. Philosophy of the curriculum answers questions like: What.are schools for? What subjects
are important? How should students learn? What methods should be used? What outcomes should be
achieved? Why?
The various activities in school are influenced in one way or another by a philosophy. John Dewey
influenced the use of learning by doing", he being a pragmatist. Or to an essentialist, the focus is on the
fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic, the essential subjects in the curriculum.
There are many philosophies in education but we will illustrate only those as presented by Ornstein and
Hunkins in 2004.
A. PERENNIALISM
Role: Teachers assist students to think with reason (critical thinking: HOTS)
Trends: Use of great books (Bible, Koran Classics) and Liberal Artsh
B. ESSENTIALISM
C. PROGRESSIVISM
D. RECONSTRUCTIVISM
Trends: School and curricular reform, education, Collaboration and Convers Standards and
Competencies
2. Historical Foundations
Where is curriculum development coming from? The historical foundations will show to us the
chronological development along a time line. Reading materials would tell us that curriculum
development started when Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956) wrote the book The Curriculum. Let us see how
each one contributed to curriculum development during his own time. Here are eight among the many
whom we consider to have great contributions.
FRANKLIN BOBBIT
He started the curriculum development movement. Curriculum as a science that emphasizes student’s
needs.
Objectives and activities should group together when tasks are clarified.
WERRET CHARTER
Like Bobbit, he posited that curriculum is science and emphasizes students' needs.
Objectives and activities should match. Subject matter or content relates to objectives.
WILLIAM KILPARTICK
The purpose of the curriculum is child development and growth. He introduced this project method
where teacher and student plan the activities.Curriculum develops sOCial relationships and smal1group
instruction
HARROLD RUGG
Curriculum should develop the whole child. It ischild-centered.With the statement of objectives and
related learning activities, curriculum should produceoutcomes.He emphasized social studies and
suggested that the teacher plans curriculum in advance.
HOLLIS CASWELL
Curriculum is organized around social functioneof themes, organized knowledge and learner'sinterest.
RALPH TYLER
HILDA TABA
She contributed to the theoretical and pedagogical foundations of concepts development and critical
thinking in social studies curriculum.
PETER OLIVA
Psychology provides a basis to understand the teachingand learning process. It unifies elements of the
learning process. Questions which can be addressed by psychological foundations of education are: How
should curriculum be organized to enhance learning? What is the optimal level of students' participation
in learning the various contents of the curriculum? In this module, we shall consider three groups of
learning theories: behaviorism or association theories; cognitive-information processing theories and
humanistic theories (Ornstein & Hunkins, 2004).
IVAN PAVLOV
The key to learning is early years of life is to train them what you want them to become.S-R Theory is a
foundation of learning practice called indoctrination.
EDWARD THORNDIKE
Law of readiness
Law of exercise
Law of effect
ROBERT GAGNE
Sensorimotor stage (0-2), preoperationa (2-7), concrete operations stage (7-11) and anal stageformal
operations (11 - onwards).
Keys to learning
adaptation)
later learning)
LEV VYGOTSKY
Keys to Learning:
HOWARD GARDNER
Humans have several different ways ofprocessing information and these ways are relatively
independent of one another.There are eight intelligences: linguistic, logico-mathematical, musical,
spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic
DANIEL GOLEMAN
Gestalt Theory
Keys to learning
Learners analyze the problem, discriminate between essential and nonessential data, and perceive
relationships.
Learners will perceive something in relation to the whole. What/how they perceive is related totheir
previous experiences.
ABRAHAM MASLOW
Key to learning
Produce a healthy and happy learner who can accomplish, grow and actualize his or her human self.
CARL ROGERS
Children's perceptions, which are highly individualistic, influence their learning andbehaviour in class.
Key to learning
Curriculum is concerned with process, notproduct, personal needs, not subject matter, psychological
meaning, not cognitive scores.
EMILE DURKHEIM
Considered two fundamental elements which are schools and civil society.
ALVIN TOFFLER
Suggested that in the future, parents might have the resources to teach prescribed curriculum from
home as a result of technology, not in spite of it. (Home Sehooling)
Foresaw schools and students worked creatively, collaboratively, and independent of their age.
OTHER THEORISTS
Education as a means of shaping the person and society fhrough critical reflections and
"conscientization'
Teachers use questioning and problem posing approach to raise students consciousness
JOHN GOODLAD
WILLIAM PINAR
In summary, the foundation upon which curriculum is based are educational philosophies, historical
developments, psychological explanations, and societal influences. All of these foundations are
interrelated.