lesson 1

1. SCHOOL OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Instructional Module in
Teacher and The School Curriculum
Preliminaries
I. Lesson Number 1
II. Lesson Title Understanding Curriculum
III. Brief Introduction
of the Lesson
This chapter explores significant pieces of literature and theories
that will help curriculum workers, teachers, and students to understand basic
concepts like curriculum, types of curriculum, curriculum foundations,
and curriculum conceptions.
The curriculum refers to the lessons taught in a school or in a
particular course or program and the academic content. Curriculum in
dictionaries is often described as the courses offered by a school, but it is
seldom used in schools in such a general sense.
IV. Lesson Objectives At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:
1. Define curriculum
2. Analyze the different types of curriculum
3. Discuss different curriculum
4. Discuss different curriculum concepts
Lesson Proper
I. Getting Started
What comes into your mind whenyou hear the word curriculum?
Whatisthebenefitofa curriculumin
schoolandfortheteachers.
(Write your answer in the question here.)
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II. Discussion
Definitions of Curriculum
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.
Many books on curriculum present variotis images, characterizations, and definitions of the
term curriculum.To analyze or discuss all of these definitions would be a massive endeavor since there are
more than eleven hundred books written about curriculum (Schubert, 1980). Presented in this book are just

2. a few definitions provided by Saylor (1981), 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 suggests that curriculum is the "permanent"
or the traditional subjects offered in the school curriculum such as Mathematics, Language,
Science, Music, Arts, and others.
 Curriculum as learning experiences. This definition includes students' curricular and co-
curricular activities and the learning experiences they encounter inside or outside 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 peers, schoolmates, teachers, school staff, or the values they
learned from a school program. In short, it includes the school culture.
 Curriculumasintendedlearningoutcomes.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 schools 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.
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 institutions.
 Ideal or Recommended Curriculum. This refers to what scholars propose as the
most appropriate curriculum for the learners. For example, different
professional organizations or various programs of study in different
universities may propose curriculum innovations or alternative curriculum content
as a result of their researches.
Ideal or recommended curriculum may also develop as an alternative response
to various curricular problems and issues. Glatthorn, Boschee, and Whitehead (2006)
noted several influences that seem to play the key roles in shaping the recommended
curriculum. These influences are the professional associations, individuals, and
societal trends.
 Intended, official, or Written Curriculum. This refers to the official
curriculum embodied in approved state curriculum guides (Glattho rn,
Boschee, and Whitehead, 2006). It is the curriculum prescribed by the
government. In the Philippine context, these are the prescribed courses from
different government agencies: the Department of Education (DepEd), the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA). Examples of this type
of curriculum are:
The Kindergarten Curriculum Standards
The K-12 Curriculum
CHED Curriculum for General Education (Memorandum Order No. 20
Series of 2013)
— TESDA Modules and Competencies
 Implemented Curriculum. This type of curriculum refers to the actual
implementation of the curriculum or what 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. Academic freedom among faculty members in college may
also influence how professors plan and implement their courses.

3.  Achieved Curriculum or Learned Curriculum. This refers to the result of the
curriculum or what students actually learned in school (Print, 1993). The achieved
curriculum reveals whether the students learned and 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. (Glatthorn,
Boschee, and Whitehead, 2006)
 Entitlement Curriculum. It refers to what the people or the general society believed the
learners should expect to learn in the educational system for them to become good
members of the society.
 Supported Curriculum. This refers to the curriculum that is reflected on and
shaped Liy the resources allocated to support or deliver the official curriculum.
(Glatthorn, Boschee, and Whitehead, 2006)
 Null or Censored Curriculum. This refers to various curriculum contents or topics that
must not be taught to the students. (Tanner & Tanner, 2007)
 Hidden Curriculum. This refers to various skills, knowledge, and attitudes that
students learn in school as a result of their interaction with other students, staff,
and faculty members. Although the hidden curriculum is not actually taught in
formal classroom learning, it is also true that the hidden curriculum can be a product
of the students' schooling. The hidden curriculum is very powerful in developing the
school culture (Print, 1993).
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 sources for curriculum foundations: (1)
studies of learners and learning theory (psychology); (2) studies of life (sociology and
anthropology); and (3) studies of the nature and value of knowledge (philosophy).
These curriculum sources or foundations influenced curriculum developers in framing
different curriculum conceptions and in developing curriculum.
Psychology as a discipline deals about understanding human behavior; hence,
it is important in curriculum development. According to Print (1993), psychology can
provide information in five important areas:
1 . E d u c a t i o n a l o b j e c t i v e s
2 . S t u d e n t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s
3 . L e a r n i n g p r o c e s s e s
4 . T e a c h i n g m e t h o d s
5 . E v a l u a t i o n p r o c e d u r e s
Meanwhile, studies about the society and culture—sociology and anthropology,
respect ively—af f ect all curriculum processes. Sowell (1996) pointed out that
knowledge about the society and its culture is important in selecting the content of the
curriculum. It provides a clear understanding of the context in which the curriculum
is developed. Studies about the society and culture help curriculum workers in
understanding several social and educational issues that affect curriculum
processes and education in general.
Curriculum Conceptions
Curriculum workers have different ideas about curriculum matters and curriculum
development processes. They have different points of view about curriculum
concerns, goals of what a curriculum should accomplish, and how a curriculum
should be designed or constructed. These explain the presence of various curriculum
orientations or conceptions. McNeil (2006), Eisner (1985), and Print (1993) identified
six curriculum conceptions:

4. 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. The subject matters are
instruments 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 interests 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
analyzed into its constituent 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 concept
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.
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.
o Aims — are the broad statements of social or educational expectations.
Aims include what is hoped to be achieved by the entire curriculum.
o Goals — are statements more specific than aims. Goals are general statements of
what concepts, skills, and values should be learned in the curriculum.
o Objectives—are specific learning outcomes. Objectives include what specific concepts, skills, and
values should be learned by the students. Usually, objectives are used in making decisions
or planning about instruction.
2. Learning Experiences include all instructional strategies that are useful for the
implementation of the curriculum. These may appear in the form of activities,
strategies,
methods, or approaches that are useful in implementing the curriculum or in teaching
the content.
3. Evaluation — includes the different ways and tools used for evaluating whether
or not the curriculum intents were realized. Evaluation tools are also used to
Curriculum Intent
Content
Learning Experiences
Evaluation

5. evaluate the performance of the learners after they have undergone the
curriculum.
Hilda Taba (1962) observed that all curricula, no matter what design they have,are composed of
certain elements:
 A curriculum usually contains a statement of aims and specific objectives.
 Itindicates some selection and organization of content.
 It either implies or manifests certain patterns of learning and teaching,
 whether because the objectives demand them or because the content organization requires them.
 It includes a program of evaluation of the outcomes.
Understanding the different elements of curriculum will help curriculum workers especially the
teachers in designing curriculum and in analyzing the differentcurriculum materials that are offered to schools and
students.
III. Application
A. Discuss the roles of teachers and other curriculum workers in ensuring the success of the
implemented curriculum.
B. Select and give an example of one type of curriculum. Explain why it belongs to a certain
curriculum and how, as a potential educator, it will benefit you.
I. Assessment and Reflection
Assess the elements of K-12 Curriculum using the intent, content, learning experiences and
evaluation.
II. References
Pawilen (2019). The Teacher And the School Curriculum.