Chapter 2
CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONS
OBJECTIVES:
In this chapter , you should be able to:
[Link] different curriculum foundations;
and
[Link] different conceptions of curriculum.
CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONS
• PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS of CURRICULUM
Philosophy provides educators, teachers and curriculum makers 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. In decision making, philosophy provides the
starting point and will be used for the succeeding decision making.
CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONS
• Historical Foundations of Curriculum
Curriculum theorists and how they view curriculum from a
historical Perspective.
CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONS
• Historical Foundations of Curriculum
Curriculum theorists and how they view curriculum from a
historical Perspective.
CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONS
• Historical Foundations of Curriculum
Curriculum theorists and how they view curriculum from a
historical Perspective.
CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONS
• Historical Foundations of Curriculum
Curriculum theorists and how they view curriculum from a
historical Perspective.
Psychological Foundations of Curriculum
Psychology provides a basis for the teaching and learning process.
1. Behaviorist Psychology
a. connectionism – Edward Thorndike (which influenced Tyler
and Taba, the well known curricularists)
b. classical conditioning – Ivan Pavlov
c. operant conditioning – B. F. Skinner
d. modeling and observation theory – (Bandura)
e. hierarchical learning – Robert Gagne
Psychological Foundations of Curriculum
Psychology provides a basis for the teaching and learning process.
2. Cognitive Psychology
a. cognitive development stages – Jean Piaget
b. social constructivism – Lev Vgotsky
c. multiple intelligences – Howard Gardner
d. learning styles – Felder and Silverman
e. emotional intelligences – Daniel Goleman
Psychological Foundations of Curriculum
Psychology provides a basis for the teaching and learning process.
3. Humanistic Psychology Humanist psychologist are
concerned with how learners can develop their human potential.
a. Gestalt theory
b. theory of human needs and for self actualizing persons -
Maslow
c. Carl Roger’s non directive lives
Social Foundations of Education
Schools exist within the social context. In considering the social
foundations of curriculum, we must recognize that schools are the
only one of the many institutions that educate society. The home,
the family, community likewise educate the people in the society.
But schools are formal institutions that address more complex and
interrelated societies and the world.
Six (6) Curriculum Conceptions
1. Academic Rationalist Conception- it is considered the oldest among the
curriculum conceptions. It stresses the importance of different
bodies of knowledge, known as discipline or subject areas, as the
the focus of the curriculum.
2. Cognitive Process Conception- seek to develop a repertoire of cognitive
skills that are applicable to a wide range of intellectual [Link]
subject matters are instruments or tools for developing these cognitive skills
that are lasting in the lives of individuals.
Six (6) Curriculum Conceptions
3. Humanistic Conception- stresses the idea that the curriculum or
education is an instrument for developing the full potential of
individuals. It seeks to help individual to discover and develop
their unique identities. It stresses that the curriculum should focus
on the needs and interest of individuals.
[Link] Reconstructionist Conception- views the school or
schooling as an agency for social change. Hence it stresses that
curriculum should respond to the different issues,needs, problems,
and the demands of the society.
Six (6) Curriculum Conceptions
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 conceptions 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.
LEARNING ACTIVITY
Examine a particular curriculum. Analyze what curriculum
conception is leaning to.
[Link]
