Understanding Curriculum Module 2 PDF

Republic of the Philippines Commission on Higher Education DARAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Salvacion, Daraga, Albay Subject: Prof Ed9- The Teacher and the School Curriculum...

Republic of the Philippines Commission on Higher Education DARAGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Salvacion, Daraga, Albay Subject: Prof Ed9- The Teacher and the School Curriculum UNDERSTANDING CURRICULUM MODULE 2 OVERVIEW A clear understanding of what curriculum is, helps scholars and students in understanding the curriculum as a dynamic field in education. Reid (2006) opined that people talk about, write about, legislate for, teach courses on, and take credits in curriculum; hence, it is important to have a concrete explanation of what curriculum is. This module explores significant pieces of literature and theories that will help curriculum workers, teachers, and students to understand basic concept like curriculum, types of curriculum, curriculum foundations, and curriculum conceptions. ACTIVATION: Find a quote about curriculum and explain it in 3-5 sentences. INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this module, you are expected to: 1. Define what is curriculum; 2. Analyze the different types of curriculum; 3. Discuss different curriculum foundations; and 4. Discuss different curriculum conceptions. LEARNING EXPERIENCES and SELF-ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES Definitions of Curriculum Many books on curriculum present various images, characterizations, and definitions of the term curriculum. To analyse or discuss all of these definitions would be massive endeavour since there are more than eleven hundred books written about curriculum (Schubert, 1980). Presented in this book are just a few definitions provided by Saylor (1980), Beauchamp (1982), Schubert (1986), Eisner (1985), Pinar (1995), Posner (1995), Marsh (2004), Oliva (2005), Glatthorn (2006), and Reid (2006), among others. Curriculum as a list of subjects - this definition suggest that curriculum is the “permanent” or the traditional subjects offered in the school curriculum. Curriculum as learning experiences - this definition includes students’ curricular and co-curricular activities and the learning experiences they encounter inside or outside of the school. This definition includes the hidden curriculum or those things learned by the students as a result of their experiences in the school with their experiences in the school with their peers, schoolmates, teachers, school staffs, or the values they learned from a school program. In short it includes the school culture. Curriculum as intended learning outcomes - this definition includes a list of learning competencies or standards that students should learn in school. Curriculum as planned learning experiences - this includes documents specifying contents, objectives, or general ideas of what students should know in school or in a specific discipline. Curriculum as a discipline - curriculum as a discipline has its own principles, theories, and practices. Curriculum as content or subject matter - this definition views curriculum as a series of topics under each subject area. It is important that curriculum workers have a common understanding of what curriculum is. Their personal definition of curriculum defines the curriculum product that they will produce. Many curriculum project fail, and many curriculum researches appear vague because of an unclear understanding of the field curriculum. Besides this, only few people are experts in curriculum studies, especially in the Philippines, who may be consulted regarding these project and researches. TASK 1: Write a personal definition of curriculum. Explain the definition.  Different Types of Curriculum Several curriculum scholars (see Glatthorn, Boschee, and Whitehead, 2006; Print, 1993; Tanner and Tanner, 2007) cited nine types of curriculum in their books depending on how curriculum is used in various instructions. Ideal or Recommended Curriculum - this refers to what scholars propose as the most appropriate curriculum for the learners. It may also develop as an alternative response to various curricular problems and issues. Intended, Official, or Written Curriculum - this refers to the official curriculum embodied in the approved state curriculum guides. It is the curriculum prescribed by the government. Implemented Curriculum - refers to the actual implementation of the curriculum or what the teachers in the school teach. In many cases, teachers modify and improve their curriculum based on the needs of the students or whenever there are new ideas in various disciplines that are important to teach to the students. Achieved Curriculum or Learned Curriculum - this refers to the result of the curriculum or what the students actually learned in school. The achieved curriculum reveals whether the schools are successful in attaining their curriculum goals and objectives. Tested Curriculum - this is a set of learning that is assessed in teacher-made classroom tests, curriculum- referenced tests, and in standardized tests. Entitlement Curriculum - it refers to what the people or the general society believed that the learners should learn in the educational system for them to become a good members of the society. Supported Curriculum - this refers to the curriculum that is reflected on and shaped by the resources allocated to support or deliver the official curriculum. Null or Censored Curriculum - this refers to various curriculum contents or topics that must “not” taught to the students. Hidden Curriculum - this refer to various skills, knowledge, and attitudes that students learn in school as a result of their interaction with other students, staff, and faculty members. It is not actually taught in formal classroom learning. Hidden curriculum can be a product of the students schooling. TASK 2:  Instruction: Browse the internet and check some examples of an ideal curriculum suggested by professional organizations. List down the examples below. Curriculum Foundations Curriculum development scholars like Tyler (1949), Taba (1962), Eisner (1985), Saylor, Alexander, and Lewis (1981), Print (1993), Sowell (1996), and Tanner and Tanner (2007) generally identified three categories of source2 for curriculum foundations. These curriculum sources or foundations influenced curriculum developers in framing different curriculum conceptions and in developing curriculum. The foundations of curriculum are: Psychology Philosophy Sociology Curriculum conceptions Curriculum workers have different ideas about curriculum matters and curriculum development processes. They have different point of view about curriculum concerns, goals of what a curriculum should accomplish, and how a curriculum should be designed or constructed. These explains the presence of various curriculum orientations or conceptions. McNell (2006), Eisner (1985), and Print (1993) identified six curriculum conceptions: 1. Academic Rationalist Conception - considered as the oldest among the curriculum conceptions. It stresses the importance of different bodies of knowledge, known as disciplines or subject areas, as the focus of the curriculum. 2. Cognitive Processes Conception - seeks to develop a repertoire of cognitive skills that are applicable to a wide range of intellectual problems. This subject matters are instrument or tools for developing these cognitive skills that are lasting in the lives of individuals. 3. Humanistic Conception - stresses the idea that curriculum or education is an instrument for developing the full potential of individuals. It seeks to help individuals discover and develop their unique  identities. It stresses that curriculum should focus on the needs and interest of individuals. 4. Social Reconstructionist Conception - views the school or schooling as an agency for social change. Hence, it stresses that curriculum should respond to the different needs, issues, problems, and demands of the society. 5. Technological Conception - is preoccupied with the development of means to achieve curriculum or educational goals. It views schooling as a complex system that can be analysed into its constituents components. 6. Eclectic Conception - is where curriculum workers find themselves aligning their ideas with two or more curriculum conceptions. Hence, this curriculum conception reiterates the realities in curriculum development that each of the curriculum conception is to be considered and is influential to a certain extent in designing the curriculum. Elements of a Curriculum In general, a curriculum has four important elements. These elements must be present in all curriculum documents or before a document can be called curriculum. these four elements are curriculum intent, content, learning experiences, and evaluation. Curriculum Intent Content Learning Experience Evaluation 1. Curriculum Intent - is the term used by Print (1993) to mean the direction that curriculum developers wish to take as a result of participating in the curriculum. It includes the aims, goals, and objectives found in any curriculum documents.   Aims – are the broad statements of social or educational expectations. Aims include what is hoped to be achieved by the entire curriculum.  Goals – are statements more specific than aims. Goals are general statements of what concepts, skills, and values should be learned in the curriculum.  Objectives – are specific learning outcomes. Objectives include what specific concepts, skills, and values should be learned in the curriculum. Usually, objectives are used in making decisions or planning about instructions. TASK 3: Instructions: Select a school, provide examples of the following curriculum intent, and analyse the relationship. Curriculum Aims Curriculum Goals Curriculum Objectives 2. Contents – may include values, concepts, or skills that are important for the learners to learn. 3. Learning Experiences - includes all instructional strategies that are useful for the implementation of the curriculum. These may appear in the form of strategies, methods of approaches that are useful in implementing the curriculum or in teaching content. 4. Evaluation - includes the different ways and tools used for evaluating whether or not the curriculum intents were realized. Evaluation tools are also used to evaluate the performance of the learners after they have undergone the curriculum. Understanding the different elements of curriculum workers especially the teachers in designing curriculum and in analyzing in the different curriculum materials that are offered to schools and students. End of Module Assessment: DIRECTION: Write your reflection about the importance of understanding the curriculum. MY REFLECTION LOOKING FORWARD: DIRECTION: Read about Curriculum Planning. List down key concepts related to it. Self and Module Check! How was your learning experience? Tell me about it by putting a check mark on the tables below. SELF EVALUATION MODULE EVALUATION I learned a lot from this module. Module is learner-friendly, comprehensive and easy to understand. I learned just right. Module is clear but lacks few details. I still need guidance on certain topics. Module has vague points that require revision. I don’t understand anything discussed. Module does not cater my learning needs. REFERENCES: Pawilen Greg T. (2009). The Teacher and the Curriculum;Rex Book Store: Manila, Philippines