Curriculum Definitions and Types

Defining Curriculum

• Curriculum can be defined as a list of subjects, a set of learning experiences, or a collection of intended learning outcomes.
• Curriculum can also be viewed as planned learning experiences or a discipline with its own principles, theories, and practices.
• In terms of content, curriculum can be seen as a series of topics within a subject area.

Types of Curriculum

• Idea or Recommended Curriculum: Curriculum standards suggested by professional organizations, like those for sociology and anthropology.
• Intended, Official, or Written Curriculum: The official curriculum prescribed by the government or state, such as the K-12 Curriculum or CHED Curriculum for General Education.
• Implemented Curriculum: What teachers in schools actually teach, potentially diverging from the intended curriculum.
• Tested Curriculum: Assessed through teacher-made tests, curriculum-referenced tests, and standardized tests.
• Entitlement Curriculum: What society believes students should learn in order to become good members of society.
• Supported Curriculum: Influenced by available resources allocated for supporting or delivering the official curriculum.
• Null or Censored Curriculum: Topics or content that are purposefully not taught to students.
• Hidden Curriculum: Skills, knowledge, and attitudes students learn while interacting with others in school.

Curriculum Foundations

• Psychology: Provides important information for curriculum development:
  • Educational objectives
  • Student characteristics
  • Learning processes
  • Teaching methods
  • Evaluation procedures
• Sociology and Anthropology: These disciplines highlight the importance of understanding contexts in which curriculum is developed, such as:
  • Social and educational issues impacting implementation
  • Learners' diverse needs, abilities, preferences, and socioeconomic backgrounds
  • Students' academic backgrounds, especially for college students

Curriculum Development Models

• Ralph Tyler's Rational Linear Model:

  • Logical and systematic.
  • Sequential pattern: Objectives - Content - Learning Experiences - Evaluation.
  • Emphasizes defining educational purposes, experiences to achieve those purposes, the organization of learning experiences, and evaluating the attainment of objectives.
  • Emphasizes curriculum sources like society, students, and subject matter.
  • Emphasizes objectives based on philosophy and psychology of education.

• Hilda Taba's Grassroots Rational Model:

  • Similar to Tyler's model, but with more information input in each phase of curriculum development.
  • Steps:
    • Diagnosis of needs
    • Formulation of objectives
    • Selection of content
    • Organization of content
    • Selection of learning experiences
    • Organization of learning experiences
    • Determination of what to evaluate, and ways to evaluate.

• Allan Glatthorn's Standards-Based Curriculum Development:

  • Intended for diverse disciplines, from basic education to higher education.
  • Contains three phases:
    • Develop standards
    • Develop benchmarks
    • Develop final products
  • Rational and descriptive, prioritizing the development of standards.
  • Emphasizes using multiple sources and valuing teacher contributions in developing standards.
  • Doesn't include situational analysis or needs analysis.
  • Emphasis is on developing standards.

• Wiggins and McTighe's Understanding by Design (UBD) Model:

  • Also known as backward design.
  • Emphasizes starting with goals and objectives in curriculum design.
  • Engages students in deep understanding of important ideas and explores assessment designs.
  • Focuses on enduring understanding or central ideas as the primary curriculum goal.
  • Three stages:
    • Stage 1: Identifying what is worth learning by examining current curriculum goals, standards, and expectations.
    • Stage 2: Designing assessment evidence to validate the achievement of desired learning outcomes.
    • Stage 3: Planning learning experiences, with teachers deciding on activities and materials.

• Robert Diamond's Systematic Design Model:

  • Prescriptive and rational.
  • Two phases:
    • Phase 1: Project Selection and Design: Determining objectives using curriculum sources and influences, relies heavily on data, and requires a team approach.
    • Phase 2: Production, Implementation, and Evaluation for Each Unit: Designing for curriculum production and implementation, evaluation of instructional materials. Assumes the product (curriculum) is good as planned without review of decisions in Phase 1.

• Murray Print's Model for Curriculum Development:

  • Recognizes the roles of both students and teachers in curriculum development.
  • Emphasizes situational analysis, which provides insight into the context in which curriculum is developed and gathers data from curriculum sources.
  • Highlights the importance of contributing disciplines (philosophy, psychology, sociology) in selecting curriculum goals and objectives, content, learning experiences, and evaluation.

• Wheeler's Curriculum Development Model:

  • Cyclical.
  • Elements of the curriculum are interconnected and dependent.
  • Rational, where each phase is a logical development of the previous one.

• Audrey Nicholls and Howard Nicholls Model for Curriculum Development:

  • Cyclical.
  • Elements of the curriculum are interconnected and dependent.
  • Rational, where each phase is a logical development of the previous one.

• Stark et al. Model:

  • Focuses on situational analysis, gathering data from curriculum sources and influences, and understanding the context of development.
  • Emphasizes contributing disciplines and their role in selecting curriculum goals and objectives.
  • Weaknesses include:
    • Curriculum workers in the Philippines are accustomed to linear models.
    • Situational analysis is often tedious.

Key Points to Consider When Designing Curriculum

• Horizontal Organization (Scope and Horizontal Integration): Focuses on arranging curriculum components at a given point in time. Establishes relationships and integration across subject areas.
• Vertical Organization (Spiral Progression): Distributing curriculum content across grade levels, enabling students to build upon prerequisite knowledge and master content over time.
• Whole-to-Part Learning: Deductive approach starting with the big picture and gradually moving to specific concepts and skills.
• Increasing Abstraction: Arranging content based on concepts or skills relevant to students' personal experiences.

Explore the various definitions and types of curriculum in education. This quiz covers the distinction between recommended, intended, implemented, and tested curricula, along with their implications in learning experiences. Understanding these concepts is essential for educators and policymakers.