Educ 306 - Prelim to Final

The Teacher and the School Curriculum

Lesson 1 - Nature of the Curriculum

Processing Your Knowledge

Answer the following questions briefly?
1. Is it necessary for teachers to learn about school curriculum? Why?
- The curriculum provides a measurable plan and structure for delivering a
high-quality education to teachers, students, administrators, and
community stakeholders. Before moving on to the next level, students
must demonstrate the training results, standards, and key skills identified
in the curriculum. Teachers are crucial in the development,
implementation, assessment, and modification of the curriculum. A
research-based curriculum serves as a road map for teachers and
students on their way to academic success.
2. What are the benefits and possible pitfalls of having an official curriculum
prescribed to all schools?
- It provides teachers with concrete materials and objectives, encourages
creativity, and allows for self-reflection. Most significantly, curriculum
documentation increases student outcomes. All of the benefits mentioned
by respondents came together to form this common purpose. Students
benefit from a well-organized curriculum that meets high standards.

Check Your Progress

Do the following tasks.

1. List examples of the following:

a. null or censored curriculum.
- There are several examples of null curriculum that can be identified
in content areas. For example, in social studies, the teacher may
give a general overview of the history of science while covering the
scientific revolution. However, this information is excluded from the
formal curriculum.
b. hidden curriculum.
- Hidden curriculum consists of concepts informally and often
unintentionally taught in our school system. Social expectations of
gender, language, behavior, or morals are examples of this. The
results of hidden curricula in schools filter out into society as
students grow into adults.
 2. Browse the internet and compare DepEd Basic Education Curriculum before
and during pandemic.
- DEPED has formulated different learning modalities that take into
consideration the access and availability of technology and
connection for learning. It employs distance learning designed to
continue education even if the teachers and students are physically
remote with each other through the use of online/offline
technologies, tv and radio, and printed modules. Also, blended
learning is the combination of any of these modalities while home
schooling is primarily done at home with a caregiver as teacher.
Even before the pandemic, the review of the K-12 Basic Education
Curriculum has been on-going, however, the process has been fast
track, which identified the 5,689 Most Essential Learning
Competencies from the original 14,171 or 60% reduction. This is
done through retaining, merging, clustering, removing, rephrasing
existing competencies to address congestion and overlaps.
3. Provide examples of curriculum content and learning experiences. Examine
their relationship.
- Curriculum content refers to the knowledge and skills content within
the curriculum. Curriculum content will be organised in terms of
amount, sequence and level.

The amount of knowledge and skills to be taught and learned will

be aligned to the time allotted to subjects and topics, and the length
of the course. The sequence of dealing with content should take
account of underpinning learning theories e.g. beginning with an
input to establish a foundation, then moving on to build on students’
previous knowledge. In this way the students go from the unknown
to the known of their knowledge base. The level of knowledge may
be directed by external examining bodies. i.e. there will be an
expectation that students achieve a certain level of learning in order
to obtain their qualifications.

Learning experiences relate to the teaching and learning methods

to be used in the curriculum. The choice of methods and
experiences will depend on whether the knowledge is theoretical or
practical. e.g. if the student needs to learn to ride a horse, the
choice of learning method will be experiential. In short, they will
need to given the opportunity to ride a horse. If the students have
little knowledge about the topic, then an appropriate method would
 be a lecture, or teacher input. Alternately, the students would need
to undertake a highly structured discovery learning method, in order
to grasp and understand the knowledge.

Lesson 2 - Foundations of Curriculum

Processing Your Knowledge

1. Why should I take history, philosophy, psychology or even PE subjects in college?
- The study of education is an amalgam of several academic disciplines.
Sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history are entirely valid subjects to have
an awareness of in order to be a great teacher. Simply knowing stuff by doing a
PhD in it, does not mean you can be a great teacher. These subjects help you to:

a. Understand your learners’ backgrounds and situations - sociology

b. Understand your learners as individuals - psychology

c. Understand your learners' beliefs or be able to use metaphor to illustrate points

made - philosophy

d. To use evidence and reflect on experiences in the classroom to improve your

teaching ability - history

I would guess that they want P.E. just to make sure you are a rounded person,
not purely academic, but also have emotional, social, and physical aspects to
yourself. Also teaching is physically demanding.

2. Why is it that the Department of Education is implementing K to 12 and the mother

tongue-based curriculum?
- The K to 12 system aims to improve Filipino students' skills in mathematics,
science, and linguistics to further exhibit competence in the global job market.
With the new curriculum, the Department of Education promises to offer higher
quality education through the strands.

Check Your Progress

1. Research on the Historical Timeline of Philippine Curriculum through the
Years. Construct a timeline and explain how the changes in curriculum through
the years were influenced by the different foundations of curriculum.
 Timeline
Before 1521 - Education before the coming of Spaniards
1521-1896 - Education during the Spanish Regime
1896-1899 - Education during the Philippine Revolution
1898-1935 - Education during the American Occupation
1935-1941 - Education during the Philippine Commonwealth
1941-1944 -Education during the Japanese Occupation

- The sociological aspects of the curriculum affects the development of the

curriculum in the sense that there are certain factors which intervene in
the curriculum development process due to cultural beliefs, societal
expectations, values, norms and traditions emanating from the
background of stakeholders.

2. Conduct research and identify the significant contributions of the following.

a) Lev Vygotsky
- Lev Vygotsky was a seminal Russian psychologist best known for
his sociocultural theory. He believed that social interaction plays a
critical role in children's learning—a continuous process that is
profoundly influenced by culture.
b) John Dewey
- Often considered one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century,
Dewey had a vital influence on psychology, education, and
philosophy. His emphasis on progressive education contributed
greatly to the use of experimentation rather than an authoritarian
approach to knowledge. Dewey was also a prolific writer.
c) Abraham Malow
- During the 1950s, Maslow became one of the founders and
driving forces behind the school of thought known as humanistic
psychology. His theories—including the hierarchy of needs, self-
actualization, and peak experiences—became fundamental
subjects in the humanist movement.
d) Carl Rogers
- Rogers (1902–1987) is esteemed as one of the founders of
humanistic psychology. He developed the person-centered, also
known as client-centered, approach to psychotherapy and
developed the concept of unconditional positive regard while
pioneering the field of clinical psychological research.

Lesson 3 - Phases and Processes of Curriculum Development

Processing Your Knowledge

1. Conduct a document review/ analysis of DepEd K to 12 Curriculum Guide
focusing on sequencing, spiraling, and integration of lessons. Identify the
advantages and disadvantages of the curriculum.
 - The advantages of Spiral progression approach enables students to
connect disciplines. Spiral Progression
• Ensures vertical articulation and seamless progression of competencies
• As early as Grade 7 , students will learn concepts in earth science,
biology, chemistry and physics . One need not wait to be in Grade 10 to
learn physics.

- The disadvantage of the spiral design is that it does not promote sufficient
review once units are completed. There may be some review of previously
introduced topics within the chapter, but once students move on to the
next chapter previous concepts may not be seen again until they are
covered the following year.
2. Examine at least 2 different learning programs or curricula and explain features
of the programs/curricula that make them successful, and suggest ways that the
programs/curricula could be improved or adapted.

- 1. WRITTEN CURRICULUM - The written curriculum refers to a lesson

plan or syllabus written by teachers. Another example is the one written by
curriculum experts with the help of subject teachers. This kind of written
curriculum needs to be pilot tested or tried out in sample schools to
determine its effectiveness.
2. ASSESSED CURRICULUM - When students take a quiz or the mid-
term and final exams, these evaluations are the so-called assessed
curriculum. Teachers may use the pencil and paper tests and authentic
assessments like portfolio and performance-based assessments to know if
the students are progressing or not.

- 1. Regularly assign brief writing exercises in your classes. - To vary

the pace of a lecture course, ask students to write a few minutes during
class. Some mixture of in-class writing, outside writing assignments, and
exams with open-ended questions will give students the practice they
need to improve their skills.

2. First, have a conversation.

Second, start your assessment process as early in the year as possible.
Third, reconsider where to look for demonstrations of student learning.
Fourth, follow your curiosity rather than picking the easiest point of
assessment.
Fifth, get creative with your demonstrations of student learning.
Sixth, have a bigger conversation.