Approaches About School Curriculum

APPROACHES ABOUT SCHOOL CURRICULUMBy: Joseline Manuel-Santos, Ph.D.

DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES:Described the different approaches about school curriculum

Explained by examples how the approaches clarify the definition of curriculum

Reflected on how the three approaches interrelate with each other

Define curriculum in your own words.

THREE WAYS OF APPROACHING CURRICULUM

Curriculum as a content or body of knowledge

Curriculum approached as a process

Curriculum as a product

1. CURRICULUM AS A CONTENT OR BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

Topic outlineSubject matterConcept to be included in the syllabus

Traditionalist equate curriculum with the ff:

Four ways of presenting the content in the curriculum:

1. Topical approach2. Concept approach3. Thematic approach4. Modular Approach

Observe your book and find out what approach is being used.

Criteria in the selection of content

1. Significance- Content becomes the means of

developing cognitive, affective or psychomotor skills

- Address cultural context of the learnersBrowse your book and look for a proof that it is significant


2. Validity- Check and verify content at regular

interval- Content which may be valid in its original

form may not continue to be valid in the current times

Give examples of this issue in your own major wherein content is valid before but not anymore today.


3. Utility- Can be relative to time- Useful in the past, may not be useful now

or in the future

Give examples of this issue in your own major wherein skills to be developed to the students will not be useful in the future.


4. Learnability- The complexity of the content should be

within the range of experiences of the learners

Give examples of this issue in your own major wherein content is not in the range of the experiences of the learners.


5. Feasibility- Can the subject content be learned

within the time allowed, resources available, expertise of the teachers and the nature of the learners

Give examples of this issue in your own major wherein content or activity is not possible to do in any given situation.


6. Interest- Will the learners take interest in the

content?- Are the contents meaningful?- What value will the contents have in the

present and future life of the learners?

What can you do to make the curriculum interesting?

Interest is one of the driving force for students to learn better.

Guide in the selection of the Content in the Curriculum

1. Content is commonly used in the daily life.2. Content is appropriate to the maturity levels and

abilities of the learners.3. Content is valuable in meeting the needs and

competencies of the future career.4. Content is related to other subject fields or

discipline for complementation and integration.5. Content is important in the transfer of learning in

other disciplines.

BASIC Principles of Curriculum Content In 1952, Palma proposed the principle of BASIC as a guide in addressing

CONTENT in the curriculum.

BASIC

ALANCERTICULATIONEQUENCENTEGRATIONONTINUITY

-significant contents should be covered

- To assure no gaps or overlaps in the content

-the pattern is usually from easy to complex

-relatedness or connectedness to other contents

-constant repetition, reinforcement and enhancement of content are all elements of continuity

BALANCE

ARTICULATION

SEQUENCE

INTEGRATION

CONTINUITY

Use other subject as the content of your subject

through examples.

2. CURRICULUM APPROACHED AS PROCESS

Interaction

TEACHERS

STUDENTS

CONTENT


Curriculum happens in the classroomPractice of teaching

Curriculum happens in the classroomConcern of teachers to emphasize

• Critical thinking• Meaning-making• Heads-on• Hands-on• and many others


The process provides the curriculum on how to teach the content.

Pedagogical Content KnowledgeIf you have this content, how will you teach it?


To teachers, the process is very critical.Instruction

ImplementationTeaching

What curriculum are you using?

Problem-based Hands-on, Minds-on Cooperative learning Blended Curriculum On-line Case-based and many more

When curriculum is approached as a PROCESS, guiding principles are presented:

2. CURRICULUM APPROACHED AS PROCESS1. Curriculum process in the form of teaching methods and strategies are

means to achieved the end.2. There is no single best process or method.3. Stimulate learner’s desire to develop holistically4. In the choice of methods, learning and teaching styles should be

considered.5. Every method or process should result to learning outcomes6. Flexibility in the use of the process or methods should be considered7. Both teaching and learning are the two important processes in the

implementation of the curriculum.

3. CURRICULUM AS A PRODUCT

is what students desire to achieve as a learning outcomes

PRODUCT

Knowledge Skills Values

3. CURRICULUM AS A PRODUCT

The real purpose of education is to bring about significant changes in students’ pattern of behavior.

Curriculum product is expressed in form of outcomes which are referred to as the achieved learning outcomes.

There maybe several desired learning outcomes, but if the process is not successful, then no learning outcomes will be achieved.

These learned or achieved outcomes are demonstrated by the person who has meaningful experiences in the curriculum.

All of these are result of planning, content and processes in the curriculum.

Education

Approaches About School Curriculum