Philosophical Dimensions
in Curriculum
Development
Prepared by: Nathaniel S. Juan
Course subject: curriculum planning
Definition of Curriculum
• Curriculum is what is taught in a given course or subject.
• Everything that is written, taught and tested in an
educational program of study.
• Curriculum is a group of courses offered in a particular
field of study.
• A course of study that will enable the learner to acquire
specific knowledge and skills.
• Curriculum Development as an
instrument of education is based on
philosophy which has man as its focal
point.
• Philosophy studies man not only in
himself but also in his relations with
reality and his relations with God.
Philosophical Theories of
Education
•Essentialist
•Progressivist
•Perennialist
•Reconstructivist
Various Philosophical Approaches
Two main approaches in Curriculum Development
Essentialist Approach
Subject-centered
Traditional approach
School has rooted in human needs
Progressivist Approach
Child’s experience is favored over the
curriculum
Two ways to obtain learning skills:
1. Empirical Approach
Truth is discovered by noting what activities a
person usually engages in and is later arranged to
produce the learner’s cognitive experience in
each of them.
2. Conceptual Theory
Student activities are grouped under conceptual
heads and rather than touching the details .
More on practical approach
Two ways in the treatment of subject matter of the
curriculum as knowledge:
1. Reading-to-wear
The subject matter is found, collected, systematized and
printed in textbooks, etc
2. Custom-made
This is centered more on the pupil’s problem.
The curriculum is made in terms of the pupil’s need.
Philosophical Doctrines With Regard To
The Truth Knowledge In The Curriculum
IDEALISTS REALISTS PRAGMATISTS
•Knowledge in the curriculum •Knowledge is true •Knowledge is true if it is workable .
is true if it achieves if one’s ideas
consistency among observers correspond to his •Truth does not exist, it happens.
external reality.
•A test is reliable and
objective if the successive
impressions of a single
investigator tend to be
consistent with each other
and with those of other
investigators.
• The curriculum should
also be shaped according
to values as required by
the needs of the
individual and of the
social culture.
Reconstructionism
• It is a philosophy of ends
attainable through the
development of powerful means
possessed latently by the learner.
Its main thesis is as follows:
1. Transformation of society by technological and scientific
revolution is so radical.
2. The task of educators is to analyze the social trends.
3. There is a need for a continuous critical reexamination of
the meaning of democratic way of life.
4. Critical examination and reconstruction of the current
problems and conditions must constitute the core of the
educational program of today.
Existentialism
Its central features include:
1. As a new attempt to deal with some old persistent ethico-
religious problems
2. As a group of revolt against the traditional way of thinking.
3. As a historical movement.
TRINITARIAN SCHEME OF THE
CURRICULUM
1.Theory of Knowledge
2.Theory of Value
3.Aesthetic Value
Categories of the beginning point of
truth in a curriculum
1. “Knowing that”
Proposition knowledge
2. “Knowing how”
Cognitive action
Doctrines in Value Theory
1. Values are internal and subjective
2. Values resident in the curriculum are external and
objective
3. Value is both external and internal like a product of the
relation between them.
Theological Foundations
of Curriculum
1. God-centeredness
The body and soul of the man are substantially
united.
2. Christ-centeredness
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”
3. Community-centeredness
The community is the extension of God and Christ
through space and time .
Curriculum Theorist
• 1. FRANKLIN BOBBIT (1876-1956)
• Bobbit believes that the learning objectives, together with
the activities, should be grouped and sequenced after
clarifying the instructional activities and tasks. He also
views curriculum as a science that emphasizes the needs of
the students. This viewpoint explains why lessons are
planned and organized depending on the needs of the
students and these needs must be addressed by the teachers
to prepare them for adult life.
• 2. WERRET CHARTERS (1875-1952)
• Aside from emphasizing the students’ needs, he believes
that the objectives, along with the corresponding activities,
should be aligned with the subject matter or content. For
that reason, department chairpersons or course
coordinators scrutinize the alignment or matching of
objectives and subject matter prepared by the faculty
members.
• 3. WILLIAM KILPATRICK (1871-1965)
• For him, the purpose of curriculum is child development,
growth, and social relationship. He also introduced the use
of small group interaction, and the project method in
which the teacher and students plan together. Thus, it is
called as the child-centered curriculum.
• 4. HAROLD RUGG (1886-1960)
• He introduced the concept of the
development of the whole child, the
inclusion of social studies, and the
importance of curriculum planning in
advance.
• 5. HOLLIS CASWELL (1901-1989)
• He believes that subject matter is developed around the
interest of the learners and their social functions. So, the
curriculum is a set of experiences. Learners must
experience what they learn.
• 6. RALPH TYLER (1902-1994)
• And as to the hallmark of curriculum development as a
science, Ralph Tyler believes that curriculum should
revolve around the students’ needs and interests. The
purpose of curriculum is to educate the generalists and not
the specialists, and the process must involve problem
solving. Likewise, subject matter is planned in terms of
imparting knowledge, skills and values among students.
• To sum it up, the famous curriculum theorists have almost
similar views. All of them believe that the curriculum
should be learner-centered – addressing the needs and
interests of the students. All of them have salient
contributions to the educational system of the world today.
If you are an observant student, you might ask
the following questions about your teachers:
• Why is it that we are required to do projects, solve problems, and work
in groups?
• Why is it that our teachers are being observed in class, and their lesson
plans or syllabi are checked?
• Why is it that all of us should take social studies, and not only the 3Rs?
• Why are the lessons being prepared in advance?
• Why should we experience what we have learned?
• Why do our teachers integrate values in our lessons?
• And why is it that the school is after our development as whole
individuals (to become generalists) and be ready to face life’s
challenges?
• The answers to your questions are the people behind our
educational system. They are the curriculum theorists
Contribution to Curriculum
Planning and Development
1. The Importance of Teachers
Involvement in Curriculum
Development
• Without doubt, the most important person in the
curriculum implementation process is the teacher. With
their knowledge, experiences and competencies,
teachers are central to any curriculum development
effort. Better teachers support better learning because
they are most knowledgeable about the practice of
teaching and are responsible for introducing the
curriculum in the classroom.
2. The Challenges Teachers Face in
Curriculum Development
• The teachers’ involvement in the curriculum development
process is essential in meeting the needs of society. The process
of curriculum development requires teachers to act and reflect
on society's needs in each stage of the development process.
Nevertheless, sometimes this process which teachers are
requested to follow is unclear. For example, in South Africa
most teachers are not qualified and lack the necessary skills to
participate in curriculum development. Their approach of
participation in the process is not well defined and very difficult
on teachers, so they face many challenges regarding their
involvement in curriculum development (Ramparsad, 2000).
3. Preparation for Teacher
Involvement in Curriculum
Development
• Because teachers have to be involved in curriculum
development, the teacher should be provided with
appropriate knowledge and skills that help them to
effectively contribute in curriculum development
operation.
• As a result, teachers need training and workshops, which
are geared toward professional development to be able
to contribute to curriculum development.
4. The Teachers Role in Curriculum
Development
• The teacher involved in curriculum organization has many
roles and responsibilities. Teachers want to enjoy
teaching and watching their students develop interests
and skills in their interest area. The teacher may need to
create lesson plans and syllabi within the framework of
the given curriculum since the teacher's responsibilities
are to implement the curriculum to meet student needs
(Carl, 2009).
5. Conclusion
• In short, No curriculum will be perfect, a finished product
cast in stone, or free from criticism, but to be effective it
must be accepted by teachers and must be deemed
educationally valid by parents and the community at
large (“Guide to curriculum development,” 2006).
Curriculum development should be viewed as a process
by which meeting student needs leads to improvement of
student learning. In addition, it cannot be stagnant.
Curriculum must be a living document that is in constant
flux. It must be adaptable to changes in the educational
community and in society in general. Only then will it be
able to be an effective change agent in the educational
process.
Reference
• https://simplyeducate.me/2014/12/03/six-famous-
curriculum-theorists-and-their-contributions-to-
education/#:~:text=6.-,Ralph%20Tyler
%20(1902%2D1994),the%20students'%20needs%20and
%20interests.&text=Likewise%2C%20subject%20matter
%20is%20planned,skills%20and%20values%20among
%20students.
• https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1095725.pdf
• http://www1.udel.edu/educ/whitson/897s05/files/definitio
ns_of_curriculum.htm
