How Do We Define Curriculum?
 Curriculum is that which is taught at school.
 Curriculum is a set of performance objectives.
 Curriculum is all the experiences learners have
under the guidance of the school. John Delnay (1959)
 Curriculum is a design PLAN for learning that
requires the purposeful and proactive
,organization
sequencing, and management of the interactions
among the teacher, the students and the content
knowledge we want students to acquire..

How Do We Define Curriculum?
Caswell and Campbell viewed curriculum as ”all
experiences children have under the guidance of
.”teachers
Smith, Stanley and Shores defined
curriculum ”as a sequence of potential
experiences set up in the schools for
the purpose of disciplining children
acting“. in group ways of thinking and

Definition of Curriculum planning
Curriculum planning is simply the design by which
schools fulfill their responsibilities on behalf of
.children and society as well
However, plans may exist on a continuum from
hastily prepared and superficially developed to
.carefully and thoughtfully constructed
We can have a curriculum planning according to
.different models of curriculum

Definition of Curriculum planning
When planning for curriculum improvement,
some categories of bases should be understood,
those that are institutional in nature and those
that affect people directly . The institutional bases
for curriculum planning include planning
domains, the context or characteristics of the
school situation, the impact of current trends and
issues, and the use of strategic planning.
(Doll ,1996)

The Bases for Curriculum Planning
 History
 Philosophy
 Social forces
 Psychology
 Religion
 Contemporary Issues

History of Curriculum Planning
History has an important message to convey about
antecedents of the contemporary career and technical
curriculum and provides a most meaningful
perspective to the curriculum planner. Curriculum as
we know it today ,has evolved over the years from a
narrow set of disjointed offerings to a comprehensive
array of relevant student learning experiences.

History of Curriculum Planning
History of Curriculum in Iran
1) Before appearance of Islam
- Hakhamanesh Period (550 B.C)
- Sassanid Period (651 A.D)
2) After appearance of Islam (459 Loonar years )
3) Pahlavi period (1920 – 1983)
4) Islamic Revolution (1983 until now)

Hakhamanesh Period
 Teaching to children had begun from age 7 till 15.
 Students were separated in groups of girls and boys.
 Girls should learn some theoretical subjects, beside
tailoring, housekeeping, and arts. Horse riding and
shooting are also compulsory at that time.
 boys were divided into 3 groups:
5. Special students
6. Professional students
7. Public students

Sassanid period
 In Sassanid period moral science also taught in
schools.
 The focus of curriculum was on math and calculating.
 Corporal punishment was routine in schools.
 The first higher education institute was established in
Iran, named Jondi Shapoor. Very limited fields were
taught in this university such as philosophy,
agriculture, medicine ,math , law and astronomy
science.

After appearance of Islam
 In this period a new way of teaching was appear. Lots
of schools were established and they taught Koran to
students next to math, science and sports. In this
period of time even if parents don’t have money to
send their children to school they send them to
mosques to learn Koran and memorizing it.
 The curriculum of this period is exactly rote learning.
 Mathematic was taught for its professional users.
 Some practical skills come into curriculum like
farming , carpentry ,engraving…

Pahlavi period
 Appearance of kindergarten and first school for deaf
people.
 Curriculum is changed in different school grades. lots
of textbooks was published for elementary , secondary
and high school students.
 Curriculum was focused on learning other languages
especially English and French from elementary
schools.
 Many high school students were sent to Europe for
higher education and then came back to teach in
universities.

Islamic Revolution period
 Rote learning is still seen in elementary schools.
 The idea of learning English as second language
changes to Arabic and English, and it appears in
secondary schools .
 Pre-school become compulsory for children.
 Textbooks changes to more colorful and pictured
ones.
 Curriculum is based on Tyler’s model.
 Just in some universities and private schools we can
see student-centered approach being used.

Philosophy and Curriculum
 Philosophy is central to curriculum.
 Studying philosophy allows us to better understand
schools and their curricula.
 Philosophy is the beginning point in curriculum
decision making .
 Philosophy reflects one’s background and
experiences.
 Philosophy may be defined as general theory of
education. It is a way of thinking that gives meaning
to our lives.(Dewey)

Philosophy and Curriculum
Philosophy provides educators, teachers and
curriculum planners with framework for planning,
.implementing and evaluating curriculum in schools
It helps in answering what school are for, what subjects
are important, how students should learn and what
.materials and methods should be used

Major Philosophies
- Idealism
- Realism
- Pragmatism
- Existentialism

IDEALISM
 The realities of idealism are spiritual , moral or
mental and unchanging.
 Idealism is a philosophical approach that has as its
central tenet that ideas are the only true reality.
 Truth can be found through reasoning, intuition and
religious revelation.
 Teacher’s role is to bring latent knowledge and ideas
to consciousness.
 Teaching methods focus on handling ideas through
lecture, discussion, and Socratic dialogue.

IDEALISM (Cont’d)
 Learning is an intellectual process that involves
recalling and working with ideas.
 In idealism, the aim of education is to discover and
develop each individual's abilities and full moral
excellence in order to better serve society.
 Curriculum is knowledge based and subject based.
 The most important subjects are philosophy ,
theology and mathematics because they cultivates
abstract thinking.

REALISM
 It based on natural laws , objective and composed of
matter.
 People can come to know the world through their
senses and their reasons.
 Aristotle believed that everything had a purpose and
humans’ purpose is to think.
 Teacher’s role is to be a moral and spiritual leader and
to be an authority.
 Learning is just exercising the mind, and logical
thinking are highest form.

REALISM (Cont’d)
 The Realist curriculum emphasizes the subject matter
of the physical world, particularly science and
mathematics.
 Teaching methods focus on mastery of facts and basic
skills through demonstration and recitation.
 Curriculum is knowledge based and subject based.
 Most important subjects are humanistic and scientific
subjects.

PRAGMATISM(EXPERIMENTALISM)
 It is based on change, process, and relativity.
 Learning occurs as the person engage in problem
solving.
 Both learner and their environment are constantly
changing.
 Teachers’ role is to focus on critical thinking.
 Teaching is more exploratory than explanatory.
 Curriculum was based on child’s experience and
interests and also problem-solving activities.

EXISTENTIALISM
 The nature of reality for Existentialists is subjective,
and lies within the individual.
 Existentialism is a philosophy concerned with finding
self and the meaning of life through free will, choice,
and personal responsibility.
 Teachers’ role is to cultivate personal choice and
individual self-definition.
 Teachers view the individual as an entity within a
social context in which the learner must confront
others' views to clarify his or her own.

EXISTENTIALISM (Cont’d)
 Existentialists are opposed to thinking about students
as objects to be measured, tracked, or standardized.
Such educators want the educational experience to
focus on creating opportunities for self-direction and
self actualization. They start with the student, rather
than on curriculum content.

Educational Philosophies
- Perennialism
- Essentialism
- Progressivism
- Reconstructionism

PERENNIALISM
 The oldest and most conservative educational
philosophy.
 It is rooted in realism and relies on the past and
stresses traditional values.
 the aim of education is to ensure that students
acquire understandings about the great ideas of
Western civilization.
 The focus is to teach ideas that are everlasting, to seek
enduring truths which are constant, and are not
changing.

PERENNIALISM(cont’d)
 The demanding curriculum focuses on attaining
cultural literacy, stressing students' growth in
enduring disciplines.
 The perennialists curriculum is subject centered and
constant.
 It emphasizes the great works of literature and art,
the laws or principles of science.

ESSENTIALISM
 Traditional and conservative philosophy based on
idealism and realism.
 This approach was in reaction to progressivist
approaches.
 Essentialists believe that there is a common core of
knowledge that needs to be transmitted to students in
a systematic, disciplined way.
 The core of the curriculum is essential knowledge
and skills and academic rigor.

ESSENTIALISM(cont’d)
 Essentialists accept the idea that this core curriculum
may change.
 Schooling should be practical, preparing students to
become valuable members of society.
 Teachers are to help students keep their non-
productive instincts in check, such as aggression
or mindlessness.
 Students should be taught hard work, respect for
authority, and discipline.

PROGRESSIVISM
 It is developed from pragmatic philosophy.
 Progressivists believe that education should focus on
the whole child, rather than on the content or the
teacher.
 It is active, not passive.
 The learner is a problem solver and thinker who
makes meaning through his or her individual
experience in the physical and cultural context.
 Progressivism emphasized how to think, not what to
think.

PROGRESSIVISM(cont’d)
 Curriculum content is derived from student interests
and questions.
 John Dewey was its foremost proponent.
 One of his tenets was that the school should improve
the way of life of our citizens through experiencing
freedom and democracy in schools. Shared decision
making, planning of teachers with students, student-
selected topics are all aspects. Books are tools, rather
than authority.

PROGRESSIVISM(cont’d)
 It is opposed to:
2. Rote learning
3. Authoritarian teaching
4. Overreliance on textbook methods
5. Intimidation or corporal punishment

RECONSTRUCTIONIVISM
 Based on socialistic ideas .
 Reconstructionist educators focus on a curriculum
that highlights social reform as the aim of education.
 According to Brameld, the founder of social
reconstructionism, students and teachers must
improve society.
 Curriculum must be transformed in keeping with a
new social-economic-political education.
 Society is always changing and the curriculum has to
change.

RECONSTRUCTIONIVISM (cont’d)
 For social reconstructionists and critical theorists,
curriculum focuses on student experience and taking
social action on real problems, such as violence,
hunger, international terrorism, and inflation.

Conclusion
 Curriculum as a field of study-with its own methods,
theories, and ways of solving problems- has
influenced by history and philosophy.
 We believe that no single philosophy, old or new ,
should guide decisions about schools and curriculum.
 Curriculum planners need to help improve and design
school practices in harmony with history of
curriculum and philosophy of the school and
community.

THANK YOU