Lesson 1: Nature of the Curriculum

Even our country is suffering from Covid-19 pandemic, our government decided that education should
continue. Through proper education, an individual can help his or herself to uplift his or her standard of
living. It also serves as the device in achieving one’s dream and with right education we can start one
step towards our goal.

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

A. define the major conceptions of curriculum.

Definitions of Curriculum

The word curriculum has been in existence since about 1820, and comes from the Latin word “currere”,
which means “to run” or “to run a course.” That is a course of study, which contains a body of subject
matter approved for teaching in schools. However, as time passed by, experts defined “curriculum” in
different ways.
By and large, the way we view curriculum reflects our approach to it. According to Ornstein and Hunkins,
we can specify five basic definitions of curriculum.

1. It can be defined as a plan for achieving goals. This position, popularized by Tyler and Taba, exemplifies
a linear view of curriculum. The plan involves a sequence of steps.

2. It can be defined broadly, as dealing with the learner’s experiences. By this definition, almost anything
planned in or outside of school is part of the curriculum.

3. Curriculum is a system for dealing with people. The system can be linear or nonlinear. A linear
system plots out the means to a desired end. A nonlinear system permits the curriculum specialists to
enter at various points of the model, skip parts, reverse order, and work on more than one component
at a time.

4. It is a field of study with its own foundations, knowledge domains, research, theory, principles,
and specialists.

5. It can be defined in terms of subject matter (Math, Science, English and so on) or content (the way
we organize and assimilate information).
Many books on curriculum present various images, characterizations, and definitions of the term
curriculum. To analyze or discuss all of theses definitions would be a massive endeavor since there are
more than eleven hundred books written about curriculum (Schubert, 1980). Presented here are just a
few definitions provided by Saylor (1981), Beauchamp (1982), Schbert (1986), Eisner (1985), Pinar
(1995), Posner (1995), Marsh (2004), Oliva (2005), Glatthorn (2006), and Reid (2006), among others.

I. Topic
II. Learning Outcomes
A teacher (also called a school teacher or, in some contexts, an educator) is a person who helps students
to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.
Informally the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. when showing a colleague how to
perform a specific task). In some countries, teaching young people of school age may be carried out
in an informal setting, such as within the family (homeschooling), rather than in a formal setting such
as a school or college. Some other professions may involve a significant amount of teaching (e.g.
youth worker, pastor).

I. Overview
Curriculum as a list of subjects. This 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 includes students’ curricular and co-curricular activities and
the learning experiences they encounter inside or outside the school. This also 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.

Curriculum as intended learning outcomes. This definition includes a list of learning competencies or
standards that students 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. It 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 curriculums in their books depending on how curriculum is used in
various institutions.

1. 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.

2. Intended, Official, or Written Curriculum. This refers to the official curriculum embodied in approved
state curriculum guides (Glatthorn, 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). Example 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

3. Implemented Curriculum. It 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. curriculum workers in ensuring the success of the implemented
curriculum.
4. 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.

5. 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).
6. 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.

7. Supported Curriculum. This refers to the curriculum that is reflected on and shaped by the resources
allocated to support or deliver the official curriculum. (Glatthorn, Boschee, and Whitehead, 2006).

8. Null or Censored Curriculum. This refers to various curriculum contents or topics that must not be
taught to the students. (Tanner & Tanner, 2007).

9. Hidden Curriculum. This refers to various skills, knowledge, and attitudes that 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).

References, Books
Pawilen, Greg T. (2019). The Teacher and the School Curriculum (A Guide to Curriculum Development
Practice. Manila Philippines: Rex Book Store.
Reyes, Emerita & Dizon, Erlinda (2015). Curriculum Development. Manila, Philippines: Adriana Publishing
Co., Inc.
Internet
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