Curriculum: Body of Knowledge and Implementation

• Curriculum encompasses learning experiences and intended learning outcomes planned and guided by an institution.
• Institutions systematically reconstruct knowledge for cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development.
• Curriculum serves as an instrument for institutions to achieve educational goals in society.
• Curriculum is a plan for learning and a strategy for implementation.
• As a learning plan, curriculum documents the purpose, content, and target audience.
• As an implementation strategy, the curriculum involves instructional methods, materials, and the learning environment.
• Defining curriculum has been challenging due to differing views on the nature of knowledge, learning, and human development across eras.

Curriculum as a Body of Knowledge

• Curriculum is viewed as a cumulative tradition of organized knowledge or subjects.
• Traditional curriculum presents a body of subjects to learners.
• Learners acquire knowledge organized in subjects/disciplines by recognized authorities.
• Curriculum is the culmination of organized knowledge.

Three Schools of Thought (Traditional View)

• Perennialists: Curriculum should consist of permanent studies (grammar, reading, logic, mathematics, great books of the Western world).
• These permanent studies are considered gateways to knowledge.
• Perennialists view knowledge as fixed, permanent, and universally valid.
• Education should be the same for everyone.
• To Perennialists, the sole aim of education is the cultivation of the intellect.
• Their curriculum focuses on mental development, neglecting other aspects of human development and the importance of science.
• Essentialists: Knowledge is acquired through disciplined study in recognized academic areas (mother tongue, math, science, history, foreign languages).
• These areas provide essential experiences.
• Curriculum should be a storehouse of experiences organized in essential disciplines.
• Essentialists prioritize stored knowledge for future use and disregard learner needs/interests.
• The five essential areas are for intellect development.
• Unlike Perennialists, Essentialists recognize science as an essential discipline.
• Disciplines Advocates: Curriculum should consist of knowledge organized in disciplines.
• Knowledge comes from inquiry within established disciplines.
• This approach restricts inquiry to specific disciplines.
• Interdisciplinary knowledge is not recognized.
• Knowledge is fragmented within academic boundaries.
• Learners acquire established problem-solving processes within a discipline.
• Learners do not develop their own problem-solving processes.
• The curriculum transmits established modes of thought within disciplines.
• Learner interests/needs are excluded.

Progressive Conception of Curriculum

• Curriculum should be learner-centered, not subject-centered.
• Curriculum is a guided learning experience, not just a subject matter.
• The total learning environment affects learning.
• Learning experiences should resemble real life.
• Knowledge is dynamic, and subject matter should adapt.

Disadvantages of the Traditional Conception

• It holds a mentalistic view, focusing on intellect and neglecting other human development aspects.
• It views knowledge as static, acquired through classical subjects.
• It limits content/subject matter.
• Learner nature, needs, and interests are disregarded.
• It does not prepare learners for contemporary society.
• Taught knowledge does not reflect society.
• Knowledge from established disciplines is insufficient.
• Knowledge is fragmented, violating interdisciplinary nature.

Curriculum as Learning Experiences

• Defined so by progressive educationalists.
• Curriculum as planned and guided learning experiences.
• Curriculum is all experiences a learner has under the guidance of the learning environment or an instructor.
• Curriculum is the total experience the learning environment deals with in educating learners.
• Curriculum is all learning planned and directed to attain educational objectives.
• Curriculum is all activities provided for learners.
• Subject matter/content is part of these experiences.
• Cognitive, affective, and psychomotor aspects are accommodated with the learner as the major concern.

Disadvantages of Defining Curriculum as Learning Experiences

• It is too broad and does not specify the role of the learning environment.
• It does not differentiate between school experiences and those provided by other agencies.
• It does not differentiate between desirable and undesirable experiences.
• Learning experiences are not objectives.
• They should lead to the achievement of educational objectives.

Curriculum as a Plan for Action

• Curriculum as a plan for learning or action.
• It is a document for instructional planning
• It is a program of activities for learners to attain excellence.
• Curriculum is synonymous with a lesson plan or unit plan.
• It is a series of content units arranged for easy learning.

Disadvantages of Defining Curriculum as Plan for Action

• Overly narrow.
• It distinguishes between the plan and the action
• It separates curriculum from instruction

Curriculum as Learning Outcomes or Objectives

• Curriculum is as intended learning outcomes.
• Curriculum is viewed as the result of instruction
• Defining curriculum purely as learning outcomes separates it from content and means of achieving the outcomes.
• For a comprehensive view of curriculum, all the aspects must be considered as part of a whole.
• Curriculum is content/subject matter, learning experiences, plan for action and learning outcomes.

Comprehensive Definition of Curriculum

• Curriculum combines planned/guided learning experiences and intended learning outcomes.
• It is formulated through systematic knowledge reconstruction under the school's guidance.
• It aims for learners' continuous and willful growth in personal social competence.

Curriculum encompasses learning experiences and outcomes, serving as an instrument for institutions to achieve educational goals. It involves a plan for learning, documenting purpose, content, and audience. As an implementation strategy, it incorporates instructional methods, materials, and the learning environment.