PCK 5

The Teacher and the School Curriculum

 Foundations of Curriculum Development

• Philosophical Foundations of Curriculum Development

• Psychological Foundations of Curriculum Development
• Historical Foundations of Curriculum Development
• Sociological Foundations of Curriculum Development
 Philosophical Foundation of Curriculum
Development

• ESSENTIALISM
• Comes from the word essential, meaning main things or the basics, hence
advocates instilling in students with the essentials or basics of academic
knowledge and character development
• Mathematics, natural science, history, foreign language, literature
• Should instill essential values such as respect for authority, fidelity to duty,
and consideration for others
• Highlights the 3Rs – reading [w]riting, and [a]rithmetic
• Placed importance on science and understanding the world through
scientific information
• Focuses heavily on achievement test scores
• Emphasized instruction in natural science rather than non-scientific
disciplines such as philosophy or comparative religion
• Popularized in the 1930s by William Bagley and later in the 1950s by Arthur
Bestor and Admiral Rickover
• Grounded in a conservative philosophy that argues that schools should not try
to radically reshape the society
• Teacher-centered
• Essentialist program are academically rigorous.
• Advocates longer school days, academic year, and more challenging textbooks
• Learners in an essentialist classroom are also taught to be “culturally
literate”.
 SUMMARY: ESSENTIALISM

• AIM: To promote intellectual growth of learners to become

competent
• ROLE: Teachers are the sole authorities in the subject area.
• FOCUS: Essential skills of the 3Rs and the essential subjects
• TRENDS: Back to basics, excellence in education, cultural
literacy
 PERENNIALISM

 Means “everlasting”
 Oldest and most conservative educational philosophy
 Has its roots in the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle
 Robert Hutchins and Mortimer Adler (proponents)
 Believed that humans are rational and the aim of education is to “improve man as man.”
 Focuses on the universal truth and these truths are always valid
 Believed that educational values are more stable, therefore does not necessarily change a curriculum with such
values
 Very conservative and inflexible philosophy in relation to curriculum
 Claimed that the goal of education is to teach the truth that is same everywhere, every time, and for everyone
 Curriculum should be the same for every student.
 Claimed that every person is born equal – hence, the curriculum should provide equal opportunities.
 Includes classical knowledge taught for years such as mathematics, science, literature, values, ethics, and
philosophy.
 Teacher-centered
 SUMMARY: PERENNIALISM

 Aim : To educate the rational person; cultivate intellect

 Role : Teachers assist students to think with reason
 Focus : Classical subjects, literary analysis
•Curriculum is enduring.
 Trends : Use of Great Books (Bible, Qu’ ran Classics) and Liberal Arts
 PROGRESSIVISM

 Argues that education must be based on the fact that humans are by nature social and learn best in real-life
activities with other people
 Focuses on personal experiences and learner’s interest and their needs
 Emphasizes curriculum relevant to the children or learners
 John Dewey (1859 – 1952)
 The role of education is to prepare the learners for adult life.
 “Learning by Doing.”
 Students should be involved with real problems so that they gain ownership to the problems and how they solve
it.
 Students should be engaged in problem solving.
 Focuses on the freedom of the students to develop naturally, students’ interest as the center point of teaching,
teacher’s role as a facilitator, multi-dimensional development of the child, and school-community cooperation
 Assumes as curriculum images as intended learning outcomes and curriculum as experience.
 Student-centered
 SUMMARY: PROGRESSIVISM

 Aim : Promote democratic social living

 Role : Teacher leads for growth and development of lifelong
learners
 Focus : Interdisciplinary subjects, leaner-centered, outcomes-based
 Trends : Equal opportunities for all, contextualized curriculum,
humanistic education
 SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTIONISM

 Favors reforms and argue that students must eb taught how to bring about
change.
 Believes in the rebuilding of social and cultural infrastructures
 Students are to study social problems and think of ways to improve it.
 Focuses on social ills and intends to change the social structures in order
to mitigate contemporary social problems.
 Emphasizes on students’ understanding of social issues and prepare them
for combating these issues
 Student-centered
 SUMMARY: SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTIONISM

 Aim : To improve and reconstruct society

• Education for change.
 Role : Teacher acts as an agent of change and reforms.
 Focus : Present and future educational landscape.
 Trends : School and curricular reforms, global education, collaboration and
convergence
• Standards and competencies